DISTRICT
Shoppers sickened; one hospitalized
D.C. fire officials are investigating whether reports of a possible substance in the air at a downtown store may have caused some customers to become sick.
About noon on Saturday, an estimated 30 customers on the first floor of Filene’s Basement on Connecticut Avenue Northwest reported smelling something in the air, D.C. fire department spokesman Alan Etter said. They then complained of watery eyes and scratchy throats.
The customers were taken to the nearby Renaissance Mayflower Hotel to be evaluated.
At least one person was transported to a hospital, Mr. Etter said.
Officials are investigating.
MARYLAND
SALISBURY
Armored-truck heist prompts lockdowns
The robbery of an armored truck on Friday prompted a lockdown of a school Friday afternoon, school and law enforcement officials say.
Officials at nearby Salisbury University said they also alerted students about the robbery. No injuries were reported, although one of the armored-truck guards was treated for chest pains.
Officers were dispatched to the South Salisbury Boulevard BB&T bank after receiving reports of suspected gunshots just before 2 p.m., Detective Sgt. David Owens of the Wicomico Bureau of Investigations said. One of three men thought to have participated in the robbery was captured, and the stolen money was recovered. The other suspects remained at large.
BALTIMORE
Federal judge orders ’scareware’ shutdown
A judge in Baltimore ordered six absentee defendants to shut down a “scareware” scheme that federal officials say tricked more than a million people into purchasing useless security software.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett also extended a freeze on the defendants’ assets and signed an order Friday requiring them to show why they shouldn’t be held in contempt of court for missing the hearing and ignoring an earlier restraining order.
The judge also promised to issue arrest warrants if the latest orders are ignored.
A Maryland resident, Kristy Ross of Walkersville in Frederick County, is one of the six defendants. Attorneys for the Federal Trade Commission say Ms. Ross is vice president of business development for Belize-based Innovative Marketing Inc.
City to get funds to study light rail
Virginia Beach is expected to get $1.5 million to help study the possibility of a light rail in the resort city.
The Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization is expected to vote next week to allocate the money to partially fund a detailed study on the project.
The study would answer many questions about what a Virginia Beach light-rail system would cost, how many people would use it and where it would run.
Residents rejected a referendum for the project nine years ago, but proponents say it has more support now.
The study comes as Norfolk faces cost overruns on its own light-rail project.
RICHMOND
Va. lawyers ready to help Afghan bar
Virginia lawyers are on standby to help the newly formed Afghan Bar Association.
Virginia State Bar President Manuel Capsalis was asked in October to help recruit Virginia lawyers for the Afghanistan project. The request came from Maj. Michael McGovern, who serves in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps, the legal arm of the Army.
Forty-five lawyers in turn have responded to Mr. Capsalis’ recruitment letter.
The Afghan Bar Association emerged as an independent professional organization in July. The Army and other agencies are helping the Afghan Bar Association set up an office.
Maj. McGovern, who also is a Virginia lawyer, is on a 12-month tour with the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Ky.
From wire dispatches and staff reports
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