The Night Note: 7/29/10

The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.

CRIME HITS 35 YEAR LOW IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
Crime is at its lowest level in at least 35 years in Prince George's County, police statistics show.

Crime has fallen in almost every major category over the last five years in the county.

But Police Chief Roberto Hylton says he kept hearing doubting questions: "Is it a fluke? Can it be sustained?" (WTOP)

DC RANKS NO. 2 ON LIST FOR WORKING MOMS
D.C. ranks No. 2 on Forbes Magazine’s 2010 list of the Best Cities for Working Mothers, topped only by Minneapolis-St. Paul.

D.C. also ranked No. 1 in the nation for women’s salaries, and Forbes notes the unemployment rate for women in Washington is also the lowest among the cities it ranked.

“For women looking for financial success in a bustling metro, the country’s capitol is top-notch and also boasts an excellent school system,” Forbes writes. (Washington Business Journal)

BALTIMORE UNITED?
Twice in the past year, Baltimore has become a soccercentric city.

It happened last summer, for a day, when two of the world's best teams, AC Milan and Chelsea, came to M&T Bank Stadium, bringing more than 72,000 fans with them. It happened recently, during the monthlong World Cup, when fans of the game piled into bars and crowded near the harbor to watch the U.S. team's run to the knockout round.

But could it happen on a more regular basis? (Baltimore Sun)

23 HOURS LATER, MANASSAS STANDOFF ENDS
Twenty three hours after it began, an armed standoff between police and a 50-year-old fugitive ended with officers finding him dead in his room at the Home Style Inn.

The long barricade – punctuated by tear gas grenades and shots fired from the hotel room at 9913 Cockrell Road – ended about 4:20 p.m. with Virginia State Police SWAT team members entering the room after sending in surveillance cameras. Those cameras captured images of John C. Carlson motionless and facedown in his room, police said. (Inside NoVA)