Mom, Kids Escape Two Years Of Captivity In House | Patch PM

A NASA job based in DC is responsible for saving Earth from aliens, while authorities now say a dog in Arlington did not have rabies, as previously thought. Plus, the best colleges in DC and Virginia, and a mother and her children say they were held captive for two years by her boyfriend. Here are the top local news stories worth reading on Thursday, Aug. 3, as pulled from our Virginia and Washington, D.C., sites.

NASA Is Hiring: Protect The Planet From Aliens On A Six-Figure Salary
Local job opportunities don't get much more Bruce Willis than this. According to a new listing on NASA's job board, the federal space agency is in need of a cunning new "Planetary Protection Officer" who can help fight "organic-constituent and biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration" from an office chair at the agency's DC headquarters.

Mom, Kids Escape 2 Years Of Captivity In Fredericksburg: Police

A man suspected of possibly holding his girlfriend and two children captive in their home for two years was arrested Saturday in the 3600 block of Mine Road, according to the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. When police responded to the home for a welfare check, a woman, 32, and two children, 8 and 11, ran out of the house through a side door. They told officers they hadn't been allowed to leave the home for two years.

More Virginia/DC news:

• Virginia Sales Tax Holiday 2017 Is This Weekend (ICYMI)
• President Trump Is Tweeting A Lot More Than He Used To
• Fire Truck Strikes Firefighter In DC, Leaving Him Critically Injured: Reports
• Bulldog Treated At Arlington Vet Was Not Rabid, CDC Test Shows
• Father-Son Dispute Turns Deadly In Loudoun
• Virginia Man Brings Loaded Gun To Reagan National Airport: TSA
• DC, Virginia's Best Colleges: 26 Make Forbes List

»SIGN UP: Subscribe to a Virginia Patch News Alert and Newsletter. For DC readers, Get Patch’s daily newsletter and news alerts. Or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.