Local Leads: 1/30/2009

News you need to know

The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:

TEXTING SCAM WARNING
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office issued a warning today about a cell-phone texting scam that attempts to obtain personal banking information from victims. The scam involves a bulk text message, called SMiShing, stating that a person's account has been compromised and to contact the given toll-free number. When victims contact the number it asks them to enter a bank account and pin numbers. (Leesburg Today)

FANNIE MAE PLOT FOILED
A federal grand jury indicted a former Frederick man who worked at Fannie Mae in Urbana on charges of making a malicious script that would have damaged the company's computer servers. (Frederick News Post)

NEW CHURCH POSTPONED
The Archdiocese of Washington has indefinitely postponed plans for establishing a new Roman Catholic parish in Germantown after concluding the up-county population fell short of what was needed to sustain another church. After consultations between staff members and officials from up-county parishes, the Archdiocese decided last year to wait for more growth, said Susan Gibbs, an Archdiocese spokeswoman. (Gazette)

211
Times are tough. Money is tight. Everyone who is eligible for help isn't getting it. To find out what emergency services for which you might be eligible, call 211. The phone number 211 is a human services information and referral service operated in every state by AIRS  and the United Way. (WTOP.com)

E-VERIFY SYSTEM
Effective February 2, the Town of Herndon will participate in E-Verify, a Web-based system that electronically verifies the employment eligibility of newly hired employees.  E-Verify is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) oversees the program.(Fairfax Times)

WOMAN DIES ON THE DAY HER HOUSE IS FORECLOSED
After a six-month battle with colon cancer, 47-year-old Ratana Ninmag died on the day her family was to be evicted from their Herndon home.  Cards from well-wishers were tacked to the walls of the room in which she lay in her hospice bed. The Buddhist monks and the Christian minister who had spent the afternoon praying for her had left, but her family and friends remained by her side at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 13, when she died. (Fairfax Times)

HAVE A DRINK AT A PARK
Alcohol will be permitted in eight Frederick County parks starting April 1, ending a more than two-year prohibition. County commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the new policy Thursday, with commissioners David Gray and John L. Thompson Jr. in opposition. (Frederick News Post)

CITY OF FAIRFAX RED-LIGHT CAMS   
The City of Fairfax has set itself up to possibly become the first Virginia municipality to re-establish a red-light camera program since the 2007 state legislature allowed the controversial procedure to be used again in the commonwealth.  In the early morning of Wednesday, Jan. 14, the city's mayor and six-person council came out of a closed session with the city's attorney to announce that it had unanimously approved a contract with Australian-based company Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. to "install, construct and maintain a photo red-light enforcement program" within the city. (Fairfax Times
 
CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE
The Chinese New Year parade on Sunday will cause street closures in downtown D.C. for the extent of the day. The parade begins at 2 p.m. in the 500 block of I Street NW and concludes in the 600 block of H Street NW.  (WTOP.com)

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