Free Republic

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Sept. 11, 2006 – Servicemembers from around the Hampton Roads, Va., area came together at Mount Trashmore Park here today to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sailors from the Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron 4 stand at attention while the national anthem plays at Mount Trashmore Park, in Virginia Beach, during the 9/11 Hampton Roads Remembers ceremony. More than 1,200 people attended the event to help construct a human flag and remember the tragic events that took place Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Seaman Kiona McKissack, USN  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The servicemembers, along...

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2006 -- Eighteen cities and counties in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region are planning Freedom Walks to commemorate victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and show support for veterans past and present. Inspired by the 2005 America Supports You Freedom Walk, in Washington, D.C., Hampton Roads and several other cities nationwide are planning their own Freedom Walks, marking the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11. Each Freedom Walk will conclude with a ceremony, featuring speeches from local officials and patriotic music. Organizers of the walks say they anticipate 500 to 1,000 people will participate in each...

Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot is dropping columnist Michelle Malkin because, according to the paper's editorial board, she's an "Asian Ann Coulter" whose columns are too "anti-liberal" and "seemingly mean-spirited." Responding to a reader's complaint about the conservative scribe, the paper's public editor, Marvin Lake, announced on Monday that "she's outta here." In quotes covered by Editor & Publisher, Lake explained that the Virginian-Pilot's editorial board had concluded that Malkin was "too stridently anti-liberal" and that readers objected to her "seemingly mean-spirited rantings and suggested that she be dropped." Malkin's meticulously researched columns have covered a variety of topics, including exposing Sen. Robert...

NEW YORK On daily newspapers' opinion pages, columnists come and go. But the dumping of an increasingly popular conservative at the Virginian-Pilot in Hampton Roads, Va., got more of a public airing than usual. The newspaper's public editor, Marvin Lake, announced in a column responding to a reader's complaint about editorial balance at the paper that Michelle Malkin, who had been added to give "another voice to the conservatives," had been dropped as a columnist because she was "too stridently anti-liberal." Lake explained that "readers often took issue with her seemingly mean-spirited rantings and suggested that she be dropped. Well,...

VIRGINIA BEACH — It seemed as if the only Republican missing from Friday’s rally for President Bush was the president himself. Dozens of prominent local, state and national Republicans led a gathering of hundreds on a chilly hillside at Mount Trashmore Park, where Bush backers hoped to give their candidate an extra push in the presidential race. A cast of Republican sheriffs, state senators, state delegates and city council members was joined by U.S. Sen. John Warner, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas, and U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes . Even Rudy Boesch, a retired Navy SEAL and...

13News Investigates has details on the arrest of five illegal aliens at Little Creek Amphibious Base.The men worked for a landscaping company and all had fake ID's. They were arrested as they tried to gain access to the base.The Mexicans had gotten on base at least one other time. But on Tuesday, the guard at Gate 4 looked at their documents and got suspicious.Dave Meeryman, who owns the landscaping company Merryman Grounds Maintenance, admitted that three of his employees were only in the process of filling out the proper paperwork when they were arrested."The allegations right now just aren't true....

NORFOLK — More than 65,000 gay men and women are serving in the military, according to a first-of-its-kind study released this week. The study also found that more than 27 percent of homosexual couples in the Hampton Roads area have at least one veteran partner, ranking the area No. 2 in the nation for percentage of same-sex households with vets. Only Pensacola, Fla., with 34 percent, has more. The numbers come courtesy of the Urban Institute, a non-profit independent policy research and educational organization. Counting the homosexuals serving in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military has been nearly impossible in...

17 employees for a contractor working on a drydocked Navy ship are in court Wednesday facing charges they had false identification documents.U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty said the men are illegal aliens and worked as sandblasters for Network Industries, Limited. That company is working at Metro Machine Corporation in Norfolk on the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan.According to the federal indictment, one of the men had been deported but somehow was back in the country.All are charged with having and using a false immigration document and false representation of social security numbers. Eight are also charged with aggravated identity theft."These...

