The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) articles from September 2007

The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) archives from September 2007

Corrections.
September 1, 2007... Sep. 1--CORRECTIONS Brian Van der Linden was captain of the Bennett s Creek midget football team -- not the Nansemond River High School team. A photo caption in Wednesday's Co-Pilot contained an error. Pete Cascio, who was included in...

Merritt takes silver in 400 at world meet.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Larry Rubama Sep. 1--For LaShawn Merritt, second place isn't bad at all. In fact, it's quite an accomplishment. Merritt, a Portsmouth native, won a silver medal Friday as the United States swept the 400 meters at the World...

Richmond 6, Tides 2.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Rich Radford Sep. 1--THE RICHMOND BRAVES batted around in the fourth inning, scoring four runs. That was enough as the Tides fell in front of a capacity-plus crowd at Harbor Park. This old man, he played... ... designated...

Labor Day closings across Hampton Roads.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Virginia Cruciano Sep. 1--Courts and Municipal Offices All state courts and city offices will be closed Monday. Financial Institutions Most bank and credit unions will be closed Monday. Contact specific institutions...

Kaine seeks to mitigate litigation from Tech victims' families.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Christina Nuckols Sep. 1--RICHMOND Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Friday he hopes to assuage angry and heartbroken Tech parents with offers of additional financial assistance. But he acknowledges that may not be enough to avoid...

NSU board concerned about planned light-rail line.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Matthew Bowers Sep. 1--NORFOLK The tragedy at Virginia Tech helped spur Norfolk State University's governing board to step up its opposition to aspects of the city's long-sought light-rail line. The Board of Visitors voted...

Navy lieutenant convicted of assault, fraternization.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Kate Wiltrout Sep. 1--NORFOLK A Navy lieutenant was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting one Air Force enlisted woman and fraternizing with two others during a military exercise in Bahrain in April 2004. After four days...

Drunken driving fatalities up in Virginia.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Jen Mccaffery Sep. 1--Virginia police officers will be out in force looking to nab drunken drivers this Labor Day weekend, the third-most-deadly holiday for alcohol-related deaths. The annual Checkpoint Strikeforce efforts are...

Former winner says Sunday's elite field is 'strong, really strong'.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Paul White Sep. 1--Haron Toroitich flashes a smile when talk of his 2004 victory in the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon comes up. A $25,000 smile. Three years ago, Toroitich and good friend and fellow Kenyan Joshua Chelanga...

Gibbs, Toyota will be winners in long run, Kyle Busch predicts.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 1--FONTANA, Calif. Kyle Busch confirmed Friday that Joe Gibbs Racing will switch to Toyota next season. The move gives the manufacturer a team that has won three series titles in seven years, but it creates...

Sen. John Warner won't seek re-election.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Dale Eisman Sep. 1--CHARLOTTESVILLE U.S. Sen. John Warner, who through three decades in office transformed himself from an object of curiosity and occasional ridicule into a respected elder, announced Friday that he'll retire...

A few things you need to know to get the most out of Labor Day.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Philip Walzer Sep. 1--WHO GETS THE DAY OFF? Banks, most government offices, local colleges and many businesses, for starters. At some places, the bosses take off, while the underlings toil on. Norfolk Southern Corp.'s...

Fleet Forces Command gets second leader in a year.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Kate Wiltrout Sep. 1--The secretary of defense on Friday nominated Vice Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert to head the Navy's Fleet Forces Command -- the second nomination to that post this year. Greenert, a three-star admiral currently...

Judgment awaits businessman in failed soccer deal.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Marc Davis Sep. 1--VIRGINIA BEACH If you see Mike Sidebottom, tell him his lawsuit is over. And he lost. Apparently he doesn't know. But he now owes $551,000. Sidebottom is the Florida businessman who signed a...

Commonwealth's attorney will probe assessments in Suffolk.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Aaron Applegate Sep. 1--SUFFOLK The commonwealth's attorney has opened an inquiry into the circumstances that led to some homeowners in three neighborhoods getting reductions in their real estate assessments earlier this year....

EDITORIAL: Graceful exit for Sen. Warner.(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... Sep. 1--Virginians have long admired John Warner's ability to slice through temporary clutter and zero in on larger truths. So no one should be surprised that he remains clear-eyed, even when the focus is himself. Much as Virginians...

EDITORIAL: No place for guns at council sessions.(Editorial)
September 1, 2007... Sep. 1--The fevered words directed toward the Norfolk City Council Tuesday night by the Virginia Citizens Defense League offered another reminder of the dangerous double standard Virginia observes on firearms in public spaces. For reasons...

