The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
COUPLE FACING EVICTION FOUND DEAD
Abigail Robertson knew something was wrong on Thursday night after she knocked several times and no one answered.
It was the second day in a row the 20-year-old had attempted to check on her neighbor and was met only with the sound of barking dogs that were inside the house. Concerned, she called Dumfries police to the home in the 3000 block of Sigel Court. When they arrived about 9 p.m., police found two bodies, a 52-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman who lived in the home for more than 13 years. They died of gunshot wounds in an apparent murder-suicide, Prince William County police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez said. (Insidenova.com)
JUDGE FLAT TIRE CASE
Montgomery County prosecutors will decide whether to press charges in the police investigation involving a local judge who flattened the tire of a car parked illegally at the La Plata courthouse. The La Plata Police Department asked attorneys in Montgomery to review the investigation after Maryland special prosecutors and the Charles County State's Attorney's Office turned the case away, Chief Cassin B. Gittings said Thursday afternoon. Gittings said he cannot disclose whether police have interviewed Charles County Circuit Court Judge Robert C. Nalley, who has admitted to deflating a car tire Aug. 10. Nalley said the vehicle kept appearing in a reserved parking spot even though he had left notes for the driver. (The Independent)
ARLINGTON SAME SEX MARRIAGE
Arlington might well be described as one of the most gay-friendly communities in Virginia. But same-sex marriage? Sorry, but the clerk of the Circuit Court’s office, which issues marriage licenses, can’t help. Clerk Paul Ferguson recently recounted to local Democrats the story of a group of same-sex couples who came to his office, seeking to get married. “It was with sadness that I informed them that the Virginia Code prohibited me from issuing marriage licenses to them,” Ferguson said in The Voice, the monthly newsletter of the Arlington County Democratic Committee. (Sun Gazette)
FAIRFAX ATTENDANCE CHANGE
For years Fairfax County public schools have had one of the strictest attendance policies in the region: Miss three classes in a quarter without a legitimate excuse, get an automatic F. But the three-strikes policy made it nearly impossible for students who skipped class a few times to change their ways; they had little motivation to show up for class because they had already failed. So schools officials decided to get rid of the policy starting this fall. (Washington Post)
WALMART TO ORANGE COUNTY SPLIT
With two members absent, the Orange County Planning Commission voted 4-4 last night on whether to recommend that a special use permit be granted to build a Walmart store near a Civil War battlefield. About 100 people showed up at last night's Planning Commission hearing before the vote, where speakers split about evenly for and against the store. The split was almost exclusively along geographic and community of interest lines. The tie goes down as a no vote. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
WORLD CUP TO DC?
FedEx Field in Landover and RFK Stadium in D.C. are among 27 venues on a new list of potential host cities for the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. The USA Bid Committee released the list Thursday, eliminating 11 cities from competition after a request for proposal process earlier this summer. The RFP asked the interested cities for information on topics including tourism, climate, security, transportation, training sites, promotion and more. (Washington Business Journal)
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
FOOTBALL BINGE DRINKING CRACKDOWN
The NFL will try to crack down on binge drinking by fans at games during the 2009 season. Following up on the Fan Code of Conduct it implemented last season, the league office is making recommendations to teams about maximum serving sizes for beer, wine and spirits sold at games and about the number of alcoholic drinks a customer can purchase at one time. (USAToday)
