Local Leads: 9/12/2009

News you need to know

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

TAXPAYER MARCH ON D.C.
With tens of thousands of conservative protesters expected to gather in Washington on Saturday for a "Taxpayer March on D.C.," Republican officials are attempting to capitalize on a movement that lately has galvanized anti-Obama activists more effectively than the party's elected leaders in Washington.  Searching for ways to compete with Democrats after two consecutive electoral drubbings, Republicans have moved past earlier uncertainty about the protesters, who organized nationwide rallies this summer that have threatened Democratic health-care plans and eroded President Obama's standing with the public.  Several key Republican lawmakers, including House GOP Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana, have helped to drum up support for the march and are slated to deliver speeches to the crowd.  But top Republican strategists and many party observers also worry about the impact that the most extreme protesters might have on the party's image, including those who carry swastika signs or obsess over the veracity of Obama's Hawaiian birth.
(Washington Post)

POTOMAC RIVER DRILL SCARE
A routine training exercise on the Potomac River turned into a terrorism scare on the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.  The incident unfolded about 10 a.m. Friday when cable television networks began airing live footage of what appeared to be Coast Guard boats intercepting an unknown vessel on the Potomac at the same time that President Obama was commemorating the 2001 attack at the Pentagon a short distance away.  It wasn't until after the airing of erroneous reports that shots had been fired that Coast Guard officials told news organizations the incident was part of a planned drill on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York.  Vice Adm. John P. Currier, the Coast Guard chief of staff, said an apology for the incident was unnecessary but vowed to conduct a review of the event.
(Washington Times)

UMD PARTYING CRACKDOWN
It's 10:30 on a Thursday night in College Park. The weather is warm, homework has yet to pile up and thousands of students are getting ready to drink.  Also out are 34 officers from the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety, caffeinated and ready for a long evening.  In the next four hours, they will bust more than a dozen parties of varying sizes, confiscating kegs and pouring out bottles of liquor. They will check parking garages for rocking cars, tell students not to stand in the street and call ambulances for the handful of intoxicated students they find passed out.  They will make only seven arrests. "We all know what happens in P.G. County -- there are so many serious charges that most students get off easy" for disorderly conduct or underage drinking, said Lt. Ken Ecker, the midnight supervisor, who has worked at the university for nearly 15 years.
(Washington Post)

RIHANNA PHOTO LEAK INVESTIGATION
The battered photo of Rihanna appeared on TMZ about two weeks after the February assault.  Two L.A. cops have been placed on paid administrative leave as part of the department's probe into the leak of a photograph showing the battered face of pop singer Rihanna after her then-boyfriend Chris Brown pummeled her in February, according to a report.  The Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed sources, reported that Rebecca M. Reyes and Blanca Lopez have been “assigned to home” pending the outcome of the investigation into the leak. LAPD officials declined to comment.  The photograph appeared on the celebrity Web site TMZ.com about two weeks after the assault in Hancock Park. Rihanna and Brown got into a violent argument in a rented Lamborghini while leaving a pre-Grammy Awards party.  Brown turned himself in later that day. He eventually pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to five years probation and 180 days of labor- oriented community service.  Shortly after TMZ published the photograph of a bruised Rihanna, the LAPD began in internal investigation to determine the source of the leak.
(NBCWASHINGTON.COM)

REDSKINS LEGEND CALLS PORTIS A CRY BABY

The war of words between Redskins running back Clinton Portis and Hall of Famer John Riggins continues to escalate as the 2009 season approaches.   The controversy started when Riggins, the Redskins all-time leading rusher, called Portis a "headache" in January. Portis, who needs just 1,370 yards to break Riggins' record, responded earlier this week, saying it was "crazy" for the former tailback to be so critical of him.  "For him to be a legend and to hate as much as he hates, to be upset that I'm on his tracks -- it's crazy."  Portis said he respected Riggins accomplishments, but was upset with the criticism.  "I think he was a great running back, but think of who else was around, you know? Really not hard to be a great running back when you've got all that talent and help around you. I think they just had great teams."
(WTOP)

 

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