Post Now: August 1, 2010 - August 7, 2010

Big tree topples in Montgomery

By Martin Weil A large tree toppled Saturday morning with little or no warning onto a house in Montgomery County in what might have been one of the last effects of Thursday's thunderstorms. It was not clear Saturday night why...

By Eric Athas  | August 7, 2010; 10:39 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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2 Loudoun officers seriously injured

Two motorcycle officers with Virginia's Loudoun County sheriff's office are hospitalized with serious but non-life threatening injuries after a road accident. Sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell said the accident occurred Saturday morning after a vehicle going the opposite direction on Harpers...

By Washington Post Editors  | August 7, 2010; 4:30 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (7)
 
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Officer indicted on charges of taping teen

A Laurel city police corporal has been indicted on charges that he secretly videotaped his girlfriend's teenage daughter in her bedroom. Charging documents say 37-year-old Edward Charles Schmitt hid a video camera in the girl's bedroom closet and taped...

By Washington Post Editors  | August 7, 2010; 4:23 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (9)
 
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Dominion: Power to be restored by tonight

Updated, 4:46 p.m. Dominion Virginia Power expects to have power restored to nearly all of its customers by tonight after Thursday's heavy storms knocked out electricity across the D.C. area, a utility spokesman said. Nearly all of the remaining 5,400...

By Washington Post Editors  | August 7, 2010; 1:16 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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Arrests made in quadruple slaying

A man and a woman from Texas have been charged with first-degree murder in Friday's shooting deaths of two woman and two children in a dilapidated Lanham apartment, police said Saturday morning. Police said the motive in the slaying was...

By Washington Post editors  | August 7, 2010; 7:37 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety  
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Teen shot near Capitol Hill

A teenager was shot and wounded Friday night near the southeastern edge of Capitol Hill.

By Eric Athas  | August 6, 2010; 11:35 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
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Injuries after 70-person Metro brawl

A half dozen people were reported injured late Friday in what was described as a brawl in Southwest Washington a few blocks from the Mall, authorities said.

By Eric Athas  | August 6, 2010; 11:32 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
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Aisle surfing, breakfast pizza: 5 D.C. blogs

Good afternoon. Today's entries from the D.C. area blogsphere remind us that while eating food is still the best (fresh peaches! strawberry shortcake!), reading about it can be just as fun. Another blogger also reminds us that wasp nests and...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 3:58 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Loris AM Buzz  
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Johnson vetoes Pr. Geo's taxi bill

Miranda Spivack reports on the Maryland Politics blog that Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson has issued his second veto in eight years -- this time voting no a bill that won unanimous support from the County Council to expand the number of taxis in Prince George's.

By Washington Post Editors  | August 6, 2010; 3:32 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Categories:  Maryland, Traffic and Transportation  
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ICC contractors hit gas line; traffic affected

A sub contractor working on New Hampshire Avenue as part of the Intercounty Connector project inadvertently struck a gas line shortly before noon Friday, Maryland State Highway officials say.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 3:29 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland, Traffic and Transportation  
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3 injured in Howard Co. barn collapse

Howard County officials say three workers were injured when the barn they were building collapsed. Howard County Fire and Rescue Services spokeswoman Julia Lynch says no one was trapped in the collapse Friday morning at Marama Farms in Clarksville. Lynch...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 3:03 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Want to be an extra in Transformers 3?

Yeah, yeah. We know Transformers 2 was savaged by critics . Director Michael Bay was even dissed by star Megan Fox, who will not be returning for the sequel to the sequel, but never mind. This could be your big...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 1:43 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
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Power outages declining in the region

Dominion Power was reporting that by about 1 p.m. Friday, 17,500 customers were without power, down fro about 98,000 after severe thunderstorms moved through the area Thursday.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 1:11 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  DC, Maryland, Virginia  
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Four found dead in Lanham home

UPDATE: Two women and two children were found dead in filthy and deplorable living conditions above the garage of a Lanham home early Friday morning, Crime Scene reports. The house where the bodies were found was in deplorable condition, police...

