Local Leads: 08/25/2010

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

Teen Pulls man from Burning Car

Christopher Berger put his life on the line to save a complete stranger from a burning vehicle. It happened Saturday, when the 18-year-old was driving in the area of Logmill Road and Shelter Lane near Haymarket. In the car in front of him a woman was waving frantically, trying to get him to stop. When he did, she told him there was an overturned Hummer SUV on fire up ahead. Berger told her to call 911, and then he went running toward the SUV, he said. (InsideNoVa.com)

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Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information

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Sell ABC Stores

About 300 people came to Dodd Auditorium for the meeting, asking questions about energy policy, Sunday hunting bans, immigration enforcement and other issues. But the top focus was government reform, specifically McDonnell's push to sell off the state-owned liquor stores, a move he says will generate "hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation" needs. He showed slides indicating that other states have more liquor stores than Virginia does--3.2 per 10,000 people on average across the U.S., versus 0.6 per 10,000 in Virginia. (Fredericksburg.com)

Felony Charges Dropped Against Fire Breathing Bartender

Fairfax County prosecutors have filed a motion to drop felony arson charges against two fire-breathing bartenders who were facing more than 35 years in prison apiece for performing flaming bar tricks. Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh confirmed to The Washington Examiner on Tuesday that he dismissed three felony charges because he couldn't find any evidence that the Jimmy's Old Town Tavern barkeeps were trying to hurt anybody. Nobody was injured the night the men were arrested, but there was evidence that a paper airplane hanging from the ceiling caught fire and burned, Morrogh said. (Washington Examiner)

13 Arrested for Smoking in F.C. Restaurants

After repeated complaints about people smoking in and around a group of Vietnamese restaurants the Eden Center in Falls Church, police arrested nine smokers four others for allowing smoking. Smoking in Virginia restaurants became limited last December as part of the Virginia Clean Air Act, which prohibits smoking in restaurants except in designated areas. Falls Church Communications Director Barbara Gordon noted that the maximum fine is $25 and that no one was taken into custody, but only issued citations. (Falls Church News Press)