The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
QUIETER ROLLING THUNDER
Every year, a pack of motorcycle enthusiasts descend on the region for a motorcycle rally known as Rolling Thunder for Memorial Day weekend. They roar around the capital region as a tribute to American war heroes. But are their bikes too loud? After this year’s Roaring Thunder, an effort to encourage motorcycle enthusiasts to be quieter was launched from the Sulgrave neighborhood in Mount Vernon. The endeavor led to a two-page resolution that is now being considered by the Mount Vernon Council of Citizens’ Associations. The plan was initially considered by the Environment and Recreation Committee, and has now been sent to the Public Safety Committee. (Mount Vernon Gazette)
BATTLE FOR WALMART IS OVER
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted early this morning in favor of a Wal-Mart store, plans for which had unleashed a chorus of criticism from preservationists.On a 4-1 vote taken shortly before 1 a.m., the board approved a special-use permit that will allow the retailer to build a 130,000-square-foot store on a site near the historic Civil War Wilderness Battlefield. (Richmond Times Dispatch)
FAUQUIER TEACHER ARRESTED
A Fauquier County teacher faces child pornography and drug charges. Fauquier sheriff's spokesman Lt. Col Paul Mercer says 33-year-old Scott C. Howe was charged Aug. 12 with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, producing or making child pornography and crimes against nature. (AP/wtop.com)
SENIOR CATS TO SENIOR CITIZENS
Fray isn't ready to become a complete couch potato. He even relishes a short sprint and tackle now and then. But he needs his naps, and he'd like to have fewer roommates. What adoption coordinator Patricia Gagne wants for him is a mature adult who'd enjoy his easygoing companionship and give him a quiet, one-pet home such as he had before he came to live at the Animal Welfare League's shelter in Gaithersburg almost three years ago. (Gazette)
FACEBOOK RELATIONSHIP TURNS INTO ARREST
Police have charged a Woodbridge man with a felony, alleging that he had a Facebook relationship with a 15-year-old girl and helped her run away from home. (Gainesville Times)
FREE PIZZA
The founder of the Papa John's pizza chain has finally reunited with the muscle car he sold years ago to help keep his family's business afloat. John Schnatter sold the gold-and-black 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 for $2,800 in 1983. The money helped save his father's tavern in Jeffersonville, Ind., and he used the rest to start what would become a worldwide pizza business. (AP/Richmond Times Dispatch)