By Washington Post Editors  | August 6, 2010; 1:02 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Tax-free shopping in Va., Md. this weekend

If you'd like to save a few dollars on those back-to-school purchases, it's a great weekend to shop in Maryland and Virginia. Both jurisdictions are sponsoring sales tax holidays. Virginia's starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Shoppers won't have to...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 12:44 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  DC, Maryland, Virginia  
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Sterling teen dies in dirt bike accident

A 17-year-old Sterling teen died Thursday night after the dirt bike he was riding struck the gates at the entrance to closed baseball fields, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 12:38 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Virginia  
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Arlington gets tech help on burial records

A consortium of high tech companies from Northern Virginia is stepping in to help Arlington National Cemetery automate its paper burial records, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va) announced Friday.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 12:22 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  DC, Maryland, Virginia  
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D.C. rules for medical pot program

District officials released regulations Friday that will govern the city's implementation of its medical marijuana program. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's (D) administration has been drafting regulations to license dispensaries, track doctors and users, and identify where to allow the wholesale...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 11:51 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
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UVA students required to report arrests

Returning students to the University of Virginia will have a new question to answer at registration time: Have you ever been arrested?

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 11:02 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland, Virginia  
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Dale City water park vandalized -- again

A Dale City water park has been vandalized for a second time in a weekWaterWorks Waterpark was vandalized for the second time in a week, Fox 5 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 10:14 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (10)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Virginia  
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Md. cyclist killed during Wed. storm

Police said Wednesday night's severe thunderstorms claimed the life of a woman riding her bicycle in western Maryland, WUSA reports. Police said it was just after 6 p.m. when Dawn Jackson, 49, of Cumberland, was riding her bike on the...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 10:08 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Officer who shot dog placed on leave

The off-duty federal police officer who fatally shot a Siberian husky in a Severn dog park has been placed on administrative leave while county police investigate the incident, The Baltimore Sun reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 9:17 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (23)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Guilty plea for transporting girl for sex

A Texas man who worked for a Maryland trucking company has pleaded guilty to transporting an 11-year-old girl from Maryland for sex.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 9:04 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Four injured in Pr. Geo's crash

Four men were injured in a car accident in Hillcrest Heights early Friday morning, ABC 7 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 8:42 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland, Traffic and Transportation  
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About 35,000 still without electricity

About 35,000 customers in the Washington area remained without power early Friday after a powerful thunderstorm downed trees and power lines Thursday afternoon. About 16,000 of the outages were in Northern Virginia, with nearly as many in Prince George’s County....

By Denny McAuliffe  | August 6, 2010; 5:53 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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Lori's A.M. Buzz: Picking up the pieces

Good morning. Friday at last. Another rough storm left more than 100,000 households and businesses in the dark and toppled as many as 50 trees in one Virginia neighborhood. This morning, utility officials said power had been restored to the...

By Washington Post editors  | August 6, 2010; 5:45 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Loris AM Buzz  
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Alexandria schools adjust schedules

Some Alexandria schools that have been open this summer have changed their schedules, after Thursday's damaging thunderstorms. Schools officials announced late Thursday that Mount Vernon Community School will be closed on Friday. Samuel Tucker Elementary School will be open...

By Erica Johnston  | August 5, 2010; 11:21 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Virginia  
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Alexandria declares emergency after storm

The city of Alexandria has declared a local emergency after Thursday's severe thunderstorms. The declaration provides for increased coordination with state resources, and permits the city to take necessary actions to respond to the storms, city officials said in...

By Erica Johnston  | August 5, 2010; 9:03 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Traffic and Transportation, Virginia  
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VRE cancels Fredericksburg trains Friday

Virginia Railway Express announced Thursday night that all of its trains on the Fredericksburg line have been canceled for Friday, Aug. 6. That's due to a coal-train derailment on that line. Trains on VRE's Manassas line will run a...

