Free Republic

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — A lawsuit challenging Gov. Ralph Northam’s executive order temporarily banning all weapons on Capitol grounds was filed Thursday. Northam (D) signed the executive order ahead of next week’s pro-gun rally on Lobby Day. It is unclear who the plaintiff the lawsuit is at this time but the Virginia Citizen’s Defense League did threaten legal action before Northam made his announcement Wednesday. A hearing will be held Thursday afternoon in Richmond Circuit Court, according to a spokesperson for Attorney General Mark Herring.

TARBORO, N.C. (KLFY) -- Parents of a fifth grader are concerned after their child was punished for referring to his teacher as "ma'am." Teretha Wilson said she noticed something was wrong Tuesday when her 10-year old son Tamarion got off the school bus from North East Carolina Preparatory School. "I asked him what happened. He said he got in trouble for saying 'yes ma'am'," explained Wilson. Confused by his response, Tamarion pulled out a sheet of paper with the word "ma'am" written on it four times per line on both sides. He says his teacher told him to write the...

A 39-year-old man was convicted on charges of racketeering conspiracy, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, obstruction of justice, murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy, and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, in addition to other charges, Monday. Michael Hopson, also known as "Hop" and "Big Homie," was the leader and founding member of the P-Stones gang. The gang is often referred to as the P-Stone Bloods and Cobra Stones. The gang is from the Denbigh area, and is known for engaging in violent crimes, such as murder and illegal drug trafficking. snip Hopson was also employed as a security guard...

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Republican Party headquarters in Orange County was vandalized and firebombed overnight, Hillsborough Police said Sunday afternoon. The building at 347 Ja-Max Drive was hit with graffiti and “flammable material” was thrown through a window starting a fire inside, police said in an email. Graffiti that said “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” was spray painted in black paint on the side of a building next to the Republican headquarters, according to police. The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building’s interior before going out,” police said....

RICHMOND — Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) plans to announce Tuesday that Virginia will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permits from 25 states that have reciprocity agreements with the commonwealth. The move also means Virginians with a history of stalking, drug dealing or inpatient mental-health treatment cannot obtain a permit in a state with comparatively lax laws and carry a handgun legally at home. Herring said severing the out-of-state agreements can prevent people who may be dangerous or irresponsible from carrying a concealed weapon. “To me, this is a commonsense step that can help make Virginians and our...

If anybody has any doubt about the Jordanian King being serious in delivering an “earth-shattering” response against ISIS, wonder no more. Several Arabic newspapers have just reported that King Abdullah, who is a trained military pilot, may actually climb into the cockpit personally on Thursday to participate in the raids against ISIS. SNIP California Rep. Duncan Hunter publicly stated, “King Abdullah is not President Obama.” I can’t think of a truer statement!

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The man stands furtively on a street corner near the broad avenue cutting through Tunis, his face masked by a hoodie, his tense eyes scanning the workday crowd for any hint of Islamic State militants. He was one of them before he left Syria, only a year ago, and he is afraid. Now he chain-smokes as he describes the indiscriminate killing, the abuse of female recruits, the discomfort of a life where walls were optional and meals were little more than bread and cheese or oil. “It was totally different from what they said jihad would...

The man responsible for what the military called the Navy’s biggest betrayal is dead. John Anthony Walker, the former Senior Warrant Officer from Norfolk who supplied the Soviets with damaging tactical and military data, died in federal prison on Thursday in Butner, North Carolina. 29 years ago, Walker’s career as a spy came to an end in Norfolk Federal Court.

I don't how much more I can handle. I pray every day that things will get better, and they just get worse. Yesterday, for example. It started with a hearing related to my on going divorce. A divorce I never wanted. The judge awarded my wife temporary support in the amount of all money I have after my bills are paid. Prior to that my attorney had his law license revoked, and I have no money to retain another attorney. My credit is wrecked, my family is gone. And last night, my old dog died in my arms. I am...

ACCOMACK COUNTY Five months. A total of 77 arsons, with two more attempted. More than 1,200 hotline tips. An investigation that involved 12 volunteer fire departments, Virginia State Police, the Accomack County Sheriff's Office, and state and federal agencies. After all of it, police charged a couple Tuesday in an overnight blaze and said additional charges are expected soon. Police said they are confident the two are responsible for a majority of the fires set since November. Tonya Susan Bundick, 40, and Charles R. Smith III, 38, also known as Charles Applegate, both of Parksley, are charged with one count...

