Snipers’ conviction date set for March
Official sentencing of Washington-area sniper John Allen Muhammad and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo is scheduled to take place March 10.

Sentencing of the men was coincidental, Washington officials told The Washington Post. Muhammad is to be sentenced in Manassas, Va., while Malvo’s sentencing will take place in Chesapeake, Va.

Jurors handed down a capital punishment sentence for Muhammad, while Malvo received life in prison.

Muhammad was convicted for the Oct. 9, 2002 murder of Dean H. Myers and Malvo was convicted for the Oct. 14, 2002 murder of Linda Franklin.

Price William Circuit Court Judge Leroy F. Millette Jr., who presided over Muhammad’s case, has the option of confirming the sentence of capital punishment or reducing the sentence to life in prison, according to The Post. Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Jane Marum Roush presided over Malvo’s case and will confirm Malvo’s sentence of life in prison, which cannot be changed.

Bush wants $14 million for D.C. vouchers
President George W. Bush requested Friday that the Senate approve a plan to allocate $14 million a year for D.C. families to send their children to private schools.

Bush told a group of Catholic educators that the taxpayer-funded bill would make public schools more accountable by allowing parents more options for their children’s schooling, according to The Washington Post.

The bill, which could provide as many as 1,700 low-income District children with grants of as much as $7,500, is scheduled to be reviewed by the Senate when it returns from recess Jan. 20.

Several Democratic senators stand in opposition to Bush’s proposal, which they say takes funding away from public schools at a time when federal educational programs are not receiving promised funds, according to The Post. Certain civil liberties groups say the bill violates the constitution’s promise of separation of church and state.

-Bryn Landsdowne