The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
PAYING FOR GROCERY BAGS
It seemed like a good idea at the time -- good for the environment and all -- but in the bleak light of the new year, some people shopping in the District weren't happy about the debut of the 5-cent bag fee. "It's stupid," said Daniel Dyson, 22, a clerk for the U.S. Marshals Service. He had already been charged twice for bags -- once at 7-Eleven, once at the liquor store -- before noon. "I don't want to pay for bags. It's too much," he said. The District's user fee on plastic and paper bags at stores that sell food and/or alcohol went into effect New Year's Day and is one of the toughest such measures in the country.
(WASHINGTON POST)
WIZARDS PLAY TONIGHT AMID GUN FLAP
The investigation of Gilbert Arenas and the guns he brought to the Verizon Center took a much more serious turn Friday amid a report that the Washington Wizards point guard and teammate Javaris Crittenton allegedly drew on each other during a locker-room argument over a gambling debt. Arenas responded with a flurry of messages on Twitter, at times making light of the news but also making one tweet that read somewhat like a denial: "I understand this is serious..but if u ever met me you know i dont do serious things im a goof ball this story today dont sound goofy to me." Arenas later tweeted he couldn't talk about the report the way he wanted to. He did not respond to a text message left by The Associated Press. A message left for Crittenton's agent also was not returned.
(AP/WASHINGTON TIMES)
WALKING FROM MIAMI TO DC FOR A CAUSE
While their fellow college students recovered from the night's revelry, four South Floridians celebrated the New Year with a more active — and activist — approach. The group set out Friday to begin a 1,500 mile journey they are calling the "Trail of Dreams," from Miami's historic Freedom Tower to Washington, D.C. The goal is to raise support for legislation that would include a path to citizenship for eligible illegal immigrants. The four, all immigrants themselves, plan to walk the entire distance, no matter the weather. They expect students and other supporters to join them along the way and plan to arrive in the capital May 1, which has become a day of immigrant rights rallies in recent years.
(WASHINGTON EXAMINER)
FAIRFAX CUSTODY DISPUTE
A woman at the center of a complex dispute with her former lesbian partner defied a court order to give up custody of her 7-year-old daughter, an attorney said Friday. A Vermont judge had ordered Lisa Miller to turn over daughter Isabella to Janet Jenkins at 1 p.m. Friday at the Falls Church, Va., home of Jenkins' parents. Miller did not show up with the girl, said Sarah Star, Jenkins' Vermont-based attorney. Jenkins has notified Fairfax County, Va., police that Isabella is missing, Star said. "She's very disappointed, obviously," Star said. "She's very concerned about Isabella and asks that if anybody sees Isabella, that they please contact the authorities." Miller and Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller through artificial insemination in 2002. The couple broke up in 2003, and Miller moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality and became an evangelical Christian.
(AP/WTOP)
