The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
O'MALLEY SOUNDS OFF ON REAL-TIME HIGHWAY SIGNS
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley may be putting the brakes on a controversial new program that displays real-time travel information to drivers.
At the beginning of the month, the Maryland State Highway Administration expanded its real-time travel program in places like the eastern section of the Capital Beltway and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. (WTOP)
DC EMS RACKS UP THE OVERTIME
The District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services department has spent $5,188,642 on overtime this fiscal year, and it can thank a handful of firefighters and paramedics who have been making more in overtime than their base salaries.
Records show that one firefighter/paramedic, who makes $66,986 a year and was hired in 1989, made $106,993 in overtime in fiscal 2009 and $90,711 in fiscal 2008. An EMS preceptor, whose salary is $70,072, made $70,471 in fiscal 2009 and $89,935 in fiscal 2008. (Washington Post)
UNDERGROUND LEAK CAUSES $7,500 UTILITY BILL
Imagine opening your quarterly utility bill and seeing you owe the equivalent of a mortgage or rent payment – or three.
That’s what happened to Lansdowne resident Dottie Jarvis when she got a bill in mid-February for $7,504.20.
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Jarvis said she usually pays about $260 per quarter for water and sewer services for the home she rents on Kingsport Drive, which is serviced by the Town of Leesburg. (Loudoun Times)
WILL GOOGLE WIRE ALEXANDRIA?
After courting Verizon’s much touted Fios service to no avail, Alexandria hopes to become a test site for a new high-speed internet service being developed by Google.
The search giant’s new technology is forecast to deliver service at speeds more than 100 times faster than most internet connections now in use.
If selected as a test city, Alexandria will join a nationwide group on municipalities taking part in Google’s “Fiber for Communities Project” designed to make internet access better and faster. (Alexandria Times)
