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Top news and notes from across Northern Virginia.

5. Snow back in the forecast

Weve got a wet start to our Tuesday and temperatures Wednesday are expected to climb to 57 degrees. But winter returns this weekend, with highs in the 30s and a chance for snow Friday night into Saturday morning.

Search your zip code on our weather page for the latest local forecast.

4. Washington tops list for bed bugs reports

The pest control specialists at Orkin are out with their new list of cities with the most bed bugs, and Washington, D.C., has taken the top spot from nearby Baltimore. New York was at No. 6, Raleigh at 14 and Richmond at 21.

3. Woman with Redskins player died of accidental overdose

An autopsy shows a 21-year-old woman died following an apparent accidental overdose of fentanyl on the night she was taken to the hospital by Washington Redskins player Montae Nicholson and a friend in November, reports WTOP.

2. Indecent exposure suspect sought in second incident

Hours after his release on a charge of indecent exposure, a Woodbridge man is accused of exposing himself to workers at a Dale City nail salon. He hasnt been located following the second encounter, according to Prince William police.

1. Outer Banks surfer bit by shark

The National Park Service said a surfer suffered an apparent shark bite at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Monday afternoon.

InsideOUT

The Farm Brewery at Broad Run is hosting a Barrel Aged Tasting on Feb. 15. Buy tickets now at InsideNoVaTix.com!

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InFive: Snow back in the forecast and Washington tops bed bugs list - Inside NoVA

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The police in Pennsylvania are investigating a deliberate release of bed bugs in a Walmart.

A manager in the Washington Township store contacted the authorities after an employee discovered a closed pill bottle with live insects in the mens dressing room on Thursday, Go Erie reported.

The container was hidden in a boys jacket that was for sale in the store.

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After both the coat and the bottle had been thrown away, Walmart contacted hygiene company Ecolab, which the next day sent a technician to scan the store.

The technician found a number of bugs crawling around the fitting room and confirmed that they were bed bugs.

Then another Walmart employee found a second closed bottle on Saturday, this time at a belt display, with a number of dead bed bugs.

The police collected that bottle to analyze for fingerprints and combs images of store surveillance; no arrests have yet been made.

I hope its not a joke from an employee. It sounds as if two separate employees found two separate bottles two days in a row, trooper Cindy Schick told the New York Times.

We have not had other bed bug incidents in our area, she added.

As their name suggests, bed bugs are small parasites that usually live in mattresses and bed frames and feed on sleeping people by biting and sucking their blood. However, they can be transferred to clothing or luggage.

They do not spread disease, but their bites cause itchy stretch marks and therefore sleep problems. They can go without food for months and the longer an infection is not checked, the harder it is to get rid of it.

Do you have a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com.

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Police are investigating intentional release of bed bugs at Walmart - The Media Hq

Renee Coreas interesting article, New York vs. Bedbugs, reveals relevant references which are very tough to come across regarding the infestation of bedbugs within New York and the laws that surround them. This article is mainly directed to rental residential properties, co-op homes and steps that the renters themselves may take regarding an infestation. It also mentions laws concerning the landlords and their responsibilities when dealing with bed bugs as well as their responsibilities in general under the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law, the New York City Housing Maintenance Code, New York Real Property Law and the New York City Health Code.

The landlords are the ones who are pretty much responsible for the removal of bed bugs, am I wrong? This article also states all the possible remedies for when a landlord refuses to pay for the eradication of bedbug infestation. It reflects back to one major, agonizing time from which is almost impossible to figure out where exactly this bedbug source came from. It also mentions how it is absolutely impossible to ensure that the bed bugs will never return into your homes again. It discusses co-ops and condo rules and regulations and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords. The warranty of habitability is also listed for reference which is very informative for tenants. You can find the warranty of habitability under the Real Property Law.

Remedial steps to take under the warranty includes a precedent case for reference. It also talks about the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law, which includes tenant rights to repairs and up-keep of a clean premise. That will in part talk about vermin present in your home and how to handle the situation at hand. It mentions the New York City Housing Maintenance Code which deals with all types of residences. It also mentions the sections and codes that specifically discuss the extermination of pests and insects as well as rodents. It mentions the New York City Health Code that discusses preventative measure to take when dealing with bed bugs. It also includes a question and answer section where questions are answered by none other than Renee Corea. http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/07/13/bed-bugs-and-the-law-in-new-york-city/

