Washington, D.C
AYF leads Greater Washington, D.C. vigil in solidarity with “Tavush for Homeland” movement
![AYF leads Greater Washington, D.C. vigil in solidarity with “Tavush for Homeland” movement AYF leads Greater Washington, D.C. vigil in solidarity with “Tavush for Homeland” movement](https://armenianweekly.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/050824_crowdshot.jpg)
Bethesda, Md.—The Armenian Youth Federation – Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF) Washington, D.C. “Ani” Senior Chapter organized a powerful vigil and rally in support of Armenia’s growing “Tavush for the Homeland” movement, calling for an immediate halt to the illegal surrender of Armenian lands to Azerbaijan’s genocidal Aliyev regime.
The May 8 candlelight vigil took place at the historic “Khatchkar” monument located at Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, as Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and the “Tavush for the Homeland” protesters arrived in Yerevan, welcomed by tens of thousands of supporters from across Armenia.
“The Tavush region Primate Bagrat Srpazan has issued a rallying call for unity – demanding the Armenian nation stand up and stop the Pashinyan government’s capitulation of Armenian sovereign land – of our homeland and our heritage,” began evening emcee, Homenetmen D.C. Scout and AYF “Ani” Chapter secretary Mary Markarian. “Greater Washington Armenians are gathered here tonight, along with our compatriots in Chicago, Boston, Detroit and Los Angeles, followed by our brothers and sisters in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Providence to say, ‘We are Tavush strong.’”
ARF Sebouh Gomideoutiun member Aram Balian condemned the Pashinyan government’s unilateral concession of Armenian “lands we have lived on for thousands of years, for false promises from a genocidal dictator who is determined to eradicate every last Armenian – including all of us here tonight.” He characterized the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement as “not one of foreign agents, revolution or radicalism. It is one of rationality. It is a plea for stability and cohesion in the face of evil, of treason, of genocidal intent. It is an ask, no, a demand for unwavering strength in the guardianship of our nation, our land, our homeland – in defense of Tavush, Syunik, Lori, Yerevan and more.”
AYF Washington D.C. “Sevan” Junior Chapter chair Meghri Aguilian, in a poignant message shared in Armenian, called the surrender of our strong position in Tavush “illegal and a betrayal of our nation.” She quoted remarks by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan at a May 6 rally: “This will be the beginning of our eternal journey. Armenia is an eternal truth! Armenia has one value – its highest value – and that is its eternity.”
ANCA National Grassroots Director Gev Iskajyan sent an inspirational word of hope from the Greater Washington, D.C. Armenian community: “To the people of Artsakh who have lost their homeland, to the people of Armenia who feel disenfranchised, distraught or downtrodden, know that as long as we are here, you will never be voiceless. As long as we are here, you will never be without a fight. As long as we are here, and even though the world may turn its back on you, you will never be alone.”
Markarian highlighted the united support for the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, the spiritual leader of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Homenetmen D.C. Scout and AYF D.C. “Sevan” Junior executive member Sevak Stepanyan and St. Mary’s Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO) member Daniel Gevorgyan Poliquin then read solidarity statements by Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern U.S., and Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern U.S.
ARF Sebouh Gomideh member Areni Margossian shared the ARF Eastern Region Central Committee statement, expressing solidarity with the movement. “We stand with our brothers and sisters in preventing Pashinyan’s planned May 15 handover of our lands to the genocidal Aliyev regime and support efforts to replace the Pashinyan regime with the patriotic, honorable and resilient leaders our homeland needs and deserves,” read Margossian.
Noting that the illegal surrender of Armenian lands to Azerbaijan not only undermines Armenia’s viability but endangers Armenian cultural heritage, Markarian invited AYF D.C. “Sevan” Junior and Homenetmen D.C. Scout Victoria Penenian to recite Mikael Nalbandian’s immortal poem “Azadoutioun” (Freedom) and asked AYF D.C. “Ani” Chapter members and professional musicians Alexandra and Lilia Yaralian to perform a beautiful piece by Gomidas on the kanoun. Soorp Khatch Armenian Church Board of Trustees chair and choir director Anahid Dardarian ended the evening, leading participants in renditions of “Der Voghormia” and “The Lord’s Prayer.” The solidarity rally was blessed with the robust support of the Homenetmen D.C. Scouts, who sang the U.S., Armenia and Artsakh anthems and stood at attention throughout the program.
That same evening, in front of the Armenian Embassy, one of Pashinyan’s infamous border posts, which was first spotted in Tavush, was seen again, this time with the message, “Save Tavush.” “Neither Pashinyan nor his administration have the right to hand over our homeland piece by piece to the enemy. United, we demand the end to the surrender of sacred soil,” stated an AYF D.C. “Ani” social media post.
Video highlights from the AYF D.C. vigil are available here, and the vigil was live streamed on the AYF D.C. “Ani” Chapter Facebook page.
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Washington, D.C
Inside look at Washington Capitals | NHL.com
![Inside look at Washington Capitals | NHL.com Inside look at Washington Capitals | NHL.com](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_ratio16_9-size50/v1724964048/prd/rmzeaitmkdknpidaqkm1.jpg)
The Capitals also traded for forward Andrew Mangiapane (Calgary Flames), defenseman Jakob Chychrun (Ottawa Senators) and goalie Logan Thompson (Vegas Golden Knights), and added defenseman Matt Roy (six years, $34.5 million; AAV of $5.75 million AAV) and forwards Brandon Duhaime (two years, $3.7 million; AAV of $1.85 million) and Taylor Raddysh (one year, $1 million) in free agency.
