The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
HEROES SAVE WOMAN
Two heroes are being commended for their actions that saved a woman's life Wednesday morning in Prince George's County. Maryland State Police Cpl. John Griffin and Cadet Andrew Neall pulled Melody Grimm from a burning car on southbound Rt. 301 near Leeland Drive. (wtop.com)
FAIRFAX VOTING MACHINES
A voting machine broke down last night as Fairfax County elections officials were tallying the results of a hotly contested special election to fill a vacant seat on the board of supervisors, leaving the outcome too close to call. Republican John Cook held on to a 69-vote lead over Democrat Ilryong Moon with 24 of the district's 25 precincts reporting and about 12,000 votes cast. The outcome boiled down to the votes from the Fairview precinct in Fairfax Station, where elections officials encountered technical problems with one of the two voting machines. (Washington Post)
UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS UP ACROSS THE REGION
The D.C. region's unemployment rate rose again in January, according to numbers from the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics released moments ago. The District's unemployment rate in January jumped to 9.3 percent from 8.8 percent in December. Virginia's January unemployment rate rose to 6 percent, up from 5.4 percent the previous month and Maryland's rate rose to 6.2 percent, up from 5.8 percent. (Washington Post)
JUDGE RELEASES MURDERER TO MOM
According to police, Sean Sykes and an accomplice stabbed a man in Prince George's County last month and then threatened to kill a witness who saw them dragging the victim out of an apartment building. Sykes was arrested, charged with second-degree murder and held on $1.5 million bond. But when Sykes, 18, appeared in court last week, a judge took an unusual step: He released Sykes to the custody of his mother. Yesterday, District Court Judge Hassan A. El-Amin defended his decision and denounced the Maryland judicial system's method of determining whether and under what conditions defendants are released before trial. El-Amin said the vast majority of defendants, even those charged with murder and other serious crimes, appear at bond hearings without an attorney, as Sykes did. (Washington Post)
DC TOP JUVENILE CRIMINALS
The District is compiling a list of 60 of the most serious juvenile offenders in detention and will share information on their backgrounds with police and some community groups before allowing the youths to return home, especially to high-crime neighborhoods (Washington Post)
HOMES SALES UP SLIGHTLY IN FAIRFAX
Home sales across Fairfax County in February showed continued improvement from the depths of 2008's depressed market, but the average sales price continues to be weak, according to figures reported March 10 by the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc., the area's multiple-listing service. Total home sales across the county in February were 853, up 21.2 percent from the 704 sales recorded a year before. (Sun Gazette)
HOLD IT IN UNTIL THE NEXT STOP!
Virginia highway officials are set to hear from the public on proposals to close rest areas and other cost-cutting measures. VDOT also would reduce patrols that help motorists who break down or run out of gas. And the agency is proposing less roadside maintenance, such as mowing. (Richmond Times Dispatch)
