Metro
In Brief

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

THE REGION

Weather Postpones Air Defense Drills

An air defense exercise that had been scheduled for late Sunday and early yesterday in the Washington area was postponed because of poor weather. Plans called for it to be held late yesterday and early today if skies were clear enough, military officials said.

The exercise was to use fighters, helicopters and small aircraft, flying at low altitudes along the Potomac River and around the District, to test plans for identifying and intercepting air threats.

The activities were to be conducted by the continental U.S. component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command in coordination with other government agencies. Such exercises have been conducted since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Cheetah With Kidney Failure Is Euthanized

The National Zoo euthanized a 13-year-old female cheetah yesterday that had been in declining health because of chronic kidney failure, officials said.

The cheetah, named Wandu, had been monitored closely for several months because of her age, officials said. The animal was euthanized after a blood sample Sunday confirmed that her condition was deteriorating rapidly, officials said.

Suzan Murray, the zoo's chief veterinarian, released a statement saying that kidney failure "is one of the most common diseases in captive cheetahs." Cheetahs typically live eight to 10 years in the wild, according to the zoo, which has other 13 cheetahs.

MARYLAND

Morning Garage Fire Kills Laurel Man

A 69-year-old Laurel man died yesterday after a fire in a garage, Prince George's County fire officials said.

The fire started shortly after 10 a.m. in the 15700 block of Jera Place at a single-family home, said fire department spokesman Mark Brady. The cause is under investigation. Police did not release the name of the victim.

Two of the man's relatives were home at the time of the fire, but they were not hurt, Brady said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 10 minutes, he said.

Students Urged to Enter 4-Year Programs

Maryland community college students will be eligible for a new $3,000 scholarship intended to encourage them to transfer to full-time, four-year degree programs in the state.

The Maryland Higher Education Consortium will consider students with at least 60 credit hours and a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. The deadline for applying is March 1.

Hearing on Clean Power Rule Postponed

The Maryland Department of the Environment canceled a public meeting of its Air Quality Control Advisory Council scheduled for tomorrow at its headquarters in Baltimore. A new date will be announced this week.

The meeting was to discuss the Clean Power Rule, a measure proposed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) to limit pollutants emitted by coal-burning power plants. Julie Oberg, a department spokeswoman, said the session was postponed to allow further review of comments made by representatives of the power industry and environmental groups at the council's Jan. 11 meeting. She said the council will hold its next meeting within two weeks.

Clean Power is Ehrlich's alternative to the Healthy Air Act, a bill proposing more stringent limits on power plant emissions.

Man Sentenced in Anthrax Hoax

A Baltimore man has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for mailing several letters containing white powder and threatening anthrax poisoning, including two that were sent to district courthouses on opposite ends of Maryland.

Robert Finch, 35, pleaded guilty in October to mailing a threatening communication. He was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. attorney's office said.

According to court documents, Finch mailed letters with white powder to the district courts in Garrett County and Worcester County, as well as to a former police chief of Jamestown, Ky., and to the police department in Kenai, Alaska. In all four cases, tests of the white powder revealed it was not anthrax.

Finch also admitted that he mailed a letter threatening the life of Baltimore County State's Attorney Sandra O'Connor and her family. And he sent a letter to Jamestown Elementary School in Kentucky, which was attended by the daughter of a former law enforcement officer. The letter threatened to blow up a bomb unless $75,000 was paid. All the letters were mailed last March.

VIRGINIA

Fairfax Gives Griffin 4.5 Percent Raise

Fairfax County supervisors approved a 4.5 percent pay raise for County Executive Anthony H. Griffin yesterday, which brings his base salary to $213,960.

The raise was part of an evaluation process, instituted last year, in which Griffin's performance in various categories was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. Supervisors also wrote brief essays with feedback for Griffin.

Fairfax School Superintendent Jack D. Dale remains the county's highest paid official, with an annual salary of $237,000.

Supervisors also raised the salary of County Attorney David P. Bobzien by 5 percent, to $183,680. His total pay, with deferred compensation, is now $201,680.

Gas Costs Put Riders on Pr. William Buses

OmniRide and OmniLink, the commuter and local bus services for Prince William County, made 2.2 million trips last year -- a record total spurred by high gasoline prices and traffic congestion, according to data released yesterday by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission.

OmniRide, which drops off commuters in the District and elsewhere outside the county, registered more than 1.5 million trips, a 15 percent increase in ridership over the previous year, commission officials said.

OmniLink, which carries passengers to stops within the county, made more than 725,000 trips, a 17 percent increase over 2004. Last year was also the beginning of Saturday service for OmniLink, which made 52,770 trips on Saturdays.

This year, OmniRide will add routes to the northern end of Route 1 and Rosslyn.

Quote of the Day

"It's a property rights issue. Does a landowner have a right to the quiet enjoyment of his property?"

-- Del. Robert D. Hull (D-Fairfax), on a bill he introduced that would restrict the use of privately and publicly owned athletic fields across Virginia by giving nearby property owners a say. He said he offered the measure on behalf of a constituent but doesn't support it himself. -- A1

Compiled from reports by staff writers D'Vera Cohn, Susan Kinzie, Allison Klein, Nikita Stewart, Bill Turque and Elizabeth Williamson and the Associated Press.