Two Virginia Democrats are again trying to get themselves a fee on plastic bags, but five cents isn't enough for them -- they're trying for 20. more ›

The District imposed a five-cent fee on plastic bags almost two years ago, and we seem to be leading a regional trend. more ›

Montgomery County police are currently investigating an incident where "about 50 teens and young adults" entered a 7-Eleven on the 12000 block of Tech Road in Silver Spring, stole food and drinks, then ran out. more ›

Good morning, Washington. At roughly 10 minutes before 10:00 pm Friday night, Venezuela’s Interior Minister called Wilson Ramos's family to let them know the Washington Nationals catcher had been rescued. Ramos was kidnapped earlier this week in Venezuela. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Physical discomfort is part of the Halloween ritual. A masked night out involves harsh fabric, pore-suffocating makeup and limited mobility. It does not usually involve the raw ache of near freezing temperatures. But on Saturday, the Washington area was cold and white, met with an early season storm that covered the region in a mix of sleet and snow. more ›

Montgomery County police announced this morning that they have found what they believe are the remains of missing 11-year-old William McQuain in a wooded area in Clarksburg, Maryland. more ›

Good morning, Washington. For two D.C. area men, seemingly innocuous backyard delicacies turned out to be "death caps" and "destroying angels." Catering to dangerous culinary whims, the men grew extremely ill after they ate mushrooms growing on their properties, which had flourished after heavy rains around the region. more ›

Habitual jaywalkers in Montgomery County may want to think twice before crossing the street. The Washington Post reports that police are stepping up their ticketing. At monthly intervals, there will be teams of police stationed at eight streets that the county has determined have pedestrian safety problems. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Today is going to be hot, sticky and summer-like -- and it may be the last day of its kind for the year as we usher in cooler weather (the morning meteorologists project that persistent 90 degree days have expired for the season). Showers are possible, but the threat of storms really increases tonight and tomorrow. We're also in line for copious amounts of rain this week as what’s left of Tropical Storm Lee heads toward the Washington area. If you see the sun today, enjoy it. more ›

In this morning's roundup, we told you how the tenure of Andrea Pringle, Vince Gray's new Deputy Chief of Staff, was already off to a rocky start -- local government watchdog Dorothy Brizill filed a formal complaint with the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, accusing Pringle of voting in the District's 2010 mayoral primary while living in Montgomery County. more ›

Montgomery County officials concerned about flash mob robberies, not content to simply denounce such behavior, like some local leaders, are reportedly seeking to enact new laws which would specifically punish such criminal activity. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Hurricane Irene hit the Washington region Saturday, bringing heavy rain and high winds that plunged hundreds of thousands of homes into darkness, downed massive trees and fueled marathon media coverage. NBC4 reporter Pat Collins was born for this storm. more ›

Pepco power outages are emerging across the D.C. region, with at least a few hundred people already affected in D.C., Montgomery County and Prince George's County. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Grab the galoshes. The D.C. region, which has been suffering from moderate drought, is locked in for more rain today. Heavy downpours are expected, and the National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for most of the metro region. Maryland's tax-free week starts today, so if you don't find the rain too dissuasive be careful on the roads. more ›

First, it was the disposable bag tax. Now, the potential expansion of laws prohibiting smoking in common areas of buildings, a similar version of which the District made law last year. Which D.C. code will you be copying next next, MoCo? more ›

There's some pretty wild imagery coming out of Montgomery County this morning, where a Ride On bus crashed into a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on the 12400 block of Georgia Avenue near the Glenmont Metro station. more ›

The Post reports that the Montgomery County Council has voted 8-1 in favor of instituting a five-cent bag tax in the county. more ›

Hello Washington. Now this is what I call a spring weekend day - sunny, likely to hit the 60s. Let's hope not to get hailed on today (were you one of the unlucky people that was outside BOTH times it hailed?) and finally enjoy some nice D.C. spring weather. Just mind the road closures for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. more ›

