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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Kyron Drones threw three touchdown passes, Bhayshul Tuten scored on a 32-yard run and a 94-yard kickoff return and Virginia Tech beat Virginia for the 18th time in the last 19 meetings, 55-17, on Saturday to achieve bowl eligibility.

The win gives the Hokies one point in the Commonwealth Clash, presented by Smithfield. The score for the Commonwealth Clash currently is 5-1 in favor of Virginia. For more information, visit hokiesports.com/clash.

Drones threw touchdown passes of 44, 84 and 34 yards and the Hokies (6-6, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) also scored on two long runs. They had a 294-60 yardage edge at halftime and boosted their total to 378 on Drones’ 84-yard pass to Da’Quan Felton on their first play from scrimmage after halftime to go ahead 31-0.

Virtually nothing went right for the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6), who were facing their top rival for the first time in two seasons because last year’s game was canceled after the fatal shootings of three Virginia players with two weeks left in the season. Drones finished 10 for 22 for 244 yards, while Tuten gained 117 yards on 16 carries and Felton caught three passes for 133 yards. The Hokies outgained Virginia 500-286.

The lone bright spot for the Cavaliers was Malik Washington, whose 14 catches for 115 yards allowed him to set an ACC single-season record of 110 catches, breaking the mark of 108 Duke’s Jamison Crowder set in 2013 in two more games.

Virginia State University officials say a wounded university police officer’s condition has improved to stable. The officer was critically wounded in a shooting near the VSU campus at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Police say the off-duty officer was responding to a disturbance at the campus in Petersburg, Virginia. The suspect ran off campus before shots were fired. The suspect remains at large. The university was put on lockdown after the shooting as a precaution. The university says the lockdown has been lifted. The Chesterfield police chief said in a social media post that Virginia State Police and the FBI are assisting in the investigation.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said America’s veterans are “the steel spine of this nation” as he marked Veterans Day during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

In remarks at the Memorial Amphitheater, the commander-in-chief recounted famous battles fought by U.S. troops and said those deployments of soldiers are “linked in a chain of honor that stretches back to our founding days. Each one is bound by a sacred oath to support and defend. Not a place, not a person, not a president, but an idea, to defend an idea unlike any other in human history. That idea is the United States of America.”

Nov. 11, once known as Armistice Day, is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. Biden said that was “unlike any war the world had ever seen before.”

President Joe Biden speaks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Joe Biden speaks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The ceremony was personal for Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

Biden’s son Beau enlisted in 2003 in the Delaware Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq in 2008 for a year as a member of the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade. A captain, he earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. Beau Biden later served two terms as the state’s attorney general. He died in 2015 of brain cancer.

Vice President Kamala Harris talks with first lady Jill Biden before President Joe Biden speaks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Vice President Kamala Harris talks with first lady Jill Biden before President Joe Biden speaks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

“We miss him,” the president told the crowd, recounting how he pinned the bars on his son on the day he joined the National Guard.

President Joe Biden speaks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Joe Biden speaks at the National Veterans Day Observance at the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

“We come together today to once again honor the generations of Americans who stood on the front lines of freedom. To once again bear witness to the great deeds of a noble few who risked everything, everything, to give us a better future,” he said, paying tribute to “those who have always, always kept the light of shining bright across the world.”

Biden said that as commander in chief, “I have no higher honor. As the father of a son who served, I have no greater privilege.’’

President Joe Biden lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Joe Biden lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

He said that “our veterans are the steel spine of this nation and their families, like so many of you, are the courageous heart.”

 

Virginia Democrats who campaigned on protecting abortion rights have swept this year’s legislative elections, retaking full control of the General Assembly after two years of divided power. Tuesday’s outcome is a sharp loss for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who exerted a great deal of energy, money and political capital on an effort to secure a GOP trifecta. With a full statehouse majority, Democrats will have even greater leeway to thwart Youngkin’s policy agenda, though they will have to work with him to advance their own. Every General Assembly seat was on the ballot this year, with the most competitive seats based in Hampton Roads and the suburbs of Richmond and Washington.

