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KLMNO POSTLOCAL Talk to us. Talk to newsmakers. Talk to each other. Join the conversation at
postlocal.com Dream deferred and hope deteriorating MIKE DEBONIS
Crestfallen over new Md. license plates
Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration stopped issuing license plates bearing the design that’s served the state for almost 25 years: black numbers on a white background, “Maryland” in Garamond type and a small shield bearing Lord Calvert’s crest — that symbol of Maryland symbols — in the center. Simple, dignified, classy. Nay, classic. And now gone, at least temporarily. The state is now issuing plates commemorating the coming bicentennial of the War of 1812 — a literal take on the “Star-Spangled Banner,” with bombs bursting in air, the unrecognizable ramparts of Fort McHenry and the broad stripes and bright stars of the titular flag. Many find the design cartoonish, others
H MICHAEL S. WILLIAMSON/THE WASHINGTON POST T
erry Diggs and son Devin, 11, stopped by this vacant lot in the 3500 block of Georgia Avenue NW. Diggs wanted to check up on the property that he’s had his eye on for purchasing. He said that when he first looked at the commercial lot in 2008, the Obama poster was brand new. Thinking that it was a painting, he said
he’d hoped to preserve the image for history. Now, two years later, what turned out to be a poster printed on inexpensive paper is deteriorating.
Conversations
Yesterday was Dump the Pump Day, and transportation agencies around the region tried to get residents out of their cars and into public transportation. Readers debated its usefulness on Robert Thomson’s Dr. Gridlock blog.
Did you dump the pump?
WashingtonDame: “Of course I drove. If and when Metro returns to the safe, convenient, reliable, well-run system I remember from the ’80s and early ’90s, I’ll return to Metro. In the meantime, I’ll drive.”
EtoilePB: “I take the Metro anyway, so it’s not like I did anything unusual. I will say, though: Today was the first time in months that I had a smooth, uneventful, reasonable-length ride. Took me by surprise.”
jiji1: “I took the Metro, since I don’t have a car. But these fare increases will cause me to recalculate whether the cost/benefit for me has swung to buying a car. I think it has.”
thetan: “I drove as usual. And I pumped gas, because my tank was low. Oh well.”
Sick of the Metro? Want off the roads? Tell Thomson at
washingtonpost.com/drgridlock.
A surveillance video, with the screen grabs above, captured a robbery in progress at a 7-Eleven in Vienna. ✔ You voted 61%
of Post readers find tour-bus congestion on the Mall “unbearable,” according to an online user poll, as of Thursday evening.
Don’t mind the buses? Vote on this issue — and other questions — at
postlocal.com.
Today on
POSTLOCAL.com Getting around
Get the latest information on
weekend road closings and construction projects today from Dr. Gridlock.
washingtonpost.com/gridlock
THE DAILY QUIZ
On what page of the Weekend section can you read about D.C. harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet, who kicks off the free
Goingoutguide.com’s Weekend Summer Concert series tonight at Carter Barron Amphitheatre?
EARN 5 POINTS: Find the answer, then go to
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Gunman robs Vienna 7-Eleven Description of suspect
Fairfax County police are looking for a man they
say robbed a Vienna 7-Eleven store about 3:15 a.m. Sunday. He drew a gun, pointed it at a clerk and demanded cash, according to police; after beating another clerk, he fled. Surveillance video of the man can bee see on our Crime Scene blog at
washingtonpost.com/ crimescene. Anyone with information is asked to call Fairfax Crime Solvers at (866) 411-8477.
Age: 20-something Build: heavy-set man, 5-6 to 5-9, with dark hair and a full beard. Attire: black pants, black baseball cap, carried a green shopping bag.
Get the latest on area crime and public safety issues at
washingtonpost.com/crime.
“
your weekend with the help of our Gurus.
goingoutguide.com
POINTS EVENTS
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And he’s had no luck in acquiring the land to start a business; he and the property owner have not been able to come to an agreement on the pur- chase price. “It’s really sad on both counts,” Diggs said.