By Erica Johnston  | August 5, 2010; 8:59 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Traffic and Transportation, Virginia  
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Storm scenes from around the region

A tree apparently fell on a bus in the southbound lanes of the George Washington Parkway near Slaters Lane, just south of Reagan National Airport, says U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 6:44 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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Bag leak closes BWI baggage area

BWI Airport officials say the baggage claim area and the lower level roadway were closed off after a bag was found leaking.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 5:12 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland, Traffic and Transportation  
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Shakespeare in Klingon? D.C.'s blogs

Hey there. Was gone for a couple of days, but now am back and happy to report that It was a fun spin around the D.C. area blogosphere today. Whether you'd like to see Shakespeare performed in Klingon or take...

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 2:20 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Loris AM Buzz  
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Tourism turnaround for D.C.?

D.C. tourism officials are expecting visitation to the city to remain relatively flat during 2011, though convention business is supposed to improve compared to previous years, The Washington Business Journal reports. "It's about putting 2009 and 2010 behind us," said...

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 1:21 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Whole Foods to open in Foggy Bottom?

Urban Turf via Bisnow is reporting that Whole Foods is planning to open a fourth store in Northwest Washington. The publication says that the company has signed on to open a store in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood at 2200 Pennsylvania...

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 12:36 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
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Freight train derails in Baltimore

Baltimore officials say a freight train has derailed in a tunnel beneath the city, but none of the cars have overturned and no injuries have been reported.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 12:35 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland, Traffic and Transportation  
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Two more heat-related deaths in Md.

Maryland health officials are reporting two more heat-related deaths, bringing the total for the year to 19.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 12:01 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Stewart to ask Congress to subpoena ICE

The chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors said Thursday he will ask Congress to subpoena Immigration and Customs Enforcement in order to obtain the records on how many illegal immigrants have been released from their custody back into the community.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 11:23 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (6)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Virginia  
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Port-a-pottie reprieve in Montgomery

Montgomery County Parks Director Mary Bradford, in a letter obtained by The Washington Examiner, told County Council President Nancy Floreen that her department will spare more than 80 rental port-a-potties that were planned to be scrapped to save $155,000. Parks...

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 11:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (5)
Categories:  Maryland  
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2 Va. men charged with pot possession

Delaware State Police say they seized about two pounds of marijuana from two Virginia men during a traffic stop on Interstate 95.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 10:55 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Virginia  
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AA police to investigate shooting of dog

Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold says he was “outraged” and “deeply troubled” to learn about the killing of a Siberian husky by an off-duty federal police officer in a Severn dog park.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 10:43 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (15)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Dynamite discovery forces evacuation

Two Howard County homes had to be evacuated after worker found 26 sticks of dynamite in a nearby shed, Fox 5 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 9:30 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland  
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O'Malley to expand license plate program

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is planning to double the state's investment in license-plate recognition technology that has been credited with cracking down on car thefts.

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 9:05 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Lori's A.M. Buzz: 'Real' drama

Good morning. Happy Thursday. Sounds like it's going to be a perfect day to . . . stay inside. Yes, the heat and humidity are back with a vengeance. Capital Weather Gang says it's going to be a hot (in...

By Washington Post editors  | August 5, 2010; 5:51 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Gray wins straw poll on Fenty turf

Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray beat Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in a Ward 4 Democrats straw poll, 581 to 401 -- an embarrassing loss for the mayor in his home base. Fenty, once beloved by residents in the ward where...

By Nikita Stewart  | August 5, 2010; 12:56 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (56)
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Mail investigated at Israeli embassy

Update, 7:35 p.m.: A spokesman for the D.C. fire department says it's not clear what the substance was that was found today in the Israeli embassy's mailroom. But traffic restrictions near the building in the Van Ness neighborhood of Northwest...

By Erica Johnston  | August 4, 2010; 7:35 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, DC  
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Weather Service warns of storms

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for most of the western suburbs of D.C. The warning includes all of Loudoun County, and western parts of Fairfax, Prince William, Montgomery and Fairfax counties. It lasts until...

