Virginia

Region/state roundup: Green Run junior defensive back commits to Virginia Tech

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2024

FOOTBALL RECRUITING

Green Run junior defensive back Knahlij Harrell revealed his commitment to Virginia Tech on social media. The 5-foot-10 1/2, 165-pounder made the All-Class 5 Region A second team last season as the Stallions went 12-1 and reached the state semifinals.

COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD

Suffolk runner zooms to Boston victory

LSU’s Michaela Rose, who grew up in Suffolk, ran the 800 meters in 1 minute, 59.49 seconds for a victory at the Boston University David Hemery Invitational.

According to flotrack, which is streaming then meet, Rose’s time is the second-fastest indoor women’s 800 in collegiate history.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Apprentice sweeps Va. Peninsula CC

Apprentice School (4-0) swept Virginia Peninsula Community College 7-6, 9-3 in a doubleheader at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton.

Jett Winslow and Nate Yeary hit RBI singles in the seventh to give the Builders a walk-off win in Game 1. Caleb Russell hit a three-run homer in the third.

In Game 2, Russell and Matt Phoebus both homered and combined for five RBIs.

Virginia juniors Ethan Anderson, a Cox High graduate, and Griff O’Ferrall were two of 55 players named to the preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

HU splits two on opening day

Hampton began its season by splitting two games at the Stinger Classic in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Pirates opened with a 3-0 loss to Western Carolina but bounced back to shut out host Alabama State 4-0 as Angelina Branch struck out 10 in seven innings.

Western Carolina’s Tessa Juett pitched a three-hit shutout, striking out eight in seven innings.

When the Catamounts batted in the top of the fourth, Becka Wonsick’s sacrifice fly scored Natalie Henry before Savannah Baldwin hit a two-run triple to right-center.

That dealt HU starter Emily Workman the loss, but reliever Jada Evans pitched 3 1/3 shutout innings.

Branch shut down Alabama State. The Pirates’ Camryn Thompson scored on an error in the third, Kylee Quinn hit a two-run triple in the sixth, and Carmynn Bonner scored on a dropped pop-up in the seventh.

NSU drops opening two games

Norfolk State lost 4-3 to Tennessee Tech and then 13-0 to Presbyterian at the Blue Hose’s season-opening event in Clinton, South Carolina.

Against Tennessee Tech, the Spartans went ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first inning as freshman Kachelle Refour, a First Colonial High graduate, scored on an error before Landstown product Emree Sky Obispo socked a two-run single to left-center.

But Tennessee Tech recovered with a four-run third inning, getting two runs on Carmen Betts’ single to right, followed by an error, and a go-ahead two-run double by Sydney Kirby.

NSU starter Kailey Bryant took the loss, but Emma Zieg pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief.

Presbyterian racked up an 8-0 lead in the first inning of the Spartans’ second game. Rylie Gilbreath had three hits for NSU.

No. 23 Hokies start 2-0

No. 23 Virginia Tech began its season with a flourish, routing Illinois 18-1 and then knocking off No. 20 Auburn 8-1 in eight innings on the Tigers’ field.

Against Illinois, Michelle Chatfield and Rachel Castine hit home runs. Lyndsey Grein struck out 12 in seven innings against Auburn, and Castine hit a grand slam in the eighth inning.

UVA wins twice

Virginia won its first two games, edging UNC Greensboro 6-5 and Jacksonville State 7-3 in Columbia, South Carolina.

Shelby Barbee homered against UNCG, a game the Cavaliers led 6-0. Against Jacksonville State, UVA scored five runs in the fifth to erase a 3-2 deficit. Abby Weaver hit a go-ahead two-run single and Sarah Coon hit a two-run homer in that inning.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S TENNIS

ODU sweeps singles to beat Iowa State

Old Dominion (3-3) earned its second victory over Iowa State (2-3) this season, sweeping every singles match for a 6-1 triumph in Urbandale, Iowa.

ODU dropped two of three sets in doubles to fall behind 1-0 against a Cyclones program that reached last year’s NCAA Elite Eight, but No. 5 Lidiia Rasskouskaia, No. 6 Ulyana Romanova and No. 4 Kira Matushkina won in straight sets.

The Monarchs’ top three all came from a set behind to win, with reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week Allison Isaacs providing the clincher with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph at line 3. No. 1 Sofia Johnson and No. 2 Alexandra Viktorovitch won third sets of 6-3 and 7-6 (8-6), respectively.

