Virginia Sales Tax Holiday Coming Soon | Patch PM

Stories to talk about tonight:

When Is The Virginia Sales Tax Holiday?

It may just be a bit past the middle of July but Virginia's sales tax holiday for school supplies and the like is fast approaching.

This year's no sales tax weekend is Aug. 5-7, beginning the first Friday in August at 12:01 a.m. and ending the following Sunday at 11:59 p.m. >>> Read more.

Obama to Nation's Police: 'We Have Your Backs'

One day after the Republican National Convention opened to calls of "Make America Safe Again," President Barack Obama told the nation's law enforcement community, "We have your backs."

"Every day, you confront danger so it does not find our families, carry burdens so they do not fall to us, and courageously meet test after test to keep us safe," the president wrote in an open letter to the U.S. law enforcement community Tuesday. "Time and again, you make the split-second decisions that could mean life or death for you and many others in harm’s way. You endure the tense minutes and long hours over lifetimes of service. >>> Read more.

Videos: Bear Sighting in Ashburn Village

• A black bear was seen roaming through the yard of an Ashburn Village home on surveillance video on Sunday evening, July 17.

5 Tips for Drivers Stopped While Carrying Concealed Handguns: LCSO

• Loudoun law enforcement offers tips on what to do at a traffic stop if you are carrying a firearm or have a concealed handgun permit.

Ken Cuccinelli Has Temper Tantrum at Republican National Convention

• Former Virginia Attorney General wanted state's grass-roots activists to have more of a voice on convention rules.

Patch PM shares a few of the day’s must-read items from our Va. and D.C. networks. The Patch community platform covers communities across the area.