A teenage boy found guilty in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of raping a girl in the stairwell of Churchland High School will serve indeterminate supervised probation, according to Commonwealth's Attorney Earle C. Mobley. The youth, 16 at the time, was arrested after a 15-year-old girl reported the May 30 assault. The Virginian-Pilot does not identify victims of sex crimes and generally does not identify juvenile defendants. The victim told police she and the boy had been playing around when he started to pull down her pants, then got on top of her and penetrated her, according to a...

A new law in North Carolina means you could face a fine and criminal charges if you ignore a mandatory evacuation order. The law passed in this year’s General Assembly and goes into effect October 1st. It makes it a class-two misdemeanor to not leave when ordered to do so. Those who stay could be fined up to $1,000 and be removed from their homes.

Six-year-old Lucy Mangum isn't taking personally a shark bite she suffered as she played in the water off Ocracoke Island last week. "Last night, we were chatting about it and she said, 'I don't care that the shark bit me, I forgive him,' " Lucy's mother, Jordan, told Ann Curry this morning during NBCs "Today" show. The girl's parents held a press conference and appeared with her on national TV this morning at PItt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville to talk about the ordeal. Lucy, who has undergone treatment for the wound, is expected to undergo physical therapy and make...

It's the last thing the Navy and the crew aboard the warship San Antonio wanted: Just when they thought they'd finally resolved the last of the vessel's engine problems, the diesels again are in need of repair. In the latest of a long series of breakdowns that have kept the young ship out of the fleet for years, the Navy said Tuesday that all four of the San Antonio's engines experienced problems while the crew was training off the coast of Virginia last week.

A 5-year-old girl was flown to the hospital after she was attacked by a shark Tuesday, according to Hyde County Emergency Services. Shortly after 5 p.m., emergency crews were called to Ramp 72 on Ocracoke Island for the reported shark bite, a news release said. Bystanders described what appeared to be a shark attacking the girl in the South Point area.

An illegal immigrant with 24 convictions who has been thrown out of the country five times was sentenced Monday to 7½ years in prison following his latest conviction. Ricardo Elvin Martinez, 47, of Guadalajara, Mexico, was caught here in September when a U.S. Customs officer found him sleeping in a shipping container on a cargo train that pulled into Norfolk International Terminals. -snip- Martinez had been deported five times and was last removed in August 2009. His 24 convictions in five states include offenses for robbery, larceny and dealing cocaine. Four times he was caught near the Mexican border.

A 10-year-old disabled girl who was dismembered after she died may have been raped by two men and hit in the head, according to a search warrant based on fourth-hand information and unsealed Tuesday. The warrants also describe what might have happened to the body of Zahra Baker, who was reported missing Oct. 9. The warrants still did not reveal how the girl died.

HAMPTON - A Hampton man could face charges this morning after an apparent hostage situation involving a 2-year-old girl led to a house fire that spread to the suspect's pants. Jeremiah Valil, 38, fled a structure fire on Peachtree Lane around 2:45 a.m., ending an apparent domestic situation in which he was holding a 2-year-old girl hostage at knifepoint. -snip Valil fled the house when his pants caught fire. She said he ran down Cedar and King streets before officers apprehended him. Loughran said Valil dropped the 2-year-old during the pursuit, but the 2-year-old was not injured. Valil was taken...

HOLLAND -- A 2-year-old pit bull named Blitz is getting the hero treatment today after he frightened a man dragging his estranged wife across a street in a possible abduction attempt. The 33-year-old suspect had broken into the Thomas Avenue home where his wife was staying, then began dragging her across nearby South Shore Drive when Blitz bolted into action. "I didn't think he had it in him, but I guess he did," said the dog's proud owner, also credited for helping the victim escape her attacker. The 32-year-old pet owner, who didn't want to be named, heard the woman...

Protestors of California's Proposition 8 (the marriage amendment) shoved aside a 69-year old woman bearing a cross, reportedly spit on her and stomped on her cross. They then aligned themselves in a human barricade, blocking the media from getting to or interviewing the elderly woman Prop. 8 supporter, Jose Nunez, 37, was brutally assaulted while distributing yard signs to other supporters after church services at the St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto. Calvary Chapel Chino Hills was spray painted by vandals, after they learned that the church served as an official collection point for Prop 8 petitions. Letters containing white powder...