Local Leads: 3/17/10

News you need to know

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

BALTIMORE JOINS BAG BAN BANDWAGON
After years of debating whether to ban disposable plastic store bags or slap a fee on them, the Baltimore City Council appears poised now to try fighting the city's litter problem with half a ban. Under a bill endorsed by a council committee Tuesday, food sellers would be given a choice of offering only paper bags or encouraging their customers to cut back on or recycle the plastic ones. (Baltimore Sun)

TRAVEL TAX
Travel industry leaders are warning D.C. officials that a proposed tax on online travel agents and tour operators could depress the District's tourism industry, kill jobs and reduce revenues at a time the city can least afford it.  (Examiner

AMBULANCE FEES BACK
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) says the county could generate about $14.7 million in fiscal 2011 through an ambulance fee that is part of his proposed budget. However, the county's volunteer firefighters are opposed to it, saying the $450 fee will cost lives. And the County Council appears divided on the issue. (Gazette)

GET PAID TO CARPOOL
Area residents commuting to Washington, D.C., can now get paid for starting a new carpool.
Commuter Connections, a ride-sharing program that aims to reduce traffic congestion, has launched Pool Rewards to entice more motorists to join the carpooling effort. The pilot program allows eligible commuters to get paid $1 each way for participation. (The Capital)

SWOLLEN RIVER SAVES BRIDGE JUMPER
A Manassas man was pulled from the Rappahannock River on Monday night after he apparently jumped off the bridge on Interstate 95 in Fredericksburg. Fire crews were called to rescue the unidentified 29-year-old about 8:45 p.m. They got him out of the water about an hour later. He was clinging to a rock in the swollen river, said Stafford County Fire and Rescue spokesman Mark Stone. The man was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. (Insidenova.com)

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