The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
LEAVES PILING UP, NOWHERE TO GO...
Raking leaves to the curb was almost an annual ritual for 62-year-old Terri Ivey since moving to her Marlboro Meadows home in Upper Marlboro nine years ago. Every year, Ivey would wrap her arthritic foot, brave the cold and rake as many leaves in her yard as she could, then move them to the curb to take advantage of a Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation program that allowed residents to move leaves to their curb to be sucked up by a vacuum, rather than having to bag and dispose of the leaves. But this year will be different for Ivey and other residents. The county scrapped its 25-year-old leaf pickup program in July to save $2 million annually. Residents are now required to bag the leaves and place them on the curb for pickup during scheduled yard waste days. (Gazette)
OCEAN CITY POUNDED
Ocean City was pounded late Thursday by heavy rains and high winds from a severe nor'easter that was causing moderate to heavy flooding from rain and tides.With a high-pressure system blocking its path to the north, the storm was lingering over the resort and dumping large amounts of rain. Chris Strong, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va., said the worst of the storm was expected to hit Thursday night and this morning, and then start easing later in the day. (Baltimore Sun)
MOSQUE SEIZED
In what could be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, federal prosecutors sought to take over four U.S. mosques and a New York City skyscraper owned by a Muslim organization suspected of being controlled by the Iranian government. (ap/wtop.com)
4000 NEW JOBS
In a show of confidence as the County Council moves toward a crucial vote, the Cordish Cos. will offer details next week on 4,000 jobs the company claims would be created by its planned slot machine casino at Arundel Mills mall. (The Capitol)
"AMERICA IS GOING BROKE"
Rep. Frank R. Wolf told a Senate committee this week that it's imperative that a bipartisan commission be created to deal with the mounting national debt. "I have never been more concerned about the future of our country," said Wolf, who represents Manassas, Manassas Park and part of western Prince William County. "America is going broke." (Insidenova.com)
GMU'S BIG GIFT
George Mason University’s Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering has received a $5 million gift from Northern Virginia business executive Long Nguyen and his wife, Kimmy, and will name the university’s new state-of-the-art engineering facility the “Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building.” (Sun Gazette)
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Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
ASHES TAKEN
Everything was set for retired Army Col. Norbert Otto Schmidt to be buried Friday with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. But on Thursday afternoon, his ashes disappeared out of the back of a rented van in an apparent theft that has thrown the family's plans into turmoil. (Washington Post)
