FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) A new computer system being used by Fairfax County police is being blamed for a drop of nearly 30 percent in the number of tickets officers have been writing.

The new system launched in January. Through mid-May, Fairfax officers wrote 17,600 fewer traffic tickets, a drop o...

WASHINGTON (AP) Longtime Washington journalist Helen Thomas abruptly retired Monday as a columnist for Hearst News Service following remarks she made about Israel that were denounced by the White House and her press corps colleagues.

The 89-year-old Thomas, dean of the White House press cor...

From the Maryland Reporter website:

The state is out of stimulus cash for roads, gubernatorial candidates differ on business and O'Malley seeks to use the undergraduate tuition freeze to his advantage in November.

STIMULUS GONE The state is out of federal stimulus money for road proje...

By Elliott Francis

The delay in the shipment of 159 blocks of granite for the new memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will not necessarily postpone construction.

Engineers for the project were hoping to have the blocks shipped from China to D.C. by May. Greece had offered to...

By Cathy Carter

The world's largest festival celebrating the arts and disability is underway in Washington.

The International VSA festival features dance, music, theater, and visual art. Events are happening city wide and feature everything from a deaf dance troupe from China to an in...

WASHINGTON (AP) The Obama administration is criticizing controversial remarks about Israel by veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas.

On Monday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked at his daily briefing about President Barack Obama's view on Thomas' remarks. Gibbs called t...

By Jonathan Wilson

In Virginia, the school year may be coming to a close, but one elementary school principal in Prince William County is looking to get started again. She's just returned from a year-long tour of duty in Iraq.

Students filled the gymnasium at Enterprise Elementary in...

By Michael Pope

The cost of an Old Townhouse where George Washington once celebrated the 4th of July? $3.9 million. The value of that history? According to Realtor Donnan Wintermute, it's priceless.

"If, indeed, George Washington spent his last 4th of July here, that adds distinct his...

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) Virginia Tech plans to build a new research center for the National Institute of Aerospace. The city of Hampton is selling about 5 acres of land for the 60,000-square-foot laboratory center.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginia is expanding a voluntary program that notifies employe...

Eighteen years ago, commentator Sandra Brown-Asante’s life as a Washington professional changed dramatically.

Tell us what you think at conversation.wamu.org Click on “Commentary Forum."

SCRIPT:

The familiar schedule of managing my job, husband and child changed when my then 5-y...