The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON ATTACK UPDATE
A 56-year-old Southwest man who was found on Oct. 6 suffering from a severe head trauma, one of five people attacked in the area during an eight-hour span, died Thursday of his injuries, DC police said. Mark Kenneth Blank, of the 900 block of Sixth Street SW, was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being assaulted a block from his home by a group of teens, police said. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said this month that "pack robberies" are on the rise in the District, mirroring a trend nationwide. (Washington Post)http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603859.html
REP. VITO FOSSELLA (R-NY) TRIAL
New York Congressman Vito Fossella's arrest in Alexandria in May has already snowballed into a political and personal disgrace. Now he is about to find out if it will lead to time in jail. Fossella is scheduled to go to trial today on a drunken-driving charge. The arrest led to the revelation that Fossella had secretly fathered a child outside his marriage. (Washington Post)
CRIME INCREASE / ECONOMIC TROUBLES?
The collapse of U.S. financial markets is forcing deep cuts in local police agencies and stoking fears among police chiefs that mass home foreclosures are bringing more crime to suburbs. Problems created by the financial meltdown are starting to touch everything from police response times to unsolved crimes. (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-16-crime-economy_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md., SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
While neighboring public school systems are handling slight enrollment gains or declines, officials in Montgomery County are struggling to deal with an unexpectedly large increase in student numbers. The enrollment surge likely is a direct result of the flagging economy, officials say. The Montgomery system, the state's largest, is projected to have 139,396 students this school year, up 1 percent -- or 1,651 students -- from 137,745 students last year, according to school system data. (Gazette Newspapers)http://www.gazette.net/stories/10172008/polinew201854_32485.shtml
COFFEE, NO SUGAR PLEASE
A Stafford County man got a face full of coffee and a trip back to jail after robbing a North Stafford convenience store early yesterday, police said. According to Sheriff's Maj. David Decatur, the wild incident took place at the Wawa at 105 Garrisonville Road about 4:25 a.m. A masked man carrying a knife confronted a store employee near an office and demanded that he open the safe. Decatur said an off-duty Secret Service agent was getting coffee at the time and saw what was happening. The unarmed agent grabbed a pot of hot coffee and tossed it in the suspect's face. (Free-Lance Star)
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/102008/10172008/418704
