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SUSPECTED SERIAL BURGLAR INDICTED
Washington Post: "Brad K. Edmonds, suspected in more than 110 burglaries or attempted break-ins Fairfax County, was indicted on seven counts in Montgomery County, where he was captured last month, authorities said Friday.
A grand jury in Montgomery handed up the indictment Thursday, which included charges of burglary, possession of burglary tools and theft.
Montgomery prosecutors are moving forward to try Edmonds, and county police continue to explore whether he was involved in other break-ins. But for now, his activity in Montgomery appears limited, said Cpl. Dan Friz, a Montgomery County police spokesman."
CONGRESS RESCUES SMARTBENEFITS MAX FROM SLASH
DCist: "Nearly one month after it was announced that maximum allocations for pre-tax SmartBenefits maximums were going to be cut nearly in half, commuters will be pleased to learn that the new tax bill approved by Congress has restored the $230 benefit limit -- though only for one year. The maximum contribution amount was scheduled to decrease to $120 per month when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act expired on January 1.
As Kytja Weir reports in the Examiner, the benefit was saved from the slash after several transit advocacy groups rallied to get the support of thousands of commuters who were frustrated that they'd suddenly need to start paying taxes on a large portion of their transit cost. Metro was also thrilled -- the transit agency had been pushing for people to contact their representatives and encourage them to retain the $230 cap."
ERODING CLIFS ENDANGER CALVERT COUNTY HOMES
WTOP: "When Phyllis Bonfield and Marcia Seifert bought their Calvert Cliffs home six years ago, they were looking forward to a peaceful retirement in a quiet Chesapeake Bay community.
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What they got instead was a succession of erosion-related dramas: the loss of more than 30 feet from their backyard at the edge of the cliff, a three-year battle with government agencies for permission to build a breakwater to control the erosion, and a major septic system failure that flooded the first floor of their 2,000-square-foot home with raw sewage."
NEW RED LIGHT CAMERAS IN FALLS CHURCH
Washington Examiner: "Falls Church drivers should think twice before gunning it on a yellow light.
Officials in Falls Church have installed red-light cameras at two city intersections. Starting Sunday, drivers caught by the cameras will receive a warning. The city will begin issuing citations, which come with a minimum $50 fine, on Jan. 18.
The cameras are set up at the intersections of Broad and Cherry Streets and at Broad Street and Annandale Road. The city chose the locations after evaluating which intersections have the most red-light runners."
