http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/virginiatech/ en-us Sat, 5 Dec 2009 15:30:32 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400977/posts New details revealed Friday about the university's response — from the time the victims were found to when they alerted the campus of a gunman on the loose — brought angry reactions and questions from some victims' families about leadership during the massacre that ended with 33 people dead. APvia AOL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400977/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 15:30:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399701/posts Friends of the missing Virginia Tech student will be walking in the Vinton Christmas parade, which starts at 7 p.m......The 20 year old disappeared after going to a Metallica concert in Charlottesville on October 17.....Harrington was well known at the Roanoke office of Mental Health America, where she was a volunteer with the Forgotten Victims Group, which helps children of domestic violence. Harrington started volunteering there when she was in the eighth grade.....Some of the very people Harrington helped will be marching in the parade and passing out fliers about her disappearance. The group plans to pass out about 2,000... WDBJ7 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399701/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:39:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390568/posts Morgan Harrington was seen hitchhiking for a ride on the Copeley Road Bridge on the night of her disappearance, according to a police brief released Nov. 13. “After the 9:30 (p.m.) timeframe, we can’t seem to establish any other sightings of her,” said Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police. It was also released in the brief that she was wearing a Swarovski Crystal necklace on that night. Harrington might have received a ride or approached someone to borrow a cell phone, Geller said. “She was wearing it that night,” Geller said. “She dropped her purse and her cell... Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390568/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:10:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386214/posts Time after time, public murder sprees occur in "gun-free zones" - public places where citizens are not legally able to carry guns. The list is long, including massacres at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School along with many less deadly attacks. Last week's slaughter at Fort Hood Army base in Texas was no different - except that one man bears responsibility for the ugly reality that the men and women charged with defending America were deliberately left defenseless when a terrorist opened fire. Among President Clinton's first acts upon taking office in 1993 was to disarm U.S. soldiers on military... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386214/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:14:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382855/posts This is a big week for the Virginia Tech chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. It's Defense Education Week, and the student group, which has 100 to 200 members, has organized a week's worth of seminars and gatherings in support of concealed carry on Virginia college campuses. Monday night's featured speaker was Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League. Earlier Monday, I spoke to Ken Stanton, 32, a serious-sounding engineering graduate student and the vice president of the Virginia Tech chapter of the concealed carry group. Here's his argument in favor of guns on... roanoke.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382855/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381894/posts BLACKSBURG, Va. -- As Americans scrambled to make sense of the life of Army psychiatrist Nidal M. Hasan, who allegedly killed 13 people and injured 38 more at Fort Hood, Tex., last week, one fact stood out for those living here: Hasan graduated from Virginia Tech in 1995. "We were like, 'Oh, jeez, not again,' " said Liana Bayne, a freshman communications major who was in charge of writing about the shooting for the campus newspaper, the Collegiate Times. The paper's student editors quickly re-framed their story to reflect the school's connection to another tragedy. It has been 2 1/2... WP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381894/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 03:26:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380675/posts In light of the Fort Hood Massacre, you notice there are not much condemnation from Muslims, like right after 9/11. It was silence for the most part, with the exception of a few. On the other hand, there were lots of condemnation from Koreans right after the Virginia Tech Massacre. Quite a stark contrast right there. They were fears of backlash in both cases. By the way, I never encountered any backlash after Virginia Tech Massacre. South Korea apologized after Seung-Hui Cho massacred 32 people. Quite frankly, I thought that was a little over the top coming from a Korean... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380675/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:42:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380425/posts Lessons learned from the horrific Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 are credited with averting an even bigger massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, Thursday afternoon when police officer Kimberly Munley confronted the gunman without waiting for backup and took him down with four shots. Reviews in the aftermath of the shootings at Virginia Tech, where 32 died, found that first responders' decision to be careful and wait for backup probably cost lives as that gunman moved unchecked from classroom to classroom as law enforcement massed outside. Those findings had found their way to Fort Hood's Special Reaction Team, which had practiced... Christian Science Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380425/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 