The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
DRINKING ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, DON'T DRIVE
U.S. drunk driving deaths nearly double on New Year’s Eve Combating a holiday period when nearly twice as many U.S. traffic deaths are caused by drunk drivers than during Christmas or any other December evening*, area officials announced the launch of an anti-drunk driving initiative designed to reduce alcohol-related traffic incidents in Greater Washington this New Year’s Eve. (Alexandrianews.org)
FIRST SNOW, $41M
The snow piles from the recent snowstorm have nearly all melted, but the costs of plowing local streets and highways are still mounting for local transportation agencies, already hitting more than $41 million.(Examiner)
SEXY JAVA GIRLS
James Sklar and Jason Parsons needed some mid-afternoon coffee to perk them up for the rest of the day.They got an eye opener, alright. While filling up at the Maci Service Station in Pasadena, they walked over to Java Divas and found a naughty nurse, a sexy Santa and a luscious lady in leather. (The Capital)
HOME PRICES FALL
Home prices may be falling, but in parts of Virginia and the Washington metro area, more people are struggling to pay mortgages and rent now than in 2005, according to statistics from an agency that tracks housing costs. “Indeed,” according to the Center for Housing Policy’s December “Housing Affordability Trends for Working Households,” “the ratio of home prices to incomes has fallen, thus improving affordability for prospective homebuyers. … Given these trends, it is tempting to assume that the foreclosure crisis, for all of its drawbacks, has at least solved the country’s housing affordability crisis.” (Insidenova.com)
BRING YOU OWN... WINE
Some wine advocates hope to make Frederick County the first in Maryland to allow restaurant patrons to bring their own bottles. Adam Borden of Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws said Tuesday the group has drafted a bill that would allow restaurants in Frederick County to implement a so-called "corkage" policy. (AP/wtop.com)
HURRY UP, DONATE
The clock is ticking and 2009 is nearly history. But the clock ticks down on many things other than parties celebrating the new year -- tax-deductible donations, for one. Residents wanting to make charitable donations that will help lower their taxable income this year have just today and Thursday to make them. (Frederick News Post)
