Richmond Times-Dispatch

It’s almost Christmas, but there’s still two days of shopping time left. Full Story »

The Virginia Department of Transportation will suspend most lane restrictions on all major highways and roads during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Lanes temporarily closed because of construction or maintenance work will open beginning at noon today and continue through Sunday and then again from noon on Dec. 31 through Jan. 3. Full Story »

Rescue crews are at the scene of an overturned vehicle, possibly with a person trapped inside, on the Manchester Bridge in downtown Richmond. Full Story »

CULPEPER—A Culpeper man pleaded guilty yesterday in Circuit Court to using a flammable substance to set a woman on fire. James E. Anderson, 45, accepted felony charges of maliciously causing bodily injury using a caustic substance, two counts of violating a protective order and one misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Full Story »

We’ll see clear conditions in central Virginia today and tomorrow before more wet weather moves in tomorrow night. Full Story »

Richmond fire officials responded this morning to a grease fire at a city McDonald’s restaurant. Full Story »

A severe fire early this morning in Petersburg required help from three fire departments to bring under control. Full Story »

Ice fell from the roof of City Hall and damaged parts of the building this week, prompting officials to close two of its four entrances. Parts of East Broad Street will be closed to traffic today as a crane is used to inspect the 37-year-old downtown landmark, officials said. Full Story »

Items received after noon on Thursday will not appear in the Times-Dispatch until Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. Online: Visit TimesDispatch.com (keyword: Christmas Mother) and use the online form to make a donation. Full Story »

Those who worked with or knew Masaaki “Mac” Okada recall a man who was always quick with a kind or encouraging word and had an eye for painting and photography. Mr. Okada, an award-winning photographer, worked for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Richmond News Leader for 32 years before retiring in 2003. He died over the weekend at his Richmond home. He was 68. Full Story »

Afather of two sons who had been living out of his car is hoping to give his boys a special Christmas. When the father lost his job recently, he was evicted from his apartment and forced to live in his car. Recently, a friend came to his rescue and took him in, and since then, he has been looking for work. “My boys mean everything to me, and I would do anything for them,“ he writes. “I don’t ... Full Story »

A soldier from Culpeper died early Saturday in El Paso, Texas, after a gun went off, apparently accidentally, when his friends tried to startle him awake at a party and he was shot in the head, police and family members said. Spc. Jacob Bige Engle, a former Culpeper County High School student stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, died at University Medical Center soon after he was transported to the ... Full Story »

A former GRTC Transit System driver who fatally struck a pedestrian in downtown Richmond on Sept. 30 was convicted of reckless driving yesterday. While driving a bus, Teresa L. Jones, 46, struck Loucendia Reed Lambert, 55, of Disputanta about 8 a.m. while Lambert was crossing North 14th Street. Jones was turning right onto 14th from East Franklin Street after being stopped at a red light. Full Story »

The Salvation Army is conducting an internal investigation into how it wrongly reported the theft of 300 new coats over the weekend. The Salvation Army’s Capt. David Worthy said the results of the investigation will help it to change policies next year. “We’ll probably increase some checks and balances to make sure we communicate better . . . on what goods are moving from one part of the ... Full Story »

Henrico Henrico County police are joining with thousands of other law-enforcement and highway-safety agencies across the nation this month through Jan. 3 to take part in the Drunk Driving—Over the Limit, Under Arrest crackdown. Police will be out in force conducting sobriety checkpoints and using undercover officers to get more drunken drivers off the road. The national initiative is a ... Full Story »

Virginia Blood Services is asking central Virginia residents to give the gift of blood this Christmas. The agency, which provides blood products to all Richmond hospitals, is holding two blood drives tomorrow. It needs 400 donations each day to meet the needs of 21 hospitals in the region. The blood drives will take place at: •Nacho Mama’s, 7610 Left Flank Road in the Bell Creek shopping center ... Full Story »

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES—Closed Friday. POSTAL SERVICE—Closed Friday; no delivery. STATE GOVERNMENT OFFICES—Closed tomorrow and will reopen Monday. RICHMOND AREA COUNTY, CITY OFFICES—Richmond, Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Powhatan, Hanover and New Kent closed tomorrow and will reopen Monday. Henrico has half-day tomorrow and will reopen Monday. Full Story »

GLOUCESTER—The ACLU of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression are going to bat for 40 Gloucester residents ordered to pay $80,000 in fees after attempting to remove four elected officials from office. The two groups filed a friend-of-the-court brief today in the Virginia Supreme Court, claiming that the fees chill residents’ First Amendment rights. Full Story »

A federal judge in Maryland has denied Star Scientific Inc.‘s request for a new trial after the company lost a patent infringement case against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Petersburg-based Star, a small firm that makes smokeless tobacco products, said today it will appeal a June jury verdict in Reynolds favor. The company, which had asked the federal district court to set aside the jury verdict ... Full Story »

“Barry from D.C.“ was on the line for Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s last “Ask the Governor” call-in radio program. “This is actually the president of the United States calling,“ the voice said over WTOP’s airwaves. It wasn’t a crank call. “No! Oh my gosh,“ Kaine said, taken aback. “I have questions about traffic in Northern Virginia,“ Obama began. Full Story »

A former GRTC Transit System driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in downtown Richmond Sept. 30 was convicted of reckless driving today. Loucendia Reed Lambert, 55, of Disputanta, was killed around 8 a.m. while crossing North 14th Street when a GTRC bus turning right onto 14th from East Franklin Street and driven by Teresa L. Jones, 46, struck and killed her. Full Story »

Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell today also is naming Lisa Hicks-Thomas as secretary of administration. Hicks-Thomas, currently a deputy attorney general, appeared in campaign ads for McDonnell following the flap over his graduate thesis. Hicks-Thomas has worked in the attorney general’s office since 2001, including a stint as chief of the office’s Computer Crime section. Full Story »

Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell at this hour is announcing that he will retain Todd Haymore as secretary of agriculture. Haymore, appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine in 2007, previously served as an executive with Universal Leaf Tobacco Company. He previously served as legislative assistant and communications director to Rep. L. F. Payne, D-5th. Full Story »

Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell today reportedly will name Sean T. Connaughton, a former chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, as secretary of transportation. Connaughton, also served as U.S. Maritime Administrator under President George W. Bush. In 2005 he sought the nomination for lieutenant governor, losing to Bill Bolling. Full Story »

A soldier from Culpeper died early Saturday in El Paso, Texas, after a gun went off—apparently accidentally—and struck him in the head when his friends tried to startle him awake at a party, police and family members said. Spc. Jacob Bige Engle, a former Culpeper County High School student stationed at Fort Bliss, died at University Medical Center soon after he was transported from a home in the ... Full Story »