9 51 More than a dozen states are now reporting cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant the latest being Massachusetts and while some of these cases involve Americans who recently traveled overseas others had no travel history in Maryland three people near Baltimore have tested positive for the omicron variant They include two people from the same household where one of them had recently traveled to South Africa Some health authorities say there is no cause for alarm as most of those with the variant have only had mild to moderate symptoms Health officials continue to encourage Americans to get vaccinated get the booster shot and get COVID testing Now as employers across the country continue to enforce vaccine mandates one agency could be in a bit of trouble because some workers are refusing to comply Amtrak may have to reduce service by the end of the year due to some workers not complying with the mandate to be fully vaccinated by January According to The Washington Post about 6% of the Amtrak's workforce could be terminated for not showing proof of vaccination In a memo last month the company said 88% of it's about 17,000 workers were vaccinated and had expected that number to be slightly higher by the deadline in January However the northeast corridor could face less disruptions due to higher vaccination rates and the fact that travel demand has not fully rebounded Amtrak is expected to publish a revised service schedule by mid December reflecting those possible cuts Acacia James W TOP news There's been a sharp increase in stolen cars and car break ins all around the DMV and more often those vehicles are being taken by armed thieves day and night It is impossible to guarantee you won't be the next victim but you can reduce the odds Parking lots are sort of a necessity but they're also a target rich environment for car thieves Because people go there and they know that there are going to be cars there that could potentially be targets Hannah Glasgow is a spokeswoman for greenbelt police A good way for individuals to prevent this is always keep your doors locked if you're driving through a parking lot at night And make sure your doors are locked once your parked two preferably in a well lit area Anyone wanting to steal your car or steal something from it doesn't want to be seen and don't leave anything valuable sitting out either It's amazing that if you don't leave your laptop sitting in the back seat it generally won't get taken John doeman W TOP news beware of a scammer using a valid Virginia state police phone number Police say it's loudon county Leesburg area 11 office has received three calls from people trying to verify that the state police called them asking for payment due to outstanding warrants The scammer apparently cloned the office phone number to get a two appear legitimate and is identifying himself as a trooper or sergeant Johnson Police are reminding you that legitimate officers would never say you have outstanding warrants and demand money or private info over the phone You can report telephone scams to the Federal Trade Commission Full-time students at George Washington University are enjoying free rides on metro through the spring semester The Washington Post reports starting in January undergrad and eligible full-time grad students will pay a mandatory $100 fee for a special pass that allows unlimited rail and bus rides George Washington is contributing funds to help cover the cost of the plan first announced in early November Coming up in money news EVs are expected to dominate the auto market by 2030 It's 9 54 Data is the lifeblood of.