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Cicadas do not bite and are not poisonous and are actually a part of the regular diet for people in many countries, but they could make your Fido sick.

Dr. Sheri Bakerian with Fredericksburg Animal Hospital says if a pet eats one or two, it's probably okay. It's when they overindulge that there could be a problem. If they do start to throw up, call your vet immediately. You will likely be told to comfort them and withhold all food for up to 12 hours. Once they do feel better, you'll probably be told to restart them on a bland diet.

Photo courtesy of wamu.org

WASHINGTON (AP) - District of Columbia officials are reopening two southbound lanes of 14th Street in downtown Washington while repairs continue to a sinkhole that has formed at a busy intersection.

Transportation officials say two southbound lanes will reopen in time for Thursday evening's rush hour.

Officials say the northbound lanes of 14th Street will likely remain closed through Friday as repairs continue.

Part of the road collapsed at the intersection a few blocks from the White House on Tuesday afternoon leaving a 15-foot hole and damaging a sewer line. Officials say the sewer line built in 1897 is below multiple utilities and old trolley tracks.

Traffic has been diverted for blocks around the intersection.

Photo courtesy of fredericksburg.com

If you hear a screeching or buzzing noise while driving around the area, especially near Fredericksburg's University of Mary Washington, it's probably not a car problem.

Thousands of cicadas have made there emergence around many counties. We are getting reports of lots in southern and western Spotsylvania, near Stafford Airport and in downtown Fredericksburg. Entomologists says there is a clear reason why some of us are hearing and seeing than others. The ground needs to reach a consistent 64 degrees for them to burrow out from their 17 year slumber.

The bugs are harmless, but will continue to bring the loud noise for the next few weeks while they mate. After that, the young burrow back into the ground until 2030 and their parents die, leaving behind piles of dark colored shells.

Ever wanted to apply for a government job?

Germanna Community College can help you navigate the process through its upcoming class "Applying for a Federal Government Position." You will learn about the proper submission of forms and resume format you need to follow that are critical to getting noticed by the different agencies.

The three-hour class is Saturday, June 8th. To learn more got to www.germanna.edu/workforce.

Department of Defense Schools at Dahlgren and Quantico are among those expected to be impacted this fall as part sequestration.
Senator Mark Warner is asking Defense Scretary Chuck Hagel to reconsider the decision to close the schools andfurlough teachers for up to five days this fall. Warner says, "Furloughing classroom teachers and shuttering entire schools at the very beginning of the new school year is not a reasonable plan."

Following the tornado devastation near Oklahoma City, local residents are warned to stay on guard.

Bob Spieldenner with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management says have emergency supplies ready, but talk to your family, employers and kids' schools about storm plans.

The VDEM offers tornado, hurricane and readyvirginia Apps that are free for download to your smartphone.

Hurricane season also starts in Virginia next Saturday.

You will get a break from most roadwork to speed your drive this holiday weekend, but then get ready for major work on I-95.
VDOT says drivers should be ready for lane closures and traffic impacts along a 29-mile stretch of the interstate, from south of the D.C. line to Stafford County for a few months. You could see some daytime lane closures during non-peak travel times, some extended HOV closures and other random lane's closed with detours.

49-year-old Laurie Millard also faces six counts of contributing to then delinquency of a minor after the incident at Locust Grove Middle School last Thursday.

No serious injuries were suffered by any of the students.

Millard is free on bond.


Laurie Millard
Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Rates at Virginia's community colleges are going up.

The State Board for Community Colleges voted Thursday to increase in-state tuition and mandatory fees rate by 4.4 percent.

The increase translates to $5.50 more per credit hour next school year, which will cost a typical full-time student an additional $165 annually.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/12A0TQH) that the tuition rate for out-of-state students also was increased.

Out-of-state students make up about 5 percent of the total enrollment of Virginia community colleges.

The board said the increase will allow the Virginia Community College System to expand programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and health science. It also will be used to increase the percentage of courses taught by full-time faculty from 45 to 47.5 percent.