If you are in need of a public advocate in the city of New York, you should contact Bill De Blasio. He has been a public advocate for the last eight years. He was the manager for Hilary Clintons successful campaign for U.S. Senate. The role of a public advocate is to watch, help, regulate and ensure residents of New York receive the services they should from their City. They deal with issues between tenants and landlords and ensure that they both act lawfully in every situation, including the extermination and prevention of all pests, such as bed bugs, cockroaches, insects and rodents.

http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/services/HousingInformation.html

We came across yet another interesting article regarding Bedbugs. Must be our lucky day! Richard Siegler and Eva Talels, Dealing With Bedbugs discuss the impact that bed bugs have had on New York residents and how they deal with the massive infestation weve been hit by. They educate Condominium owners what steps to take when dealing with infestations in the unit. They set the limitations for the owner and for the occupant alike. They also discuss the precautions we need to take to prevent a bed bug infestation from occurring. However even the most cautious are still at high risk of getting a bed bug as their roommate. This article also discusses steps to take regarding damage to your furniture due to an infestation of bed bugs, rodents, cockroaches, and/or insects.

http://www.stroock.com/SiteFiles/Pub663.pdf

This article is extremely informative in regards to bed bugs, what they are, what they look like, and what the bites they leave behind look and feel like. It describes step by step how Hotels can now prevent the spread of bed bugs. It states that bed bugs are not causing any spread of diseases, at least theres one up-side to this whole craze. They show images of bed bugs in its actual size and an enlarged view of the bed bug. It is also informative for the frequent traveler that stays at hotels a lot. The measures the traveler needs to take to prevent them from entering your luggage which then in turn will infest your homes.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/vector/vector-faq1-hotel.pdf

The law that surrounds bed bugs is almost three years old according to Michael Wolfe. This article he wrote states how just how new this bed bug craze is. Now it is known that the landlords of the property are primarily responsible for the exterminating as they are supposed to keep the premise habitable. This article discusses the difference in laws in New Jersey and New York. It states who can sue for any damages caused by the bed bugs and the exterminating itself. It states that if the landlord denies or omits that fact that there are bed bugs in the unit he may be charged with fraud.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6305940_bed-bug-laws.html

There is a bed bug registry where you can check out any hotel or motel where you are planning to stay. The Bed Bug Registry is a no fee, public database of user-submitted bed bug reports from across the United States and Canada. Founded in 2006, the site has collected about 20,000 reports covering 12,000 locations. While you wont find any legal info on this site you can see if your building has been added to this growing database of apartments and buildings in NYC that have bedbug infections.

http://www.bedbugregistry.com/

The NYC Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) is mandated to establish rent adjustments for the approximately one million dwelling units subject to the Rent Stabilization Law in New York City. The Board holds an annual series of public meetings and hearings to consider research from staff, and testimony from owners, tenants, advocacy groups and industry experts.

The RGB staff is responsible for providing administrative support to the Board and prepares research regarding the economic condition of the stabilized residential real estate industry including operating and maintenance costs, the cost of financing, housing supply and cost of living indices. The RGB staff engages in year-round research efforts, publishes its reports for use by the public, other governmental agencies and private organizations, and provides information to the public on housing questions.

http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/faq/quality.html#demand

If you need legal help this is a great place to start. LawHelp/NY is an on-line tool for helping low-income New Yorkers solve their legal problems. The LawHelp/NY mission is as follows:

LawHelp/NY provides, and promotes access to, high-quality online information about free legal services throughout New York, about legal rights in a broad range of substantive areas, about the court system, and about related advocacy, government and social service organizations. We are committed to providing information that is user-friendly, in English, Spanish, and other languages, in order to help low-income and other vulnerable New Yorkers achieve equal access to justice.

http://www.lawhelp.org/ny/

The Legal Aid Society is a private, not-for-profit legal services organization, the oldest and largest in the nation, dedicated since 1876 to providing quality legal representation to low-income New Yorkers. It is dedicated to one simple but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied access to justice because of poverty.

The Society handles 300,000 individual cases and matters annually and provides a comprehensive range of legal services in three areas: the Civil, Criminal and Juvenile Rights Practices. Unlike the Societys Criminal and Juvenile Rights Practices, which are constitutionally mandated and supported by government, the Civil Practice relies heavily on private contributions.

http://www.legal-aid.org/en/home.aspx

An Article written by Melanie West for the Wall Street Journal states that there is a new bed bug disclosure policy in play now for new leases on apartments. It says that when a lease is prepared, both landlord and tenant must sign a state form listing any bedbug infestations in the past year. Would-be renters then have a chance to back out of the lease agreement. Gov. David Patterson signed the policy in to law last month. According to this great article it says that 49% of people surveyed said they had or have a bed bug problem. According to this article bed bug infestation are everywhere these days. Many ways to prevent these little buggers from become a part of your life. Seal the holes in your homes as much as possible, pay close attention to any form of bites you may get thru ought the night, check your bed sheets for tiny little blood stains, and prayer always helps.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/09/15/scarlet-b-bedbug-disclosure-comes-to-new-york/

