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Word on the Hill: Staffer Corrects 200-Year Mistake

Religion, soccer, cats and dogs as sharks

Staffer Ryan Martin and his family check out the Utah flag before it goes up in the Kennedy Center's Hall of States. (Kennedy Center)
Staffer Ryan Martin and his family check out the Utah flag before it goes up in the Kennedy Center's Hall of States. (Kennedy Center)

House staffer Ryan Martin noticed at The Kennedy Center that the Utah flag in the Hall of States display wasn’t quite right. A manufacturing error on the flag showed 1647 as the year Mormon pioneers settled in the state, 200 years off from the actual year.

Martin informed the center and a new flag was ordered. The new flag, with the correct year, was raised Monday at a ceremony in the Hall of States. 

Besides serving as a professional staff member on the House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee, Martin is a co-chairman of the Latter-day Saints Staff Association.

Tim and Tim talk religion

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., are being honored by The Faith and Politics Institute this morning with the Lewis-Houghton Congressional Leadership Award. The senators will receive their awards from Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., one of the award’s namesakes, and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., at 8:30 a.m. in the Members Reading Room of the Library of Congress. The award’s other namesake is former Rep. Amo Houghton, R-N.Y.

Soccer briefing

The United States Soccer Foundation is hosting a briefing today on Capitol Hill with Spanish professional soccer club FC Barcelona in a team effort with the Congressional Soccer Caucus. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., co-chairman of the caucus, is scheduled to attend.

The briefing will focus on “how communities and their leaders can harness the unique preventive and resilient power of sport to keep children healthy and out of trouble.” 3:45 to 5 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2044.

Murkowski mourns cat

Stubbs, the honorary cat mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, died late Saturday. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, tweeted her condolences to the community.

Stubbs, known by some as the beloved Mayor Stubbs, was 20 years old, Anchorage CBS affiliate KTVA reported.

Shark Week meets Capitol Hill

To celebrate Shark Week, staffers brought their dogs to work, dressed up as sharks. The pups all enjoyed a dog day of summer, despite the perhaps ruff week ahead.

Staffer shuffle

Mia Keeys is the new health policy adviser for Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. Keeys was the health policy fellow for the past year at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

What’s going on?

Have any tips, announcements or Hill happenings? Send them to AlexGangitano@cqrollcall.com.

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