The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY EXEC RESIGNS
A day after announcing indictments in a corruption scheme involving Prince William County’s Office of Information Technology, longtime County Executive Craig Gerhart has resigned. Gerhart’s last day with the county government will be on Friday, July 3. Gerhart will start work for Amtrak on Monday, July 6. (insidenova.com)
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER CHARGED WITH RAPE
A Charles County school bus driver was charged this month with raping a 13-year-old girl three times at his home in Marbury.
James Westley Rainey, 39, and his wife were family friends of the girl, court documents state. In early March, the teen was watching a NASCAR race with Rainey when he started poking her in the stomach and asking her if she wanted to have sex, the court papers show. (The Independent)
LOWEST GRADUATION RATES
A new study finds graduation rates at Coppin State University in Baltimore and the University of the District of Columbia are among the lowest in the nation. Fewer than one in five students at the schools graduates within six years, according to the study by the American Enterprise Institute. Nationally, the study found fewer than 60 percent of new students at four-year colleges graduated within six years. (ap/ wtop.com)
POOLESVILLE MAN BITTEN BY POISONOUS SNAKE
A Poolesville man bitten by a poisonous snake returned the snake to the wild before seeking medical attention. Sam Pettengill found the snake the size of a pencil in his apartment at Kunzang Palyul Choling, a Buddhist temple, on Sunday and was bitten on the finger when he picked it up. But before going to the hospital, 36-year-old Pettengill, who has been known to buy crickets and worms to set them free, prayed and released the snake in a grassy area. (Frederick News Post)
TRUCKER RUN OVER BY HIS TRUCK
A tractor-trailer driver was run over by his own truck following an accident early Wednesday on Interstate 70, east of the U.S. 40 interchange, according to Maryland State Police. The accident was reported at 12:05 a.m., police said. Following the single-vehicle accident, the driver pulled onto the shoulder of the roadway and got out to inspect the air lines. The truck then rolled over him, police said. (Herald Mail)
SEXTING IN STAFFORD
A 16-year-old Stafford County boy is being investigated for having "sexually explicit" pictures of a 15-year-old girl on his cell phone, court records show. If the investigation results in charges, the boy would become the first person in the county arrested for "sexting," or sending and receiving nude pictures via cell phones. According to an affidavit for a search warrant filed in Stafford Circuit Court, a school resource officer at Brooke Point High School was contacted by a parent who found sexually suggestive pictures on her daughter's cell phone. (Free Lance-Star)
FDA APPROVES CANCER TREATMENT FOR DOGS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug made specifically to treat cancer in dogs. Until now, all cancer drugs used in veterinary medicine were developed for use in humans and were not specifically approved for animals. Federal law allows veterinarians to administer cancer medicines and other human treatments under controlled circumstances. (AP/Richmond Times Dispatch)
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
DC UNITED TO ASHBURN
Rumors are circulating that professional soccer team D.C. United is looking for a new home, and Ashburn could be it. Officials for the team and Loudoun County would not confirm Ashburn is a possibility, but local fans say this location would be a win-win. "Loudoun has gone soccer crazy," said Miles Davis, a Leesburg resident and communications director for Loudoun Soccer - the largest soccer club in Virginia with more than 7,000 youth players. (Loudoun Times)
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TO LOUDOUN?
Upcoming talks on the approval of a minor league baseball stadium in Loudoun are already drawing debate. The stadium would be part of the proposed Kincora Village near the intersection of Route 7 and Route 28. Plans include the following. 75,000-square-foot stadium for an Atlantic League minor league baseball team. 901,211 square feet of offices. 74,000 square feet of commercial space for restaurants, personal services and banks. The developer, Michael W. Scott, of Great Falls, who has pitched the plans to the county, is applying for a special exception permit to allow the field. (Loudoun Times)
SPEED CAMS = $15 MILLION!
Montgomery County police better make sure the light bulbs in their speed cameras aren't worn out. Figures from the police department, provided to WTOP, show the county has generated $15 million in revenue during the current fiscal year, which started July 1. That works out to about $1.5 million every month -- and at $40 a ticket, that means 37,500 speed camera citations are being paid every month in Montgomery County. (wtop.com)
