The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
Paratroopers Charged in Local Soldier's Death
The Army has charged seven paratroopers in the death of a Fredericksburg man serving in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. The charges came Monday, more than four months after Pfc. Luke Brown, 27, was found dead in a car on the North Carolina post. The paratroopers were each charged with involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to commit battery as violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice said Master Sgt. Thomas Clementson, spokesman for the 82nd Airborne. (FreelanceStar.com)
Gun Show Loophole Decision Hold
The Virginia State Crime Commission has put off a decision on whether to recommend legislation closing the so-called gun-show loophole, but promises to do so before the General Assembly meets in January. Victims and family members of those injured or killed at Virginia Tech by a student gunman pleaded with the commission Tuesday to support closing the loophole, where private sellers at gun shows are not required to perform background checks on buyers. (InsideNoVA.com)
Teen Arrested for Selling Gun at School
A 16-year-old Washington & Lee High School student was arrested Friday after selling a gun in the school parking lot. The gun, a .38-caliber revolver, was loaded, Westmoreland County Sheriff C.O. Balderson said yesterday. Balderson said that the student has been charged with possession of a firearm on school property, a felony, and possession of a firearm by a juvenile, a misdemeanor. (FreelanceStar.com)
Observatory to be Park Centerpiece
For 26 years, 80-year-old Mac Currin used a telescope to peer through a transom roof at the Gaithersburg International Latitude Observatory and recorded minuscule movements of 36 stars to help determine the wobble of the earth. A park commemorating the historic significance of the approximately 170-square-foot wooden structure is planned so visitors can learn more about this national landmark. The observatory, at 100 DeSellum Ave. in Olde Towne, is a designated site on the National Register of Historic Places. (Gazette.net)
