The Night Note: 05/03/2011

News you need to know

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

Daughter of Stafford Woman Killed on 9/11 Still Grieving
Lina DiCola received a flood of emails, text messages and posts on her Facebook page celebrating the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden yesterday, but she couldn’t bring herself to respond to them. She didn’t share their glee and wondered if there was something wrong with her. “I’m not like the rest of the country whooping and hollering,” said DiCola, who lives in Stafford County. DiCola’s mother was killed inside the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, where she was working as a budget analyst. Martha Reszke was 56, had been married to her husband, James, for 23 years and had two grown children and four grandchildren. (Fredericksburg.com)

PWC Muslim Leaders Happy to See bin Laden's End
Muslim leaders in Prince William County say they are relieved to hear of the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Speaking at the Dar AlNoor Community Center off Hoadly Road, Rafi Ahmed -- vice president of the Muslim Association of Virginia -- commended President Obama, the U.S., and the Sunday killing of bin Laden in Pakistan.He said he hoped the death would bring closure to victims of al-Qaida worldwide – both Muslim and non-Muslim. He said that al-Qaida’s wrongdoings are not representative of what Islam teaches. (InsideNoVa.com)

Georgia Ave Walmart Plan Hits Speed Bump
A month and change ago, we looked over the large tract review application for the planned Walmart up on Georgia Avenue, and speculated that the traffic impact could be the one thing to hold the development back. Turns out that was correct: The District Department of Transportation says Walmart's traffic study—which forecasted no serious problems that minor signal changes wouldn't fix—is woefully inadequate, and recommends that the review process stop while they sort things out. Not only did the Gorove/Slade traffic team make errors in things like signal timing, DDOT says. They also failed to include all requested data, didn't analyze capacity of nearby buslines to handle a projected increase in traffic, and didn't talk about necessary pedestrian safety improvements. (Washington City Paper)

Montgomery Council Approves Bag Tax
Many Montgomery County stores will begin charging customers a nickel to use plastic or paper shopping bags, beginning in January. The County Council on Tuesday approved the 5-cent tax to be charged at grocery stores, department stores, convenience stores and other retail establishments. The vote was 8-1, with Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park opposed. The decision was supported by environmental groups hoping to reduce the use of plastic bags, but was strongly opposed by the plastic bag industry. Floreen said the tax is unnecessary because county residents already recycle about 80 percent of materials that can be recycled. "This is the wrong tax at the wrong time," she said Tuesday. "Maybe 10 years ago when people weren't recycling it would have made a difference." (Gazette.net)

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