Washington’s Top News – Monday, August 11, 2014

Here’s a look at some of the day’s top stories from WTOP:

Kurds make advances

U.S. military forces on Sunday launched a fourth round of airstrikes against militant vehicles and mortars firing on Irbil in Iraq, as part of efforts to blunt the militants’ advance and protect American personnel in and around the Kurdish capital.

Those strikes have reinvigorated Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State militants in northern and western Iraq. Kurdish forces retook two towns from Sunni militants on Sunday.

Gaza cease-fire holding

Israel says a new cease-fire with the militant Hamas group is holding in the Gaza Strip, a day after the two sides agreed to resume talks in Cairo.

The military says no rockets have been fired Monday at Israel and that the military hasn’t targeted any locations in the densely populated territory since the cease-fire went into effect midnight Sunday.

Suspect sought in killing of Prince George’s County toddler

A Landover girl was shot dead Sunday weeks before her third birthday; police say she was an “unintended target” in an argument between two men. Late Sunday night, the Prince George’s County police released a photo of the man they are searching for and charging with first-degree murder. See the photo and find the number you can call if you’ve seen him.

Maryland’s sales tax-free week kicks off

If you’re looking for some bargains this week, Maryland’s the place to go: Their annual one-week tax holiday started Sunday. Find out what’s eligible and what isn’t — and what the state’s tax collector thinks of the idea.

Looting following vigil near St. Louis

The mayor of Ferguson, Missouri, says it’s a “small group of people” that’s creating “a huge mess” in the St. Louis suburb, after an unarmed black man was fatally shot and killed by a police officer Saturday.

Sunday night, thousands of people attended a vigil for 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot multiple times. Afterward, some people looted a convenience store, and several other stores along a main road near the shooting scene were broken into and looted.

Eating healthy while on vacation

Let’s face it: Part of the fun of vacation is the different foods we all indulge in; even dietitian Toby Smithson knows that. But whether you’re flying or driving, staying in a vacation house or eating most of your meals in restaurants, there are ways to keep your holiday from being a diet disaster. Get some tips on our Living page.

Woodley, Elgort among Teen Choice Awards winners

The stars of “The Fault In Our Stars” were the big winners at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday night, hosted by Tyler Posey of “Teen Wolf” and Sarah Hyland of “Modern Family.” Check out a gallery of award winners, performances and red-carpet entrances on our Entertainment page.

Griffin and the Redskins grant a teen’s wish

The Redskins got a visit from a teenager with end-stage renal disease on Sunday, who wanted to hang with the team — and especially her favorite player, quarterback Robert Griffin III — in a trip sponsored by the team’s charitable foundation and Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. She got to play catch with Griffin and even run a race with him. You can probably guess that autographs were part of the visit, but you might be surprised who signed for whom. Find out what happened, and why, from WTOP Redskins beat writer George Wallace on our Sports page.

On your phone? You could be walking into trouble

Are you reading this on your phone? You might want to sit down — no, really. More and more people are checking out their texts, emails and more while they’re walking around, and it’s getting dangerous — nearly one in four people admit they’ve bumped into someone or something because they were too busy looking at their phones. WTOP’s Randi Martin talks with two experts on the subject of distraction and finds out what’s behind our obsession. Have a seat somewhere safe and check it out on out Tech Page.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.

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