Dear Veteran, Please join us to welcome John Kerry and other veterans to Norfolk this Tuesday, July 27, at a rally celebrating strength and service. Come hear John Kerry outline the Kerry-Edwards vision for an America that is stronger at home and respected in the world. Tickets are required for this event. To print your complimentary ticket(s), please click here: Get tickets, see the clownWHEN: Tuesday, July 27 Gates open at 8:00 a.m. WHERE: Nauticus National Maritime Center Hampton Roads Naval Museum 1 Waterside Drive Norfolk, VA DETAILS: Because of security concerns, please do not bring any bags, signs, umbrellas,...

Hey VA people! I'm relocating to Virginia Beach in Feb. We have a place to stay for 3 months, but will have to find another place in the area after that. Which areas do I need to stay away from? I know that Norfolk and Portsmouth (sp?) have some rough areas - what other areas should I take out of consideration? I'll be working at Oceana and am willing to commute a bit. Thanks in advance for any pointers or help you can give me on this. FRegards, PrairieDawg

Pictures from The Gathering The Gathering” reunion of Vietnam transportation veterans will be at Fort Eustis Wednesday-June 15. The Transportation Museum will provide a hospitality room for the veterans to visit and display their memorabilia. “The Gathering” provides the Vietnam veterans an opportunity to return to the home of the Transportation Corps and a chance for current transporters to learn from people who helped write an important chapter in Transportation Corps history. For more information, call 878-2856/1115. The public is invited, and it runs through Sunday, 15 June. If you are in the Hampton Roads area this weekend, and...

Carrier Roosevelt Taking Truman To Big Navy Show; President To Get First Hand Review Alexandria Gazette4/22/1946 By United Press President Truman is seeing one of the greatest shows on earth today-and from the best seat in the house. The Chief Executive is aboard the Navy’s mightiest carrier-the Franklin D. Roosevelt-for a first hand review of the brand of action which swept the Pacific clean of Japanese warships. Shortly after breakfast, Mr. Truman and his party were transferred in a launch from the Presidential yacht Williamsburg to the carrier F.D.R. in Hampton Roads, Va. Both the F.D.R. and an accompanying flat-top,...

A decision could soon be on the way for thousands of sailors in the USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group.Their return boils down to one question being debated at the highest levels of the military. The answer could mean an early homecoming...or four additional months at sea.WAVY News 10's Military Reporter Patty Culhane has learned there are two dates being debated right now. One brings the Theodore Roosevelt home in early June, which would be the news family members having been hoping to hear.The other - what the crew has been considering the "worst case" scenario - calls for the carrier...

By Bradley FloryStaff Writer Parents began calling Frost Elementary School and the Jackson County Health Department as word spread of the death of 9-year-old Natalie H. Emmons. They wanted to know one thing: Should we worry about our children? Emmons, a fourth-grader at Frost, died Thursday after being sick with flu-like symptoms. She had a seizure and then cardiac arrest. She is at least the eighth child in Michigan to die in the last month after a flu-like illness. Her death comes as Jackson County is at the peak of flu season. "We don't want parents to panic, but we...

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...

CDC reacts to deaths with alert to officials By STEVE STONE AND MICHELLE MIZAL-ARCHER , The Virginian-Pilot © February 23, 2003 Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are alerting every state health agency to watch for child deaths similar to those that have occurred in recent weeks in Virginia, Michigan and Ohio. So far, the CDC has received reports of at least 14 children nationally who have died suddenly after experiencing upper respiratory infections and fevers. The alert is entirely routine, a CDC spokeswoman said Saturday. Local, state and federal officials said there is still...

Pediatric offices and emergency rooms in Hampton Roads were jammed Friday with parents anxious to make sure their children's fevers and runny noses weren't life-threatening, as health investigators continued to study the unexplained deaths of five children in five days. ``I took off work to bring my daughter in,'' said Mashiah Mitchell, who brought his 4-year-old daughter, Asha, to Renaissance Pediatrics in Chesapeake because she had a fever. ``I got alarmed when I heard the news about the children dying.'' The fears were triggered by an investigation launched Thursday by the Virginia Department of Health into the deaths of four...

Health officials seek answers in deaths of five local children By STEVE STONE, The Virginian-Pilot © February 21, 2003 Last updated 8:58 PM Feb. 20 The Virginia Department of Health is working with local health officials to see if there is any common cause in the deaths of five children that have occurred in as many days. Four of the children died in Hampton Roads, one in Richmond. All of the children were 7 or younger and all suffered from upper respiratory infections. ``We are concerned about the recent deaths of these children, and we are rapidly investigating to determine...