Downtowner News, Nov. 7, 2022
By • November 7, 2022 0 1529
Robert Horan, Teen DC Sniper Prosecutor, Dead at 90
Robert F. Horan, Jr. who served 40 years as top prosecutor in Fairfax County, died last month at home in Clifton, Virginia. He was 90. He was the man who secured a murder conviction of then-teenage D.C. sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. Horan retired in 2007 but continued to go to the county prosecutor’s office for years after because he was so passionate about law and public service. Malvo is currently 37 years-old and serving multiple life sentences at a Virginia supermax prison.
DC History Center Announces Project at the Randall School
The DC History Center is kicking off an effort to preserve, gather and share the history of the Randall School in Southwest D.C. The school (at 65 I St. SW) first opened in 1906 as Cardozo Elementary School and later became Randall Junior High school in 1924. During racial segregation, the school served SW D.C.’s African American population. Famed singer Marvin Gaye was an alumnus. The building is one of the last remaining from the community’s pre-urban renewal history. The DC History Center team is hoping to honor and elevate the stories of people who attended and/or worked at the school and lived nearby. Today the school’s building has been converted to the new Rubell Museum DC. The history center is holding its last of two meetings Wednesday Nov. 16 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Library at 900 Wesley Place SW.
Picture of the Randall Junior High School Building in Southwest, Washington, D.C., in 2022, now the Rubell Museum DC. Wikipedia.
DC DMV Introduces Virtual Knowledge Test Option for New Drivers
The days of heading to the DMV to take your driver’s test are no more. Late last month, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles announced that D.C. residents who wish to get their driver’s license can take the knowledge test virtually. An appointment is still required to take the test and can be scheduled at takemydrivingtest.com/dc.
RIP Rusty the Red Panda
The National Zoo’s Rusty the Red Panda has died at The Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. He first made headlines nearly 10 years ago when he escaped the Smithsonian National Zoo. The Pueblo Zoo remembered the 10-year-old panda, who was born in 2012 at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska, for being “curious and independent, often found stretched out over a log under the spray misters or munching on bamboo.
Rusty the Red Panda is seen in his exhibit in the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2013 in Washington, D.C. Courtesy Smithsonian.
Woman Seriously Injured in D.C. Apartment Fire
Firefighters responded to a conflagration in the 1600 block of Park Rd. NW in an occupied apartment. The fire occurred on the fourth floor of a five-story building. A woman was seriously injured and taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Firefighters reported that residents were in distress at the apartment windows. Some people were removed by ladders and others removed from inside the apartment itself.
D.C. Police Charge Suspect After Woman Shot While Driving in NW
Ariel Cooper, 39, was arrested last month for shooting and killing a woman while the duo was inside the same car in NW D.C. The shooting happened at 12:20 p.m. at the intersection of New Jersey Ave. and N Street NW near Dunbar High School. The victim, Sophia Johnson, 38, was the driver of the vehicle and passed away at the scene.
Metro Looking at Short-Term Hikes, Longer-Term Fare Complete Overhauls
Metro’s board heard a large array of fare and service concepts to help with their budget gaps. They’re currently battling a post-pandemic plunge in ridership, with many of its former riders being workers who can work from home more. Some exploration included five percent increases (meaning fares could range from $2 to $6) up to 25 percent increases (which would put fares between $2.50 and $7.50). Bus prices would rise from $2 to $2.10 or $2.50. It would be Metro’s first fare increase since 2017.