Two tractor trailers tangled early this morning in Stafford County and shutting down the Southbound lanes of I-95 for most of Friday morning.

The accident happened before 6 a.m. where the ramp from Southbound U.S. 17 merges onto I-95 Southbound.

The first tractor-trailer was hauling barrels of an organic, corrosive, liquid material – phosphoric acid. The impact of the crash caused several barrels to fall off the tractor-trailer and land in the right southbound lane. The driver of this tractor-trailer is Phillip C. Harris, 40, of Hopewell, Va.

Photos: Mark L. Doyle, Stafford County Fore and Rescue Department

When you hear McDonalds, you probably think snack wraps and happy meals, but they are thinking about higher education.
For the past decade, they have been awarding McDonald's Educates Scholarships. Out of 600 applicants, this year 60 students from Virginia, DC and two other states are chosen.
The awards are $1500 or $5,000. Locally, Benjamin Aggrey of North Stafford High wins five grand. Others area winners are from Spotsylvania, Loudoun and Fauquier counties.

The Healthy Lifestyle Expo that is part of the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon kicks off at 4:00 p.m. Friday at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center.

Though it is where runners will pick up their race packets, the event is free and also open to the general public. It runs until 8:00 Friday night and again from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

Attendees will find dozens of vendors related to the field of running and others that promote a general healthy lifestyle. There is also food and games and something for the whole family.

Most people know that texting and driving is dangerous, but many people, especially teens, still do it.
The Free Lance-Star's Mike Zitz says cell carriers are coming together to address the dangerous behavior. A massive new advertising campaign will start on Monday, targeted mainly at younger drivers.

Only one percent of people polled think that it will curb the bahavior. Fifty percent think there should be a technical solution like jamming the ability when a car reaches a certain speed. Read more the campaign in Zitzs' column in the business section of Saturday's paper.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) - The invasive northern snakehead fish has moved into the Rappahannock River.

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist John Odenkirk tells the Free Lance-Star that an angler caught a snakehead last July in Ruffins Pond, which feeds into a tributary of the Rappahannock. Since then, snakeheads have been caught at several sites downriver in the lower Rappahannock.

Odenkirk says the fish likely can now be found anywhere in the river.

He says wildlife officials hope to contain the snakeheads and keep them out of other Chesapeake Bay tributaries.

The snakehead is native to Asia and is a top-level predator that can crowd out native fish.

LOUISA, Va. (AP) - Wednesday has gotten off to a shaky start for some residents in Louisa County.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude-2.3 earthquake struck in the county at 7:01 a.m. Wednesday. The epicenter was 6 miles south-southwest of Louisa.

In 2011, the county was struck by a magnitude-5.8 earthquake.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Call Melvyn Wilson the king of the scratch-off ticket.

The Woodbridge man recently won his fourth lottery prize of at least five figures, putting his total scratch-off winnings at more than $2 million.

The Virginia Lottery said in a release Wilson won $500,000 in November 2004, $25,000 in March 2005; and $1 million in September 2005. Then he retired from his job as a postal worker.

Now 72, Wilson hit another $500,000 scratch-off prize on the Millionaire Mania game.

The lottery didn't say how many tickets Wilson usually buys or how often. Nobody answered the phone at his home.

At an event to claim his fourth oversized winning check on Tuesday, lottery officials asked what he did with all his winnings. His reply: "I invest in Melvyn."

Virginia Railway Express and MARC are warning passengers that travel will be slowed by heat-related speed restrictions through Wednesdayevening.
Riders on VRE's Fredericksburg are being affected. The temperatures aren't expected to be sweltering, but the dramatic warm-up led CSX to impose restrictions.

Following the bombing tragedy at the Boston Marathon, expect extra security at Fredericksburg's Marine Corps Historic Half this weekend. Fredericksburg Police Spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe says State Police will have officers in cars, on motorcycles and in their command vehicle. They will also bring in bomb dogs and their handlers to do random sweeps of free shuttle buses and other areas along the race route.

