The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
Former County Exec to get Pension Despite Recent Plea
Gazette.net: "Former Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) will receive $39,468 per year in state pension benefits for the rest of his life, despite his recent plea to federal corruption charges, a spokesman for the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System said. The $3,289 per month Johnson has collected since January is not subject to cancellation, said system spokesman Michael Golden. "This is the money that he earned for all his years of service," Golden said."
For Sale: 18-Foot Tall Topless Wooden Mermaid
Arlnow.com "The 18-foot tall mermaid has graced the front yard of Leeway Overlee resident Paul Jackson since 2004, when Paul and wife Nancy had the bright idea to carve something out of their dying 100+ year old white ash tree. Nancy, in a moment of benevolence, suggested a mermaid, to satisfy Paul’s dual loves of fish and women. The final product, carved by Frederick, Md. artist Scott Dustin, featured what the Washington Post’s Laura Sessions Stepp described as “a shapely derriere and bare breasts that must be at least size DD.” All is not well in paradise, however. D.G.’s roots are weakening and Paul has decided to sell rather than watch her teeter. He’s asking for $3,000, and not a dime less."
Gun Seller to Set Up Shop at Police HQ
Washington Times: "The District of Columbia has cleared the way for its lone licensed gun dealer to set up shop in police headquarters, an unusual short-term fix to a problem that has left the city with a de facto ban on handguns and vulnerable to lawsuits by gun rights groups. Mayor Vincent C. Gray said Wednesday that the city’s zoning commission approved an emergency proposal that allows Charles W. Sykes Jr., the city’s sole federal firearms licensee, to open his CS Exchange business at Metropolitan Police Department headquarters on Indiana Avenue Northwest."
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Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Unabomber’s Tools, Passport Photo on Display
Washington Post : "The National Museum of Crime and Punishment unveiled an exhibit Thursday morning featuring items from one of the country’s most elusive and notorious criminals: the Unabomber, Ted Kacyznski. The exhibit centers around how Kaczynski lived, how he did his deadly bomb-making work and how authorities caught him. The items featured include a hand bowed wood saw, one of which Kazcyznski used to build his Montana log cabin by hand, a Hanson model 1509 scale where Kaczynski carefully calibrated the explosives for his bomb recipes, FBI evidence bags and Kaczynski’s passport photo."