Road closures, repairs suspended to ease holiday congestion.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Tom Holden Sep. 1--State road repair crews won't be blocking regional traffic for the next few days. Lane closures near interstate construction and maintenance projects will be lifted where possible during the Labor Day weekend...

Warner's retirement expected to roil '08 election.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Dale Eisman Sep. 1--CHARLOTTESVILLE Sen. John Warner's retirement catapults Virginia onto the list of likely battleground states for the 2008 election, with Democrats hoping to build on their recent successes and Republicans...

Hokies need more than emotion vs. ECU.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Kyle Tucker Sep. 1--BLACKSBURG Oh, by the way, there's a football game today. It's easy to forget about first downs, fumbles and field goals when the talk, for months now, has been about tragedy and healing and the...

Born to run? Then get set to hit the road, Jack.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Paul White Sep. 1--Need a tune-up for Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon? Check out this playlist: Shiny Happy People 20,000 of them, from every state and 19 countries, have signed on, creating another sellout field....

Spartans know first foe's no pushover.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Vicki L. Friedman Sep. 1--NORFOLK Pete Adrian calls it the Super Bowl. Sounds a little over the top, even for pregame hype, doesn't it, considering it's only Division I-AA Norfolk State taking on Division II Virginia...

Cavs' defense well stocked to play smash hits this year.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Ed Miller Sep. 1--Mike London will turn 47 next month, but he tries to stay current on what's hot in music and fashion among college students less than half his age. "If you're going to be successful dealing with people,...

For Virginia Tech, today will be a game to remember.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Kyle Tucker Sep. 1--BLACKSBURG For the past 100 days, Virginia Tech's athletics Web site has featured a countdown clock for this season's first football game. Hokies quarterback Sean Glennon checks it daily , "just to make...

Maury falls to defending state champs 46-21.
September 1, 2007... Byline: Larry Rubama Sep. 1--HAMPTON The Maury Commodores are no doubt going to be a good football team. But the Phoebus Phantoms showed the Commodores that they still have a lot of work to do. Phoebus, the defending Division...

History, fiction mix in 'Goya's Ghosts'.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Mal Vincent Sep. 2--MORE INTERESTING as history than drama, "Goya's Ghosts" is a sweeping epic that may send you rushing to your reference books as well as to art museums. It covers 20 years of Spanish turmoil from the Spanish...

Labor Day closings across Hampton Roads.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Virginia Cruciano Sep. 2--Courts and Municipal Offices All state courts and city offices will be closed Monday. Financial Institutions Most bank and credit unions will be closed Monday. Contact specific institutions...

Norfolk, Richmond to help each other during disasters.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Michelle Washington Sep. 2--NORFOLK Hurricane Katrina taught city officials that Norfolk needed a plan to move people who had no transportation out of harm's way. Now, in the first such arrangement in the state, a...

Beach decides home in rural area is no place for a religious center.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Richard Quinn Sep. 2--VIRGINIA BEACH Is it a home? Or a house of worship? A four-acre ranch near the corner of Princess Anne and West Neck roads is both, and the ambiguity has created a face-off between religion and...

Jones' 125 rushing yards help NSU roll despite 4 turnovers.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Vicki L. Friedman Sep. 2--NORFOLK Last season, mistakes prevented Norfolk State from winning football games. In Saturday's Labor Day Classic, the Spartans routed Virginia State despite them. NSU overcame four turnovers in...

EDITORIAL: Nothing to lose for WTKR news.(Editorial)
September 2, 2007... Sep. 2--EVEN IF IT IS an accident, WTKR NewsChannel 3's decision to forgo most sports coverage in its nightly newscasts is a welcome change. Sports Director Cory Curtis' departure spurred the format tweak, but in an industry where nightly...

Trouble pushes many toward faith, experts say.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Steven G. Vegh Sep. 2--The threat of criminal prosecution for dogfighting wrung two confessions from football star Michael Vick last week: a guilty plea and a statement of faith that sounded a lot like a jailhouse conversion. ...

Elizabeth City schools shuffle classrooms.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Lauren King Sep. 2--ELIZABETH CITY J.C. Sawyer Elementary School's library shrank during the summer break to make more classroom space. At Weeksville Elementary, walls and doors were installed in the library's mezzanine to...

Camden County developments expected to create overflow at schools.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Jeff Hampton Sep. 2--CAMDEN Camden County High School freshman Sara Metz pulled M&M's from her purse as she sat at a cafeteria table Friday. They would be her lunch. Lines were long and tables were nearly full. No time...

