In January, Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) announced that the leaders of the U.N. Environment Programme had designated the District as the North American host city for the June 5 event.

Improving public education, he said in remarks prepared for delivery Friday evening, is everyone’s business.

The wife of Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, is slated to appear June 12 at an evening reception at a hotel near the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Airport.

A copy of the confidential letter was made available to The Post on the eve of the first meeting of a work group that will examine the wisdom of allowing a new casino in Prince George’s County and Las Vegas-style table games at the state’s five existing slots locations.

O’Malley, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, is scheduled to appear Thursday alongside Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D), who is attempting to replace Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) in a high-profile recall election on Tuesday.

Under the ruling by the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, it will be easier to hold owners of pit bulls and cross-bred pit bulls legally resonsbile for bites even if the dog has no history of similar attacks.

Virginia has a new director for its Department of Juvenile Justice.

Mark Gooch has served as the department’s chief deputy director since August 2010 and as interim director since March 2012, when Helivi Holland left to become city attorney in Suffolk.

But his supporters are already lining up behind him.

About 400 Democratic leaders and key activists, including legislators and former party chairmen, announced Thursday that they’re supporting the candidate who’s not really a candidate.

1 p.m. Boston at Toronto » MLB Network

4 p.m.

Atlanta atWashington » MASN, WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED

(820 AM, 1500 AM), WNEW (1580 AM)

But by the end of the night, their struggles would finally catch up with the tumbling Orioles, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games and found themselves out of first place for the first time in nearly a week after a 5-0 loss to Tampa Bay in front of an announced crowd of 17,224.

Thanks to readers who have flooded our inbox, our Facebook page and our Twitter feed with nominations, we’ve got tons of dishes to choose from as we compile our list of Washington’s essential vegetarian and vegan eats.

“Don’t worry about reading anything,” Urbina said as the defendant dipped her head to recite her carefully crafted statement. “I want you to talk to me .”

Jeannie Roule was stunned. She took a step back. Standing at her front door the other day to let her dog out, she couldn’t believe what her eyes were not seeing in the front yard: Her 10-foot-long cigarette.