STAUNTON, Va. (AP) — The Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind has named Pat Trice as superintendent. Trice had served as interim superintendent since longtime superintendent Nancy Armstrong retired last summer. The News Leader (http://bit.ly/1eAN6od ) reports that the school’s Board of Visitors unanimously approved Trice’s appointment on Friday. The board has been discussing the school’s direction … Continue reading
Author Archives: Saydeez
Schools take action to attract students to education careers
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — For years, education groups have warned that lagging pay for teachers in Virginia and other states could lead to fewer people entering the field. Now they have evidence to back up their fears. Between 2010 and 2014, the number of ACT-tested high school graduates who said they were interested in education majors or professions decreased by more … Continue reading
3 foundations donate $1M to Birthplace of Country Music
BRISTOL, Va. (AP) — The Birthplace of Country Music expects to use a new $1 million donation for programming, exhibits, improvements and as a cash reserve. The Bristol Herald Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1Iy8Wjd ) the nonprofit organization’s executive director Leah Ross made the announcement Tuesday. The Birthplace of Country Music is a music tourism promotional organization. Three local … Continue reading
Virginia School for Deaf and Blind names new superintendent
STAUNTON, Va. (AP) — The Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind has named Pat Trice as superintendent. Trice had served as interim superintendent since longtime superintendent Nancy Armstrong retired last summer. The News Leader (http://bit.ly/1eAN6od ) reports that the school’s Board of Visitors unanimously approved Trice’s appointment on Friday. The board has been discussing … Continue reading
Hearing Monday on bid to block Va. women’s college closure
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) — Another courtroom showdown is looming in the battle over Sweet Briar College’s planned closure. A Circuit Court judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday on Amherst County attorney Ellen Bowyer’s challenge of the scheduled Aug. 25 shuttering of the private women’s college. The Supreme Court of Virginia sent the matter back … Continue reading
Prosecutor says detention of Virginia student was justified
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A prosecutor said Wednesday that he found no evidence of excessive force or racism by officers involved in the arrest of a University of Virginia student who was bloodied and pinned to the ground in an incident that drew widespread attention. Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Chapman said Wednesday that he would not … Continue reading
Va. police force uses simulator to complement field training
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — It looks like a real gun, feels like a real gun and sounds like a real gun as it fires at a man who’s charging forward and wielding a knife. But the man is only a projection on a screen, and there are no bullets flying from the firearm — … Continue reading
Schools take action to attract students to education careers
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — For years, education groups have warned that lagging pay for teachers in Virginia and other states could lead to fewer people entering the field. Now they have evidence to back up their fears. Between 2010 and 2014, the number of ACT-tested high school graduates who said they were interested in education … Continue reading
Correction: Virginia State-Probation story
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — In a story June 12 about accreditation at Virginia State University, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the school was placed on six months’ probation by its accrediting agency. The school has received a six months’ warning, which is a less severe sanction than probation. A corrected version of the story … Continue reading
Karate teacher accused of sexually assaulting former student
HARDY, Va. (AP) — A Vinton karate instructor has been accused of sexually assaulting a former student. Multiple news outlets report 48-year-old Richard Perez, the owner of Perez Kenpo Karate, was arrested Tuesday and charged with three counts of indecent liberties and three counts of carnal knowledge, all felonies. Perez’s lawyer says he is not … Continue reading
Virginia man pleads guilty to attempted espionage
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A 35-year-old Virginia man has pleaded guilty to attempted espionage for providing schematics of an aircraft carrier under construction to someone he believed was an Egyptian intelligence officer. Mostafa Awwad of Yorktown entered the plea in federal court in Norfolk on Monday. Court records say Awwad tried to steal technical data … Continue reading
Man sentenced to death in SC loses federal appeal
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A man sentenced to death for killing two women in South Carolina and West Virginia has lost a federal appeal. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday unanimously upheld a South Carolina federal judge’s refusal to vacate Brandon Basham’s conviction and sentence. Basham and Chadrick … Continue reading
UVA names new dorm ‘Gibbons House’ after 2 former slaves
