The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.
ATHLETIC FIELD UPGRADE SPARKS NEIGHBORHOOD SPAT
ARLNow:"What happens when a parochial high school, which has owned its 20-acre tract of land in North Arlington since 1949, plans to upgrade its athletic facilities with the help of a local university? A full-blown neighborhood controversy, of course.
Bishop O’Connell High School wants to spend $6 million renovating its football and baseball fields. The renovations would add new artificial turf to the football field, making it doubly usable as a regulation soccer field.
The renovations would also add lights to both fields, so they can be used after the sun goes down. The school has agreed to limit hours of use, however."
SALVATION ARMY SEES 60 PERCENT DROP IN RED KETTLE GIVING
WTOP: "Did a decision to try to help many charities end up hurting one?
The Salvation Army of the National Capital Area was given less time to station bell ringers in front of Giant Food stores this year, and Salvation Army National Capital Area Command spokesman Ken Forsythe says bell ringers collecting donations for the Red Kettle Campaign raised $270,000 this year compared to $667,000 last year.
The dramatic decrease represents a 59.5 percent drop."
TOUGH YEAR FOR CONCERT SALES
Washington Post: "It's official. The concert business had a lousy 2010.
On Wednesday, Pollstar, a trade magazine that tracks the vital signs of the concert industry, released its annual ranking of the top 50 concert tours for the 2010 calendar year.
And it's ugly. The top tours in North America grossed 15 percent less than in 2009, dropping from $1.99 billion to $1.69 billion. Ticket sales fell 12 percent. And the total number of concerts was down about 3 percent. Oof, ouch and bummer."
SOME WORK SO OTHERS CAN PARTY
Free Lance-Star: " For many of us, New Year's Eve is a night of celebration.
But for others, it's a night of work. Hard work.
Taxi-cab drivers and bar managers don't get New Year's Eve off--instead, they spend the night serving those who celebrate.
"That is our busiest night of the year," said Cheryl Clements, general manager of Hilldrup and Virginia Cab Services."
