inRich News Main

Rays beat White Sox, head to AL championship series

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 21:31:42 -0400

CHICAGO -- The Tampa Bay Rays, who had the worst record in Major League Baseball last year, finished off the Chicago White Sox 6-2 today in the first round of the American League playoffs. The Rays move on to the AL championship series to play for a spot in the World Series against the winner of the playoff round between the Boston Red Sox and the L.A. Angels. The league championship series starts Friday.

Richmond council takes no action on regional transportation authority

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 21:07:41 -0400

Richmond City Council took no action this evening on a proposal to create a regional transportation authority in the Richmond metropolitan area. In an unusual joint meeting with Mayor L. Douglas Wilder tonight, council members heard a presentation about the proposal, which includes giving a new authority power to increase several taxes to pay for transportation projects.

VCU's Critical Care Hospital to be dedicated Tuesday

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 20:26:34 -0400

VCU's new $192 million Critical Care Hospital will be dedicated Tuesday, and in the coming days patients will be moved into the 15-level hospital sandwiched between the visitor parking garage and Main Hospital. The new hospital has 232 single-patient rooms, an expanded and updated burn center, 10 new operating rooms, a neonatal intensive care floor with 32 private rooms and four double rooms for twins, plus intensive care floors dedicated to neurosurgery, cardiology, trauma, respiratory and oncology.

Voter registration closes after brisk, last-minute activity

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 19:56:31 -0400

Registrars from rural Washington County to the Washington D.C. suburbs reported brisk business as thousands rushed to add their names to Virginia's voter rolls in person or through the mail ahead of today's 5 p.m. deadline. Thomas Lenahan hurried down to Richmond's City Hall an hour-and-a-half before the state's registration deadline to add his name to the list of Richmond voters.

I-85 southbound to reopen about 10 p.m.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 18:45:28 -0400

State police are working to reopen southbound Interstate 85 after a tractor-trailer overturned earlier this evening near mile marker 59 in Dinwiddie County.

Budget cuts could require layoffs at VCU

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:49:40 -0400

State budget reductions could result in up to 54 layoffs at Virginia Commonwealth University under the cost-cutting contingency plans ordered by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. VCU's board of visitors was told yesterday that a 15-percent reduction might mean the elimination of 238 positions for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins next July. As many as 54 of those jobs could come through layoffs, with the remainder through attrition or hiring delays.

I.M. Pei's firm to help design VCU School of Medicine

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:36:39 -0400

A team that includes an internationally known architectural firm has been selected to design the $138 million School of Medicine building on the Virginia Commonwealth University medical campus. The VCU Board of Visitors today approved a $10 million architectural and engineering contract with the team of Ballinger, a Philadelphia-based architecture and engineering firm, and I.M. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York.

Fan use linked to lower risk of SIDS

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:05:39 -0400

CHICAGO (AP) -- Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported today. Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death. Experts also recommend a firm mattress, removing toys and pillows from cribs, and keeping infants from getting too warm.

Two U.Va. football players found not guilty of misdemeanor charges

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 15:54:38 -0400

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- University of Virginia football players Will Barker and Dave Roberts were found not guilty of misdemeanor petit larceny charges today in Charlottesville General District Court.

Roanoke man indicted for 2 murders, 2 rapes

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 15:25:36 -0400

A Roanoke man serving a 50-year sentence on sexual assault convictions was indicted today for two murders and two other rapes that occurred almost 25 years ago. Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell said a grand jury charged William Ray Hagy Jr. with the Nov. 28, 1984, murder of Cynthia McCray; the May 17, 1985, rape and murder of Audrey West; and the rape and abduction of a woman on Oct. 24, 1984.

Fed to provide as much as $900B in loans to banks

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:56:35 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve will provide as much as $900 billion in cash loans to squeezed banks in an urgent effort today to break through a dangerous credit clog that threatens the economy and has unhinged financial markets around the globe. The Fed's action is aimed at spurring spooked financial institutions, which are hoarding cash, to lend not only to each other but also to individuals and businesses.

eBay to cut work force by 10 percent

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:53:05 -0400

THE LAYOFFS: EBay Inc. is eliminating 1,600 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force. The online auction site operator will cut 1,000 full-time employees and let several hundred temporary and part-time workers go. It will also leave some open positions unfilled. THE EXPLANATION: EBay CEO John Donahoe said the cuts will make the company "more responsive and nimble" and let it reinvest in growth areas like its online payments service, PayPal.

McCain, Palin coming to Virginia next Monday

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:16:42 -0400

Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, will appear in Virginia Beach next Monday morning at the resort city's convention center. That afternoon, Palin will stump in Richmond. She'll be the headliner at a rally at the Arthur Ashe Center. The GOP ticket was last in Virginia in September. McCain and Palin appeared at a rally in Fairfax, in the vote-rich -- and increasingly Democratic -- Washington suburbs of Northern Virginia.

Richmond's mayoral candidates field questions from students

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:01:42 -0400

Today's students are tomorrow's leaders. That was the message to young people from the five candidates for Richmond mayor. More than 600 students from 17 schools across the area came together today at St. Catherine's School to hear candidates share their thoughts on public education and other topics. Concerns raised by students included public transportation, baseball in Richmond and the perception that city government often is seen as ineffective and corrupt.

Citigroup sues Wachovia, Wells Fargo for $60B

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 13:19:38 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) -- Citigroup has filed a complaint in New York Supreme Court against Wachovia, Wells Fargo and the directors of both companies seeking more than $60 billion in damages for interfering with the bank's planned takeover of Wachovia's banking operations. The complaint seeks more than $20 billion in compensatory damages and more than $40 billion in punitive damages from Wells Fargo for tortious interference. Citigroup also seeks relief from Wachovia for its bad faith breach of the banks' contract.