No. 11 Virginia (7-1) picked up a 5-2 victory against No. 6 Pepperdine (2-2) in the opening round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Seattle.

The Cavaliers advance to face No. 4 seed Michigan (6-1) at noon Eastern time Saturday in the quarterfinals.

COLLEGE MEN’S TENNIS

CNU opens with triumph

Christopher Newport earned an 8-1 victory over Hampden-Sydney in the opener for both teams at James River Country Club’s indoor facility in Newport News.

Eddy Porsmyr Hansen, Gus Mitchell and Ahun Vodela won in singles and doubles for CNU, and Maury High graduate Alex Seretis won on singles line 5. Cox High graduate Barrett Foster and Thomas Davis won at No. 1 doubles for the Tigers’ victory.

No. 6 Virginia (6-3) picked up a 4-0 victory against No. 24 Georgia (4-2) on Friday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville.

COLLEGE WRESTLING

No. 8 N.C. State rolls past UVA

Virginia (7-4, 1-2 ACC) fell 38-3 at No. 8 North Carolina State (13-2, 3-0).

In the night’s third match, UVA 174-pounder Justin McCoy, ranked No. 14 nationally in his weight class, beat No. 29 Alex Faison 3-0. The Wolfpack won at the other nine weights.

COLLEGE WOMEN’S LACROSSE

George Mason spoils W&M’s opener in OT

William & Mary opened its season with an 11-10 overtime loss against George Mason at The St. James in Springfield.

After neither team scored during the initial 3-minute session of overtime, Mason’s Morgan Gunn tallied the game-winner off an assist from Hailey Zutic with two minutes remaining on the clock.

W&M led by two late in regulation, but the Patriots evened the score with a pair of goals by Shannon Tuozzo and Kate Elam in the final two minutes.

Freshmen Finley Hoffman and Chloe Pierini both came off the bench to lead W&M in their collegiate debuts with two goals apiece, while junior Justyce Barber — Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronde Barber’s daughter — totaled a team-high four points.

Freshman Katia Carnevale scored four goals and Mackenzie Hoeg had three as No. 16 Virginia defeated Liberty 14-6 in a season opener in Lynchburg.

COLLEGE MEN’S GOLF

UVA’s James on Ben Hogan award watch list

Virginia sophomore Ben James was one of 40 college golfers named to the 2024 Ben Hogan Award watch list. James, a first-team All-American last season, is in the running for an award that goes to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or NJCAA golfer based on all collegiate, amateur and pro events over the previous 12 months.

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Virginia

The Virginia International Tattoo: Where 250 Years of Freedom Takes the Stage – VisitNorfolk

Published

7 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

The Virginia International Tattoo: Where 250 Years of Freedom Takes the Stage – VisitNorfolk

If you’re uncertain what the words “Tattoo” and “Hullabaloo” mean in the context of Norfolk, Virginia’s largest annual event, Scott Jackson is happy to explain.

“About 15 years ago, I took a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, to see the Edinburgh tattoo, which is the biggest tattoo in the world and the most famous,” says Jackson, Producer/Director of the military-themed spectacle known as the Virginia International Tattoo. “My hotel was at the bottom of a road called the Royal Mile… and when you walk up this mile on the night of a tattoo performance, it’s totally vibrant. It’s so exciting. There’s music on every corner. There’s street performers. There’s food, there’s beer. When I got to the castle, I already felt great. I was already in a great mood.”

The annual Virginia International Tattoo runs April 16–19, 2026, and this year it carries the theme of America’s 250th anniversary. The timing is not lost on Jackson, a student of military history who discovered, in preparing for this year, that George Washington himself called for the first tattoo in American history.

“At that time, a tattoo was a small military ceremony,” Jackson explains. “It was basically a time each night when soldiers were called back to a base, and there was a roll call, and a military ceremony, sometimes called a beating retreat.”

From that origin story, Jackson has built a show that threads 1776 through every act. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, performing in 1776 uniforms, will demonstrate how fifes, drums and bugles once served as battlefield communication, the original radio operators of the Continental Army. The French Navy Band and a Royal Air Force rifle display team called the King’s Color Squadron represent the allies who stood with the colonies.