23:26:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380045/posts Virginia Tech this morning confirmed that Fort Hood shooting suspect Nadal Malik Hasan graduated from the university in 1995. Here's the full news release. Virginia Tech has confirmed with the United States Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Va., that the alleged shooter at Fort Hood, Texas, once attended Virginia Tech. According to Virginia Tech records, Nidal Malik Hasan first enrolled at Virginia Tech for Summer Session II in 1992, and completed coursework in Spring Semester 1995. He received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He minored in biology... The Roanoke Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380045/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 16:40:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379846/posts The suspect, a Virginia Tech graduate and one-time Vinton resident, was shot but survived at Fort Hood, Texas. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of shooting 12 people to death and wounding 31 others at Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday, was the son of Roanoke merchants and restaurateurs, lived in Vinton and graduated from Virginia Tech. Hasan was born in Arlington to Palestinian immigrants from near Jerusalem who later settled in Vinton. Neighbors on Vinton's Ramada Road remembered him as a "studious" boy who went by "Michael." While his brother Eyad -- "Eddie" -- would play football with... The Roanoke Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379846/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:49:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379404/posts ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379404/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 20:18:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379790/posts WASHINGTON — Military officials say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspected shooter at Fort Hood, was a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for six years before being transferred to the Texas base in July. They said he received a poor performance evaluation while at Walter Reed. The Virginia-born soldier is single with no children. He is 39 years old. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1997. At Walter Reed, he did an internship, residency and a fellowship. Daily Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379790/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:58:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379488/posts Jihad at Fort Hood? Shooter: Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan - Jihad Watch via kwout http://www.jihadwatch.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379488/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 23:07:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371199/posts American heavy metal band Metallica has stumped up 50,000 dollars in reward money for a fan who disappeared at one of their concerts, a campaign website said Monday. Police have been searching for blond-haired, blue-eyed Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, 20, since she went missing from a Metallica concert in Charlottesville, Virginia on the evening of Saturday, October 17.... "The Band Metallica is also adding an additional 50,000 dollars to the reward bringing it to 150,000 dollars for Morgan's safe return or information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Morgan's disappearance," it said.... Yahoo! News (AFP) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371199/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:02:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368701/posts Every day, nearly 2,500 missing-persons reports are filed across the United States. Few of those reports receive any media attention. Yet the disappearance of Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington went from local newspaper and television stations to cable television's "Nancy Grace" in 48 hours. According to some television and digital journalism experts, Harrington's case skyrocketed because of a confluence of circumstances including her connection to the site of the largest mass school shooting in U.S. history. Those experts say that the disappearance of the 20-year-old from Roanoke County made national news because: -- Harrington is a young, pretty, blue-eyed... Roanoke.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368701/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:47:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368879/posts Gun Rights: A decade after Congress forbade the CDC from studying the health consequences of gun ownership, the National Institutes of Health has started funding such research. Will reform pry the guns from our cold, sick hands? More than a decade ago Congress, seeing it as a backdoor assault on the 2nd Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms, voted to cut funding for firearms research by the Centers for Disease Control. Such research was viewed as one-sided and based on flawed assumptions that all gun use was bad, even that which saved lives and deterred crime. The... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368879/posts#comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:56:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2366722/posts CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Police searched Tuesday for a Virginia Tech student who hasn't been seen since she was separated from her friends at a Metallica concert Saturday. Morgan Dana Harrington, 20, was last seen near the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville. Her parents said they talk to her every day and her disappearance is very out of character. