The Virginian-Pilot

By Corinne Reilly NORFOLK A Coast Guard crew hoisted two people to safety early Thursday from a disabled sailboat off Cape Lookout, N.C. The boat's owner, 38-year-old Andrea Tardini, said he called for help Wednesday afternoon when the 33-foot vessel hit severe weather and began taking on water about 100 nautical miles offshore. Full Story »

CHESAPEAKE Area transportation leaders want to overhaul a new computer ranking system designed to help elected officials prioritize spending on road, bridge and tunnel improvements. An early version of the computer model picked widening many sections of Interstate 64, rebuilding Interstate 264 interchanges in Virginia Beach, and widening Holland Road in Suffolk as the top road priorities. Full Story »

For the first time in her 10 years of teaching yoga, Ann Richardson paid a $2,500 fee, went to Richmond for a meeting and did hours of paperwork - just so she could continue to train yoga teachers. A new state requirement mandates that any program that trains yoga teachers must be certified. And that's led to some less-than-serene moments among the state's yoga instructors. Full Story »

In early November, retired Senior Chief Jeffrey Sparenberg was the guest of honor at military heritage day in Delaware. Sparenberg spent 23 years in the Navy, including time on the destroyer Cole, and he was at Fort DuPont State Park that day to donate a flag that he said flew over the Cole shortly after it was attacked nine years ago. Full Story »

Johnile Dubois Jr. wasn't yet 2 when his father, Johnile Sr., burst into a Portsmouth convenience store and shot a clerk dead during a robbery. He was 8 when his father was executed. On Thursday, the son was sentenced to six years for a misdemeanor and four felony charges for burglarizing a South Norfolk McDonald's and beating a man in jail. Full Story »

Thanks to a new initiative by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it's now easier for taxpayers to keep tabs on Congress members' office expenditures. The information has been public since 1964, but available only in paper form - a three-volume, 3,000-page tome published quarterly by the Government Printing Office. Full Story »

NEWPORT NEWS A man and woman were arrested on drug charges late Wednesday by the city's police tactical team after someone called to report them at a hotel, police said. A report of drug activity was made at 7:30 p.m. regarding a room at Crestwood Suites in the first block of Old Oyster Point Road. Full Story »

As part of their annual toy drive for military children, Operation Homefront Hampton Roads and Dollar Tree will hold a special event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dollar Tree at 1509 Sam's Circle in Chesapeake. Local Girl Scouts will be on hand to offer games and holiday crafts. Local clothing company 757Apparel will show its Heroes at War collection. Full Story »

The Tidewater Collection, a boutique sponsored by the Tidewater Officers' Spouses' Association, has announced special holiday hours. The shop will be open the first three Saturdays in December from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in addition to its normal hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. Full Story »

Cmdr. Heath M. Howell relieved Cmdr. John A. Sipes as commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26 at Norfolk Naval Station's Chambers Field on Thursday. Sipes had commanded the Chargers since August 2008. His new assignment will be air operations officer aboard the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima. Full Story »

SUFFOLK City officials have canceled this year's Holiday Parade because of the weather forecast for Saturday. Because forecasters are predicting cold rain and snow for Saturday morning, “there was great concern for the safety and well-being of parade participants, many of which are children,” city spokeswoman Debbie George said. Full Story »

VIRGINIA BEACH If a three-bedroom house renting for $700 a month sounds too good to be true, it probably is, police warned Thursday. A new scam has popped up on Craigslist, targeting people looking for rental properties, said Detective Rex Hahn, with the Police Department's Economic Crimes Unit. Here's how it works: Full Story »

VIRGINIA BEACH A plan for temporary ice skating rink at the Oceanfront has melted away. "The franchisee was having trouble raising sponsorship money and the sponsors they did have backed out," said Mike Eason, Virginia Beach's resort manager. The plan, unveiled in September, called for a 125- by -60-foot rink covered by a tent in Neptune Park at Laskin Road and Atlantic Ave. Full Story »

As the U.S. Senate completes its first week of debate on a massive health care overhaul bill, Virginia's two senators have been silent. Full Story »

PORTSMOUTH Police are looking for help in finding a man they say attempted to abduct a 4-year-old boy from his mother's side in a Walmart. The incident occurred about 11 a.m. Wednesday in the store at 1094 Frederick Blvd., police said in a news release Thursday. Full Story »

Virginia Beach's Holiday Parade at the Beach has been postponed a day and Suffolk's Holiday Parade has been canceled because of the weekend weather forecast. The Beach parade is now is scheduled to step off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Oceanfront on Atlantic Avenue between 15th and 25th streets. A viewing stand will be at 25th. Full Story »

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. A 19-year-old Elizabeth City man charged with attempted murder after police say he stole a man's car and shot him three times Tuesday has a history of violence back to the age of 16. Listed in court records as homeless, Dominick James Jordan was convicted in 2007 of a misdemeanor assault he committed the year before. Full Story »

WASHINGTON Virginia regulators said Thursday they are investigating the fund-raising practices of an enterprise run by Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the couple that got into a White House state dinner without an invitation. The probe is focused on the Salahis' annual polo cup event, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a two-sentence statement. Full Story »

NEWPORT NEWS A Newport News man will spend 37 years in prison for gang-related crimes that include trying to burn down a city police station. Federal prosecutors say 21-year-old Travis T. Horton was affiliated with a gang called the Dump Squad that controlled neighborhoods through violence and intimidation. Full Story »

NORFOLK The guided-missile cruiser Anzio is scheduled to return to Norfolk on Friday from deployment, the Navy announced. In October, the Anzio’s crew seized four tons of illegal drugs worth $28 million from a skiff in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Navy. Full Story »

NORFOLK The guided-missile frigate Nicholas is deploying today from Norfolk to participate in Africa Partnership Station, according to the Navy. The program, the largest of its kind in Africa, is a security initiative led by U.S. Naval Forces Africa, a Navy news release says. Its goal is to build the skills of nations in West and Central Africa to secure their waters. Full Story »

A Coast Guard crew hoisted two people to safety early this morning from a disabled sailboat off Cape Lookout, N.C. The Coast Guard received a distress signal from the sailboat Croc about 5 p.m. Wednesday that the boat was about 100 nautical miles offshore and was taking on water, according to the Coast Guard. Neither of the boaters was hurt. They were headed from Norfolk to the Bahamas. Full Story »

RICHMOND Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell has appointed two top aides from his tenure as attorney general to key positions in his administration. In his first news conference since the day after last month's election, McDonnell announced Thursday the first key staff appointments for his administration, which begins Jan. 16. Full Story »

VIRGINIA BEACH Ernest Quallis, the Norfolk man who shot two others during a chaotic March night at MP Island Cafe, was acquitted late Wednesday of malicious wounding and firearm charges after a jury agreed he acted in self-defense. Full Story »

ROANOKE An avowed white supremacist accused of threatening people is scheduled to go on trial next week after a federal judge refused to dismiss charges that his hate-filled rants were protected free speech. William A. White is head of a Roanoke-based neo-Nazi group. He is charged with threatening a newspaper columnist, a mayor and several others over the Internet and by telephone. Full Story »