Around Town

Private liquor store plan on ice
There was a time when Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was adamant he would bring back his proposal to privatize the state’s liquor stores. But now, not so much, reports the Washington Post.

Times-Dispatch comments on new tone in Va. Senate
Nobody expects state Democrats to be happy they got trounced in the November elections. But their vituperation at the opening of the General Assembly session reveals an ugly side of a party that likes to consider itself kinder and gentler than the opposition, the Richmond Times-Dispatch opines.

Vet treats fatal bald eagle
An adult bald eagle found in Prince William County on Jan. 10, near Route 234 (between Manassas and Dumfries), was taken to Village Veterinary Clinic in Burke, reported the Augusta Free Press.  

Slavery museum denies missing funds
The lawyer for the bankrupt U.S. National Slavery Museum and former Gov. Doug Wilder says Fredericksburg’s attorney’s accusation that $1.6 million in donations went missing is “careless” and wrong, reports Fredericksburg.com.

Butt slasher caught in Peru
The man suspected of slashing women’s buttocks in Fairfax County shopping malls last year has been arrested in Peru, Fairfax County officials confirmed Saturday, reports the Washington Examiner.

Northern Virginia loses clout in senate
Northern Virginia has held considerable sway in the state Capitol for the past four years as Democrats from the region dominated the Senate, reports the Washington Post. 

Falsely accused rape suspect heads to Supreme Court 
Attorneys for a Virginia man falsely accused of rape in 2007 argued before the state Supreme Court on Friday that a lower court erred when it refused to hear his claim that he had received ineffective counsel, reports The Root D.C.  

Getting around for the elderly in our area
The mishap in which the 82-year-old Fredericksburg man went missing after driving off yesterday only to turn up early this morning in Maryland highlights an often quietly difficult situation many seniors and their families face: to drive or not to drive, reports Fredericksburg.com.