Week in review

Snail mail fail

More than 90 U.S. Postal Service retail outlets in Virginia are being considered for closure. The outlets are among 3,653 local offices, branches and stations across the nation that will be reviewed for possible closing. Outlets in Virginia include six in Richmond, three in Norfolk, and two each in Alexandria, Roanoke and Hampton. Coming under review doesn't necessarily mean an office will close. The Postal Service announced in January that it was reviewing 1,400 offices for closing. So far, 280 have been closed and 200 have finished the review process and will remain open. The Postal Service lost $8 billion last year.

Serial slasher sought

Fairfax County police are investigating a bizarre string of attacks on female shoppers. Police tell WRC-TV that the same man may be responsible for stabbing or slashing at least five women in the buttocks. The attacks began in February, and the most recent one was Monday evening. Police say an 18-year-old woman was inside the Forever 21 store at the Fair Oaks Mall when she was distracted by clothing falling over. She told police she felt a sharp pain in her buttocks and realized she'd been stabbed through her denim shorts with a box cutter or razor. All the victims have been in their late teens or early 20s and have been shopping at retail stores. Four attacks have been reported in the Fair Oaks area and one in McLean. "I think it's horrible," one of his victims, who was five months pregnant at the time of the attack, told ABC-7. "I'm just glad people know about it now. I hope he gets caught."

Back-to-school tax break

Virginia's annual back-to-school sales tax holiday will take place Aug. 5-7. School supplies under $20, including notebooks, pens, binders, calculators, paints and crayons, will be tax-free. Most clothing items and footwear will also be exempt from the 5 percent sales tax as long as they are priced under $100. The sales tax holiday is available to anyone -- not just those preparing for school -- and all Virginia retailers who sell the exempt products must participate. The 2011 holiday is expected to save Virginians an estimated $4.3 million in sales tax this year. Lists of eligible items, along with guidelines and frequently asked questions for both consumers and retailers, are posted on the Department of Taxation website.

Beach bacteria busted

A Virginia Beach health official says tests found that bacteria remained within normal levels after globs of smelly waste washed up on local beaches. City environmental health manager Erin Sutton says the waste could have been skunk sponges. But she tells the Virginian-Pilot that no one will ever know what it was or where it came from. The globs washed up on beaches just west of the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier over the weekend. Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Pam Lingle says the bureau hasn't gotten any calls from visitors about the waste.

Pony swim

Chincoteague firefighters known as saltwater cowboys are preparing for the annual pony swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague in Virginia. Each year the wild ponies are auctioned to raise money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which cares for the Virginia herd. Ponies that are not sold and those that are donated back to the fire department will roam free for another year on the national wildlife refuge on Assateague. The pony swim was made famous by Marguerite Henry's 1947 novel "Misty of Chincoteague." Thousands of tourists are expected to line up to watch the swim Wednesday. The fire department urges onlookers to bring water, bug spray and old shoes because there will be lots of mud at the swim site during low tide.

Booth house bidding delayed

Bidding was delayed for six weeks on a manor house in King George County where President Abraham Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth sought medical help. Its most recent owner, Kathryn Coombs, died in January without leaving a will so the house and the 12 acres around it were scheduled for public auction Tuesday morning. The property is valued at $299,300, according to the county's online GIS system. Built in 1859, Cleydael was a summer home for Dr. Richard Stuart and his family. Stuart refused to help Booth when the assassin arrived April 23, 1865. Federal troops captured and killed Booth the next morning. The King George Historical Society decided it couldn't afford the purchase, but members are concerned the historical house may be demolished.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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