The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
DC TEACHER FATHERED CHILD WITH STUDENT
Surprising new details have come to light about a local teacher who was laid off last fall. D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee caused a commotion last month when she talked about the 266 teachers laid off from the school system. Rhee told "Fast Company" magazine she got rid of at least one teacher who, as she put it, "had had sex with children". D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray demanded more information, and in a letter to Gray, Rhee says one of the laid-off teachers is accused of fathering a child with an 18-year-old special-needs student. But because of the student's age, Rhee says police decided not to launch a criminal investigation. (wtop.com)
CRIME DOWN IN FAIRFAX
Thanks in part to a heavier focus on repeat offenders, Fairfax County police recorded 5 percent fewer major crimes in 2009 than in the previous year, police said Feb. 19. County police recorded 18,938 major, or “index,” crimes in 2009, compared with 19,923 in 2008. Violent crimes fell 14.6 percent overall last year and were down in three of four categories. (Sun Gazette)
TWEETS AND TRIALS
A judiciary rules committee plans to adopt a statewide policy next month that would likely prohibit people from taking communications devices - including cell phones and computers - into Maryland courthouses. The move raises issues of inconvenience for the public and access for journalists, who use their handhelds to post information to blogs and social media sites such as Twitter from courthouse hallways, not to mention conduct interviews and call their editors. (Baltimore Sun)
GW LIBRARY ASSAULT
A female student was forcibly fondled in Gelman Library last weekend, according to a University Crime Alert sent out Wednesday afternoon. The alleged victim, whose age was not disclosed, was "assisting the suspect" when the suspect "put his hands down her pants and up her shirt," according to the Crime Alert. University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said the incident occurred on the building's first floor, but did not elaborate on the meaning of "assisting the suspect." Sherrard also declined to say whether the student victim was a Gelman employee or library visitor. (The Hatchet)