Terrence Edwards had 24 points and Raekwon Horton made a 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds left in overtime, sending James Madison past No. 4 Michigan State for a 79-76 victory. Tyson Walker scored 35 points for Michigan State, but he had the ball poked away from behind in the closing seconds of the season opener. The Spartans shot 36.1% overall. They missed 19 of 20 3-point shots and made just 23 of 37 free throws. Walker made a layup to give Michigan State a four-point lead with 1:26 left in regulation, and it lost the advantage at both ends of the court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Although his name won’t appear on the ballot, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin looms large over Tuesday’s general election in Virginia. Republicans hope to gain full control of the state legislature and clear a path for the governor to enact his proposals on abortion, education, taxes and other key policy priorities. Democrats seek to maintain control of at least one chamber and possibly flip the other to continue to serve as a check against Youngkin’s agenda.

In 2021, Republicans won a narrow 52-48 majority in the House of Delegates and swept every statewide constitutional office. Meanwhile, Democrats hold a slim 22-17 majority in the state Senate. An additional state Senate seat most recently held by a Republican is vacant.

All 40 state Senate seats and 100 state House seats will be on the ballot, but the balance of power will likely be determined by a handful of competitive districts in northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., central Virginia near Richmond and southeast Virginia in the Hampton Roads area.

In the state Senate, Democrats face competitive races in the four districts that voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president in 2020 but then supported Youngkin the following year. The governor has been active on the Virginia campaign trail. Since his election in 2021, his political action committee has spent $19 million on contributions to legislative candidates, local party committees and other campaign expenses. And as he possibly mulls a late entry into the 2024 presidential race, the outcome of Tuesday’s election could be interpreted as a referendum on Youngkin himself.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Facing its toughest test of the season, and with its offense suddenly struggling, No. 25 James Madison relied on its defense to win for the first time as a ranked team.

Jordan McCloud threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and the Dukes stretched their winning streak to 11 with a tense 30-27 victory over Old Dominion on Saturday night.

“We didn’t get much done on offense in the fourth quarter,” Dukes coach Curt Cignetti said. “And the defense really rose to the occasion. So, you know, they were whipping them up front. And that was the key at the end. You know, we relied on our defense and they got it done.”

Earlier, McCloud put them in position, hitting Reggie Brown from 49 and 21 yards and Elijah Sarratt from 3 yards for the Dukes (8-0, 5-0 Sun Belt), who led 30-17 and then had to hold on when the Monarchs finally got their running game going and had a chance to go ahead.

“We had to really earn that one, that’s for sure,” Cignetti said. “So whether you win 73 to 3 or 3 to 2, they all count as one. And, you know, we’re getting everybody’s best shot.”

The Monarchs (4-4, 3-2) ended James Madison’s 10-game streak of games holding opponents to fewer than 100 net rushing yards, finishing with 138 on 42 attempts.

Trailing 30-24 early in the fourth quarter, the Monarchs had a first-and-goal from the Dukes 4, but two runs lost 2 yards, and quarterback Grant Wilson barely escaped a sack on third down and threw into the end zone on the run. The ball was caught by a diving Javon Harvey, but he was ruled out bounds and a review confirmed the call. Old Dominion settled for a field goal.

“I just told them we have to go back and you have to invest and use this pain as fuel. It should hurt,” Monarchs coach Ricky Rahne said.

The close call almost put the Dukes in danger of a repeat of last season, when they broke into the AP poll at No. 25 and promptly lost their next three games.

Old Dominion also had another chance while trailing 30-27, but on a 4th-and-11 play from the Monarchs 46 with less than two minutes left, Wilson’s pass for Isiah Paige over the middle was well defended and fell incomplete.

Wilson was 24 for 34 for 264 yards with touchdowns of 58 yards to Dominic Dutton and 10 yards to Harvey.

McCloud finished 27 for 40 for 340 yards and was intercepted twice. Brown caught nine passes for 143 yards and Sarratt caught eight for 139.

THE TAKEAWAY
Old Dominion: The Monarchs try to speed things up on offense and did it effectively at times, including on their second and third touchdown drives, but JMU came into the game leading the country with an average of 4.86 sacks, and Wilson felt plenty of pressure when ODU was forced to be more deliberate.

