Morning Read: Marion Barry Criticizes DC Filipina Nurses

Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry’s mouth has gotten him in hot water once again -- this time for remarks he made about Filipina nurses who work in District hospitals.

At a hearing, Barry told the president and board members of the University of the District of Columbia that the school should be training D.C. residents to serve as teachers and nurses.

That seems reasonable enough. But in what’s now become typical Barry fashion, the longtime politician said something more controversial.

Via the Washington Examiner:

"In fact, it's so bad, that if you go to the hospital now, you find a number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the Philippines," Barry said. "And no offense, but let's grow our own teachers, let's grow our own nurses -- and so that we don't have to be scrounging around in our community clinics and other kinds of places -- having to hire people from somewhere else."

Earlier this month, Barry was at the center of controversy when he insulted Asian business owners in his ward, saying that African-American residents should be opening these businesses instead: "We've got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops. They ought to go."

He said that Asian business owners do not get involved in their neighborhoods or improve the quality of life for the community. In an apology later that week, Barry said he "meant to convey that some stores need better service to and engagement with the community than what is provided now" and noted a sub-standard treatment in Ward 8.

* Gov. Martin O’Malley is scheduled to have breakfast Tuesday morning with House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller to discuss the possibility of holding a special session to fix the “Doomsday” budget, according to the Associated Press.

The General Assembly hastily passed a spending plan right before the session adjourned that included steep budget cuts instead of widely discussed income tax hikes.

O’Malley says he wants to have a special session, but needs lawmakers to reach an agreement before he calls it.

Lawmakers, according to the AP, still need to figure out how to implement an income tax increase and which taxpayers would be affected.

The Washington Times reports that Miller is pushing for broader income tax increases, which the House seems reluctant to support. He's also still trying to pass a bill during the special session that would expand gambling in the state.

During the regular session, the Senate proposed income tax increases across the board, while the House wanted tax hikes only for single residents with taxable incomes greater than $100,000 or couples with taxable income greater than $150,000.

* Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans’ recent primary victory in an uncontested field didn’t come cheap. A Washington Examiner analysis shows that Evans spent $88.48 per vote, or a total of $260,764 for his primary campaign.

Evans, an incumbent, outspent every other D.C. politician this election cycle.

According to the analysis, the incumbents in the four ward races spend an average between $13 and $19 per vote. For the at-large seat, most candidates spent less than $8 per vote.

* Virginia's presidential battleground is already fired up, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch has the latest on the candidates’ and parties’ activities in the key swing-state. Read the story here.

* Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham thoroughly examined the Children & Youth Investment Trust Corp.’s practices and spending during a budget hearing Monday before the Committee on Human Services, which he chairs.

The nonprofit has been embroiled in controversy since former councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. used it as a pass-through to allegedly steal public money from 2007 to 2009.

According to the Washington Times, Graham said the nonprofit needs to tighten its books, find more private dollars to complement its public funding and explain the recent firing of its president and CEO. Read the full story here

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