Unlike in past years, security and barricades will prevent people that are not running from getting near the start of finish line. Police still want residents and visitors to help them. Call them with any tips on suspicious activity.

This time of year more dogs are around and not always with their owner. If you see a dog running loose, look for warning signs of aggressive behavior. If you are ever cornered, first and foremost, do not panic.

Never run because that could trigger the dog to chase you. Stay put and try to talk to the pooch in a calming voice. You may look at it, but never stare. Face the dog or turn to the side to let it know you are not a threat, but never turn your back on one.

Dr. Pamela Reid with the ASPCA says before you try to pet any dog that is with an owner, ask if it is safe first.

Fredericksburg's University of Mary Washington gets high marks on in two on-line surveys. AffordableCollegesOnline.org ranks UMW number 44 in its' top 50 "Most Affordable Colleges with a High Return on Investment." EducatedQuest9.com names UMW number 17 on its' list of "Best Buy Public Colleges and Universities."
In recent years, UMW has also been featured in guidebooks by Forbes and the Princeton Review.

DOSWELL, Va. (AP) - A group critical of the Virginia burial of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect wants the body disinterred and sent elsewhere.

The Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force is an activist organization that also opposed establishment of an Islamic school in northern Virginia.

Task force chairman James Lafferty said at a news conference Monday that last week's burial of Tamerlan Tsarnaev (TAM'-ehr-lun tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) in a private Muslim cemetery in Caroline County was "an awful sneak attack on the people of Virginia."

Lafferty says federal officials should investigate whether any laws were broken. Local and state officials already are doing so.

Lafferty predicted the site will become a shrine for Islamic jihadists. The group that helped facilitate the burial says it will not allow construction of any sort of monument or shrine.

DOSWELL, Va. (AP) - Officials say they will examine whether all laws were followed in carrying out the hushed burial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in Virginia.

If not, leaders in rural Caroline County say they could seek to have his body moved elsewhere.

Sheriff Tony Lippa and Floyd Thomas, chairman of the Caroline Board of Supervisors, spoke Friday at a news conference. They say no state or local officials were notified that Tsarnaev would be buried in a private Muslim cemetery about 25 miles north of Richmond.

Permission is not required from officials as long as laws are followed. While they say they don't want Caroline County remembered as the resting place for someone tied to such a horrific act, there's likely nothing they can do.

They say they are concerned about vandalism or the site becoming a shrine to anti-American sympathizers.

A Stafford County doctor is charged with involuntary manslaughter and faces 94 other charges. 54-year-old Dr. Nibedita Mohanty was indicted on Monday by a Grand Jury and arrested this morning on Courthouse Road in Stafford.

Stafford Sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy says Dr. Mohanty says the indictments and arrest are the results of an ongoing onvestigation focusing on the illegal distribution of narcotics across the region. There is one count of involuntary manslaughter.

In addition to the 72 distribution charges, Mohanty faces 22 counts of Felony Obtaining Money by False Pretenses.
She is incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

It might seem cheaper and more convenient to get medication on-line, but it can be dangerous.

Scott Williams with Men's Health Network says a recent study shows only 3 percent of 10,000 on-line pharmacies they reviewed are legit. The bogus medication might contain anything from rat poisoning to sheet rock. Eight in every ten pills checked in several prescriptions they ordered were either placebos, contained dangerous chemicals or were the wrong doseage.

If you use an on-line pharmacy, make sure they ask for a doctor's prescription. They should also be members of the National Association of Board of Pharmacy member.

Virginia Senator Mark Warner is among those proposing the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act on Capitol Hill.

He says the state has top notch community colleges and universities, but good information is not always available. The change would require information be public on how one degree choice compares to another in the workforce, how landing employment with a bachelor's degree versus a masters differs and each school's graduation rates. Though the data is collected now, it is often not compiled to be compared against other schools or performance of other states. If the legislation passes, it would direct the Secretary of Education to require schools put it in an easy to understand and use format and make it accessible on-line.

