The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
HOPKINS STUDENT KILLS INTRUDER WITH SAMURAI SWORD
A Johns Hopkins University student armed with a samurai sword killed a man who broke into the garage of his off-campus residence early Tuesday, a Baltimore police spokesman said. According to preliminary reports, a resident of the 300 block of E. University Parkway called police about a suspicious person, department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. An off-duty officer responded about 1:20 a.m. to the area with university security, according to Guglielmi. They heard shouts and screams from a neighboring house and found the suspected burglar suffering from a nearly severed hand and lacerations to his upper body, he said. (Baltimore Sun)
METRO WORKER DIES
The Metro employee who was struck by a train last week died Monday, becoming the most recent fatality in a series of tragic events afflicting the system's operations in recent months. John Moore, 44, of Arlington County, a communications technician, died four days after being hit by a train between the National Airport and Braddock Road stations, Metro said. (Washington Post)
SPOTSYLVANIA SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS EXAMS
Katrina Duncan told the Spotsylvania County School Board she found questions about her sex life completely out of bounds for a physical to assess her fitness to drive a school bus. Sharon Calahan said she couldn't understand why she needed a breast exam as part of that physical. And Cindy Robinson said she was terrified after twice being told she had a thyroid problem. "I was frantic. I feared for my life," Robinson told the board. She then held up a sheet of paper she said came from an endocrinologist she consulted. I have a piece of paper that says my thyroid is perfect." Each of those complaints was leveled against the school division's director of health services, Pat Smith, who is a nurse practitioner. They were among complaints brought before the school board by school bus drivers in response to a policy passed in August that requires them to get their annual physical exams by the school division nurse practitioner. (Free Lance-Star)
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY HOME SALES
Prince George’s County home sales were up 48 percent in August from a year ago, according to Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. The county saw 638 units sell at a median sale price of $216,500, compared to 430 units at a median price of $280,000 in 2008. Montgomery County sales were up nearly 23 percent in August from the same time in 2008, with 967 units sold at a median price of $355,000. Houses spent an average of 85 days on the market, 14 percent less time than in 2008. D.C.’s August sales saw a 20 percent increase compared to 2008. In the District, 602 units sold and spent an average of 85 days on the market. The homes sold for 7.6 percent less than in 2008. The median sale price was $365,000. (Washington Business Journal)
HOUSE SMOKING BAN
Smokers will take one last drag inside the walls of the Cannon and Longworth House Office Buildings on Wednesday as officials prepare to close the last two remaining smoking rooms on Capitol Hill. The office of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Dan Beard announced in April its intention to close the rooms, which sit on the edges of the cafeterias, to open them up for more non-smoking eating space and to promote a healthier lifestyle. (The Hill)
TOYS R US EXPANDING FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The battle for holiday sales is about to erupt in the toy aisle. Toys R Us is expected to announce today that it will open 80 temporary stores next month in shopping centers across the country, an aggressive maneuver by a company that just a few years ago was nursing its wounds after a brutal price war with Wal-Mart. This season, the retailer seems determined to take the offensive. It will also open toy shops in more than 260 of its Babies R Us locations and has bought the rights to its rivals KB Toys and FAO Schwarz. (Washington Post
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Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
MD DNR HELICOPTER AUCTION
Any hope of saving the state Natural Resources Police's shuttered aviation unit soon will be going, going ... gone. The Department of Natural Resources is conducting an online auction for this helicopter, which was part of the Natural Resources Police Aviation Unit, which was disbanded during budget cuts. The state Department of Natural Resources is auctioning a Bell 206 BII Jet Ranger helicopter, one of four aircraft in the unit, which was disbanded amid budget cuts this year .The opening bid for the helicopter, which went by the call sign "Natural One," is $125,000. But the DNR's Gene Deems, who handles the auctions, said the agency will consider any "reasonable" offers. (The Capital)
