The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
OFFICERS SAVE WOMAN
Police officers know to expect the unexpected when called to domestic disputes. But even a veteran Prince William County officer got a shock Saturday. County police officers D.G. Carton, 45, and A.H. Gardiner, 22, thought they’d be settling a morning fight between a 30-year-old man who called to report his 26-year-old girlfriend was throwing beer bottles at him. (Insidenova.com)
HUNDREDS KEPT OUT OF FIRST LADY VISIT
Hundreds of people gathered around Caroline Family Practice in Bowling Green yesterday in anticipation of seeing first lady Michelle Obama. Some drove from as far away as Warsaw and Tappahannock just to get a peek. They stood for hours and hours in the heat, but many left disappointed without having caught even a glimpse. But for many, just her presence in town was enough. (Free Lance Star)
TAKOMA PARK "PLAYFUL CITY"
For the first time, Takoma Park was named a "Playful City USA" last week, largely thanks to the efforts of city resident Pat Rumbaugh and her newly formed play committee. This year, 93 cities nationwide made the list, compiled each year by the Washington, D.C.-based KaBOOM! organization, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting play space for children. (Gazette)
CREDIT CARD DEBT FASTER FOR ELDERLY
Cash-strapped older Americans are racking up credit card debt faster than other consumers amid dwindling retirement portfolios and rising medical costs, a study shows. The study, which will be released Tuesday by Demos, a liberal public policy group, shows that low- and middle-income consumers 65 and older carried $10,235 in average card debt last year, up 26% from 2005. Card debt for all borrowers surveyed rose 3% during that time, to $9,827. (USAToday)
LOVE LIFE STRAINED
Relationships and marriages are being strained more by the down economy in the U.S. than in eight other major nations, according to an ING Direct survey. Almost three in 10 Americans (29 percent) say the recession has “added stress to,” “strained,” or even “ruined” their marriage or relationship, compared to 12 percent in Germany, 24 percent in France and 23 percent in Canada. (Washington Business Journal)
NIH "WIKI"
What is acetaminophen made from? Does heartburn lead to Barrett's esophagus? Will your 3-year-old outgrow her stutter? When Americans have questions like those, one of the first places they go for answers is online. At some point, many end up at Wikipedia. "More and more people are using the Web to get their health information to augment what they learn from their physicians," says John T. Burklow, the public liaison for the National Institutes of Health. A recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that researching health information is the third most popular online activity among adults, after e-mail and general searching. (Washington Post)
ONLINE SCAM BUST IN MARYLAND
St. Mary's detectives report that five Lexington Park residents have been charged with theft offenses through an investigation of an alleged Internet scam that generated funds that were sent to places in Russia. The suspects conducted the scam using the Chevy Chase Bank branch in California, detectives allege. They report that the investigation begun early last week led to the arrest Friday of Oleksandr Parkhomenko, 20, Stanislava Onishchuk, 20, Oleksandr Ponomarenko, 23, Vadym Shvykkyi, 20, and Oleksii Seleznov, 20, on charges of carrying out a theft scheme of more than $500. (The Enterprise)
FIGHT OVER COMPUTER LANDS ONE IN JAIL
Vienna police arrested a 31-year-old Vienna man on July 17 after he allegedly struck his mother during an argument over the use of a computer, police said. The altercation took place at about 11:12 a.m. in the 300 block of Lewis Street, N.W. The argument turned physical, with the son allegedly striking the mother several times, police said. (Sun Gazette)