Thomas Dale student to serve 90 days for text-message threats

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:56:05 -0400

Ashley M. Vaughan, 18, was sentenced this afternoon to 15 years in jail, with all but three months suspended, for three felony convictions stemming from the threats sent on the morning of Jan. 22.

U.Va. announces game time for UNC matchup

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:53:04 -0400

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The University of Virginia's Oct. 18 football game against North Carolina at Scott Stadium will start at 3:30 p.m., the ACC announced today. The game will be televised regionally by ABC and shown in other parts of the country on ESPN2. For ticket information, call (800) 542-8821 or visit www.virginiasports.com.

Va. registrars abuzz ahead of today's 5 p.m. deadline

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:50:33 -0400

"It's been very busy this morning," said Inez Poe, the voter registrar in Powhatan County. "The phone is ringing off the hook."

Denny Hamlin released from hospital

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 11:45:01 -0400

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Denny Hamlin was released from a hospital today, a day after a tire failure led to a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Hamlin was kept overnight for observation at a Birmingham hospital after his car slammed into a wall. He was alert and awake when he was transported to the UAB Medical Center on Sunday, but was complaining of a headache and possibly had a concussion. He was also favoring his right foot after a slow exit from his crumpled car. Hamlin, one of 12 drivers racing for the Sprint Cup title, was leading midway through the race when his right front tire failed and his Toyota shot into the outside wall. He said nothing over his in-car radio after the hit and took several moments to get out of the car. Hamlin, a former resident of Chesterfield County, Va., was 39th in the race and fell to 12th in the Chase standings.

Prosecutor: DNA links Va. rape convict to 2 slayings

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 11:19:31 -0400

ROANOKE -- Roanoke's chief prosecutor says DNA evidence has linked a prison inmate to two unsolved slayings and a rape from the 1980s. Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell says recent DNA matches have linked William Ray Hagy Jr. to three additional crimes in 1984 and 1985. They are the stranglings of 21-year-old Cindy McCray and 33-year-old Audrey West and the rape of a 17-year-old.

Dow plunges below 10,000; lowest level since 2004

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 10:56:24 -0400

Wall Street is plunging, with the Dow Jones industrials down more than 500 points amid growing fears that the credit crisis is spreading around the world.

Richmond council to consider regional transportation authority tonight

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 08:41:26 -0400

A proposal to create a regional transportation authority in the Richmond metropolitan area will come before City Council at a special meeting tonight. Council has scheduled a meeting at 6:30 p.m., following its monthly Organizational Development Committee meeting, to consider the proposal, drafted by a special committee of the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission.Local officials are considering asking the 2009 General Assembly to establish an authority that would use new and increased taxes and fees to finance local and regional transportation projects, primarily new roads.

Biden's mother-in-law dies

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 08:13:55 -0400

Joe Biden's mother-in-law has died, according to the vice presidential candidate's campaign. The Delaware senator is canceling all campaign events today and tomorrow. Bonny Jacobs, Jill Biden's mother, had been sick for some time and lived in a hospice. She was 78. Biden was scheduled to appear over the weekend in Virginia but canceled those visits to be with his family.

Va.-based sailor dies after being struck by plane during training

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 08:09:25 -0400

NORFOLK -- A sailor on board the Norfolk-based carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower died after a plane struck him during a weekend training exercise. The Navy says the incident happened at 8:16 p.m. Saturday while the ship was on a training exercise off the coast of North Carolina. Navy officials are investigating. The Navy has not identified the sailor, pending notification of the family.

Altria/Philip Morris suit first up in new Supreme Court term today

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 07:35:23 -0400

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court opens a new term today with denials expected in hundreds of appeals and arguments over limits on lawsuits against tobacco companies. The court's term begins, by law, on the first Monday in October. The justices had roughly 2,000 appeals before them at their private conference last week. They accepted 10 for argument next year and are expected to dispose of hundreds of others when they convene in their marble courtroom at 10 a.m.

Warning: Kids shouldn't have turtles, lizards, hamsters as pets

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 07:30:23 -0400

Warning: young children should not keep hedgehogs as pets -- or hamsters, baby chicks, lizards and turtles -- because of risks for disease. That's according to the nation's leading pediatricians' group in a new report about dangers from exotic animals. Besides evidence that they can carry dangerous and sometimes potentially deadly germs, exotic pets may be more prone than cats and dogs to bite, scratch or claw -- putting children younger than 5 particularly at risk, the report says.

Third time a charm? Richmond board votes tonight on charter school

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 07:14:23 -0400

Richmond will consider putting a new school in an old school building tonight, when the School Board votes a third time on the proposed Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts. The proposed charter school would operate in the former Patrick Henry Elementary School in South Richmond's Woodland Heights neighborhood next to Forest Hill Park.

Voter registration deadline today

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 06:28:52 -0400

To cast a ballot in Virginia on Nov. 4, you must register to vote by 5 p.m. today.

Richmond man held in mother's death

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 06:27:22 -0400

David Ray Worsham, 55, appeared via closed-circuit TV this morning for an arraignment in Richmond court. He is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 83-year-old mother.

Some White Oak stores open this week in eastern Henrico

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 06:22:22 -0400

The Shops at White Oak Village in eastern Henrico County won't open until next Monday, but curious shoppers can get an early look at several of the center's retailers. The Ukrop's Super Market and PetSmart open tomorrow, Target opens Wednesday, OfficeMax opens Thursday, and Lowe's opens Sunday. The center, off Interstate 64 and Laburnum Avenue, sits on 136 acres and has more than 900,000 square feet of retail space.