President Biden honors Veterans in 70th annual observance at Arlington National Cemetery
President Biden is expected to participate in the 70th annual National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery starting at 11 a.m. Saturday to honor the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the U.S. armed forces during war and peacetime.
China tells tech manufacturers to stop using Micron chips, stepping up feud with United States
China has stepped up a feud with Washington over security by telling users of computer equipment deemed sensitive to stop buying products from the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker, Micron Technology Inc. The country's cyberspace agency says Micron products have unspecified โserious network security risksโ that threaten Chinaโs information infrastructure and affect national security.
Airport crowds, airline ticket sales show travel recovering
An American Airlines jet sits parked at a gate as light snow falls at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Arlington, Va. American Airlines says bookings are coming back they're nearly at pre-pandemic levels. Gasoline demand is up too, as more Americans travel by car. โI would just sort of reiterate the recommendations from CDC, saying please limit travel to essential travel for the time being.โNew reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have increased 18% in the past two weeks. However, deaths declined 29% over that same period, to an average of 1,363 per day to 970 per day by Sunday. White House officials said Monday that more than 50 million Americans โ nearly one in five adults โ are now fully vaccinated.
VA to begin vaccinating vets under 65 with high-risk conditions, essential workers
Donna Garlitz lives in Jacksonville but was in Lake City on Thursday to get her first shot of the vaccine. The VAโs Health Service will also vaccinate high-risk veterans who are homeless, hemodialysis patients, solid organ transplant patients or patients enlisted for transplant, and chemotherapy patients of any age. It will also vaccinate veterans employed as essential workers (firefighters, police officers, corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers and those who work in the educational sector (teachers, support staff and daycare workers) of any age. AdThe clinics will continue to vaccinate anyone in the VA system age 65 and above. AdAs supply increases and Veterans Health Service has filled the needs of veterans who meet the current criteria, additional groups of veterans will have the opportunity to schedule an appointment.
US retail sales jumps 5.3%, thanks to $600 stimulus checks
NEW YORK โ Those $600 stimulus checks got Americans shopping again. After three months of declines, retail sales soared a seasonally adjusted 5.3% in January from the month before, the U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday. The $600 stimulus checks, sent out at the very end of last year, pushed people to buy new furniture, clothing and appliances. Darryl Crum bought a new washing machine with his stimulus money, since his old one wasnโt spinning clothes well enough anymore. Besides strong sales at furniture and appliance stores, sales jumped an eye-popping 23.5% at department stores after slumping 3% in the last year.
VA giving COVID-19 vaccinations to patients holding essential jobs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System is now offering the COVID-19 vaccination to veterans who receive care at the VA and are in the following professions:FirefightersPolice officersCorrections officersFood and agricultural workersGrocery store workersU.S. Postal Service workersManufacturing workersPublic transit workersEducational sector (teachers, support staff and daycare workers)Veterans may call 352-548-6000 ext. 103755, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays to schedule an appointment. Appointments are limited, and veterans unable to schedule an appointment will be documented and contacted when additional scheduling options are available. Qualifying veterans may receive the COVID-19 vaccination at no cost.
Virginia Tech women upset No. 2 NC State 83-71 in OT
BLACKSBURG, Va. โ Kenny Brooks has won nearly 63% of his games since becoming the Virginia Tech womenโs basketball coach in 2016. Aisha Sheppard scored 18 of her 28 points in overtime to help Virginia Tech upset No. Virginia Tech had never beaten an opponent ranked higher than No. That was the difference.โAdElizabeth Kitley added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Azana Baines had 16 points for Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech: Hosts North Carolina on Sunday.
Louisville is No. 1 in women's AP Top 25 for 1st time
Louisville coach Jeff Walz gestures during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, in Blacksburg, Va. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)For the first time in school history, coach Jeff Walz has Louisville at No. 1 in The Associated Press womenโs college basketball poll. Louisville received 20 first-place votes from a 29-member national media panel. UConn coach Geno Auriemma is tied with the late Pat Summitt for the second most victories in womenโs basketball history. ___More AP womenโs college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Jacksonville VA to hold drive-thru vaccination clinics for certain veterans
The Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinic will hold COVID-19 drive-thru vaccination clinics beginning Tuesday. To qualify, veterans must be age 75 or older and receive care at VA in Jacksonville. There is no cost to receive the vaccine, according to a news release from the VA.No more that two veterans will be vaccinated per vehicle to promote social distancing. Veterans are asked to wear a mask during the vaccination. The clinic will not be open on weekends and holidays.