Jessica Presslerarticle is quite interesting and pretty much states that the bed bug disputes are filling up the docket in the New York City courts because of a decision made by a tenant refusing to pay rent because of a bed bug infestation in the unit. Also yet another similar article that goes on about the same issues. This article written by E.B. Solomont a staff reporter of The Sun says that a back in 2008 the Brooklyn court located had spotted some bed bugs. It sent the court room into a frenzy. Even though a spokeswoman says that the courts were bug free.

In 2008 there were almost ten thousand bed bug complaints, Im sure that number are probably quadrupled by now. It also goes to say what is pretty well known to us by now, that it is the responsibility of the landlord to cover all costs for the extermination of the buildings and units. It also talks about different cases that dealt with bed bugs and the results of the judgments in each instance. These cases set precedents to the judgments we deal with now in our courts. According to E.B. Solomon the reason there are all of these bed bug disputes is because its difficult to prove where the bed bugs came from.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/09/bedbug_law_emerges_as_hot_new.html

Another interesting little article that we found written by Nobugsonme. This one says that there is a legislation being proposed to the insurance companies making them give back the money to renters and owners that were forced to throw out their furniture and/or clothes because of their bed bug infestation. Some bed bug infestations could end up to be very pricey, it could burn big holes in the individual wallet.

http://bedbugger.com/2010/08/13/bed-bug-insurance-legislation-proposed-in-new-york-state/

We found this very informative site rentlaw.com. It is very detailed describing bed bugs, what they are, where they live, and what they feed on, you. It states how bed bugs come out at night and invade your furniture such as your bed frame, couches and mattresses to name a few. The article also reminisces how bed bugs were almost extinct after DDT. However due to health and environmental concerns DDT was banned. Now we are dealing with a bed bug crises yet again. The question we all have now is how does one get them? and how does one get rid of bed bugs? also how does one prevent them from appearing and affecting our lives? All very important questions and answers seem scarce.

This article is pretty thorough and answers all of the above questions as much as possible, as well as other legal questions regarding bed bugs that need some answers. As for how they became famous again here in the U.S. it says that we should be extra careful when we travel, as bed bugs attach themselves on to your clothing and things you may have in your luggage. They may come in with visitors we have in our homes or places of work. Also we should be very careful when we travel as hotels and other accommodations may have a bed bug infestation. This article also describes how bed bugs may travel into our homes.

It says bed bugs can travel thru duct-works and cracks in between units, also when tenants are moving in and out of the building may cause for transfer of bed bugs. This article goes on to describe what bed bugs look like, how they live. It also recommends ways in which to keep your home clean and free of clutter. Regardless of how clean and tidy you are you may still get them. This article also has a section on important bed bug laws between landlords and tenants. It states that in New York State landlords are liable for the cost of treating a bed bug problem. This is good news for the tenants.

http://www.rentlaw.com/bedbugs.htm

Another great article written by Douglas Stern Landlords vs. Tenants: Who pays when bed bugs invade?. This article is full of great information. It says that in New Jersey a legislation was introduced stating that landlords are to cover all cost for the extermination of bed bugs, annual inspections and distributing educational material created by the state. The article says that landlords are to immediately treat reported infestations and to maintain a bed bug free environment in the entire complex. It also states that all landlords that do not comply will be fined $300 for each infested apartment and $1000 for each infested common area. Its a pretty penny for landlords.

They can also do regular maintenance of the common elements to help alleviate one of the reasons that vermin might infest a property. But unfortunately no matter how clean the property may be it still may get a bed bug infestation. This is because bed bugs are a creature of convenience, similar to louse. Bed bugs go from one affected person to another. They set up tent in bedrooms and couches. During the day they hide in the cracks and crevices in your home and they come out and feed at night. This article says that bed bugs resemble small little apple seeds. But as small as they are they multiply quickly and could turn into a difficult problem.