“There’s a great line from the musical Hamilton,” Jackson says, “‘I want to be in the room where it happened.’ Well, these were the countries that were in the room where it happened.”

South Korea’s Army Band provides a “a giant umbrella of Korean culture,” with traditional dance and costumes, a taekwondo display team, and two K-pop stars currently serving their mandatory military service.

“In the U.S. in the ’50s, Elvis Presley was drafted into the Army, who felt like it was a distraction, so they actually staged him in Germany. He basically had a desk job,” Jackson says. “Well, the South Koreans said, ‘Oh, you’re a K-pop star, we’re drafting you. We’re sending you to Virginia Tattoo to represent.’”

More than 800 civilian and military performers from six nations will fill Scope’s arena floor. For those making the drive from the Richmond region and beyond, the experience begins well before curtain. According to Jackson, that is precisely what you don’t want to miss.

The festivities aren’t just inside the arena, Jackson notes. For several hours before each performance, the exterior Scope Plaza comes alive with brass quintets, traditional Celtic dancers, beer tastings, festival food and a market of makers selling Tattoo-related merchandise. This is the Hullabaloo, a free pre-show open to the public and Jackson’s answer to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

“When you can, come early and relax, because then when the show starts, you’re already in a great place,” he says. “If you haven’t gone yet, this is the year to go.”

Tickets are available at vafest.org or by calling (757) 282-2822. Show times are Thursday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

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Virginia

Virginia civil rights leaders decry ‘misinformation’ in redistricting fight

Published

19 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Virginia civil rights leaders decry ‘misinformation’ in redistricting fight

Civil rights leaders in Virginia on Wednesday denounced a political campaign opposing the state’s April 21 redistricting referendum, accusing it of spreading misinformation and exploiting civil rights imagery to sway voters.At a news conference at Maggie L. Walker Memorial Plaza in Richmond, leaders with the NAACP Virginia State Conference sharply criticized mailers distributed by the Justice for Democracy PAC, a group opposing the referendum that has drawn scrutiny for its messaging and funding.“On this April Fool’s Day, don’t be fooled into voting ‘no,’” Gaylene Kanoyton, political action chair of the NAACP Virginia State Conference said.

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Virginia

Con artists stole jewelry worn by women in Northern Virginia. Police are asking for help finding them – WTOP News

Published

1 day ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

Con artists stole jewelry worn by women in Northern Virginia. Police are asking for help finding them – WTOP News

Several people used sleight of hand to steal jewelry worn by women in Northern Virginia, and police in Fairfax County are asking for the public’s help to find the suspects.

Several people used sleight of hand to steal jewelry worn by women in Northern Virginia, and police in Fairfax County are asking for the public’s help in finding the suspects.

The robberies began at 1:30 p.m. on March 20 and followed a similar pattern. According to police, suspects described as women in SUVs would approach other women in parking lots, start conversations and offer them jewelry.

As the suspects placed costume jewelry on the women, they would use sleight of hand to remove the women’s real jewelry, driving off before the victims knew what happened, police said.

After reviewing surveillance footage and identifying one of the vehicles involved, Fairfax County police issued a nationwide bulletin for a white 2026 Toyota Highlander registered out of state. The next day, Delaware State Police stopped the Highlander as it was entering a shopping center in New Castle.

Troopers in Delaware detained and identified those inside the Toyota, including Cristina Milhaela Paun, 21, of Baltimore. She was then let go.

Detectives in Fairfax County said they have since identified Paun as a suspect in two of the March 20 thefts and obtained warrants for felony pickpocketing and robbery. She is wanted, and police are asking the public for information regarding her whereabouts.

The exact times and locations of each theft are listed below:

1:30 p.m., 6900 block of Hechinger Drive in Springfield (white SUV, Paun identified as a suspect)
1:30 p.m., 13900 block of Metrotech Drive in Chantilly (black SUV)
3:30 p.m., 12900 block of Wood Crescent Circle near Herndon (white SUV, Paun identified as a suspect)
3:55 p.m., 6800 block of Commerce Street in Franconia (black SUV, two suspects, described as a 50-year-old woman with red hair and gold teeth and a 25-year-old woman wearing a headscarf). Video of this incident can be seen below.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about Paun’s location or about any of these, or similar incidents to call the Reston Police Station at 703-478-0904. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at 1-866-411-8477 and online.

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