VIRGINIA BRIEFING

Thursday, August 21, 2008

STATE UTILITIES COMMISSION

Ex-Dominion Lawyer to Avoid Power Line Debate

A former lawyer for Dominion Virginia Power who was appointed to a commission that oversees utilities has said he will not participate in deliberations over a 65-mile power line proposed by the company.

James C. Dimitri, appointed to the three-judge State Corporation Commission last week, had represented Dominion earlier this year at commission hearings over the power line, which is to stretch between Frederick County, Va., and Loudoun County. Opponents of the line had said his appointment was a conflict of interest.

Dimitri told the commission Tuesday that he would recuse himself from the case, a commission spokesman said. The other two commission judges have asked a retired judge to join them in reviewing the case and rendering a final decision, the spokesman said.

-- Sandhya Somashekhar

EMERGENCY VEHICLES

Motorists Targeted in Safety Law Crackdown

Virginia State Police are looking for motorists who pass stopped emergency vehicles.

The crackdown follows a series of accidents in which passing vehicles hit and injured troopers.

Police spokeswoman Michelle Cotten said a trooper has been hit by a passing vehicle every month since April. Two troopers were injured in separate accidents July 26 while working on a traffic safety initiative.

Cotten said Virginia law requires motorists to move into another lane or slow down when they see a stopped emergency vehicle. Violators face a $2,500 fine or up to 12 months in jail.

In addition to enforcement efforts, state police officials are talking with military personnel in Hampton Roads who might not be aware of the law.

-- Associated Press

511 TRAFFIC INFORMATION

Data Available Via E-Mail, Text, BlackBerry

Virginia transportation officials unveiled a new generation of the state's 511 traffic information system.

The free, upgraded program includes an in-depth Web site, http://www.511virginia.org, and allows motorists to receive personalized traffic and travel information through e-mail, text pager and BlackBerry or other personal electronic devices. The old way, calling 511, will also work.

Virginia Department of Transportation officials said the improvements were made after reviewing suggestions by commuters.

-- Eric M. Weiss

FAIRFAX CITY

Man Charged in Fatal Stabbing; Victim Is Identified

A man who was fatally stabbed Saturday in Fairfax City was identified yesterday as Adulio Bonilla-Morales, 36. A Fairfax City man was charged with murder in the case.

Fairfax City police were called to a house in the 10500 block of Cedar Avenue, west of Chain Bridge Road, about 11:45 p.m. Saturday. Bonilla-Morales was found dead inside the house, and witnesses said he had been in a fight with a resident, who had fled. Police did not know the local address of Bonilla-Morales, a native of Honduras.

Juan de Dios Morales, 37, was found about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the 10600 block of Fairfax Boulevard, near the crime scene, and was arrested. Morales is being held in the Fairfax County jail without bond.

-- Tom Jackman