The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
METRO CRIME UP
Serious crime at and around Montgomery County's Metrorail and bus stops jumped 11 percent over a two-year period, a new county report that combines statistics from Metro and county police shows. Metro's police department reported a 37.5 percent increase in serious crimes, ranging from theft to aggravated assault, at Montgomery County's Metro-owned properties from 2006 to 2008. The station with the most crime was the Shady Grove stop, which accounted for 20 percent of the 291 crimes, both serious and minor, reported to the Transit Police in 2008. That was down from 24 percent in 2007. (Washington Examiner)
GETTING LOUD AND ROWDY COULD GET YOU EVICTED
Playing loud music may no longer result in just a citation for renters in Prince George's County; it could get them evicted. County Bill 35, introduced at the Sept. 9 County Council meeting, would force landlords to evict tenants who receive three police citations for "disruptive conduct" within a year. Sponsor Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8), of Temple Hills, said the move will force landlords to take responsibility for the damage to communities caused by rowdy renters, but the proposal is raising questions from lawyers and landlords who said the proposal represents government intrusion (Gazette)
MRSA NEVER WENT AWAY
Three Montgomery County students have reported contracting staph infections caused by bacteria resistant to common antibiotics since the beginning of the school year. Three confirmed cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, have been reported to the county Department of Health and Human Services since the 2009-10 school year began Aug. 31, said spokeswoman Mary Anderson. There was one case each at Northwest High School in Germantown, Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda and Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, she said. (Gazette)
BELTWAY CLOSURES THIS WEEKEND
Virginia transportation officials say overnight work early Saturday on the Dulles Metrorail extension will intermittently close the Capital Beltway near Tysons Corner. The closures will occur during a five-hour stretch starting at midnight Friday night. The Virginia Department of Transportation say it will shut down all lanes of Interstate 495 for up to 30 minutes at the Chain Bridge Road interchange. The closures will also include the exit ramps to and from Route 123, Chain Bridge Road. (AP/Richmond Times Dispatch)
FLUSH CAREFULLY IN ALEXANDRIA
Alexandria’s aging sewer system and limited sewage treatment capacity have already had a negative impact on proposed development and without a significant expenditure of funds, the situation will only get worse. The city is divided into sewersheds. The 4,600-acre Holmes Run Shed is the largest. The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services is currently conducting an evaluation of the Holmes Run sewer system to prioritize rehabilitation needs. (Alexandrianews.org)