Residents of Caroline County get a chance to see what future local firefighters and medic will do, up close and personal.
Caroline High School Students that have finished the firefighter 1 and 2 and the EMT Basic course will strut their stuff Saturday at their Spring Health Fair.
Both of the courses offer juniors and seniors certificates and a number of career choices after graduation. It runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Germanna Community College awards associate degrees to 464 students at a packed Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center this week. A separate ceremony was held earlier in the day for graduates of the school's nursing program.
Friday evening Fredericksburg's University of Mary Washington awards degrees to graduate students. Undergrads accept theirs on the campus' Ball Circle Saturday morning.

Dozens of local roads are still partially or fully closed because of standing water and drivers should be careful.

Kim Hylander with the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue says not following warnings is just dangerous. It takes as little as six inches of water to float a car. When drivers ignore signs and that happens, they engine can fail, they can become trapped and need to be rescued. In addition to being costly to repair flood damaged cars, your life can't just be replaced.

If you approach a closed road, always find an alternate route.

The Farmer's Market season is underway throughout the region. Gayle Price with the Fredericksburg Farmer's Market says locally grow produce and fruit is more nutritious and tastes better. It's also not nearly as friendly to the environment to use fuel to ship produce from the west coast to Virginia and it's less fresh when it arrives.

Many of the markets in this area are in line with prices at grocery stores and , depending on the product, are often cheaper. Vendors sell everything from farm raised meat and honey to fresh vegetables and locally grown plants.

The main market day at Hurkamp Park in Fredericksburg is on Saturdays, but some vendors are there from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. on weekdays too.

CULPEPER, Va. (AP) - A June 25 trial date has been set for two former Culpeper County school employees charged with assaulting a 5-year-old autistic boy on a school bus.

The date was set Wednesday during a brief hearing for 56-year-old Betty Turner and 50-year-old Linda Rastall in Culpeper Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Turner was a bus aide and Rastall was a teacher's aide. They were charged last month with assault and battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Authorities say the child was crying because a toy had been taken away from him as he rode the bus home from school on Feb. 20. Rastall and Turner are accused of physically and verbally assaulting the boy in an attempt to control him.

Construction on the the first drive-through fast food restaurant in Ladysmith is set to get underway by the end of the month. Final approval has been given for the entrance to the long-waited McDonald's adjacent to the southbound off ramp of I-95, moving the project forward. VDOT and Federal Highway officials have studied the traffic patterns affected by the proposed store, and approved the entrance configuration.

A grand opening date has not been set.

More than 60 percent of people surveyed in a new Triple A public opinion poll think the federal government should pony up more money to help with Virginia's transportation needs.

As people keep cars longer, many also say they worry about their car's reliability and the financial impact of upkeep and gas prices. Spokeswoman Martha Meade says that cost went up by more than $9,000 last year. Even though newer cars are more fuel efficient and require less maintenance, they still have a pricetag.

Many people are also tired of getting bent axles from potholes and sitting in hours of traffic to get to work. Some say they would be okay with a national gas tax and a new national sales tax dedicated to transportation. Even more say they would get behind the idea of paying new tolls, as long as that money collected is used to maintain and improve that particular roadway.

The National Slavery Museum is now arguing that the city of Fredericksburg committed fraud.
It says officials knowingly placing an inflated assessed value on the 38 acres where the museum was to be built. The court filing is in response to city efforts to sell the land and recoup unpaid real estate taxes.
The museum says the bill was almost $382,000 in 2003 and after massive improvements by the Silver Companies is now more than $7million.

Metro is accepting on-line orders for the 2013 commemorative Fourth of July SmarTrip cards.
They feature a patriotic fireworks display on a reuaseable plastic card. It is preloaded with a one day pass that provides unlimited rail travel on the first day it is used. Officials believe it will cut down on wait times on the busy holiday.
It costs $14, that's five bucks cheaper than getting a smarTrip card and one day pass separately.

