The Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project commemorates Black History Month with a speech at noon today by journalist Renee Poussaint of the National Visionary Leadership Project, a group which aims to record the wisdom of black “visionaries” for the next generation of leaders.

Poussaint, who will speak in the James Madison Building’s Mumford Room, is the recipient of three Emmy Awards and president and CEO of Wisdom Works Inc., a documentary company.

In addition to providing an update on the NVLP’s activities, Poussaint will discuss the importance of preserving the war memories of black veterans through the project.

The event is free and open to the public.

Library Appoints New Associate Register

Library of Congress officials tapped Jule Sigall to be the associate register for policy and international affairs beginning today.

Sigall, who returns to the Library’s copyright office after a five-year hiatus, most recently worked for the law firm Arnold & Porter as a senior associate in the intellectual property and technology practice group.

While at the firm, Sigall specialized in copyright law and its application to new technologies.

During his earlier stint at the Library in 1998, Sigall worked in same division of the copyright office on legislation such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the No Electronic Theft Act.

Sigall earned his law degree from Catholic University in 1996. He is also a 1990 alumnus of Duke University.

Budget Includes $25M for Anacostia River Projects

Projects related to redevelopment and environmental clean-up efforts along the Anacostia River would receive a total of $25 million under the Bush administration’s fiscal 2004 budget proposal, released last week.

The Anacostia Riverwalk and Trail system would receive a federal payment of $10 million to create 16 miles of pedestrian and bicycle paths between the Potomac River and the Maryland border. The funds could be used until the end of fiscal 2005.

The trail is a major component of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, a joint effort of federal and local agencies to improve transportation, recreation areas and the environmental quality of a 9-mile area from the Tidal Basin to the Maryland state line.

The proposed budget also includes a $15 million payment to the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority for Anacostia-related projects within its combined sewer overflow and long-term control plan.

At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing last June, WASA General Manager Jerry Johnson said the agency’s plan will reduce sewer and storm water discharge into the Anacostia River by 98 percent, a decrease to 54 million gallons annually.

The project, which includes the construction of large storage tunnels to increase the sewer system’s capacity during heavy rains, is estimated to cost $1.4 billion over 20 years.

— Bree Hocking and Jennifer Yachnin