The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH METRO ESCALATOR'S?
At Friendship Heights Metrorail station this week, commuters in raincoats hurried down one of two broken escalators to the platform to catch a rush-hour train, then bumped into one another as they boarded the crowded cars.
Lines of dozens of impatient commuters waited for a slow eight-person elevator at the station at Bethesda, where the 180-step escalators leading down into the station were out of service in recent weeks. (Washington Post)
THE RIGHT TO LOITER
Some City Paper readers think resident Steven Conn should buck up and stop complaining about the group of teens and young adults hanging outside his place in the 300 block of W Street NE.
Existential question of the day: What is loitering, anyway? Three people congregating? Five? Five talking loudly? Ten? Any number that makes people wanting to come over for a dinner party "uncomfortable" enough that they won't get out of their car? (Washington City Paper)
MORE RED LIGHT CAMERAS FOR VA?
Motorists fearful for the security of their DMV records can breathe easier now that amendments have been made to the state's red light ticketing law.
The changes prohibit third-party camera operators from accessing drivers' personal information when sending out notices to violators caught on film.
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The bill, signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) last week, fulfills one part of the city's wish list for the 2010 state legislative session. It allows the city to hire a contractor to operate its camera-based ticketing program without utilizing the time and money of its police workforce. (Alexandria Times)
BANK ROBBER ESCAPES THROUGH STORM DRAIN
A woman apparently escaped through a storm drain underneath U.S. 15 after robbing Sovereign Bank on Opossumtown Pike shortly after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Frederick Police Lt. Clark Pennington said.
The woman discarded her oversized coat and a pair of white shoes during her escape, he said.
Police found the clothing on the other end of the storm drain near Frederick Indoor Sports Center on U.S. 15 North, Pennington said. (Frederick News-Post)
