The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
DC HOMICIDES HIT 100, STILL DOWN FROM 2009
Washington Examiner: "D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s likes to talk about keeping the city below the 100 annual homicide mark. It’s the chief’s benchmark; a “tipping point” for the city’s safety that she just can’t seem to reach. As of Monday, D.C. police are reporting 103 homicides for the year.
Last year, Lanier boasted much more loudly about keeping the District’s homicides below the 100 mark, but it only lasted until September. The goal lived on for an extra month this year, and the city’s homicides are still down nearly 6 percent when compared to the same time in 2009."
VA LEADS REGION IN FORECLOSURES
WTOP: "Foreclosures continue to shape the landscape of the housing market in the D.C. area and across the country.
According to RealtyTrac, September saw a record number of new foreclosures nationwide. Locally, thousands of new foreclosures were reported as well.
When comparing Virginia and Maryland, Virginia -- where the average foreclosed home sold for $211,403 -- had more foreclosures. There were more than 30,000 across the state."
BELTWAY LANE CLOSURES TONIGHT
Washington Post: "Three lanes on the Capital Beltway's inner loop are scheduled to shut Monday night for emergency repairs to concrete on the underside of the Beltway bridge over Bradley Boulevard. The lanes to be closed are between exit 39 for River Road and the Bradley Boulevard bridge. [Thanks to jmrzx for the comment below, pointing out that in my original post, I created an exit for Bradley Boulevard that doesn't exit.]
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The three left lanes in this six-lane section of the inner loop will remain open. This is before traffic divides to take either I-270 north or I-495 east. There are no closings scheduled for Bradley Boulevard, beneath the bridge."
BREAUX VINEYARD REOPENS AFTER FIRE
Loudoun Times: "An Oct. 16 visitor to Breaux Vineyards ignored the ashtray at the front gate and dropped a cigarette butt near the northwest corner of the wine storage building. By 1 p.m. on Oct. 17, smoke was visible.
The fire burned through a steel layer and several inches of insulation but did not make it through the final interior layer of the wall.
The wine was undamaged, but the vineyard suffered an estimated $10,000 in structural damage and an additional $10,000 to $12,000 in loss of business, since it was the weekend of the farm tour."