A misunderstanding over the cab fare and alcohol leave a local taxi driver in the hospital and an area man behind bars.

Police say that after the cabbie picked up two men on U.S. Route 17 Saturday, he took them to the Credtview Apartment Complex. After they paid the fare, they were given the wrong change. While trying to work out the issue, on man pulled a knife and the other repeatedly punched the driver.

He was treated for a broken nose and other injuries and Christian Torres is jailed on attempted robbery, malicious wounding and public intoxication charges. The second man in not yet identified and on the run.

After 17 years, they're back! Cicadas are popping up between the Carolinas and Connecticut and there's nothing you can do about them

If you are taking part in the marine Corps Historic Half in a few weeks, watch your e-mail inbox for confirmation cards within the next few days. They will speed packet pickup at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo that starts May 17th at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center.

Kickoff for race weekend begins at 3:30 that day. The Historic Half and the accompanying 10K and 5K races are all run on May 19.

Young Naval officers get a tour of the Chancellorsville battlefield.

Captain David Tyler with the Navy Warfare Command says they will also honor the Friends of Fredericksburg at 2 p.m. Friday in front of the Chancellorsville Visitor's Center. The group helped raise money in 1989 to get family members of the then USS Chancellorsville's sailors to its' christening.

At a time when budget cuts are causing many Naval ships to be decommissioned, the Chancellorsville is being upgraded. It has gotten significant enhancements over the past year and is about to go into trials. Its' current Commanding Officer, Captain Andrew Hesser says it is a world class warship and capable of firing the Navy's latest surface to air missles. It is on the forefront of leading the Pacific Fleet over the next decade.

Spotsylvania resident and Petty officer David Gentry is here for the ceremony and feels honored that his hometown is recognized all the way in California, where the USS Chancellorsville is based. He says he is reminded every time he has a five hour watch on the ships' quarterdeck. There hangs a plaque that talks about the Battle of Chancellorsville and its' tie to the ship. It also mentions the Friends of the USS Chancellorsville and the christening more than 20 years ago.

We've all heard the phrase...there's an APP for that, and now there is a new one just in time for this weekend's 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
It's like having a battlefield GPS and walking library with everything from orders of battle and facts to historical photos and troop positions. There is an android and an IOS version to download for free. Visit www.civilwar.org, click on battlefields and then battle apps.

You could be in for a longer drive to Fredericksburg Friday evening.
VDOT will close the HOV lanes on I-395/95 from the D.C. line to Route 234 until 10 a.m. Saturday.
They will then re-open south from Springfield to Dumfries. The HOV north section between DC and Springfield will stay closed until 10 a.m. Sunday.
It will allow crews to continue foundation, drainage and barrier work as part of the 95 Express Lanes Project.

A commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville this weekend brings a moving history exhibit to Spotsylvania.

Cheryl Jackson says the Historymobile is an interactive 18 wheeler tractor trailer that travels the state. The expandable 53-foot trailer uses interactive exhibits to tell war stories from the viewpoints of those who experienced it.

Free tours will be held at the Courthouse Village on Old Battlefield Boulevard from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, and starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

A series of crashes this morning along I-95 in Stafford County and once again involving a motorcycle.

just before 6 a.m. Northbound traffic slowed to a stop near the Quantico Exit. A car failed to stop in time and rear-ended another. A motorcyclist then rear ended the second car.

The impact of the crash sent the motorcycle into another Northbound lane. The motorcyclist was thrown in the opposite direction into a tractor trailer.

To avoid hitting the crashed motorcycle a three-car chain reaction accident happened in the Northbound lanes.

The motorcyclist was seriously injured and flown by helicopter to Inova Fairfax Hospital. He sustained life-threatening injuries.

No one else was injured.

The driver of the second car, 47-year-old Sandra Wilson of Ruther Glen is charged with following too closely.