By Erica Johnston  | August 4, 2010; 7:24 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Weather  
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Boy Scouts injured as buses collide

Two tour buses carrying Boy Scouts collided in Newburg Wednesday afternoon, sending 18 scouts to a LaPlata medical center with minor injuries, ABC 7 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 5:11 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland  
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D.C.'s first free clinic draws hundreds

By late afternoon on Wednesday, more than 700 people had been treated at the first large-scale free clinic in the District, and the lines were only getting longer.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 4:18 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
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Heat advisory issued for Thursday

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the metropolitan area Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s. With the humidity it could feel like 105 degrees.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 4:08 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  DC, Maryland, Virginia  
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D.C. reviewing plans for Dupont tunnels

The District is evaluating two proposals from groups seeking to restore abandoned trolley tunnels beneath Dupont Circle, including one from a local arts group that has pitched turning the trolley station platforms into a series of art galleries.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 3:57 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Va. police seize counterfeit goods

Fairfax County police and federal investigators have seized more than $800,000 worth of counterfeit watches, shoes, handbags, sunglasses and other goods from a store in Merrifield, ABC 7 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 3:48 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Virginia  
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Zoo record broken for ferret births

The black-footed ferret was once thought to be extinct. But the National Zoo's Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal is doing its part in helping to boost the population.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 3:22 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  DC, Virginia  
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Broken pipe closes MoCo swim center

The Olney Indoor Swim Center at 16605 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring closed early Wednesday because of a broken water pipe. The pipe is being repaired and the pool is expected to re-open on Thursday.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 2:58 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland  
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Charges filed in synagogue desecration

An Olney man has been charged with the desecration of a Montgomery County synagogue, Crime Scene reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 2:21 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Health warning for Pasadena beach

Anne Arundel County health officials are warning people to avoid the water on Venice on the Bay beach in Pasadena after high bacteria levels were detected there.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 2:09 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Maryland  
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Woman struck by dump truck in SE

A woman has been critically injured after being struck by a dump truck in Southeast, police and fire officials said.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 1:53 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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Palin endorses candidate for Md. governor

Brian Murphy, a little-known Republican candidate for Maryland governor, has won the endorsement of one of the biggest names in national politics: Sarah Palin, Maryland Politics reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 1:47 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (32)
 
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Body found in Laurel near river

A body was found in the Laurel area of Prince George's County Wednesday morning, authorities said.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 12:55 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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AA County Exec.: Investigate dog shooting

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold is calling on the county police department to investigate the shooting death of a Siberian Husky at a community dog park by a federal police officer, the Baltimore Sun reports..

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 11:58 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (33)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Md. mom jailed for expired license plates

A Kensington mother was arrested and jailed in D.C. for driving with expired license plates, Fox 5 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 11:28 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (20)
Categories:  Maryland, Traffic and Transportation  
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Woman stabs another in Chinatown

D.C. police are on the scene of a stabbing in the 600 block of Massachusetts Ave. NW, where they say they have one person in custody, Crime Scene reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 11:06 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, DC  
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Frederick, Balto. County vie for SSA center

Sen. Barbara Mikulski says the Social Security Administration plans to build a national data center in either Frederick County or Baltimore County.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 10:56 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
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2 arrested in Takoma Park hate crime

An 18-year-old man and a juvenile were arrested in connection with an alleged gang-related hate crime in the Takoma Park, NBC 4 reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 10:50 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (8)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, DC, Maryland  
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Pr. Geo.'s woman assaulted in home

A woman was tied up, assaulted and robbed by a man who forced his way into her Hyattsville-area home Wednesday morning, Crime Scene reports.

By Washington Post editors  | August 4, 2010; 8:37 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (5)
Categories:  Crime and Public Safety, Maryland  
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Lori's A.M. Buzz: Bundle of ferret joy

Good morning! I'm filling in for Lori Aratani this morning, with your early updates on muck, baby ferrets, and more.