Virginia
Dana Holgorsen Doesn’t Regret Leaving West Virginia: ‘I Had Reasons’
Dana Holgorsen didn’t last very long as the head coach at the University of Houston, getting fired just five years after taking the job. The Cougars won just four games in their inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference, one of which came against West Virginia, as you know, on the Hail Mary as time expired.
Holgorsen took the offseason to vet through his options before finally landing a consulting gig for Sonny Dykes at TCU. He will consume film of opponents during the season and give some tips and advice throughout the week to the assistants and coordinators as they prepare their gameplan. He will not have a role on gamedays.
Thursday morning, Holgorsen spoke with the media at TCU about taking the job, his time at Houston, and other things. He was asked about going from a Power Four school to a Group of Five school, the reasoning behind it, and why he left West Virginia.
“What’s funny is I did it twice. In this profession, you’ve got to take some gambles. When Sonny (Dykes) and I were at (Texas) Tech, we were there together for six years and he had to leave to advance his career. He left to go to Arizona to advance his career. I stayed for two more years and then I had to leave to go to Houston. Kevin Sumlin just got the Houston job and offered me the OC job and I took a pay cut for the same reason Sonny when to Arizona. We were co-coordinators at Tech, but we all know that we weren’t calling the plays. That belonged to Mr. Mike Leach. You had to get away to grow. I did that and two years later I’m at Oklahoma State and three years later I’m at West Virginia, so the gamble paid off. I did it again six years ago when I was at West Virginia in the Big 12 and left to go to Houston. I had reasons why I did that. I had been at West Virginia for eight years and was very successful. But there was a couple of things that I was concerned about that made me do that. I do not regret that. You look at what happened at Houston. I mean, we were 4-8 in the first year in the Big 12 I guess that’s not good enough. But a couple years prior to that in the American, which is why I went there, we won 20 games in two years. We had some success and I don’t regret that either.”
Holgorsen went 61-41 during his eight years at WVU and had two 10-win seasons.
What could those reasons have been? Well, it could be a number of things, but he has stated before that he didn’t feel West Virginia was in a spot to be able to compete in the Big 12 on a regular basis because of its recruiting base. It could have also been the pressure building around his job security following a late season collapse in 2018 with what was believed to be his best all-around team. He probably looked at the roster and knew that it was going to be an uphill battle in 2019 which would put him in danger of losing his job. Plus, Houston is a place he’s always loved and when the opportunity opened up, he felt like he could have more success there with a state rich with high school talent.
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Virginia
Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack
FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed by a trooper after a crash ended in a stabbing attack on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon.
Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, died at the hospital on Sunday after he was shot.
RELATED | 2 dead, dog killed after stabbing spree, trooper shooting on I-495 in Fairfax County
Investigators said Llamado was confronted by the trooper who opened fire around 1:17 p.m. The trooper was responding to a report of a road rage incident and found Llamado with a knife, according to a news release.
Four stabbing victims, all women, were also found at the scene, along with a dog that was also stabbed.
Michelle Adams, 39, died from her injuries. The dog also did not survive. The three other women were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to VSP. 7News is not identifying the surviving victims.
Investigators said the stabbings stemmed from a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495.
The trooper who opened fire was not hurt and is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of force.
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Investigators said they do not believe the attack is connected to terrorism.
Virginia
Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News
A road rage incident led to a shooting involving the Virginia State Police on Sunday on Interstate 495. Four individuals were also stabbed.
Two people are dead Sunday in Annandale, Virginia, after a road rage incident led to a shooting involving Virginia State Police on Interstate 495.
A release issued by the Virginia State Police said a trooper fatally shot a man after responding to a report of a road rage incident on the southbound lanes of I-495 just before 1:30 p.m. at exit 52, near the Little River Turnpike.
The man, transferred to a hospital with serious injuries, has been pronounced dead. VSP said the trooper shot in self-defense after the man confronted him with a knife.
The trooper did not suffer any injuries during the altercation.
Officials found four stabbing victims at the scene, but only identified a 39-year-old woman and a dog. Both the woman and the dog died.
Early findings suggest the stabbings took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway. The crash remains under investigation.
The VSP’s release comes after the main lanes of the Capital Beltway Outer Loop, before Little River Turnpike, were closed to traffic for several hours, only recently opening the express lanes. Main lanes between Arlington Boulevard and the Little River Turnpike remain closed.
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Virginia
Virginia Huffman Obituary February 27, 2026 – Ott & Lee Funeral Homes
Mary “Virginia” Huffman, 82, of Pelahatchie, Mississippi, passed away on February 27, 2026.
Born on February 28, 1943, in Morton, Mississippi, she was the daughter of Carl and Nannie Mae Bradshaw. She married the love of her life, Jimmy Lavell Huffman, on June 14, 1963, and together they built a life rooted in faith, family, and hard work. Virginia devoted nearly 50 years to teaching high school math, beginning at Morton High School and later serving at East Rankin Academy. Generations of students were shaped by her steady guidance, high expectations, and deep belief in their potential. Many would say they entered college prepared because they had learned from “Mrs. Huffman.” Her students knew the famous “Mrs. Huffman look,” but no one understood it quite like her children and grandchildren. To many, she was more than a teacher—she was a mentor, encourager, and second mother.
A faithful member of Cross Roads Baptist Church, Virginia was a true matriarch and prayer warrior whose life was anchored in her love for the Lord. She woke each morning to study the Word of God and carried that faith into every conversation, classroom, and season of life. She played piano and organ, sang in the choir, and on Sunday mornings could often be found at home practicing the piano before church—something her family dearly loved listening to. She served her church and community with quiet devotion. Whether tutoring students during the summer, helping families in need, or visiting church members, she consistently lived out a servant’s heart.
She loved farm life—raising chickens and cows, cutting hay, tending her flower beds, and cooking for the people she loved. She was especially known for her strawberry pies, egg custard, and caramel cake (see Cheryl Moore for the recipe). She faithfully attended her grandchildren’s sporting events and found her greatest joy in cheering on her family. She loved deeply and wholeheartedly, treating not only her own children and grandchildren as treasures, but embracing many others in her community as if they were her own.
She is survived by her husband, Jimmy Lavell Huffman; her children, Connie Goodman (Mike), Karen Jones, and Jade Huffman; her grandchildren, Christin (Colby) (Candace), Christopher (Victoria), Dillon, Marley, Halle (Elijah), Kyla Kate, and Eli; her great-grandchildren, Autumn, Titus, Sophia, Liam, Scarlett, Luke, and Ava; and her siblings, Paul (Joyce) and Delilah.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Nannie Mae Bradshaw; her in-laws, Clyde Sr. and Zora Huffman; her son, Scot Huffman; and her sisters, May Erving and Maxine Strong.
Virginia will be remembered as a woman of unwavering faith, steadfast strength, and extraordinary love. Her legacy lives on in the family she nurtured, the students she prepared, and the countless lives she covered in prayer.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – until on Sunday, March 1, 2026 at Cross Roads Baptist Church in Pelahatchie and again on Monday, March 2, 2026 from 12 pm – 1 pm.
Services will be held at 1pm Monday, March 2, 2026 at Cross Roads Baptist Church with burial in the church cemetery.
Bro. John Vaughn, Bro. Gary Morris and Bro. Steven Platt will officate the services.
Pallbearers will be Tim Wolverton, Colby Boyd, Christopher Wilson, Dillon Pettigrew, Eli Huffman and Elijah Moore.
Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Morton is honored to serve the Huffman family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Cross Roads Baptist Church Building Fund.
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