FALLS CHURCH, Va. (WUSA) - For women with money, they can always go outside the state to seek a legal, safe abortion. But for poor women, they won't be able to do that. And the people who provide these services are fearful of the consequences.

"Either you're in favor of safe,...more legal abortions, or, as in the case of these regulations and laws coming from the General Assembly, promote illegal abortions," says Rosemary Codding, a health educator who founded the Falls Church Healthcare Center ten years ago. She believes poor women in Virginia may not have access to safe abortions, or even contraception, if certain bills become law.

Del Bob Marshall's "Personhood" bill defines life as beginning as conception. It provides rights and privileges to unborn children at every stage of development. The IUD is most popular and cheapest form of contraception in the world, but Codding says a "Personhood" law would make it illegal, along with all

 
The following information was sent to us by Firefighter/EMT Laura Rinehart:
 
Gas leak initially reported from a six inch main, now confirmed the leak originated from a two inch gas line.
At approximately 7:45am, Wednesday February 22, 2012 Fire and Rescue units from...more Leesburg, Lansdowne and Ashburn were dispatched for an inside gas leak at 510 Principal Drummond Way in Leesburg.  Units arrived on scene to find a leak coming from a damaged two inch gas main.  Washington Gas was immediately notified and Bellwood Commons Shopping Center was evacuated as a precaution.
           Washington Gas is currently on the scene and in the process of securing the leak.  Fire and Rescue crews remain on standby and Loudoun County’s Hazardous Materials Team has set up remote monitoring devices throughout the area.

Last night the National Building Museum at 401 F Street NW played host to the 14th Annual St. Jude Gourmet Gala.
The Gala, which acts as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a pediatric cancer center, featured food from some of D.C.'s best restaurants like Jaleo, J & G...more Steakhouse, Marcel's and more.
Take a look at the photos above from the event and see some of the absurdly delicious food that was served.

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (WUSA) -- A deer crashed through a windshield and killed 26-year old Rodolfo Diamantio Ruiz Villatoro, 26 of Arlington Saturday night.   He was sitting in the passenger seat.   The impact of the huge animal also injured the driver and a man in the backseat, according to the...more driver, 40-year-old Juan Salgado who shared his home with Villatoro. 

"It was so painful.  I kept holding my nose and I couldn't stop the bleeding," Salgado sobbed as he recounted the horrifying incident.   "It was like an explosion."

He never saw the deer coming and didn't realize what had happened until he mopped the blood from his own face and saw Rodolfo, his best friend and wife's cousin motionless.  Between the two front seats of the Nissan Xterra SUV they were in was the deer, also still.

Villatoro's grief stricken mother said about her son, "He was such a good boy.  I'm filled with pain at his loss."

The Salgado and Villatoro family have set up

Looking to kick back a few Hurricanes for Fat Tuesday? Check out our top picks for DC area restaurants, bars and clubs participating in Mardi Gras activities!

Thanks to our caring community, we found the foster homes needed and then some for the dogs who were temporarily displaced during a renovation project at our New York Avenue adoption center. We can’t thank our friends and supporters enough for stepping in to help animals in need. In an effort...more to provide a better environment for all of the animals in our care, major improvement projects continue at our New York Avenue facility, and this time, it is our cats who are looking to their community for help.

The current construction project will displace numerous cats from their temporary homes in our adoption center – once again, as the only open access shelter in Washington, DC, this impacts us tremendously. WHS takes in an average of 30 animals every day and we never turn away an animal who needs our help. We hope we can count on you to help by providing short-term emergency foster care, or by spreading the word your families, friends and communities.
 
Foster

Target Corp. will host free in-store reading events at all Target stores nationwide this Saturday, February 25 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., in celebration of the National
Education Association’s (NEA’s) Read Across America program. Each event will include a reading nook inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “The...more Lorax,” a reusable Target
bag filled with activities for children, readings by Target team members, and more.
 
Since 2003, Target has supported the NEA’s Read Across America program, which calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on or around
March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss. As a result of its support of programs like this, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education
by the end of 2015.
 
Click here to find the Target store in your community.

 
Jenny Freestone’s ‘New Prints’ on display at NOVA-Loudoun
Artist gallery talk set for March 14
 “New Prints,” an exhibition of etchings, photogravures and lithographs by Jenny Freestone, is on display in Waddell Gallery at the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College...more until March 23. The community is invited to meet Freestone during a free artist gallery talk on Wednesday, March 14 at 11:30 a.m.

