Q&A on the News

Q: Who was the lady dressed in red western-looking apparel seen walking with President Barack Obama a few days ago? —Mary Edwards, Griffin

A: Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who has been in Congress since 2011, is known for her hats and outfits.

“Cowboy hats are the ones I basically wear. If it’s not a cowboy hat, it’s a fedora,” she told The Hill in 2013. “I have a room that’s shelved top to the bottom and I try to keep them in colors — according to colors and to season.”

Wilson represents Florida’s 24th District (the Miami area) and has been wearing hats for 30 years.

“I like to dress up. I dress up every day, and I feel dressed from head to toe,” she told The Washington Post in 2010.

Q: If and when the MLK Jr. holiday falls on Jan. 20 in a presidential inauguration year, will the inauguration still proceed?— Lance DeLoach, Thomaston

A: The presidential inauguration was held on the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. in both 1997 and 2013.

Bill Clinton took the oath of office to begin his second term on Jan. 20, 1997.

In 2013, Jan. 20 was a Sunday, so the inauguration for President Barack Obama’s second term was scheduled for Jan. 21, which was Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were both sworn in on Jan. 20, according to law, and then again as part of the inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 21.