Several rumors have been floating around about the residents of Pine Valley. Soaps.com decided to do a little investigating to get to the bottom of who’s coming and who’s going and what that means for the remaining residents!

First rumor: The character of Samuel Woods is heading for the campaign trail. Verdict: True! Soaps.com has learned that Mario Van Peebles (Samuel) will be leaving the show in the fall. Presumably this means that Samuel will either hit the campaign trail very hard or will have won his Senate seat and will be headed for Washington D.C. All My Children sources don’t comment on what exactly leads Samuel away, but Soaps.com has learned that his leave could be a temporary thing. It seems that the door is being left open for Samuel’s return, so we could see more of Mario Van Peebles off and on over the next few years.

What will Mario be doing outside Pine Valley? Mario has been cast in the series “Damages” as Agent Harrison. He will also star in three films. “Multiple Sarcasms” and “Spring in Her Step” have completed filming and are in post-production. “The Uniter”, due out in 2009, is in pre-production right now.

Second rumor: That Dre Woods will follow his father out of Pine Valley. Verdict: Not true. At least at this point. Sterling Suleiman (Dre) remains on contract with the show. Soaps.com has learned that Dre will be sticking around to support friend Colby, who is struggling with an alcohol problem. With Cassandra out of the way, could there be a romance brewing between the two? Not if Petey Cortlandt has anything to say about it!