NHL teams begin to unveil advertisements on helmets
In this image provided by the Washington Capitals, Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson wears a helmet bearing a Capital One logo during NHL hockey practice, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (Zach Guerette/Washington Capitals via AP)There will be advertisements on NHL players' helmets this season as teams try to recoup revenue lost to the pandemic. The New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators became the first teams to unveil helmet ads Tuesday. โOf course, the teams are in a big hole,โ Nashville chief revenue officer Chris Junghans said after the team announced its deal with Bridgestone. โSo, they're looking for valuable, real valuable, tangible assets that will help us, guys like me, make partners whole. Each of the first three teams got a deal done with the company that sponsors the naming rights for its arena.
Pentagon plan on cyber split draws strong Hill criticism
A U.S. official confirmed Saturday that the Pentagon has a plan for separating the National Security Agency and Cyber Command. In his letter to Miller, Smith said the Pentagon has not met conditions set by the 2017 defense bill for severing the NSA from Cyber Command. The notion of splitting NSA from Cyber Command goes back to the Obama administration, which proposed to elevate the status of Cyber Command by making it a unified military command, taking it from under the purview of U.S. Strategic Command. That move was approved by President Donald Trump in 2017, and it was foreseen that at some point Cyber Command would split away from the NSA, although such a move had strong opponents in Congress. It's not clear who the Trump administration might install as head of the NSA if it were split from Cyber Command before President-elect Joe Biden takes office Jan. 20.
Jupiter, Saturn merging in night sky, closest in centuries
(Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileoโs time in the 17th century. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in their respective laps around the sun every 20 years. Saturn and Jupiter have been drawing closer in the south-southwest sky for weeks. Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles (730 million kilometers) apart. A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but even some of their brightest moons.
The Latest: SEC championship game to have crowd of 16,500
(AP Photo/Morry Gash)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Southeastern Conference championship game between No. This will be the ninth time Alabama and Florida have met in the SEC title game, which has been played in Atlanta since 1994. It was moved to take the place of the Michigan-Ohio State game, which was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Wolverinesโ program. ___UConn has postponed a second menโs basketball game as it continues to deal with a playerโs positive coronavirus test. Should the game be played, the winner of the Washington-Oregon matchup will be Pac-12 North champions and play in the conference title game on Dec. 18.
No. 9 Miami rallies behind King, D to be beat VTech 25-24
DโEriq King threw for 255 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score, rallying the Hurricanes to a 25-24 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Miami announced it had 13 players unavailable before the game, including three starters and several offensive linemen. Hendon Hooker paced Virginia Tech, throwing for 201 yards and rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown. โI hurt for them,โ Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said of his players. Virginia Tech: The Hokies travel to Pittsburgh โ if the Panthers are ready to play.
Barbir's FG gives No. 25 Liberty 38-35 win over Hokies
25 Liberty to a 38-35 victory over Virginia Tech. But officials ruled that Virginia Tech had called a timeout before the kick. โIโve always done this,โ Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. Hendon Hooker paced Virginia Tech, throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown. Virginia Tech: The Hokies play Miami at home on Saturday.
Tentative settlements in WVa veterans' hospital deaths
CHARLESTON, W.Va. โ Tentative settlements have been reached in several civil lawsuits filed on behalf of the families of veterans who died at a West Virginia hospital where a former nursing assistant admitted to intentionally killing seven people with fatal doses of insulin. The settlements were disclosed by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Saturday as well as in federal court filings stemming from the deaths of six veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg. Manchin said in a statement that the tentative settlement โis further evidence that the VA and the Clarksburg VAMC were negligent in the murders that happened under their watch.โThe veterans' deaths involved in the settlements occurred in 2018. Fired hospital nursing assistant Reta Mays pleaded guilty in July to intentionally killing seven patients with wrongful insulin injections. Mays admitted at a plea hearing to purposely killing the veterans, injecting them with unprescribed insulin while she worked overnight shifts at the hospital in northern West Virginia between 2017 and 2018.