The article goes into detail of how bed bugs are brought in to an apartment and what attracts them to these apartments. This interesting read also states how they travel from unit to unit and room to room. It says how bed bug bites are often mistaken for mosquito bites, due to the fact that they itch and turn into little red bumps. This great little article also shows that there was a 500 percent increase of reported bed bug infestations. Its such a nuisance to have but for the landlord its a nuisance to pay for something you did not do and something you cannot control. There is never any guarantee that once youve exterminated bed bugs that they will never come back.

http://www.bedbugplague.com/?p=45

According to this article written by Grace West, two bills that are under consideration will provide renters with protection and compensation regarding the bed bug craze we are now facing. It says that one State Assembly member Linda B. Rosenthal from the Upper West Side and parts of Hells Kitchen is pushing a legislation that would require landlords to divulge any history of bed bug infestation. It states that the first bill would require disclosure of any instance of bed bug infestation dating back five years. The second bill provides a tax credit of up to $750 to help with the cost of replacing property lost due to a bed bug infestation.

It also goes into more detail as to what furniture and clothing can be included in the price. I know $750 seems miniscule compared to the real amount of what may have been spent on the items, but it is a start. Rosenthal also states if the state were in better economic condition perhaps the tax credit could be higher. The article also states that its not sure of when the two bills will be voted on.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/New-Begbug-Bill-Would-Require-Landlords-to-Disclose-Innfestation-History-93724774.html

This article is full of useful information as it focuses on the legal end of the issues surrounding bed bugs. It says that New York city is vulnerable to bed bug infestations due to the fact that there is such a concentration of people living in such close quarters which makes it easy for them to migrate from one place to another. The article goes through series of questions and answers. From who is responsible for the cost of the extermination of bed bugs, to actions renters need to take when dealing with landlords whether legal or on your own. If legal action needs to be taken it describes the type of court you have access to in regards to bed bug and landlord issues. You can use a lawyer if you choose or you may represent yourself. It is important to know your laws, this article is very informative.

http://www.bedbugsguide.com/legal-issues-bed-bugs-new-york.htm

Found a great article dating back to 2009. This article written by Lindsey Christ for NY 1 is quite an interesting read when compared to the rise in bed bugs now in 2010. We thought bed bug infestations were bad then, now theyve almost quadrupled. The Department of Education describes how bed bugs are brought into our schools and into our lives. They are brought on student or teachers clothing, book bags and lunch bags.

The Department of Education refused to send exterminators into the schools affected until the specimens of what was found were sent to a lab. This just gave these bed bugs more time to populate those schools and create a major infestation. I guess they werent thinking ahead. It also states how the Museum of Natural History was affected by bed bugs. It says that the children in these affected schools should be given large sealed bags and they are to put their clothing and their book bags in them.

So if students have bed bugs the parents are told and asked to take action. Students and teachers were asked to do this, this way they can avoid a major infestation. It also states that the Department of Education could not completely control the bed bug problem, which is true. But they can however take preventative measures to keep the bed bug issue under control.

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/109503/schools-report-rise-in-bed-bug-cases

An article written by Natalie Gee for the Epoch Times, recites all of the legal measures our government has taken and will take in regards to bed bugs. Bed bugs have become such a big part of our lives that we have created laws specifically for them. They haunt us and it needs to be at least toned down if they refuse to go into extinction. Several laws have been brought to the attention of government. Most are still in question and some have passed as laws.

A bed bug infestation can and possibly will create a substantial hole in our wallets, and depending on the infestation of these critters mental issues have also surfaced. This article goes into detail of certain laws that are yet to be passed, and one that did not pass. The one that did not pass was a tax credit law that would reimburse the person affect by a bed bug infestation for up to $750. This helps out with the cost for some of the furniture, clothes and other items that needed to be replaced due to bed bugs. But unfortunately it did not pass. It also discusses one that did pass.

This bill that passed grants prospective tenants and homeowners the right to a record of any bed bug infestation on the property. This gives the renters or buyers a more in depth look on the history of bed bug infestation, if any. It allows you to make an informed decision when renting a new place. It has been an emerging issue due to the fact that renters were being bitten almost immediately as they moved into their new place. Now stuck in a predicament with bed bugs and a lease they cant get out of, only because they werent properly informed.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/39551/

If you ever have any bug related issues in New York City, feel free to call us either at Beyond Pest Control. Once again, and I cant stress this enough we are on call twenty-four hours a day seven days a week to kill those bugs, we arent kidding whether you call us at 9 am or midnight we will be available to take your call and either get rid of the bug infestation, or answer any questions you may have concerning the bug issue. I can honestly guarantee that there will be someone to answer that call. We make it our business to make you bug free!

For more information, check out the rest of our site and You can also from time to time find helpful hints on our blog.

Our pest control specialists service all NYC boroughs, including Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island (both Nassau & Suffolk counties), Staten Island and even both Westchester & Rockland counties.

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Bed Bug Laws New York - Beyond Pest Control Inc.