A South Carolina native, Nikki is a journalist who covers the Southeast for Patch.com. A news junkie with a journalism degree from the University of South Carolina, she strives to provide readers with as much relevant, local content as possible. Have a news tip? Send them to nikki.gaskins@patch.com.
Here are more than a dozen stories from the past week that highlight the positive things taking place in and around Virginia communities.
U.S. homicide rates have risen by an average of 18% in 50 of the most populated U.S. cities between Q2 2020 and Q2 2022, WalletHub reports.
Some Northern Virginia restaurants and delivery services earned high marks for cleanliness and others were cited for food violations.
Democrats continue a push to ban certain semi-automatic weapons frequently used in a deadly wave of mass shootings across the U.S.
Drivers using Maryland Avenue in Ellicott City on Monday can expect delays, including a temporary halt in traffic, county officials said.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information, according to the Howard County Police Department.
The program provides financial assistance for tenants that have experienced a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police said Hope Mudd was last seen at 11:20 a.m. Thursday in the 9100 block of 8th Avenue in Lanham.
One person was injured in the carjacking that occurred in a Safeway parking lot, Bowie police said.
Police officers and neighbors will mingle in several Germantown communities on Aug. 2.
Police officers and neighbors will mingle in several Gaithersburg communities on Aug. 2.
A hot and humid day is on tap for northern Maryland with heat indices as high as 101 degrees, the National Weather Service reports.
The Mega Millions jackpot, currently the fourth-largest in U.S. lottery history, could be much larger by Friday night's drawing.
According to the fire department, the explosion happened in the 800 block of S. Caroline Street in Baltimore.
Carrie Seek, owner of Pampered Poodles, was convicted of 17 counts of failure to provide veterinary care and adequate space.
The award from the National Procurement Institute is the ninth received by the Montgomery County Office of Procurement.
According to the Gaithersburg Police Department, five officers were recently promoted.
Police said the suspect removed money from the cash registers at the Germantown 7-Eleven and then ran out of the store.
The deceased passenger is 48-year-old Corey Forrest of Oxon Hill, according to the Prince George's County Police Department.
According to the Bowie Police Department, the incident happened along the 4100 block of Northview Dr in the Safeway parking lot.