We want your pictures! Got photos of a summer sunset over the Potomac? How about your favorite bag? Send in all those, and more, to our user photo galleries at
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gaudy. And it will be standard issue until 2015. Of the more than 1,500 respondents to an unscientific, online Washington Post poll, 64 percent prefer the old plate. Twenty-two percent deemed it “not great, but not terrible.” An Ellicott City resident, writing to the Baltimore Sun, said the plate looks like a “page ripped from a second-grade coloring book or maybe a computer graphic from 1985.” So how did this happen? Under Maryland law, the MVA has carte blanche to change the plates. There was little outside review. No public hearings. No lawmakers had to approve. The idea for the commemorative plate
originated with the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission— a 14-member panel with considerable juice, having been established by history-loving Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) in 2007. The commission hired a Baltimore-based marketing firm, director Bill Pencek says, to create “a suite of designs based on a common graphic identity” to link its efforts in various arenas — including the new Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. The design then went to the MVA.
Spokesman Buel Young says there was a review of the design by an internal working group. “I do know that there were some concerns related to the color, that sort of thing,” Young said. The famous lyrics penned by Francis Scott
“Educators are so cool. I don’t remember them
being this much fun when I was a student.” — Reader flabbergast, reacting to a video of Fairfax County middle-school teachers dancing to the tune of Lady Gaga’s hit “Bad Romance” earlier this week
See the video, leave a comment and get more of the latest news and updates from around the area on the Post Now blog at
washingtonpost.com/postnow.
Police need your help If you have information about this crime, tell the police and help them solve it.
Key refer to “twilight’s last gleaming.” But the color of twilight was too close to the color on another optional plate — the “Treasure the Chesapeake” tags. So a white background it was. State police vouched for the plate’s legibility — et voila: old plates out, new plates in. But should perhaps the most ubiquitous pieces of state-sponsored public art be subject to any more scrutiny? Are license plates too important to be left to the bureaucrats? Pencek calls it “a very fair question,” but he argues that it’s important to give pride of place to a landmark event in Maryland’s history. “At worst, the plate is a temporary standard plate, and Marylanders do now have other choices,” he says. “At best, the new plate generates new attention to what is perhaps Maryland’s most important national heritage story.” Virginia celebrated the 400th anniversary of
settlers’ landing in Jamestown with, among other things, a license plate. But Virginia’s tag-based promotion involved a much less drastic change and was done by act of the legislature. Ohio did a redesign of its plate for its 2003 bicentennial. There, no less a personage than the state’s first lady gets an exclusive review of the design, says an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman. The District has its own war bicentennial commission— albeit one without governmental sanction or taxpayer support. It, too, is trying to get on the commemorative tag train and recently announced a design contest. Acqunetta Anderson, chairwoman of the D.C. commission, was circumspect in discussing the Maryland plates. “I don’t really want to comment on it, but I do work with Maryland,” she said. “We will include citizens in all aspects of the planning.” Back in Maryland, it’s hard to find much
outrage in the halls of power. A spokesman for former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), who is running against O’Malley, praised the old plates for being “elegant in their simplicity” and questioned the expenditure. “We appreciate creativity as much as anyone but weren’t sure the War of 1812 was in need of new publicity,” said spokesman Andy Barth. But legislators aren’t itching to second-guess
the MVA — in part because of the subject matter involved. “The War of 1812 is somewhat special for Maryland,” says Del. Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery), the House majority leader. “I think it’s appropriate, I really do.” Shaun Adamec, spokesman for the O’Malley administration, said his boss will be proud to display the new tag. He acknowledges the Calvert plate’s iconic
status. “The hope,” he said, “is that this new one will reach that same stature.”
Big plans? If you don’t have them yet, set up
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think of it and all our local coverage. E-mail us at
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POINTS & REWARDS
Dominion Electric: Remodeling? Rely on this trusted company for lighting fixtures and electrical supplies. See
dominionelectric.com.
Jim Coleman Automotive: Stay cool while you shop Jim Coleman’s virtual dealerships for the car you want. See
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Merriweather Post Pavilion: Make plans now for a great 2010 season at this natural outdoor concert venue. See
merriweathermusic.com.
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Read DeBonis’s blog, contact Mike directly and share your thoughts on area politics and government at
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ow suddenly we trash our icons. In a surprise move this week,
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010
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