The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
SNOW + DRIVERS = CRASHES
Snow keeps falling throughout the region and area road crews said traffic is moving slowly, but steadily. The snow began falling early this morning and has kept on a steady pace ever since. Despite the road crews’ efforts, police say they have worked dozens of car crashes this morning. Prince William County police have reports of 67 crashes since 6 a.m., all due to road and weather conditions. (Insidenova.com)
SNOW
The first snow of the season blanketed Washington and its suburbs with wet, white flakes this morning, prompting several public school systems to cancel classes and raising concerns of a slick, possibly icy, evening commute. (Washington Post)
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY HOMICIDES
Police are continuing to investigate the deaths of a mother and her teen daughter who were found shot to death in their home early Monday morning. Karen Antoinette Lofton, 45, and her 16-year-old daughter, Karissa Lofton, were found dead upstairs around 2:50 a.m. at 10800 Southall Drive shortly after police received a report of shots fired, said Larry Johnson, a Prince George's County Police Department spokesman, on Tuesday. (Gazette)
ANNAPOLIS BUSINESSES
The ongoing economic deterioration of businesses near City Dock has brought the total of closed stores to more than a dozen since the fall. The rate at which owners and operators are bailing out has increased rapidly since the end of the year. (The Capitol)
FREDERICKSBURG HOME SALES
Foreclosure and short sales jumped sevenfold in the immediate Fredericksburg area last year, with the Aquia Harbour and Lee's Parke subdivisions leading the way, a report shows. There were 349 foreclosure or short sales in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania and Stafford counties in 2008, compared with 50 such sales in 2007, according to data from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. (Free Lance-Star)
VIRGINIA INAUGURATION COSTS
The inauguration of President Barack Obama cost Virginia between $3 million and $5 million, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine estimates.
Speaking this morning on his monthly call in radio show on WTOP in northern Virginia, Kaine said the commonwealth is "hoping to get some money back" to cover its transportation and public safety expenditures for the festivities, which drew an unprecedented number of visitors to Washington on and around Jan. 20. (Richmond Times Dispatch)
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
EYE IN THE SKY CAPTURES INAUGURATION DAY
Despite the efforts of hundreds of photojournalists who braved the cold and crowds to capture the magnitude of Barack Obama's swearing-in Jan. 20, probably the most famous photo that day was taken from hundreds of miles away and developed in Loudoun County. (Loudoun Times-Mirror)
NO CHARGES FOR DOZING COP
Detective Sgt. William Brown of the La Plata Town Police contacted St. Mary’s Today in regards to the ‘Cop Out’ photo which appeared on the front page of this week’s edition. Sgt. Brown asked if the newspaper would disclose who took the photo, which shows a police officer snoring as he was sleeping behind the wheel of a marked patrol car, and on what date and time it was taken. (St. Mary's Today)
FREDERICK'S DAILY 5
You've gotta know this... (Frederick News Post)
