News in Brief

Mikhail Gorbachev to Give Keynote Address at Cold War Conference

Former Soviet President and Nobel Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev will deliver the keynote address of a conference on the Cold War on Tuesday, March 24, at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

The conference, “1989: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” will explore the historical implications of the end of the Cold War, as well as how its lessons should be applied to promote peace and international cooperation in years to come.

In addition to his keynote address, “A Conversation with Mikhail Gorbachev,” Gorbachev will participate in a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, March 25, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Lee Hamilton, president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as well as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group and Vice-Chair of the 9/11 Commission, and William Webster, Director of the FBI from 1978-1987, will also take part in the discussion.

A limited number of free tickets are available for Mason students for the March 24 lecture, as well as the discussion on March 25.

Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m., students may pick up tickets upon presenting their student ID at the Center for the Arts box office.

Mason students who are attending the March 24 lecture as a class assignment will receive free tickets from their professor.

All others who wish to attend may purchase tickets from the Center for the Arts box office for $20.

For more information on the film series associated with the conference, as well as other conference events, visit gorbachev.gmu.edu.

Hilton to Move Headquarters to Fairfax

Hilton Hotels announced earlier this month that it will be moving its headquarters from Beverly Hills, Calif., to Fairfax County.

The decision comes after the county and state provided a $4.6 million incentive package to lure the international hotel chain, which operates 533 hotels worldwide, to the state of Virginia. Approximately $2.5 million in funds from the Virginia Economic Development Incentive Grant program, as well as $1 million from the Governor's Opportunity Fund, were included in the package.

Hilton will invest $17 million in its move and will create more than 300 full-time jobs in Fairfax over the next three years.

Public reports have hinted that a newly constructed 313,000-square-foot building in Tysons Corner, Park Place II, is to be slated as the location of the new headquarters.

Compiled from the Fairfax County Times and the Washington Business Journal

Fairfax County Policemen Being Investigated for Cheating Exam

Three Fairfax County policemen have been removed from their duties after an officer said he received questions from a superior prior to his promotional exam.

Officials familiar with the investigation said that a sergeant on the testing committee leaked the exam questions to a lieutenant, who in turn offered the material to at least one officer. The sergeant and lieutenant have been suspended with pay, and another sergeant has been placed on administrative duty.

Fairfax Police Chief David M. Rohrer confirmed the investigation and that the test had been scrapped.

The names of the policemen have not yet been released, and no formal charges have been made.

Compiled from The Washington Post

News in Brief compiled by Kevin Loker, ­­­Asst. News Editor