The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
FORTUNETELLING BAN CHALLENGE
Nick Nefedro didn't need to have his palm read or look to Tarot cards to know that his plan to work as a fortuneteller in Bethesda would fail. His fate was already written: Montgomery County says it is illegal to make money from forecasting the future. (Washington Post)
OLDER PEOPLE BINGE DRINKING
Binge drinking has become nearly synonymous with college students, but a study out today shows a significant, worrisome level of binge drinking among those age 50 to 64 as well. Working with the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Duke University researchers report that 22% of men and 9% of women ages 50 to 64 engaged in binge drinking — five or more drinks at a time — within the past month of the survey. (USA Today)
MCDONNELL AHEAD
Republican Bob McDonnell holds a lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds 2 1/2 months ahead of Virginia's governor's race, according to a Washington Post poll published Sunday. The survey of 1,002 registered voters showed 47 percent would vote for McDonnell, a former state attorney general, while 40 percent would back Deeds, a state senator. One percent said they'd support someone else, 3 percent would not vote and 9 percent offered no opinion. (AP/wtop.com)
LOITERING LAWSUIT
Lawyers for the ACLU of Virginia have filed papers on behalf of four Latino men who were arrested for loitering while standing on a public sidewalk near their apartment complex in Manassas. The ACLU argues that the charges should be dismissed because the ordinance under which the men are charged is unconstitutionally vague.
(Gainesville Times)
STRUGGING ECONOMY EXHIBIT
The Smithsonian's Archives of American Art is opening a new exhibit focused on the struggling art scene in the decade following the stock market crash of 1929. The exhibit, "Hard Times: 1929-1939," includes artworks, documents, photographs and oral histories from artists who worked on New Deal projects. As artists joined the ranks of the unemployed during the Great Depression, government art programs proved critical. The exhibit focuses on development of the Works Progress Administration's federal art project and other programs, as well as the rise of artists unions and arts organizations. Visitors can hear 10 oral history recordings from the early 1960s. The exhibit will be on view at the Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in Washington through Nov. 8. (AP/wtop.com)
7 YEAR OLD ADOPTS CONFEDERATE GRAVE
About a year ago, Jackson Lee Sulcer (above), 7, came to the Confederate Cemetery in Fredericksburg looking for a dirty grave. He happened on the grave site of Virginia soldier Samuel Davis, which appeared unkempt to the boy, so he decided to tidy it up. "The [headstone] looked scraped and I was kind of putting spit on my finger and cleaning it off," the Stafford County youth said. (Free Lance-Star)
