Local Leads: 01/08/2009

News you need to know

By CHARLIE BRAGALE

Updated 6:16 PM EST, Thu, Jan 8, 2009

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The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:

ICY ROAD CONDITIONS CAUSE WRECKS
Montgomery County authorities said 12 people were sent to three area hospitals after a multi-vehicle pileup before dawn on Interstate 270 in the Rockville area. County fire and rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said the crash occurred shortly before 6 a.m. in the southbound lanes used by high-occupancy vehicles. He said eight to 10 vehicles were involved. (Baltiomore Sun / AP) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/bal-crash0108,0,2409795.story

INAUGURATION SECURITY
D.C. residents will start noticing a stepped-up police presence for inaugural events on Jan. 16, when the city’s cops will go to 12-hour shifts, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. She added that more than 10,000 National Guard members will be assisting with security. (Washington Post) http://voices.washingtonpost.com/inauguration-watch/2009/01/dc_police_national_guard_to_st.html?hpid=topnews

CHEVY CHASE MURDER
One of the two suspects arrested for the murders of a Chevy Chase couple made a last-minute decision to back out of a plea deal where he would have pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder while armed. (WTOP.com) http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1567840

MANASSAS TEEN MISSING
Police are still searching for a missing 13-year-old in Manassas. Thirteen-year-old Alexis Glover is developmentally disabled and may be hiding from police. Residents are asked to check around their homes, including in sheds, dog houses and any other place a child could hide.Glover is a black female. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, green and beige sweater and white tennis shoes.(Gainesville Times) http://www.gainesville-times.com/

DULLES RAIL
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters signed off on federal funding for the Dulles rail extension Wednesday. Unless the much-anticipated project is unexpectedly held up in Congress, full construction could begin this spring. (Fairfax Times) http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/news/2009/jan/08/rail-funding-gets-green-light/

METRO BUDGET SHORTFALL
Metro is facing a huge shortfall in its budget for next year, which raises the prospect of new fare increases or service cuts, officials said this morning shortly before a meeting at which the details of the gap are to be released. (Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010801672.html?hpid=topnews

HOTEL STAY LANDS A GUY IN JAIL
A man police said may have spent three nights at a local hotel without paying got some more free lodging Tuesday--in jail.
Fredericksburg police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe said an employee at the Hospitality House at 2801 Plank Road first noticed the man hanging around the hotel on Saturday. Over the next few days, Bledsoe said, he was seen by different employees at various locations in the hotel, including leaving a vacant guest room. (Free-Lance Star) http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/012009/01082009/437528

OBAMA ASKS FOR DTV DELAYS
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team today asked key members of Congress to consider delaying the nation's switch to digital television scheduled for Feb. 17, saying there is "insufficient support" for the problems consumers will experience during the shut-off of analog signals. (Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010802586.html?hpid=topnews

DTV DELAYS??
Consumers Union is urging Congress to delay the nation's transition to digital television, saying the program to help TV viewers prepare for the switch next month has been underfunded and poorly implemented. (Washington Post) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703916.html

OBAMA USA TODAY
USA Today, which recently raised its newsstand price from 75 cents to $1, will print a special Obama edition it will sell on newsstands for nearly five times that. (Washington Business Journal) http://www.examiner.com/r-5179640~USA_Today_plans__5_Obama_paper.html

OBAMA PORTRAIT
Even before he takes office, President-elect Barack Obama's image will become part of the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery, the museum announced Wednesday. (The Capital) http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2009/01_08-10/REG

CIVIL WAR SOLDER REMAINS FOUND
The remains of a Civil War soldier have surfaced at the Antietam National Battlefield after 146 years underground.
Battlefield Park Superintendent John Howard says a visitor happened upon some bone fragments and a uniform button near a groundhog hole in October. (Frederick News Post) http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/displayUpdate.htm?StoryID=84885