The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
LIVE, YOU'RE ON RED LIGHT CAMERA
Red light cameras in place for the past month throughout Arlington will begin issuing tickets at midnight on Wednesday, July 21, the Arlington County Police Department announced today. Under the PhotoRED program, motorists caught running a red light will be issued a $50 fine, but the infraction is treated as a civil offense, such as a parking ticket, and will not go on the offender's driving record. (Falls Church News Press)
TEXTING SCAM IN LOUDOUN
Several Loudouners have reported being victims of a cell-phone texting scam that attempts to get personal banking information. The Sheriff’s Office has sent out a warning to residents to beware of the scam. In the scam, the victim receives a text message saying his or her credit card has been disabled and to call a number with a 703 area code, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said. When the victim calls the number, he or she is asked to enter bank account and pin numbers, Troxell said. (Loudoun Times)
GOLD THEFTS NOW FEDERAL
Federal prosecutors have obtained an indictment against three New Yorkers suspected of burglarizing more than 30 area homes and stealing gold jewelry, cash, documents and other gold items from February through November 2009. The burglaries primarily targeted Indian and Middle Eastern families, many of whom were present in January when Fairfax County District Court judge Ian O'Flaherty dismissed the majority of charges against the three suspects, eventually resulting in two of them being freed. O'Flaherty said that in his opinion much of the evidence brought forth by prosecutors that day did not satisfy legal requirements to be considered for trial in Fairfax County Circuit Court. (Fairfax Times)
STREET VENDORS WANT TO SELL ETHNIC FOOD
Customers of Shemondy Haile, a hot dog vendor on 18th and I streets, often try to order what he's having for lunch: light, spongy injera bread wrapped around sauteed green vegetables or spicy beef stew - food from his native Eritrea, cooked by his wife. Haile, who has sold hot dogs on this block for more than 20 years, experimented with changing his on-the-go fare last year. But eventually, he returned to the familiar hot dogs after he was told that he needed to meet additional regulations
(The Capital)
