The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
UMW PRESIDENT FAKES AN EMERGENCY
University of Mary Washington President Judy Hample recently faked an emergency call to campus police, but a college spokesman said officials should have known it was part of a safety exercise. During a campus safety walk late last month, Hample used an emergency system -- called a blue light phone -- to tell a dispatcher that somebody was preventing her from entering her vehicle in UMW's parking garage, a spokesman said. She identified herself as Judy Hample but didn't say it was a test. (Free Lance-Star)
METRO'S A BIT SMOKEY
Incidents of smoke wafting through the Metro system nearly doubled in the first three months of the fiscal year compared with a year earlier, a problem that transit agency officials blame generally on loose newspapers and leaves that catch fire. In July, August and September, Metro reported 66 "smoke incidents," compared with 36 in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. (Examiner)
RUNAWAY CARTS IN COLLEGE PARK
College Park officials have a message for the city's supermarkets, hardware stores and retailers: Keep your shopping carts on your property, or you might never see them again. The City Council is considering introducing legislation that could fine businesses whose carts frequently end up at city bus stops or on public streets. The idea came after Councilwoman Mary Cook (Dist. 4) and some constituents noticed that carts from the Shoppers Food Warehouse supermarket on Cherry Hill Road were frequently being left by customers at two nearby city bus stops. (Gazette)
SKATEBOARDER DIES
A Gov. Thomas Johnson High School student died this week from injuries suffered while skateboarding near his home on Carey Place, authorities said. Police declined to release his name, but a family friend and a neighbor identified him as Pablo Serpas, 16. The teen suffered a head injury while skateboarding in the 1500 block of Carey Place at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, said Capt. Kevin Grubb of the Frederick Police Department. (Frederick News Post)
ZORN HANGING ON
Jim Zorn will remain the Washington Redskins coach “for the rest of this season and hopefully into the future,“ a team executive said on a radio talk show this morning. (Richmond Times Dispatch)