Richmond 7, Tides 5.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Rich Radford Sep. 2--THE NORFOLK TIDES WENT DOWN kicking and screaming Saturday night, Alberto Castillo did the kicking and manager Gary Allenson did the screaming. The targets were home plate, which Castillo covered with dirt, and...

Cavs suffer deflating loss to Wyoming in season opener.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Ed Miller Sep. 2--LARAMIE, WY. Out here on the High Plains, 1,700 miles and two time zones from home, Virginia looked utterly lost Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers began a season of higher expectations with a deflating...

Freshman QB surprised to see some late action for U. Va.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Ed Miller Sep. 2--LARAMIE, Wy. -- Peter Lalich was as surprised as anyone when he got the call late in Virginia's 23-3 loss to Wyoming Saturday afternoon. "I was making dummy calls on the sideline," he said, "and I heard on...

Virginia Tech struggles but gets the win.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Kyle Tucker Sep. 2--BLACKSBURG The pregame memorial set the tone for Virginia Tech's first football game since the tragedy that took 32 lives here in April. And when the ninth-ranked Hokies kicked off to East Carolina, just...

'Balls of Fury' bounces between silly, funny.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Mal Vincent Sep. 2--We once wrote, in a disgruntled mood, that there was probably nowhere left for writers of underdog sports movies to go. That was most likely after we had sat through "Blades of Glory" (ice skating) and recalled...

Post Script: Travel and bridge fanatic played the hand life dealt her.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Jim Washington Sep. 2--SUFFOLK Millie Milton would not have said she had a tough life. Her mother died when Millie was 5 years old, and she was sent to live in a convent. Then she bounced between schools in Hampton,...

Next in biofuels: Poultry power.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Scott Harper Sep. 2--BLACKSBURG Poultry poop is a serious ecological problem in Virginia. So is the burning of fossil fuels. So it's not surprising that environmentalists and farmers are so enthused by a Virginia Tech...

Roanoke Island community center in planning stage.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Kristin Davis Sep. 2--ROANOKE ISLAND A planned multi generational center on Roanoke Island is taking shape, at least on paper. The Dare County Board of Commissioners selected Oakley Collier Architects for the project last...

Environmental groups seek probe of Oregon Inlet bridge plan.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Catherine Kozak Sep. 2--Sixteen years of start-stop-start-stop planning for a new bridge over Oregon Inlet seemed doomed to another stall last week when two environmental groups asked for a federal investigation of the legality of...

EDITORIAL: Payday lenders face credit crusade.(Editorial)
September 2, 2007... Sep. 2--THERE HAS ALWAYS been something repugnant about the payday loan industry and its imprisoning of people too poor to fight back. It is bad enough that lenders charge desperate people an annual interest rate of 390 percent, usurious...

OPINION: When privacy walls need to be scaled.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Margaret Edds Sep. 2--ONE OF MY KIDS ONCE had a college apartment mate who showed signs of deterioration. From afar, my husband and I agonized over what to do. Was this a passing phase or a sign of real trouble? Did the parents...

Long's 3 interceptions pace CNU.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Christopher A. Vito Sep. 2--NEWPORT NEWS Christopher Newport's season opener rested firmly in Matt Long's hands. Literally. The Kellam graduate set a school record with three interceptions, pacing the Captains to a...

NASCAR report: Rudd to reach 900-race mark at California.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 2--FONTANA, Calif. -- Ricky Rudd jokes that his latest NASCAR achievement just means he's old. The Chesapeake native, who turns 51 in less than two weeks, will make his 900th start in NASCAR's top series...

Norfolk library and foundation selling calendars as fundraiser.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Debbie Messina Sep. 2--NORFOLK Ever seen the stunning images of the Monticello Hotel fire of 1923, which stymied firefighters when water turned to icicles that clung to the building and to the fire truck? What about the...

2007 a mixed year for state tourism, despite Jamestown.
September 2, 2007... Byline: Michelle E. Shaw Sep. 2--JAMESTOWN This summer, tourism in Virginia was supposed to be off the charts. With the 400th anniversary of Jamestown leading the way, state officials once estimated more than a million people would...

EDITORIAL: Spotlight on failure is NCLB's virtue.(Editorial)
September 3, 2007... Sep. 3--Critics of the federal No Child Left Behind law need to visit the 547 students at Petersburg's Vernon Johns Middle School and the 443 children at Richmond's Chandler Middle School and explain their skepticism. Those 990 youths,...