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2366722/posts#comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:17:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364584/posts Lynchburg, VA - Supporters of the Second Amendment gathered Friday afternoon at the Liberty University (web) School of Law for a gun rights symposium. The discussion of current legal cases turned into a cry for help from students at Virginia Tech. Some Virginia Tech students even skipped class to do it. Alyson Boyce with VT Students for Concealed Carry President said, "Two and a half years ago, if you would have asked me anything about gun rights, I would not have been able to tell you a thing. Now, Boyce is the president of the Hokie Chapter of Students for... wset.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364584/posts#comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:23:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342343/posts Note: Photo included. Contrite St. John's Univ. student behind alleged massacre threats on Facebook says booze to blame BY KERRY BURKE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Thursday, September 17th 2009, 3:34 PM PHOTO CAPTION: "Radames Santiago Jr., 18, a student from St John's, who was arrested for making threats on his Facebook page." SNIPPET: "A St. John's University freshman who posted messages on Facebook threatening to launch a "Virginia Tech attack" at the Queens campus told the Daily News that he was just drunk and never would have caused anyone harm." SNIPPET: "Santiago, who lives in Washington Heights with his mom... NY DAILY NEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2342343/posts#comment Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:21:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2328477/posts The funeral services for two Virginia Tech sophomores who apparently were shot to death last week in the Caldwell Fields section of the Jefferson National Forest are scheduled for today in Lynchburg. As of Sunday evening, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office still was seeking leads for the shooting, which they believe occurred either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Services for David Lee Metzler, 19, of Lynchburg and Heidi Lynn Childs, 18, of Forest will be held at Heritage Baptist Church, which both students attended. Metzler's service will be at 1 p.m., while Childs' will be at 3 p.m. Each service... Roanoke Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2328477/posts#comment Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:12:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327725/posts BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 28 -- In what has become a sadly familiar ritual, about 100 students huddled together Friday on the Drillfield at the heart of the Virginia Tech campus, weeping and singing hymns as they mourned two slain classmates. Heidi Childs, 18, and David Metzler, 19, bright and promising students who were active in Campus Crusade for Christ, were found fatally shot Thursday morning in a national park about 15 miles from campus. Police said Friday that they had no suspects. The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327725/posts#comment Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:15:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326109/posts David Lee Metzler, 19 years old, and Heidi Lynn Childs, 19 years old, both of Lynchburg, VA were found by a passerby this morning at approximately 8:00 a.m. in the area of Caldwell Fields off of Craig’s Creek Road in Montgomery County. Both were deceased when they were found. The preliminary investigation revealed that both victims had gunshot wounds. Both were Virginia Tech students living off campus. WSLS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326109/posts#comment Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:05:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2320230/posts Family gives permission for release Recently discovered mental health records contain no obvious indications that the Virginia Tech gunman was a year and a half away from committing the worst mass shootings in modern U.S. history. The records contain previously unseen handwritten notes from the counselors who talked to Seung-Hui Cho in 2005, and in one report Cho denied having any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. On April 16, 2007, Cho killed 32 students and faculty members on the Blacksburg, Va., campus and took his own life. The counselors' notes indicate they were concerned for the troubled student, but the records... NBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2320230/posts#comment Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:17:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2313534/posts Now that Virginia Tech has conquered the Atlantic Coast Conference in back-to-back years, it’s setting its sights on a loftier goal in 2009—wire-to-wire contention for a national title. The Hokies are the class of the ACC for now, a fact that most expect to continue this fall. Heck, they wore the league crown last year, which was supposed to be a quasi-rebuilding period. However, like the local bully looking for new challenges, they’re pining for more respect outside of the neighborhood. Tech needs that kind of season that keeps them in the BCS championship right through November. And so does... College Football News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2313534/posts#comment Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:52:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308361/posts The Transportation Department will convene a meeting of safety experts and others concerned about the dangers of text-messaging and cell phone use while driving, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Tuesday. “If it were up to me, I would ban drivers from texting, but unfortunately, laws aren’t always enough,” Mr. LaHood said. Mr. LaHood said he hoped to bring together transportation and safety officials from around the country, as well as members of Congress, law enforcement officials and others concerned about what happens when drivers do not give full attention to controlling their vehicles. The session may be held in... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308361/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 00:59:01 GMT