Freestone works in the media of etching, drypoint, lithography, direct gravure and photogravure. Her work begins with drawn studies or photographs which form the basis for the resulting print. Natural forms are her source material, often used in conjunction with architectural form to reinforce the connection between the human endeavour and the natural world. Her images stand as metaphors for the human condition, its attainments and failures, and its impact on the environment.
Freestone has exhibited widely nationally and internationally. Her work

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) -- Fifty years ago today, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth aboard Friendship 7. The astronaut circled the globe the three times, while his family watched from their home on North Harris Street in Arlington. Glenn's wife, Annie, famously refused to...more allow then Vice-President Lyndon Johnson and the television media inside for the five-hour long flight.

Half a century later, that home is still standing. The Glenn's no longer live there, but it was bought by George and Amalia Manuel in 2000.

"We actually didn't know about the home's history when we came to see this property," said Amalia. "The Realtor told us about it."

"I thought it was kind of different, but I didn't really give it much thought," said George.

But over the twelve years that the Manuel's have lived in the Glenn's old home, they've learned to appreciate their piece of space history.

"There's always people coming by to see

 
Take a look at these photos, courtesy of the Washington Humane Society, of dogs currently available for adoption at the WHS Georgia Avenue location.
To find out more information about the Georgia Avenue shelter or more information about any of the dogs you see above, visit the Washington Humane Society's website.

 
The following information was sent to us by Mike Bailey:
The Family & Youth Casting Call (FYCC) is a fun family and youth fishing event at Fletcher's Cove on the C&O Canal in Washington DC. The 2012 event is scheduled for Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21.
What better way...more to get kids “hooked” on nature than by teaching them how to fish?  This April, local and national fishing and conservation organizations will once again host the Family & Youth Casting Call to help “set the hook” for children to learn about nature and fishing in the Washington, DC area. A wiggling fish on the end of a taut line can be one of the most tangible connections between having fun outside and learning about conserving our natural resources.
During this action-packed event, partners will provide all the tools and training necessary for youth to catch fish in the C&O Canal. Volunteer instructors will teach safety and basic fishing techniques and our sponsors will supply the bait

February is known as Heart Month in American, and for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America. Each day, across the country, roughly 2,200 people that die from the disease. It’s also the...more leading cause of disability across the country, preventing people from working and living their lives as they would like to. With this in mind, it’s a good time to pay attention even to the little things that can either help or hurt the heart.
“Snacks may seem like trivial things, overall,” explains Jolly Backer, the chief executive officer of Fresh Healthy Vending (www.freshvending.com). “But if you think about it in terms of a year, you will end up eating around 400 to 750 snacks per year, if you have one or two per day. That really adds up and can make a big difference in your heart health.”
Snacks, for most people, are a reality of life. Not many people will go day in and day out

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- The time has finally come to see which Northern Virginia team will represent the area in the Virginia state playoffs. Upsets can and will happen in the district tournaments, preventing talented teams from advancing to the region tournament -- it happens each and every...more year.

Because the region has been super competitive, without a certain team leading the pack, I've grouped the schools together in three different categories. 

Congrats to McLean, Edison, TC Williams and Robinson for winning their respective district tournaments. 

Heavyweights

Langley, McLean, Westfield and Woodson

Viable Contenders

Edison, South Lakes, TC Williams, West Potomac and Robinson

Sleeper Teams

Herndon, Yorktown and West Springfield

Here are the schedules. Some of these results are from Monday, February 13. 

National District Boys

Opening round

(8) Falls Church at (1) Edison

Social networking has been and still is a big part of our lives. For some of us, it's our whole lives.
But, it can ruin your life before the blink of an eye and put you to shame. I’ve always said that Facebook should come with a sign that says: “handle with care.” Every time I tell someone...more that, I get the same reaction: the silent smile, the nod and shaking of the head at the same time. How tragic.
Facebook was invented in 2004 and has 845 million active users with different opinions, different personalities from different locations. That’s what makes it so fun, so mysterious and makes it so easy to find friends that you didn’t even know you had.
Who needs them? Nobody knows, but what we do know is that 5000 friends on Facebook makes you cool. How tragic.
As a 24-year-old Swede with roots from Iran and family all over the world, I am really thankful that Facebook was invented. It has helped me a lot in my work and with family connections. But some people are just