They're going gray and bringing home pay.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Linda Mcnatt Sep. 3--Annie Green started working for the Fresh Pride grocery chain 25 years ago in the meat department. She's 88 now, and has no plans to retire anytime soon. She needs the money. And she loves her job. The...

Meet Norfolk Collegiate tennis player Casey Dashiell ...
September 3, 2007... Byline: Vicki L. Friedman Sep. 3--Tennis is in the blood for Norfolk Collegiate's Casey Dashiell. Uncle Bill played for James Madison. Uncles Curtis and Mike played for the Naval Academy. Cousin Rob Brown was the last player from the...

RVs set sights on America's beauty by day, Wal-Mart by night.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Joanne Kimberlin Sep. 3--Ah, freedom. The sweet call of the open road. Thousands answer it every summer when they climb into an RV and strike out, bound for windswept beaches, spacious skies, a brush with that purple mountain...

The robbery got $4, but juvenile home paid the price.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Susan E. White Sep. 3--VIRGINIA BEACH For more than a decade, a group home for troubled youth has operated quietly in the city, the last year or so from a two-story brick home near Rosemont Forest. Neighbors have had few,...

Johnson wins in Calif., Earnhardt looks to Richmond.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 3--FONTANA, Calif. One chance. That's all Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to make NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup. And it's not a good chance at that. Still, if a wild set of circumstances come together...

In church, Vick hears a message about redemption.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Linda Mcnatt Sep. 3--CHESAPEAKE Last week, fallen NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges in federal court. He apologized and said he'd turned his life over to God. On Saturday, he was at a...

For some in Hatteras, Isabel's effects linger.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Catherine Kozak Sep. 3--Hatteras Debbie Lambert will never forget her 43rd birthday. It was the day Hurricane Isabel tore her life apart. As her fellow villagers prepare to celebrate their community's survival four years...

BRIEF: Redskins receiver, tight end claimed off waivers.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jim Ducibella Sep. 3--The Washington Redskins claimed wide receiver Shaun Bodiford and tight end Cody Boyd off waivers Sunday and cut tight end Eric Edwards. Bodiford played the 2007 preseason with Green Bay and recorded two...

Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon notebook.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Paul White Sep. 3--Happy Birthday The plan was for Susan Majoy to celebrate her 50th birthday in Las Vegas. That is, until Majoy's friends persuaded her to mark the occasion by beginning a road-racing career at Sunday's...

The Buzz: Undefeeted.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Marc Tandan Sep. 3--Instead of putting his foot in his mouth, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, above, is placing it on the dance floor for the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars." Will he waltz with Dirk Nowitzki? No, Cuban will...

EDITORIAL: Keep close eye on crime cameras.(Editorial)
September 3, 2007... Sep. 3--There are two kinds of cameras watching Americans as they go about their lives. The first is a simple extension of people already watching us. "Dumb" cameras capture public behavior, say on a street corner or in a store or bank,...

This summer was hotter than it likely felt.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Steve Stone Sep. 3--It may not have seemed that bad, but this summer in Virginia was hot. The average temperature for June, July and August at the National Weather Service station at Norfolk International Airport was 78.3 ,...

What's closed for the Labor Day holiday.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Virginia Cruciano Sep. 3--Courts and Municipal Offices All state courts and city offices will be closed today. Financial Institutions Most banks and credit unions will be closed today. Contact specific institutions for...

No computer, no problem. Go to the library.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mike Cherney Sep. 3--Many patrons at the Oceanfront Area Library in Virginia Beach come and go without even thinking of touching a book. Forget novels and encyclopedias. They want the Internet. And best of all, it's free. ...

NASCAR notes: Hall of Fame racing finds new ownership.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 3--FONTANA, Calif. Hall of Fame Racing is the latest Nextel Cup team to add new owners as NASCAR's rush for more money continues. Two executives with Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks will be...

Beach tries to make drug dealers' homes its newest cash crop.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Duane Bourne Sep. 3--VIRGINIA BEACH A nice five-bedroom house in Pungo sits on 8 acres of land well suited for farming. And it's being sold by the city because of the previous owner's illegal harvest. He ran one of...

Former champs lead the way at Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Amy Coutee Sep. 3--VIRGINIA BEACH The first man and woman to cross the finish line at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on Sunday were familiar in racing circles, Ken-yans Haron Toroitich and Edna Kiplagat. Toroitich, who...

Off the Hook: Massive ray was shocking catch.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Lee Tolliver Sep. 3--Like most anglers who work the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, Jason Bell has caught plenty of pesky skates and rays. But he never had seen anything like this before. Fishing at the Sea Gull pier on the...