James Madison: The Dukes came into the game leading the country in rushing defense, allowing 36 yards per game, and put that dominance on display early before the Monarchs had runs of 12, 11 and 36, 13 and 21 yards on consecutive scoring drives in the third quarter.

UP NEXT
Old Dominion: Hosts Coastal Carolina next Saturday.

James Madison: At Georgia State next Saturday.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration has identified nearly 3,400 voters who were improperly removed from the state’s rolls due to probation violations — a greater number than previously acknowledged — and said Friday that local registrars have reinstated the vast majority of those individuals.

The governor’s administration first disclosed the problem earlier this month following reporting from VPM News about concerns raised by civil rights advocates over improper voter removals. The error, which the administration has blamed on a data-sharing issue that misclassified probation violations as new felonies, has sparked criticism from Democrats, including a call from the state’s Democratic congressional delegation for a Department of Justice investigation.

The full scope of the problem had been unclear until the Department of Elections’ announcement Friday — less than two weeks before Election Day.

A department spokeswoman, Andrea Gaines, acknowledged in mid-October that at least 275 misclassified voters had been identified, but she had since declined to answer questions about the latest available figures. At the same time, inquiries made to local registrars’

Eric Olsen, the director of elections and general registrar for Prince William County, said last week by email that 87 voters had been reinstated. The number had risen to 107, he said in an update Friday.

The Department of Elections said Friday that all affected voters have been notified by mail.

“As of today, all but approximately 100 of these records have been processed by general registrars. ELECT staff continues to check in with localities to ensure each record is reinstated,” the department said in a news release.

Virginia also offers same-day voter registration, meaning impacted individuals would have the opportunity to remedy the situation and cast a provisional ballot in early voting or on Election Day. Every General Assembly seat is on the ballot this year, along with various local offices.

Democrats continued to be sharply critical of the error.

“First, we were told there was no problem. Then we were told it was small, contained problem. Now we’re told it is a massive problem, with numbers large enough to swing control of the General Assembly,” said Aaron Mukerjee, an attorney working as the Democratic Party of Virginia’s voter protection director. “All of this confirms Republicans cannot be trusted with Virginians basic constitutional rights.”

It’s not clear whether the U.S. Department of Justice will investigate the matter. A DOJ spokeswoman who has previously acknowledged receipt of the congressional delegation’s request declined further comment Friday.

Youngkin has asked the state’s government watchdog agency to investigate.

In a letter dated Wednesday obtained by AP, Youngkin’s chief of staff wrote to Inspector General Michael Westfall to memorialize a previous request from Youngkin for an administrative investigation into the “circumstances, data systems, and practices” surrounding the voter removals and a separate finding that in previous decades, thousands of Virginians may have been permitted to remain on the rolls despite being convicted of a new felony.

In Virginia, a felony conviction automatically results in the loss of a person’s civil rights, such as the right to vote, serve on a jury, run for office and carry a firearm. The governor has sole discretion to restore those civil rights, apart from firearm rights, which can be restored by a court.

The department said in an annual report this year that it had discovered 10,558 people who were convicted of a felony, had their rights restored and then were convicted of another felony, but were not subsequently removed from the list.

Jeff Goettman, the chief of staff, wrote that the administration suspects the errors “are the result of antiquated data systems and insufficient processes maintained over the last 20 plus years.”

The categorization of some probation violations as felonies “may date back decades, across multiple gubernatorial administrations,” Goettman wrote.

“It is important that we resolve these issues as soon as reasonably practical as Governor Youngkin believes that every eligible Virginian should exercise his or her right to vote,” the letter continued.

BLACKSBURG (AP) – Kyron Drones threw two touchdown passes and for a career-high 321 yards to lead Virginia Tech to a 30-13 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.

Drones also rushed for 59 yards and Virginia Tech’s defense held the Demon Deacons to just 262 yards, as the Hokies (3-4, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the second time in the past three games.

