The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
PAINT GUN VANDALS SPLATTER PRINCE WILLIAM SCHOOL BUS
Inside NoVA: "Police are looking for the vandals who fired a paintball gun at several vehicles, including a school bus, Thursday afternoon.
About 3:30 p.m., the driver of a Prince William County school bus told police that the driver heard something strike the side of the bus while driving in the 3500 block of Forestdale Avenue in Dale City, Prince William County police spokesman Jonathan Perok said.
The driver continued to Bel Air Elementary School where two large splotches of fluorescent pink paint were discovered on the side of the bus."
ARLINGTON'S SNOW SURVIVOR, HANGING ON SINCE DECEMBER
ARLNow: "Believe it or not, there’s still a remnant of the 2 to 3 inches of snow we got on Dec. 16 hanging around. This dirty snow pile can be found in the median on George Mason Drive near Virginia Hospital Center.
The pile may soon grow a bit. Forecasters are calling for a dusting to an inch of snow overnight."
VA TO CLOSE OLDEST PRISON IN MOVE TO CUT COSTS
WTOP: "Virginia is closing its oldest prison in a move to reduce costs.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Media outlets report that the Virginia Department of Corrections plans to close James River Correctional Center in Goochland County on April 1. The 450-inmate prison opened in 1896 and currently has 160 employees.
Department of Corrections director Harold Clarke notified employees of the decision Thursday. In his letter to employees, Clarke said closing James River is the best way to meet a proposed $10.9 million budget cut in fiscal year 2012."
HELEN THOMAS IS OUT OF RETIREMENT
Washington Post: "She's back.
Seven months into an unwilling retirement, Helen Thomas is reentering the world of journalism -- with a column in a Northern Virginia community weekly.
The veteran Washington correspondent-turned-columnist, 90, made her Falls Church News-Press debut Thursday, with a piece decrying efforts to privatize Social Security. It's a far cry from a syndicated column and a front-row seat in the White House briefing room -- but hey, these days, a platform's a platform. Her essay seemed to be a reader-magnet for the paper's Web site, drawing more than 100 comments (cheers and jeers) by 6 p.m. Owner/editor Nicholas Benton insisted Thomas was a natural fit for his publication."
