A Few Clouds 63°
Schools
Teacher At Virginia Middle School Accused Of Assaulting Student: Police Teacher At Virginia Middle School Accused Of Assaulting Student: Police
Teacher At Virginia Middle School Accused Of Assaulting Student: Police A teacher at Rippon Middle School in Woodbridge is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a 13-year-old student during a classroom altercation earlier this month, police say. Charges have been obtained for 50-year-old Gail Latasha Hill following an incident on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the school in the 15100 block of Blackburn Road involving the teen student. According to investigators from the Prince William County Police Department, Hill was allegedly involved in a verbal dispute with the student, and during the encounter, Hill allegedly swung her shoulder, striking the student and causing h…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Slurring School Bus Driver Arrested For DUI With Students On Board In Virginia, Sheriff Says Slurring School Bus Driver Arrested For DUI With Students On Board In Virginia, Sheriff Says
Slurring School Bus Driver Arrested For DUI With Students On Board In Virginia, Sheriff Says A Virginia school bus driver is facing DUI and child endangerment charges after authorities say he drove part of a route with children onboard before being stopped by a school aid. Deputies in Hanover County were called to Laurel Meadow Elementary School around 3:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, where there was a report of a bus driver possibly experiencing a medical issue.  When deputies arrived, they found 68-year-old Danny Ray Spence, of Henrico, showing signs of impairment, including slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on him, according to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. Inves…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Dr. Jill Biden Teaches Final Class At NOVA Ahead Of White House Departure Dr. Jill Biden Teaches Final Class At NOVA Ahead Of White House Departure
Dr. Jill Biden Teaches Final Class At Nova Ahead Of White House Departure President Joe Biden won’t be the only member of his family stepping away from office next month. Dr. Jill Biden announced this week during a virtual "thank you" event that she has taught her final class at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in Alexandria after joining the staff in 2009 teaching English courses.  The first lady has served as an English professor at the school for more than a decade while balancing her duties in the White House. Her move comes just over a month before the Bidens are set to leave the White House. It remains unclear whether Jill Biden, 73, plans …

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by Zak Failla
News
DMV Jeopardy! Stars Stumble: Tough Week Under Bright Lights Ends In Defeat DMV Jeopardy! Stars Stumble: Tough Week Under Bright Lights Ends In Defeat
DMV Jeopardy! Stars Stumble: Tough Week Under Bright Lights Ends In Defeat Who is... The DMV's Best? Turns out none of them after falling flat under the bright Jeopardy! lights. Three local contestants from Maryland and Virginia stepped up to the podium, but all three went home empty-handed, leaving the DMV without a champion. The week kicked off on Monday, Dec. 9, with Vienna ESL teacher Lisa O'Donnell taking on Boston's Bill McKinney, a vice president of restaurants and bars. McKinney cruised through the competition, winning a few games before his controversial exit on Friday. On Wednesday, Hyattsville tax accountant Sam Nguyen couldn’t clinch a victory, while …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Sharp Drop In College Enrollment Raises Alarm Sharp Drop In College Enrollment Raises Alarm
Sharp Drop In College Enrollment Raises Alarm Fewer high school graduates began college this fall, with enrollment in that age group dropping 5 percent from last year, according to an analysis by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.  Four-year institutions were hardest hit, with public colleges seeing an 8.5 percent drop in first-year enrollments and private nonprofit colleges reporting a 6.5 percent decline.  This trend poses significant challenges for colleges and universities, particularly those reliant on tuition revenue.  As the competition for students intensifies, institutions face mounting pressur…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Swastika, Inappropriate Images Found Inside Classroom At Virginia High School: Police Swastika, Inappropriate Images Found Inside Classroom At Virginia High School: Police
Swastika, Inappropriate Images Found Inside Classroom At Virginia High School: Police A disturbing act of vandalism has prompted an investigation at Patriot High School in Nokesville after inappropriate images, including a swastika, were found inside a classroom. The incident was reported to the School Resource Officer on Monday, Dec. 11, according to the Prince William County Police Department, and the officer discovered the symbols drawn on a partition inside the classroom, police said. The markings, which included the swastika and other inappropriate images, did not contain threats directed at students or staff, authorities noted.  No other vandalism was reported el…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ivy Leaguer From Prominent Maryland Family Officially Charged Overnight With CEO's Murder Ivy Leaguer From Prominent Maryland Family Officially Charged Overnight With CEO's Murder
Ivy Leaguer From Prominent Maryland Family Officially Charged Overnight With CEO's Murder An Ivy League-educated high school valedictorian from a privileged, politically connected family has been charged with the execution-style murder of the CEO of one of the nation's largest healthcare providers after a days-long manhunt. Click here for a new, updated story - CEO Murder: Whiz Kid Suspect May Have Spiraled After Traumatic Back Surgery New York prosecutors have formally charged 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a native of Towson, Maryland, with the fatal shooting of United Healthcare executive Brian Thompson.  The incident occurred outside the New York Hilton in midt…