Wake Forest (3-3, 0-3), which has lost three straight games, struggled on offense, turning the ball over three times and benching quarterback Mitch Griffis after he threw an interception late in the first quarter. The Demon Deacon’s lone touchdown came on a 96-yard kickoff return by Demond Claiborne late in the first half.

Drones, who completed 20 of 29 passes, threw touchdown strikes of 75 and 12 yards to Jaylin Lane, who finished with 102 yards receiving. John Love kicked two of his three field goals in the second half for Virginia Tech, which never trailed and finished with a season-high 462 yards.

BOSTON (AP) — Liam Connor kicked a 42-yard field goal with 2:11 remaining and Boston College rallied with 20 points in the second half to beat winless Virginia 27-24 on Saturday.

Thomas Castellanos threw for 183 yards and two touchdowns as he and the Eagles (2-3, 1-2 ACC) overcame a dreadful first half and many of their own mistakes to hold off the Cavaliers (0-5, 0-2).

Lewis Bond caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and Pat Garwo ran for 87 yards and a score for the Eagles, who trailed 21-7 at halftime after gaining just 120 yards of offense in the first two quarters.

“We knew we came out slow. We knew we had to pick it, especially me,” Castellanos said.

Castellanos and the offense regrouped in the second half, rushing for 162 yards after gaining only 41 on the ground in the first half. The Eagles scored 17 unanswered points before Virginia briefly tied it on a field goal with 7:10 left to play.

Tony Muskett returned from a shoulder injury and threw for 247 yards and three scores, including a 39-yard heave to the end zone where Malachi Fields leaped between two defenders and grabbed the ball for a Virginia touchdown.

Muskett finished 22 of 34 with one interception. He was also sacked five time as Boston College’s defense helped overcome the Eagles’ offensive woes, holding Virginia to 46 yards of offense in the second half.

The Eagles took their first lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Castellanos to Bond with 1:04 left in the third quarter. Bond was already outside two defensive backs when he caught the ball in the flat and turned upfield with nobody to touch him.

Bond also helped set up the Eagles’ first touchdown with a 34-yard reception, breaking through twice after the Cavaliers appeared to have him stopped before finally getting him out of bounds at the 6 late in the second quarter.

“I feel like I have to break those tackles in order to stay on the field because that’s what I bring to the team,” said Bond, who had career highs in catches and yards.

UVA outgained BC 267 yards to 120 in the first half and forced two turnovers, both interceptions on passes from Castellanos. Josh Ahern caught the second and returned it 17 yards to the Boston College 37-yard line, helping set up an 18-yard touchdown pass from Muskett to Washington that put the Cavaliers up 14-0 early in the second quarter.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas. You can’t become complacent,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said.

SCARY MOMENT
The game was interrupted for about 10 minutes early in the fourth quarter after Boston College receiver Ryan O’Keefe collided helmet-to-helmet with Virginia defensive back Malcom Greene. O’Keefe gave a thumbs-up just before the gurney he was strapped to reached the tunnel after spending about 10 minutes motionless on the field. Boston College said O’Keefe was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with a neck injury but there were no further updates.

SLOW STARTERS
Boston College’s offense started slowly once again, a trend players said needs to stop. The Eagles’ first touchdown on Saturday capped a 65-yard scoring drive, which accounted for more than half of their 120 yards of offense in the first two quarters.

“I feel like we could be such a great offense but we just shoot ourselves in the foot so much. It’s something that we’ve just got to keep working through,” Bond said. “As you can see, when we’re on we’re on. We just can’t take that long to get on.”

THE TAKEAWAY
Virginia: The Cavaliers dominated much of the first half behind Muskett, who missed the previous three weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in the season opener against Tennessee. But the Cavs’ offense struggled through the second half and had no rushing threat, gaining just 59 yards on 29 attempts.

Boston College: The Eagles hurt themselves with turnovers, two interceptions in the first half and two fumbles in the second half that allowed Virginia to stay close. The injury to O’Keefe could also be costly.

UP NEXT
Virginia: Hosts William and Mary next Saturday.

Boston College: Visits Army next Saturday.

by Taboola
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