VIRGINIA
Planning Commissioner Killed in Accident
Richard Hefter, 54, a Prince William County planning commissioner, was killed Thursday when he drove his Toyota Corolla from his residential street onto Route 29 and was struck by another vehicle.
Hefter, of the 5500 block of Pageland Lane in Gainesville, died at the scene, said Sgt. Kim Chinn, a police spokeswoman.
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The other driver, a 63-year-old Manassas man headed south in a Toyota RAV-4, was not injured.
Alcohol and speed were not factors in the incident, and both drivers were wearing seat belts, police said. The accident is under investigation, and no criminal charges are pending, Chinn said.
Hefter served on the Prince William County Planning Commission from 1986 to 1989 and from 1992 to 1995 and was appointed in March to another three-year term. A replacement will be named later this year, said Sean T. Connaughton (R), chairman of the Board of County Supervisors.
Fairfax Workers Help Out in Voter Office
Eight Fairfax County employees, including budget analysts and court officers, took a break from their jobs yesterday to help with a backlog of filing in the registrar's office, county officials said.
Registrar Diane McIntyre has come under criticism from people who say she has been slow to prepare for the presidential election. Nearly 50,000 voters have been added to the rolls since 2000, and tens of thousands of absentee ballots have been requested.
The Human Resources Department sent out a memo last week seeking volunteers to file registrations and absentee ballot applications. More county workers are scheduled to help out next week and will receive their regular salaries, according to a county spokesman.
Prince William Gets Top Bond Rating
A leading bond rating agency upgraded Prince William County yesterday to the highest rating, citing the county's economic growth, tax rate reduction and multiyear economic planning.
Fitch Ratings raised the rating from AA+ to AAA, based on what it called the county's economic strength, prudent fiscal management and increasing immersion in the "growing, deep and diverse Washington D.C. regional economy."
"It's obviously a major milestone," said Sean T. Connaughton (R), chairman of the Board of County Supervisors. "The county has never been AAA, and it joins just a handful of communities across the country."
MARYLAND
Electronic Voting Foes Barred From Polls
A federal judge yesterday blocked electronic voting opponents from stationing people to watch for problems with the state's machines at polling places on Election Day.
