When Wal-Mart was looking for property to develop in Ward 6 for one of its four proposed D.C. stores, it didn’t have to go very far. Politically connected lawyer and lobbyist David W. Wilmot, the company’s man in Washington, had a financial interest in city-owned property on New Jersey Avenue Northwest that he and his business partners had allowed to lay fallow for 21 years — renting it to the federal government as a parking lot for 18 of them, reports Jeffrey Anderson of The Washington Times.
The murder trial for a woman charged with killing a co-worker in an upscale yoga clothing shop in Bethesda begins today in Montgomery County. The proceedings will start with jury selection for Brittany Norwood, who is accused of fatally bludgeoning Jayna Murray in March inside a Lululemon Athletica shop. Prosecutors say the two women argued after closing hours after Ms. Murray found suspected stolen merchandise inside Ms. Norwood’s bag. They say Ms. Norwood tried to conceal the killing by telling police the next morning that the women had been attacked inside the shop by two masked men, according to the Associated Press.
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If political parties cannot win over voters, perhaps just trying to confuse them might work. Virginia Delegate Timothy D. Hugo is the latest Republican to enter the fray over Fairfax County Sheriff Stan D. Barry’s participation in a special retirement system that county officials say never was intended to be used for elected officials, reports David Sherfinski of The Times.
The former superintendent of the Laurel facility that houses wards of the D.C. juvenile justice agency has settled a lawsuit in which he claimed he was passed over in his bid to become the permanent boss and terminated for criticizing the selection process. Court records show Namon Reid III’s case against the District of Columbia was settled and dismissed on Sept. 21, though the dollar amount and the terms are unclear. The D.C. Office of the Attorney General has yet to provide that information in response to a request from The Times.
In the first eight months of this year, Metrobuses have been involved in 1,649 crashes. That’s an average of 6.8 crashes a day, up from the 6.3 per day average of the previous three years. Bus operators could have prevented 41 percent of the accidents, or about 2.8 per day, up from a 36 percent average in the past three years, Metro officials tell the Washington Examiner.
Two people were slain over the weekend in the District of Columbia. A man driving a cab from Prince George’s County was found at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday near Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Northeast, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The victim has been identified as 40-year-old Domingo Ezirike. Police have charged Rashad Slye, 20, with first-degree murder in connection with the case. In the second incident, an man was found shot in the 2200 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest, near the Howard University campus. The victim has been identified as Keenan Lee, 20, of Capitol Heights, police said, according to the Associated Press.
At least five robberies were reported in Northwest Washington over the weekend, including one involving three people with guns. Metropolitan Police say the guns apparently were used in a robbery in the 1900 block of M Street at about 1 p.m. Sunday. About 2:30 p.m., a robber fled on a bicycle after a robbery in the 1300 block of 14th Street. Police say a robber was last seen on a bicycle about 10 minutes later after a nearby robbery in the 700 block of Fairmont Street. It’s unclear if the same person was involved in the robberies. Two other robberies were reported at 11th and U streets and in the 1200 block of Crittenden Street on Sunday about 1 p.m. No injuries were reported, according to the Associated Press
The 7-Eleven corporation will hire 38 D.C. resident “on the spot” Monday morning as part of D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s One Hire program, which encourages area businesses to hire unemployed city residents. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the D.C. Department of Employment Services, 4058 Minnesota Ave. NE. The stores are on Benning Road and Bladensburg Road Northeast. The agency will offer job training and other related services as part of the program, according to The Times.
Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler says that some energy companies are using high-pressure tactics to gain property owners’ mineral rights to extract natural gas, despite the state’s moratorium on franking, WTOP reports.