On the surface, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's proposal to institute a tax on single-use shopping bags sounds a whole lot like the one that we've grown so accustomed to inside the ol' D. of C. It's the same amount per bag (five cents), there will be exemptions (like pharmacies, farmers markets and takeout joints) and revenues from the tax will go toward waterway cleanup and preservation. Of course, the one thing that Leggett's proposal has that the District's didn't is a competing bill, one that could find Montgomery County out of step with the remainder of the state. more ›

911 is a joke, indeed: according to a WTOP report, Verizon never informed Montgomery, Fairfax and Prince George's Counties officials about technical issues which led to busy signals on its emergency hotlines at various points over the past few weeks. Verizon Vice President James McLaughlin told the Maryland Public Service Commission that the telecommunications company took an internal approach to fix the technical issues, thinking that they could fix it before anyone really noticed. Of course, since most counties usually have alternate hotlines that they can inform residents to use when 911 is out of service, that explanation doesn't really hold a whole lot of water. The Federal Communications Commission is now reportedly looking into the issue. Hey, at least these jurisdictions had people on the other end to answer once callers could get through, unlike some cities we know. more ›

Last night, two people died in separate incidents in D.C. and Montgomery County, MD last night. In downtown Silver Spring around 5:15 p.m., an armed man was shot and killed by a police officer when brandishing an icepick. Police report that an officer saw a dispute between two men when patrolling in his vehicle. One of the men yelled that the other man was armed with a knife, and when the officer ordered the man to drop the weapon the man refused, and the officer shot the man. more ›

The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics yesterday concerning the population makeup of Maryland. One of the interesting takeaways: Montgomery County is now a "minority-majority" jurisdiction, as non-hispanic whites now account for 49 percent of the county's population. more ›

The Maryland Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee will hold a public hearing today on the "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act" -- one of the most important milestones to date for legislation which could find Maryland joining five other states and the District of Columbia in granting licenses for same-sex marriages. more ›

It appears as if even criminals weren't immune from the pain caused by the massive power outages which have hit the D.C. area in the last week. more ›

Pepco reports this afternoon that most D.C. customers who lost power during yesterday's storm should have their power back on by tomorrow, January 28, at 11 p.m. -- the utility is asking those who still aren't back online after that point to contact them at 1-877-737-2662. And while another day and a half without power sounds bad enough, it's nothing compared to what those without electricity in Montgomery County might be going through this weekend -- the Examiner cites county officials who state that the 130,000 people without power in MoCo might have to deal until Sunday. Ouch. more ›

Here's a story that will be sure to ruffle a few feathers: Montgomery County Police Officer Jason Cokinos was in uniform and driving a police cruiser 26 miles per hour over the speed limit in July 2008, en route to an off-duty job, when he struck a child. Cokinos' punishment? A $185 ticket -- and a position back on patrol duty. The now 14-year-old boy, Luis Jovel, Jr., is a quadriplegic, suffering from permanent brain damage which requires him to receive 24-hour medical care. The Examiner attempted to look into whether Cokinos was disciplined internally by the department, but was shot down due to state confidentiality laws -- despite the fact that, according to a police investigation, Jovel would not have been struck had Cokinos been driving the speed limit. In a civil suit, the Jovel family was awarded $400,000 in damages -- though I imagine that Luis' medical bills will run through that sum pretty quickly. more ›

Maryland's liquor laws are fairly draconian -- so much so, that in this 2009 post about a potential reform which would allow people to ship wine into the Old Line State, I dubbed the state's booze rules as "featuring a rigidity rivaled only by...the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." But it looks like one of the state's largest and most influential counties might be loosening up a bit. The Examiner reports that residents of Montgomery County will now be able to shop at county-operated liquor stores on Sundays, thanks to an executive order signed by County Executive Ike Leggett. more ›

WTOP reports that one of the four individuals charged with killing popular Shaw Middle School principal Brian Betts will enter a guilty plea today. Betts, who was 42, was found dead in his Silver Spring home in mid-April. In total, five people have been arrested in connection with the crime. more ›

The District is facing a tight budget crunch, and most, if not all, of its homeless shelters are filled to the brim with people looking for a place to sleep every night. Combine those two situations with high unemployment rates, and its obvious that the District is taking in more homeless individuals than it can bear, given the current allotment of funds. more ›