Washington news in brief

Lawmakers prevail in football match

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers beat law enforcement officials at the 2019 Congressional Football Game on Tuesday, their first victory since 2009.

The final score was 14-4; the losing squad scored two safeties but wasn’t able to put any other points on the board.

Wes Booker, a businessman from White Hall, was one of the referees.

A former all-conference defensive back at the University of Central Arkansas, Booker now helps to officiate SEC contests.

In an interview, Booker portrayed the assignment as relatively low-stress.

“We’re just here to manage the game; make sure it goes by smooth and nobody gets hurt,” he said.

Booker’s congressman, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, invited him to participate in the charity event.

Westerman, a walk-on player for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks in the 1980s, suited up Tuesday night.

“We’re here to win, yeah. But we’re going to have fun while we’re doing it,” the Republican from Hot Springs told a Voice of America camera crew.

Westerman’s teammate, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., missed the game after breaking his leg at a practice earlier in the month.

The lawmaker from Jonesboro, a former saddle bronc rider and rodeo announcer, said he’s hanging up his cleats.

Congressmen meet with robotics team

One month before competing in an international contest in Dubai, members of Springdale’s Tyson School of Innovation robotics team traveled east to visit Capitol Hill and tour the White House.

Seven members of the team, which is named Root Negative One, met with two Republican lawmakers from Rogers: U.S. Sen. John Boozman and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack.

They also spent time with Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, an engineer from Hot Springs.

In October, the students will represent the United States when they’re in the United Arab Emirates, facing off against teams from roughly 180-190 countries according to Richard Cassady, a University of Arkansas engineering professor and the team’s coach.

Last week’s trip was a chance to celebrate their selection as Team USA, he said.

“There’s nothing robotics happening while we’re here. This is more of just an opportunity for the kids to get some recognition from our delegation,” he said. “Only one of the kids on the team has ever been to the capital, to Washington, D.C., before. In fact, two or three of them, this is their first time on an airplane.”

Root Negative One’s task is to “design and fabricate and operate a robot” that will compete against other robots.

The team was picked to represent the U.S. after winning a top award at an international competition in Houston.

Mom rallies in D.C. after death of son

Sabine Durden of Mineral Springs, whose son died in an accident caused by an unauthorized migrant, spent much of the week in the nation’s capital, pushing for greater border vigilance.

Durden, a German immigrant, spoke at a rally sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. She also met with county sheriffs from across the country.

In addition, she participated in the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s 13th annual Hold Their Feet to the Fire event, which draws scores of radio broadcasters to the nation’s capital.

It was an opportunity to give interviews to outlets from across the country and to share her story.

The organization supports tighter border controls and advocates for what it calls “responsible immigration limits.”

Durden is, in the words of President Donald Trump, an “angel mom.” Her son, Dominic, died on July 12, 2012, in an accident with a migrant who was not authorized to be in the U.S.

The 30-year-old Riverside County, Calif., sheriff’s office dispatcher, who flew planes and rode motorcycles in his spare time, was Durden’s only child.

After her son’s death, Durden moved to Arkansas. She currently serves on the board of Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crimes.

Planning to visit the nation’s capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansas online.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s

Washington bureau? It’s available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.