8 schools, VA clinic among thousands of Clay Electric customers without power for hours
8 schools, VA clinic among thousands of Clay Electric customers without power for hoursPublished: September 25, 2020, 5:10 pmAn issue with Clay Electric knocked out power for almost 23,000 customers just before 5 a.m. -- nearly 10% of the utilityโs customers.
Veterans with COVID-19 financial troubles can defer mortgage payments, VA says
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that it is allowing home mortgage loan deferments for veterans who have experienced financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many veterans have taken advantage of the loan forbearance program provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). As Veterans exit their CARES Act forbearance periods, they must work with their mortgage company to determine when to repay the missed amounts. โProviding loan deferment as an option could be the one thing standing between financial normalcy and foreclosure.โVA cannot require mortgage companies to offer loan deferments. Veterans who want to know whether loan deferment is an option should consult their mortgage company directly.
VA clinic to be named for first St. Johns County soldier killed in Vietnam War
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. โ The Department of Veterans Affairs' new outpatient clinic in St. Johns County is expected to be named after Pvt. First Class Leo C. Chase Jr., the first man from St. Johns County to be killed in the Vietnam War. This new VA outpatient clinic located on County Road 207 at Deerfield Preserve Boulevard is expected to open before the end of the year. Chase was killed on Nov. 15, 1965, in the Ia Drang battle dramatized in the book and film, We Were Soldiers. โAt 23 years old Private Chase was killed while serving with an Airmobile unit in Vietnam just five days before he would have gone home.
Take it to the grave: Roanoke man wants to be buried in Wrigleyโs Gum casket - and it looks like heโll get his wish
Thatโs the case for one Roanoke man whoโs known to share Wrigleyโs Gum with everyone he meets. John has been in Roanoke for a few months to be by Suttieโs side as his health declines. Suttie asked Sammy Oakey at Oakeyโs Funeral Home to have his casket painted like the iconic gum box. And before he knew it, hundreds of packs of gum were on their way to Roanoke, and he had good news to share. Suttieโs family said his health is improving, and thatโs a good thing, because they need someone to give away all the gum.
Rivera misses Washington practice to begin cancer treatments
As planned, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio stepped in and ran practice ahead of Washington's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)Ron Rivera missed Washington's first game week practice to begin treatment for a form of skin cancer, so Jack Del Rio stepped in as planned. Del Rio didn't have an update on how Rivera was feeling, but expects him back at the team's practice facility Wednesday. I really dont hear Coach (Rivera) when he's here doing, cornerback Ronald Darby said. But to be honest, it did feel a little weird because whats going on and what he's going through, but we've got to keep pushing.
Falwell says he's resigned from Liberty University
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 file photo, Jerry Falwell Jr., right, answers a student's question, accompanied by his wife, Becki, during a town hall meeting on the opioid crisis at a convocation at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. On Aug. 7, 2020, Falwell stepped down, at least temporarily, from his role as the president of the school. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Falwell says wife had affair, family faced blackmail attempt
FILE -This Wednesday Nov. 28, 2018 file photo shows Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr., right, and his wife, Becky during after a town hall at a convocation at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Falwell Jr. says he is seeking help for the "emotional toll" from an affair his wife had with a man who he says later threatened his family. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Geofence warrants to be tested in Virginia bank robbery case
This aerial drone photo shows the Call Federal Credit Union building, front, Tuesday June 16, 2020, in Midlothian, Va. Police were able to obtain geofence search warrants, a tool being increasingly used by law enforcement. The warrant sought location histories kept by Google of cellphones and other devices used within 150 meters (500 feet) of the bank. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Doctor who prescribed 500,000 opioid pills could get life
John Moore/Getty ImagesMARTINSVILLE, Va. - A Virginia doctor convicted in May of illegally prescribing more than half a million opioid tablets will be sentenced to federal prison Wednesday. Joel Smithers, who was convicted of 859 counts of illegally prescribing drugs, faces between 20 years and life in prison, the US Department of Justice said in a news release. Smithers prescribed more than 500,000 opioid tablets in 19 months before federal agents arrived at his Martinsville office in March 2017 with a search warrant, prosecutors said. A woman from West Virginia died after Smithers prescribed her oxycodone and oxymorphone, the Justice Department said. Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die from opioid overdoses, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.