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PHOTOS: Cicadas invade Central VA

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- Cicadas are beginning to pop up around Central Virginia, and viewers are sending in their pictures to our newsroom.

Click here to see the slideshow on your mobile device

Email your pictures to SendItTo12@nbc12.com and we'll add them to our gallery.

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12 INVESTIGATES: The dangers of energy drink abuse

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an investigation this month into the safety - and reported deaths - from energy drinks. They're looking into whether these drinks are linked to 18 deaths and more than a hundred injuries.

Student, Nakai Johnson is very familiar with monster energy drinks, "I have three 8 o'clock classes, so every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I'm drinking like two a day." She's never had a bad side effect, but there are plenty of people who say they have.

One teen's parents even filed a lawsuit. Anais Fournier died after reportedly drinking two Monsters within a 24-hour span. Her lawyer says the boost of caffeine turned an unknown heart condition deadly.

"You've got drug interactions. You've got genetic predispositions or underlying conditions. And all of that can add up," said Janet Starkey, registered Dietician at Virginia Commonwealth University.

12 ON YOUR SIDE: Thieves take rent checks

MECHANICSVILLE, VA (WWBT)- A rent drop box check washing scam has ripped off tenants in Mechanicsville.

Just last week, we told you how thieves were snatching rent payments in Henrico County. Now Hanover Police are investigating the same type thefts - this time, the complex is suing to evict tenants for non-payment after their money orders got stolen.

The money order snatchers are still out there or maybe they've moved on to another city and state. Not knowing is exactly why Jennifer Wright says she's scared she could get hurt for speaking out. Mostly though, she's angry at Mill Trace Village Apartments.

The summons to evict the family shows a May 20 court date. Wright says Mill Trace Village Apartments doesn't dispute rent checks and money orders were stolen from their drop box - but it's holding the tenants responsible.

Food allergies becoming epidemic among kids

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- If you're an adult, you probably remember mom baking cookies or cupcakes to bring to school for your birthday, or other special occasions, but no more.

Food allergies have become an epidemic among school-age children. It's a problem that's turned life upside-down, because for some kids, just sitting near a classmate eating a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, could be fatal.

Derek Booth's party to celebrate his 6th birthday was held at Jumpology. Indoor trampolines are a big attraction when you're in the first grade and his mom invited everyone in his class, but some parents wouldn't allow their kids go.

It wasn't a fear of jumping. It was the cupcakes, the ice cream, the candy, and the soft drinks. The explosion of pediatric food allergies have parents on edge, and when declining the invitation, one mother didn't mince words.

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MS-13 in the Richmond Metro Area

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- NBC12 investigated where MS-13 is in the Richmond Metro Area, asking each locality to tell us what kinds of crimes they've seen by the gang in the last five years.

In Chesterfield this year, two men claiming to be MS-13 members were suspects in a Meadowdale burglary. In 2012, three MS-13 members who lived in Chesterfield were charged with the murder of Osbin Hernandez near Pony Pasture. They were later convicted of the crime in Richmond.

That same year, two MS-13 members from Chesterfield were charged with rape and conviction. Officials say the two teen gang members raped a 15-year-old Chesterfield girl, threatening her with a machete. They threatened that they would not take her home unless there was an "exchange".

In 2011, Chesterfield reported MS-13 related graffiti painted at the Chesterfield Village Apartments.

Problems with Hanover 911 lines

Hanover County is having some issues with people trying to dial 911.

Hanover is working to fix the problem.

The county wants to remind you that if you have an emergency, you're urged to call 365-6140

On Your Side Alert: Mail Fraud Investigation

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT)- You've probably received some junk mail this week. Most of us just throw it out, but crooks are hoping to score big from consumers who open the mail. One viewer got fed up when she kept receiving what she believed to be fraudulent offers.

Letter, after letter, after letter, all to one person, all scams according to United States Postal Inspector, Michael Romano. "The whole purpose of it is to really attract an individual who may have fallen on hard times and is out of work," he explains.

A viewer mailed NBC 12 an entire stack of offers they received in the mail. She wanted the junk mail to stop and wondered how her name ended up on the mailing list. Inspector Romano had an answer. "Many of these scams originate from the consumer actually reaching out to an offer that they think is legitimate, when in fact it is not," Romano says.