Where everyone fits will be determined during training camp along with whether forward T.J. Oshie will play after being hampered by a back injury the past two seasons.
Regardless, Washington expects to have a deeper lineup than last season, when it finished 40-31-11 and surprised many by qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the second wild card from the Eastern Conference. If the Capitals exceeded expectations in Carbery’s first season, he warned it will be more difficult this season.
“Whatever the outside world has us pegged at percentage-wise of making the playoffs — and I’m not shy to say we don’t have many believers again this year — it’s important that we know two things,” Carbery said. “One is we are not going to catch anybody off guard. Teams are going to know, ‘OK, this is a team that caught some teams maybe off guard last year. They were a playoff team. We need to be ready to go tonight.’
“And two is we need to get better in a bunch of areas, especially offensively.”
Washington was 28th in the NHL in scoring 2.63 goals per game last season. Acquiring Dubois, Mangiapane and Chychrun could help. Mangiapane scored 14 goals in 75 games last season, but the 28-year-old had an NHL career-high 35 goals in 82 games with the Flames in 2021-22.
Chychrun will add another element to the Capitals defensemen, who were 31st in the NHL with 20 goals scored at the position last season, ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks (19). The 26-year-old had 14 goals in 82 games with the Senators last season.
Washington, D.C
Comedian Joe Clair returns to DC radio
![Comedian Joe Clair returns to DC radio Comedian Joe Clair returns to DC radio](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox5dc.com/www.fox5dc.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1280/720/thumbnail_NJASshow_hostsIG_Twitter.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Comedian Joe Clair returns to radio in DC
Starting Tuesday, Sep, 3rd at 3 p.m., listeners can tune in to “The Nina Brown and Joe Clair Afternoon Show,” featuring DC’s own comedian and multimedia host Joe Clair, alongside radio personality and television actress Nina Brown.
WASHINGTON – FOX 5’s Joe Clair is returning to radio in Washington, D.C.
On Friday’s episode of the “DMV Zone,” Clair said that he is bringing a new show with local flavor to Howard University-owned radio station WHUR-FM’s afternoon lineup.
“They’ve asked me to bring out more of me that the people may not get to see between here and comedy. So, all that stuff that we do when the mic, when the cameras aren’t on,” he said.
Starting Tuesday, Sep, 3rd at 3 p.m., listeners can tune in to “The Nina Brown and Joe Clair Afternoon Show,” featuring the Prince George’s County-bred comedian alongside radio personality and television actress Nina Brown.
“This show represents the next chapter in WHUR’s commitment to serving the DMV community,” said WHUR Senior Director of Programming Al Payne. “Joe Clair, a cultural icon known from his days on BET’s ‘Rap City’ to his stand-up comedy and his show on Fox5, teams up with Nina Brown’s broadcasting talent, charisma, and passion. Together, they bring the perfect mix for radio success.”
The show is designed to enliven the afternoons of listeners with a unique blend of entertainment and community-oriented programming.
With their combined expertise and energetic presence, Joe and Nina aim to create what Payne calls “the happiest hours in DMV radio,” offering a go-to staple for those seeking both information and fun in their daily routine.
The launch of “The Nina Brown and Joe Clair Afternoon Show” rounds out WHUR’s weekday lineup, which begins with the “Steve Harvey Morning Show” at 6 a.m., followed by “Sunni and the City” at 10 a.m., “The Daily Drum with Harold Fisher” at 7 p.m., and the “Original Quiet Storm” at 7:30 p.m.
Washington, D.C
DC eliminates $42 million in medical debt for 62,000 residents – Washington Examiner
![DC eliminates million in medical debt for 62,000 residents – Washington Examiner DC eliminates million in medical debt for 62,000 residents – Washington Examiner](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/iStock-1636511698.webp)
Washington, D.C., partnered with a nonprofit group called Undue Medical Debt to cancel $42 million in unpaid bills for thousands of residents.
Undue Medical Debt was directed by Washington to negotiate with hospitals in the district in buying the medical debts belonging to 62,000 residents.
This is not a program residents can apply for. Instead, their debt is automatically canceled if they qualify. Residents who were eligible for the debt cancellation program either earned up to four times the federal poverty level or their medical debt was at least 5% of their income, city officials said. The city found that 60% of total debt cancellation will assist residents making $25,000 or less and that 80% of residents live in Washington ZIP codes that are predominantly black or Latino.
“We know that in D.C. and across the country, medical debt has become a burden that follows too many families around and holds people back from ever getting their fair shot — especially people of color,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday in a statement. “Erasing medical debt just makes sense — this is a way for us to get life-changing financial help to a large number of people, in the most efficient way possible.”
The only hospitals that agreed to sell the debt were MedStar’s Washington Hospital Center, Northwest D.C. rehabilitation hospital, and Georgetown hospital, according to the Washington Post. Because the federal government reimburses hospitals for 65% of outstanding bills, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage said it made sense that more hospitals didn’t participate in the program.
“Hospitals have this very difficult job of taking care of often very sick people,” Turnage said. “And their margins are not what they used to be. So if they elect to chase the 65% reimbursement … I fully understand the business calculation.”
A KFF poll found that 41% of adults have medical debt.
Washington announced in March 2023 that it plans to eliminate $90 million in residents’ medical debt, allocating $900,000 to the initiative.
Washington is not the only area looking to eliminate the medical debt burden of its residents.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Undue Medical Debt has been contracted by New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans to relieve residents of medical debt.
On Thursday, Cincinnati announced it would cancel $134 million in debt for 34,000 residents.
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