Outdoors Report: Beach man finally qualifies as master angler.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Lee Tolliver Sep. 3--David Gaither spent too much of his fishing time helping other people catch fish. Maybe that's why it took him 11 years to become a Master Angler. The Master Angler program is part of the Virginia...

BRIEF: Norfolk police ID man found dead on Tidewater Drive.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jen Mccaffery Sep. 3--NORFOLK Police identified a Norfolk man found dead Sunday night on Tidewater Drive. The victim was Edward C. Bellamy of the 1000 block of Lindenwood Ave., Norfolk police spokesman Chris Amos said. ...

ODU report says affordable housing scarce.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Robert Mccabe Sep. 4--NORFOLK Another Labor Day has come and gone, but the increasingly high cost of finding a place to live remains a problem for thousands of workers across Hampton Roads -- including renters. For the...

Proposed ethanol plant developers turn up the heat.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Mike Saewitz Sep. 4--CHESAPEAKE On Aug. 6, Councilman C.E. "Cliff" Hayes Jr. told a handful of people that developer International Bio Energy Virginia LLC had failed to convince residents of the need for a 216...

As public schools start, men asked to 'march' kids there.
September 4, 2007... Byline: John-Henry Doucette Sep. 4--For locals taking up a national movement, today is the day for fathers to be the men children need as role models. School is back for the year, and the Million Father March, founded by Chicago's...

Judge rules Granby Tower pile drivers out of order.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Tim Mcglone Sep. 4--NORFOLK The wheels of progress are clashing with the wheels of justice. Incessant pile driving at the Granby Tower construction site is driving some federal court judges and staff to distraction. ...

BRIEF: Norfolk police ID man found dead on Tidewater Drive.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Jen Mccaffery Sep. 4--NORFOLK Police identified a Norfolk man found dead Sunday night on Tidewater Drive. The victim was Edward C. Bellamy of the 1000 block of Lindenwood Ave., Norfolk police spokesman Chris Amos said. ...

Portsmouth Guard unit is ready for Iraq.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Louis Hansen Sep. 4--HATTIESBURG, Miss. Snipers and roadside bombs spiked the dirt and gravel route through the swamps at Camp Shelby. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Messick barked a string of orders to his three-man crew above the...

BRIEF: The Akers Twins take the field together.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Video By Chic Riebel and Kerry Sipe Sep. 4--Alison and Rachel Akers are senior field hockey players at First Colonial High School. The identical twins have identical skills and have made an identical choice about where to play in...

EDITORIAL: Louisville gift hits a home run with boy.(Editorial)
September 4, 2007... Sep. 4--THE BOX WAS skinny, so my son figured it might be a golf club for me. Then he saw the address, and knew it could be something much better. But that gets ahead of the story. The beginning comes a few years ago, when my oldest...

BRIEF: Traffic: Jordan Bridge in Chesapeake will open at 8 a.m.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Cindy Clayton Sep. 4--At 7:30 a.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation was reporting the following traffic issues: Downtown Tunnel Traffic was backed up across the Berkley Bridge on the Norfolk side. Traffic was...

Is your pet registered? Beach hopes to find out - and collect.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Richard Quinn Sep. 4--VIRGINIA BEACH There are an estimated 300,000 Fidos and Whiskers in this city. Less than 10 percent are registered. Who cares? Well, when one of those pets bites someone, animal control officers...

Beach animal control officers appeal overtime policy.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Duane Bourne Sep. 4--VIRGINIA BEACH Two animal control officers recently complained that they should be treated the same as other law enforcement employees when it comes to overtime pay. The problem: They're not public...

Soldier's suspicious death in Ocean View fire still a mystery.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Matthew Roy Sep. 4--NORFOLK Friends and family remember him as a strong young man full of life. Charles J. Liegel Jr. was 28 years old, an Army staff sergeant who was seeing the world as part of a security detail that...

Charity begins at work, ends with new science wing in Beach.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Lauren Roth Sep. 4--Virginia Beach When Jim and Karen Sparks donated $1 million to help Cape Henry Collegiate School build a new science wing, it didn't come as much of a surprise to those who know them. They've been helping...

EDITORIAL: No reason for cheer in China's stumbles.(Editorial)
September 4, 2007... Sep. 4--Every day seems to bring more bad news about the dangers hiding behind the label "Made in China." The latest is a Toys 'R' Us recall of 27,000 crayon and paint sets after lead turned up in the watercolors and the packaging. China's...