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The Army Is 237 Years Old Today

tina — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:24:29 +0000

A wreath-laying ceremony this morning at Arlington National Cemetery marks the U.S. Army’s 237th birthday. The Army traces its roots to June 14, 1775, before the Declaration of Independence, when the Continental Congress authorized creation of a Continental Army just days before the battle of Bunker Hill. The Army is now in the midst of plans to reduce its active duty forces from a peak of about 570,000 at the height of the Iraq war to 490,000 by 2017.

Va. Tech Shooter Had Visited Gun Range According To Friend

tina — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:31:54 +0000

A friend says the man who authorities say killed a Virginia Tech police officer had visited a shooting range this year but hadn’t gone for several months because he didn’t have bullets for his gun. Matt Dailey tells The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/v5VTim ) that he considered 22-year-old Ross Truett Ashley his best friend. Authorities say Ashley killed police officer Deriek Crouse on the Virginia Tech campus while the officer made a traffic stop, then killed himself not long after. Dailey says the two had made two or three trips to the shooting range – the same one used by Seung-Hui Cho, the gunman who killed 32 people and then himself on the campus in 2007. However, Dailey dismissed any comparisons between Cho and his friend.

Family of Va. Tech Shooter Offers Condolences

tina — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:28:59 +0000

The family of a man who investigators say gunned down a Virginia Tech police officer is offering its condolences and prayers to the family of the slain law enforcement officer. In an unsigned statement sent Sunday to The Associated Press, the family of 22-year-old Ross Truett Ashley also requested that their privacy be respected. They said there would be no additional statements. The Spotsylvania County family has not made a public statement since the deadly shooting on Thursday. Investigators say Ashley walked up to Deriek Crouse on Tech’s Blacksburg campus and fatally shot him. Ashley was found a short
time later, dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound. Virginia State Police investigators are attempting to determine a motive for what appeared to be an unprovoked attack.

New Details Released Around Tech’s Most Recent Tragedy

tina — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:54:57 +0000

Authorities are still sorting out why a Virginia Tech police officer was killed in a campus parking lot by a gunman who then apparently shot himself to death. The university on Thursday identified the officer as Deriek W. Crouse, a 39-year-old Army veteran and married father of five who joined the campus police force about six months after the 2007 shooting rampage that left 33 people dead.
Crouse was killed after pulling a driver over in a traffic stop. The gunman, who wasn’t involved in the traffic stop, walked into the parking lot and ambushed the officer. Police say ballistics tests have confirmed that the officer and a man suspected
in his slaying were shot by the same handgun. The Virginia State Police said in a news release early Friday that the tests have “officially linked the two fatal shootings.”
State police said a review of Officer Deriek Crouse’s in-car
video showed a male suspect with a handgun at the officer’s car at
the time of the shooting Thursday afternoon. Crouse had pulled over
a motorist, and police suspect that the gunman killed Crouse and
then took his own life nearby.
The press release says clothing found inside a discarded
backpack recovered by Blacksburg police seems to match that of the
male subject in the officer’s video. Police said they were awaiting
confirmation of the deceased suspect’s identity as well as autopsy
results from the medical examiner in Roanoke.
Before it became clear that the gunman in Thursday’s attack was dead, the school locked down the campus and used a high-tech alert system to warn students and faculty members to stay indoors.

RELATED STORY:
150 Attend Candlelight Vigil

About 150 students gathered silently for a candlelight vigil at Virginia Tech after a police officer was gunned down and the shooter apparently killed himself on campus.
The students showed up Thursday night on a field facing the
stone plaza memorial for the victims of the 2007 massacre. In that
bloodbath, 33 people were killed in the deadliest mass shooting in
modern U.S. history.
Though the official candlelight vigil was moved to Friday
evening, many turned out anyway to show their support. One student
came forward to invite everyone back for Friday night’s event. He
shouted, “Let’s go!” The crowd responded, “Hokies!”

Gannett laying off 700 more workers amid ad slump

tina — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:05:52 +0000

McLEAN, Va. (AP) – The nation’s largest newspaper publisher is
laying off another 700 employees to cope with an unrelenting
advertising slump.
Gannett, the owner of USA Today and more than 80 other daily
U.S. newspapers, hoped to complete the cuts Tuesday. The layoffs
are occurring at most Gannett newspapers but not at USA Today.
The payroll reductions represent 2 percent of Gannett’s 32,600
employees. The division targeted in the cutbacks employs 22,400
people at newspapers that include The Indianapolis Star and The
Arizona Republic.
The layoffs are Gannett Co.’s biggest in two years and are the
latest austerity measures triggered by a steep drop in newspaper
advertising that began in 2006.
Gannett’s annual revenue has fallen more than $2 billion, or
nearly 30 percent, since then.

Letters “SEAL”ed with Gratitude

tina — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:00:37 +0000

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner has delivered more than 1,200 thank you messages to the Navy so they can be shared with the SEAL team responsible for killing Osama bin Laden. The team is based in Virginia Beach but the military has protected their identities, making it difficult for those in the area to show their gratitude. Warner delivered the notes gathered over the past week from his website and social networks on Monday.

State Office Opens in China

tina — Thu, 12 May 2011 11:19:13 +0000

Virginia has opened a trade office in Shanghai, part of the state’s plan to expand into the Chinese market. Gov. Bob McDonnell says the office will help state officials and businesses promote trade and investment in China. He said the efforts will help Virginia grow its economy and create jobs.

Case Heard Challenging Health Care Overhaul

tina — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:19:18 +0000

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in two state lawsuits challenging the health care overhaul. The cases for the Commonwealth of Virginia and Liberty University focus on whether the federal government has a right to mandate that all citizens be required to purchase health care insurance or pay a penalty. Much of yesterday’s focused on the key issue of whether the law’s requirement is constitutional. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli told reporters the government is overstepping its authority. Decisions are expected some time in the next 45 days as the panel takes a few weeks to rule, although it could end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Granddad Bandit is Sentenced Today

tina — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:14:42 +0000

The “Granddad Bandit” who has admitted to holding up 25 banks in 14 states is set to be sentenced in Virginia. Fifty-three-year-old Michael Francis Mara pleaded guilty in February to robbing two Virginia banks. Mara is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Richmond. His plea deal calls for him to spend 25 years in prison and pay more than $83,000 in restitution.

State Universities Review Sexual-Misconduct

tina — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:40:36 +0000

Several universities in Virginia are reviewing their student sexual-misconduct policies after receiving guidance from the U.S. Department of Education. The University of Virginia has revised its policies to define sexual-misconduct offenses more broadly and to lower the standard of evidence required in the handling of such cases.