Articles by Ben Finley and Denise Lavoie

Parents, Teachers Angry Over School Safety in City Where 6-Year-Old Shot Teacher

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — When a 6-year-old shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in this shipbuilding city near Virginia’s coast, the community reacted with collective shock. But the sentiment has percolated into rage from parents and particularly from teachers, …

Jury Mostly Backs Virginia Police Sued by Army Officer Over Traffic Stop

A federal jury in Virginia on Tuesday found mostly in favor of two police officers who were sued by a U.S. Army lieutenant after he was pepper sprayed, struck and handcuffed during a traffic stop. Video of the 2020 incident …

Revisiting School Safety After Shooting of Virginia Teacher by 6-Year-Old

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — The shooting of a first-grade teacher by a 6-year-old boy has plunged the nation into uncharted waters of school violence, with many in the Virginia shipbuilding city where it happened demanding metal detectors in every …

Trial Set for Black Army Officer Suing Police Over Violent Traffic Stop in Virginia

A U.S. Army lieutenant who was pepper sprayed, struck and handcuffed by police in rural Virginia, but never arrested, will argue to a jury that he was assaulted and falsely imprisoned and that his vehicle was illegally searched. Video of …

Historic Homes May Prove to Be More Resilient Against Floods

Whenever historic homes get flooded, building contractors often feel compelled by government regulations to rip out the water-logged wood flooring, tear down the old plaster walls and install new, flood-resistant materials. It’s a hurried approach that’s likely to occur across …

Historic Homes May Prove to Be More Resilient Against Floods

Whenever historic homes get flooded, building contractors often feel compelled by government regulations to rip out the water-logged wood flooring, tear down the old plaster walls and install new, flood-resistant materials. It’s a hurried approach that’s likely to occur across …

Virginia City Deploys Flood Safety App to Help Drivers Navigate Increased Flooding

The sun was shining when Kim Williams hopped in her Honda Odyssey to visit a friend at a nursing home. But an unexpected downpour on the drive back left her trapped in a maze of flooded streets. Williams made turn …

School Board in Virginia to Pay ACLU’s Legal Costs Over Bathroom Lawsuit

A school board in Virginia has agreed to pay $1.3 million in legal costs to the American Civil Liberties Union after the nonprofit spent six years representing a student who sued over the board’s transgender bathroom ban. Gavin Grimm’s suit …

Why Haiti Is Prone to Deadly Earthquakes

Earthquakes have been wreaking havoc in Haiti since at least the 18th century, when the city of Port-au-Prince was destroyed twice in 19 years. Saturday’s powerful quake killed hundreds and injured thousands more. Eleven years earlier a temblor killed tens …

Lawsuit Claims EPA Has Failed to Enforce Chesapeake Bay Pollution Caps

The Environmental Protection Agency has failed to ensure that Pennsylvania and New York are doing enough to reduce pollution that flows from farms and cities into the Chesapeake Bay, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday. The federal suit was …