AP
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) _ A day care operator in Lynchburg faces a misdemeanor charge stemming from the investigation of a fatal fire. Doris Lee Thompson is charged with one count of unlawfully operating a day care facility. Media outlets report that a Lynchburg grand jury indicted Thompson on Friday. Authorities say Thompson didn’t have a license to operate a day care center, and didn’t have a business license for the facility.Two children died following a fire at the day care on Sept. 19. Police have said the victims were among seven children in the home at the time of the fire.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Tech is seeking state approval of two new degree programs. The university’s Board of Visitors approved the programs earlier this month. One is a bachelor of science degree program in systems biology. The other is a master of arts degree in women’s and gender studies. Virginia Tech says in a news release that the new programs would begin in the fall of 2015, if they are approved by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia. The state council recently approved a new bachelor of science in neuroscience degree program at Virginia Tech.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) _ The man accused of abducting a University of Virginia student has pleaded not guilty in a Fairfax County courtroom on an unrelated sexual assault charge. Thirty-two-year-old Jesse Matthew made his first in-person court appearance in Fairfax on Friday morning. He’s charged there with attempted capital murder and other counts stemming from a September 2005 attack on a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax City. After entering his not guilty plea, the judge set a March 9 trial date. Matthew was arrested and charged in September with abducting 18-year-old Hannah Graham, whose remains were found near Charlottesville after a month-long search. Authorities say DNA evidence linked him to the 2005 assault in Fairfax as well as the 2009 disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Film Festival is celebrating a record-breaking year. Officials with the film festival in Charlottesville say it set an all-time high of nearly $175,000 in box office sales at the event that took place earlier this month. That’s up more than 45 percent from 2013. A record number of nearly 28,610 tickets were issued and the 27th annual festival sold out 41 screenings. The festival is presented by the University of Virginia. More than 100 films were showcased during the 2014 Virginia Film Festival, including “Big Stone Gap.” The movie based on author Adriana Trigiani’s series of books was made on location in Big Stone Gap. Cast members include Patrick Wilson, Jenna Elfman and Jasmine Guy.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Leaders of several historically black colleges and universities are gathering in Virginia to discuss the status of the higher education institutions. Virginia Union University President Claude Perkins is being joined Friday in Richmond by the heads of Benedict College, Bowie State, Tougaloo College, Shaw University and Johnson C. Smith University. Officials say the presidents will discuss diversity in higher education and opportunities and challenges facing the schools both now and in the future. The panel is being moderated by David Pluviose, executive editor of Diverse Issues in Higher Education. The gathering is part of events marking Virginia Union’s 150th anniversary.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The popularity of the University of Virginia’s early application program continues to rise. The Daily Progress reports (http://bit.ly/1zR26FN ) that the university received a record number of applications before the Nov. 1 “early action” deadline. The 16,185 applications mark a 7.5 percent increase over last year. Early action allows students to apply early and receive an answer by the end of January. Unlike similar early application deadlines at other universities, applicants do not have to commit to attending the Charlottesville school if they are admitted. This leaves the option to compare financial aid offers at other schools. Officials say that encourages more low-income students to apply early. The deadline for regular applications is Jan. 1.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) _ The man accused of abducting a University of Virginia student is expected to make an appearance in a Fairfax County courtroom on an unrelated sexual assault charge. Thirty-two-year-old Jesse Matthew is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Friday morning in Fairfax to set a trial date. He is charged in Fairfax with attempted capital murder and other counts in connection with a September 2005 attack on a 26-year-old woman in Fairfax City. Matthew was arrested and charged in September with abducting 18-year-old Hannah Graham, whose remains were found near Charlottesville after a monthlong search. Authorities said DNA evidence linked him to the 2005 assault in Fairfax as well as the 2009 disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. Matthew was transferred to the Fairfax jail ahead of his court appearance.
Jesse Matthew, Jr.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The man charged in the disappearance of a University of Virginia student who was found dead has been transferred to a jail in Fairfax to await a hearing in an unrelated rape case. Albemarle County Sheriff’s Lt. Billy Boggs said Wednesday that 32-year-old Jesse Matthew was moved out of Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail late Tuesday night. Matthew was booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Matthew will be in court Friday in Fairfax, where he faces attempted capital murder and other charges in a 2005 sexual assault. A trial date is expected to be set. Matthew also is charged with abduction with intent to defile in the Sept. 13 disappearance of U.Va. student Hannah Graham, whose remains were found in Albemarle County on Oct. 18.
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) _ Two sites in the Roanoke area are being considered by the Virginia Army National Guard for a readiness center. The Guard tells media outlets that it hopes to make a decision in January. The sites’ locations weren’t disclosed. Guard officials hope to modify an existing facility instead of building a new one. Brig. Gen. Timothy Williams, the state’s adjutant general, says an existing facility would allow the Guard to move into the area sooner. The Guard hasn’t had a fixed presence in the area since 2009, when it left the Roanoke Armory.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is set to be honored by an anti-domestic violence group. The governor will win the 2014 “Break the Silence” award Thursday in Washington from the group Knock Out Abuse. The group is hosting a gala at the Ritz Carlton Hotel that will feature Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a dancer on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” as a celebrity auctioneer. The governor is also set to give remarks at the event.