Curious about today’s topics on The Larry O’Connor Show? Below are a few stories on the radar. Be sure to listen to The Larry O’Connor Show Monday – Friday 3pm – 6pm on WMAL.
Hogan proposes ‘investigator general’ to probe problems in Md. schools [The Washington Post]
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday called for the creation of an “investigator general” to address complaints in local school systems, arguing that parents — who have complained over the past year about altered grades in Prince George’s County and inadequate heating and air conditioning systems in Baltimore City and Baltimore County — are losing confidence in public schools.
Hogan (R) said an independent investigator would have subpoena power and full authority to investigate ethical claims and corruption allegations against school officials. The position, which must be approved by the Democratic-majority General Assembly, would be based in the state Department of Education.
“Taxpayers, parents, teachers and especially students have a right to expect, and they deserve, more accountability,” Hogan said at a news conference to announce education bills he plans to propose during the 2018 legislative session.
Hogan said he also will submit a bill to change the schools accountability plan the General Assembly approved over his objections last year, reviving an issue that resulted in a veto override. In addition, he announced a bill to provide emergency funds to help pay for heating repairs in Baltimore City schools, which closed some buildings last week, and again Monday, because of extreme cold. [Read More]
MS-13 gang member who brutally stabbed 15-year-old girl pleads guilty to brutal killing [Fox DC]
A teenager who sought to avenge the death of her boyfriend and told a 15-year-old girl she would “see her in hell” before stabbing her multiple times pleaded guilty Monday to the brutal slaying that raised the spotlight on MS-13’s presence in the suburbs of the nation’s capital.
Venus Romero Iraheta, who was 17 at the time of the January 2017 murder, pleaded guilty in a Virginia courtroom as an adult in the murder of 15-year-old Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas.
Iraheta, now 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, abduction and criminal street gang participation. She faces a maximum of life in prison plus 20 years when she is sentenced on May 25. [Read More]
Joe Arpaio running for Senate in Arizona [Fox News]
Republican Joe Arpaio, a close ally of President Trump and former sheriff known for his provocative approach to combatting illegal immigration, is running for Senate in Arizona.
The 85-year-old Arpaio could shake up the late August Republican primary in a critical open-seat race to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. Trump pardoned Arpaio last summer, sparing the former sheriff jail time after he was convicted of ignoring a federal court order in a racial-profiling case. [Read More]
Trump administration wants to change Obama-era rule on restaurant tips [Washington Examiner]
That $5 you leave behind for the server at your favorite restaurant produces a lot more angst than you might think.
The laws on tips and who gets to keep them are highly contentious issues inside the restaurant industry. The Trump administration in mid-December waded right into it.
The Labor Department has proposed to change an Obama-era rule that said tips are the property of the person who receives them. The Trump administration wants to allow employers to claim the tips if all of their workers are paid at least the state or federal minimum wage, whichever is higher. That would allow employers to re-distribute the wages to the workers who don’t receive tips.
Wage disparities between the “front of the house” people such as the wait staff and bartenders who receive tips and the “back of the house” workers such as cooks and dishwashers who don’t have produced major friction, proponents of the change say. Allowing restaurant owners to ensure that all workers share the money would resolve the issue.
“In a nutshell, it’s about fairness and freedom,” said a Labor Department official who requested anonymity. [Read More]
Roseanne Barr defends Trump, says sitcom will tackle politics [Fox News]
Roseanne Barr defended her support for President Trump and her choice to make her sitcom character a Trump supporter in the upcoming “Roseanne” revival heading to ABC in March.
Barr said making her sitcom counterpart a Trump supporter made sense for the show about a working-class American family.
“It’s just realistic,” she explained.
She went on, “I have always … attempted to portray a realistic portrait of the American people and working class people. And, in fact, it was working class people that elected Trump so I felt that was very real and something that needed to be discussed.” [Read More]
CALL: 202-432-WMAL (9625) | 888-630-WMAL (9625)
Email The Show
