Virginia

Va. Tech Gets Max $55K Fine for Late Massacre Day Warning; Much More Deserved, Official Says

Virginia Tech has been fined $55,000 for waiting almost two hours before warning students of an on-campus slaying that took place on the same day a deranged student later killed 30 more individuals on campus and himself nearly four years ago. The fine is the maximum allowed under the federal…

Mar 29, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

Autistic Teen’s Police Assault Conviction Worries Parents of Teens with the Disorder

As autism rates continue to soar, parents warn of the likelihood of increasing clashes between police and teens with the disorder who become aggressive when they become frustrated or angry. Autism advocates cite a recent case as an example, according to the Washington Post’s Post Local blog. Earlier this month,…

Mar 18, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Who Let the Tiny Monkey Into Court, in a Woman’s Bra? It Wasn’t Armed, Deputy Says

A tiny monkey wearing a flowered dress and diapers created a stir in a Virginia courthouse yesterday when a woman took it out of her bra. “I can’t understand why the deputy didn’t see her,” the unidentified woman tells the New Era-Progress, explaining that the marmoset was peeking out of…

Mar 11, 2011 4:30 PM CST

4 Foreign Bankers Indicted in US, Accused of Conspiracy to Help Americans Hide Assets, Evade Taxes

Four former bankers at a major Swiss bank have been indicted in federal court in Alexandria, Va., for allegedly conspiring to help U.S. residents evade taxes by hiding assets in secret accounts at four foreign banks in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Israel. None of the defendants is in custody. Marco…

Feb 24, 2011 6:05 PM CST

Solo Suspended, Partly for Implying His Law Firm Was Bigger

A Virginia solo practitioner has been suspended partly for holding out his law firm as a bigger operation. Jason Matthew Head, a Virginia Beach lawyer, began calling his law firm Jason Head & Associates in May 2009, although he was the only lawyer in the firm, according to findings cited…

Feb 24, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Virginia AG Uses Rare ‘Writ of Innocence’ to Ask Court to Release Prisoner

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, in papers filed with the Virginia Court of Appeals on Tuesday, said that a prisoner, who prosecutors now believe was wrongly accused of committing a series of rapes more than two decades ago, should be freed. Thomas Haynesworth, 45, should be released from prison…

Feb 18, 2011 7:44 PM CST

Va. Judge Ignores State Supreme Court Ruling After Deciding It’s Just Plain Wrong

The Virginia Supreme Court was unanimous when it ruled last month that state judges can’t use a writ of error coram vobis to reopen the cases of immigrants who weren’t informed that they could be deported after a criminal conviction. But Judge Dean Worcester, the chief general district judge in…

Feb 7, 2011 2:23 PM CST

Va. Gov Proposes Shifting $5M in Lawyer Bar Dues to State’s General Fund

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to tap lawyers to help balance the state’s budget. McDonnell wants to transfer $5 million from the Virginia State Bar’s cash reserves to shore up the state’s general fund, the Associated Press reports. The money comes from mandatory bar dues and fees. J. Tucker Martin,…

Feb 2, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Spitball-Equivalent Incident Gets Boy, 14, Expelled From High School and Criminally Charged

Bored, a 14-year-old Virginia high school student admittedly did a dumb thing in the cafeteria during lunch period. He blew small plastic pellets at fellow students through a plastic pen tube, striking three. “They flinched. They looked annoyed,” Andrew Mikel II told the Washington Post. Now the Spotsylvania High School…

Feb 2, 2011 1:42 AM CST

Highly Regarded Va. Lawyer Killed in Police Standoff

A Virginia lawyer who practiced law with his wife was shot and killed by police Friday after he fired shots in an eight-hour standoff at his home. The lawyer, Richard Ferris II of Chesterfield, was “highly regarded” for his civil and family law practice, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports. He…

Jan 31, 2011 12:27 PM CST

Warm Smile and Calm Spirit Helps Former Legal Secretary Make Transition to Nursing Field

Corrected: Laid off for a year from her former job as a legal secretary, Janet Studenski wasn’t going to take a chance of missing the news if she was hired for the overnight hospice job she’d been seeking. So she even carried her cellphone into the bathroom, reports the Charlotte…

Jan 12, 2011 8:26 PM CST

Ex-CIA Agent Charged in Alleged Leaks to Reporter; WaPo Says Info May Have Gone to NY Times

A former CIA officer has been federally indicted for allegedly leaking classified information to an unidentified reporter. Citing unidentified attorneys and former intelligence officials, the Washington Post reports that the journalist to whom Jeffrey Sterling, 43, is accused of leaking information is James Risen of the New York Times. The…

Jan 6, 2011 10:32 PM CST

Judge Strikes Down Part of Health Care Law

A federal judge in Virginia has struck down the insurance mandate in the new health care law. The ruling (PDF) by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson is the first to strike down any part of the law, CNN reports. The government has won two other rulings on the merits in…

Dec 13, 2010 5:25 PM CST

Courthouse Holiday Display Includes ‘Star Wars’ Message and Atheist Contributions

Updated: The holiday display at a courthouse in Leesburg, Va., includes a Star Wars message and five atheist contributions under a new policy that grants permits for 10 displays on a first-come, first-served basis. One display is a large “letter from Jesus” appealing for kindness and civility that was written…

Dec 13, 2010 2:18 PM CST

Amended Law Drops ‘At,’ Resulting in Acquittal

A Virginia man accused of passing a stopped school bus has been acquitted because an amended law dropped the word “at.” The law as amended in 1970 requires drivers to stop school buses, rather than to stop at them, the Washington Post reports. The law reads: “A person is guilty…

Dec 1, 2010 1:29 PM CST