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The newest dorm at the University of Virginia has been named after two former slaves who became prominent community members after Emancipation. The Daily Progress reports (http://bit.ly/1GHRNZo ) that the university officially dedicated Gibbons House on Friday. The residence hall will house about 200 first-year students starting this fall. The dorm … Continue reading
Russell County official charged with Social Security fraud
LEBANON, Va. (AP) — A Russell County official and his company face federal charges of conspiring to defraud the Social Security Administration. A federal grand jury indicted Russell County Board of Supervisors chairman Jonathan Bowerbank and EMATS Inc. this week. They are accused of conspiring with two former employees to falsify time sheets. The indictment … Continue reading
October trial set for Wirtz man charged with tattooing girls
RUSTBURG, Va. (AP) — A fall trial is set for a Wirtz man charged with tattooing two children without the consent of them or their parents. Twenty-one-year-old Alexander Michael Edwards is charged with malicious wounding, abduction and child abuse. He also faces child sex charges stemming from separate incidents. The News & Advance (http://bit.ly/1GA802G ) … Continue reading
1 killed, 2 injured in I-64 wrong-way wreck in Louisa County
ZION CROSSROADS, Va. (AP) — Virginia State Police say one person died and two others were injured a wrong-way wreck on Interstate 64 in Louisa County. State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says 1992 Toyota vehicle traveling east in the westbound lanes hit another vehicle head-on around 12:13 a.m. Thursday. The accident occurred at mile market … Continue reading
Lawsuit alleges discrimination in closure of Bedford school
BEDFORD, Va. (AP) — The Bedford County School Board is being sued by students who allege their school was closed because of racial and disability discrimination. The lawsuit challenges the board’s 2014 decision to close Body Camp Elementary instead of Moneta Elementary. The lawsuit says 30 percent of Body Camp’s students are minorities, compared to … Continue reading
Virginia State Univ. accepts audit critical of management
PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia State University has accepted a state audit that is critical of some of the school’s management procedures. According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1MkQAFA ), the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts released a final report last week criticizing management and procurement procedures that it says increased financial pressures on the school. … Continue reading
Martinsville Sheriff injured when motorcycle hits pothole
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Police say Martinsville Sheriff Steve Draper broke an ankle and injured a shoulder when his motorcycle hit a pothole. Martinsville sheriff’s Maj. Laura Hopkins tells media outlets that the accident occurred on Monday as Draper was doing a test run for a funeral procession. Hopkins says a piece of the motorcycle’s … Continue reading
University president in Va. denies sex bias claims
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The University of Mary Washington did not ignore the fears of some women on campus who were the targets of violent and sexual cyber threats, the president said Monday. “That allegation is demonstrably false,” President Richard V. Hurley said in a lengthy response one month after student members of Feminists United on … Continue reading
Grand jury to investigate fatal Norfolk police shooting
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A special grand jury is meeting to investigate the fatal shooting of a mentally ill man by a Norfolk police officer. The special grand jury will be empaneled on Monday by Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Junius P. Fulton III. Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney spokeswoman Amanda Howie tells The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/1eXzUJJ ) that … Continue reading
Virginia voters set to head to polls Tuesday
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia voters are set to head to the polls for primary elections around the state. There are 18 contested legislative elections Tuesday. The closest watched is GOP House Speaker William J. Howell’s run for re-election. Howell is facing off against Susan Stimpson. The tea party favorite is a former political protégé … Continue reading
Blood-testing company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The once fast-growing blood-testing company Health Diagnostic Laboratory Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy late Sunday night, listing between $100 million and $500 million in assets and liabilities. A hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court is slated for Monday to consider motions to allow for a smooth transition into bankruptcy proceedings, including … Continue reading
Colonial Williamsburg cuts funds for symphony, arts festival
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — When Colonial Williamsburg cut funding for the Virginia Symphony’s July Fourth outdoor concert this year, symphony supporters began looking for other ways to raise the more than $50,000 needed. They approached the Williamsburg City Council, which indicated it would kick in about $23,000 to pay for the orchestra. And they launched … Continue reading
Virginia School of Law dean will step down next summer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Law is stepping down next summer. The Daily Progress (http://bit.ly/1JkF11Q) reports Paul Mahoney announced he will leave his post in June 2016 to return to full-time teaching and scholarship. The university has formed a search committee, headed by John C. Jeffries, former … Continue reading