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by Joe Lombardi
Schools
Here's When A Bell-To-Bell Cell Phone Ban Will Be Enacted In Some Virginia Schools Here's When A Bell-To-Bell Cell Phone Ban Will Be Enacted In Some Virginia Schools
Here's When A Bell-To-Bell Cell Phone Ban Will Be Enacted In Some Virginia Schools Students in Prince William County will soon have to part ways with their cell phones during the school day, thanks to a newly approved policy aimed at boosting focus and academic success. The Prince William County School Board voted on Wednesday, Dec. 4 to adopt a bell-to-bell cell phone ban for all schools, which will take effect in August 2025.  The policy aligns with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 33, promoting cell phone-free learning environments in public schools. “'Bell-to-Bell' means from when the first bell rings at the start of the school day to beg…

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by Zak Failla
News
Two Students Hospitalized After Stabbing At Virginia High School: Police Two Students Hospitalized After Stabbing At Virginia High School: Police
Two Students Hospitalized After Stabbing At Virginia High School: Police A violent altercation between two students at Henrico High School left one with life-threatening injuries and another hospitalized on Wednesday afternoon, Henrico Police said. The incident happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 4, when officers responded to the school after a report of a fight between two teens. A School Resource Officer immediately arrived at the scene and discovered both students injured. One of the students was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the other was taken to a different hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, accordi…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Unitarian Universalist Minister From DMV Hopes To Turn Trivia Into Treasure On Jeopardy! Unitarian Universalist Minister From DMV Hopes To Turn Trivia Into Treasure On Jeopardy!
Unitarian Universalist Minister From DMV Hopes To Turn Trivia Into Treasure On Jeopardy! The DMV is set to be represented on Wednesday as a popular minister is ready to represent the region on Jeopardy! Takoma Park resident Kimberley Debus, a community-based minister with thee Unitarian Universalist Association, who has served across the country, is the latest contestant to take her shot at becoming a champion on the popular quiz show. Debus, who has ties to Nebraska and New York, is set to square off against Gloria Nastas, a retired healthcare policy analyst from Michigan and returning champion Stevie Ruiz, an assistant front office manager from Long Island who won $17,987 on …

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Maryland Teacher Learns Fate After Years-Old Sex Abuse Case With Student Comes to Light Former Maryland Teacher Learns Fate After Years-Old Sex Abuse Case With Student Comes to Light
Former Maryland Teacher Learns Fate After Years-Old Sex Abuse Case With Student Comes to Light A former middle school teacher in Maryland will have to register as a sex offender for 25 years once she completes her prison term for sexually abusing a student, authorities announced on Tuesday. Melissa Marie Curtis, 31, of Upper Marlboro, was sentenced to 30 years in prison with all suspended but 12 months to serve, followed by five years of supervised probation after pleading guilty in June to three counts of third-degree sex offense in connection to the abuse of a teen. In November 2023, police in Montgomery County launched an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse that ha…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
Four More Years? Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares Running For Reelection Four More Years? Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares Running For Reelection
Four More Years? Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares Running For Reelection Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced that he will not be seeking the Republican nomination for the governor's seat, and will instead be running for reelection.  In a video posted on social media, the AG touted his track record reducing drug crimes and targeting the state's most violent criminals. I am running for re-election as Attorney General. As Attorney General, I’ve deployed every tool available to keep Virginians safe and violent criminals off our streets. We are not going back to the failed policies of the past; our families' safety and Virginia's future… pic.twi…

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by Zak Failla