HURRICANE CENTER-IRENE
Forecasters applying lessons learned from TS Irene
MIAMI (AP) The director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami says forecasters are trying to apply lessons from Tropical Storm Irene's destruction to their storm preparedness message this year.
Flooding from Irene was the most destructive event to hit Vermont in almost a century, killing six people, leaving hundreds homeless and damaging or destroying hundreds of miles of roads.
Hurricane center director Bill Read said Thursday that forecasters believe they accurately conveyed the potential inland impacts of the storm. He says the forecasts for Irene were among the best he's seen on rainfall from a hurricane making landfall.
Many in New England contend that Irene's flooding caught them by surprise. Read says overcoming that communications gap is a challenge for forecasters.
The six-month Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1.
DEPUTY CHARGED-LAWSUIT
Lawsuit against Va ex-sheriff, ex-deputy settled
(Information in the following story is from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com)
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) The estate of a former Franklin County deputy's wife has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against him and a former sheriff.
An attorney for Jennifer Agee's estate, Matt Broughton, tells The Roanoke Times that a circuit judge in Rocky Mountain approved the settlement Thursday.
Agee's children will receive $900,000 under the settlement. The lawsuit had sought $20 million in damages.
Agee's ex-husband, former Deputy Jonathan Agee, is charged with fatally shooting her at a Roanoke convenience store on May 30, 2011. He's charged with shooting and wounding a State Police trooper while attempting to flee.
The lawsuit claimed former Sheriff Ewell Hunt didn't warn authorities that his deputy was armed and had threatened to kill Jennifer Agee.
TOBACCO PREVENTION FUNDING
Report: State tobacco prevention funding lacking
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) States have spent only about 3 percent of the billions they've received in tobacco taxes and legal settlements over the last decade to fund tobacco prevention programs.
A report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says states have collected nearly $244 billion in taxes and settlement money since 1998. That compares with only $8 billion earmarked for state tobacco control efforts and is far less than the $29 billion minimum the CDC said should have been spent over that same period.
States on average have never spent as much the CDC would like. But the total has declined dramatically in recent years as states grapple with budget deficits.
Public health officials say prevention programs are vital to reducing the death and disease caused by tobacco use.
AIRCRAFT CARRIER-CONSTRUCTION
Milestone marked in aircraft carrier construction
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) Shipbuilders in Virginia have reached a major milestone in the construction of the nation's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Newport News Shipbuilding lowered the final keel section of what will be the USS Gerald R. Ford into place on Thursday. The first-of-its class aircraft carrier will be the nation's 11th in service once it is delivered to the Navy in 2015. It will replace the USS Enterprise, which is on its last scheduled deployment.
Placing the lower bow into dry dock means that nearly 80 percent of the ship has been erected. The lower bow is more than 60 feet tall and weighs more than 680 tons. Hundreds of workers in hard hats paused to witness the massive section of the ship being hoisted into the air with a large crane.
OBIT-WAMPLER
Former SW Va US Rep William Wampler Sr. dies
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) William S. Wampler, a moderate Republican who represented southwestern Virginia in Congress for a career that spanned four decades, has died. He was 86.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said Thursday that Wampler died at his home in Bristol, Va., Wednesday night.
Wampler's tenure in Congress began with his election in 1952, when he served a single term through 1954. He represented the 9th District in the mountainous western tip of Virginia, a district known as the "Fightin' 9th."
He returned to the House in 1966 and remained there until he lost in 1982 to Democrat Ric Boucher. Boucher held the seat until 2010.
His son, 52-year-old William C. Wampler Jr., represented Bristol in the state Senate from 1988 until he retired last year.
FLORIDA SLAYING-ARREST
Twins wanted for Florida slaying arrested in Va
STAFFORD, Va. (AP) Twin brothers from Florida are facing murder charges after being arrested in Virginia.
Virginia State Police say 34-year-old Octavius and Obadiah Toppin were arrested in Stafford County just before 4 a.m. Thursday. Police had been on the lookout for the brothers, who were wanted in connection with the shooting death Wednesday of Raymond Torres in Palm Bay, Fla.
The Toppins are being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford County, pending extradition to Florida.
An initial court appearance Thursday was continued. Hearings for both men were set for June 22.
Attorneys for the men did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
HURRICANE FORECAST
Forecasters: 9 to 15 storms this hurricane season
MIAMI (AP) Federal forecasters predict there will be about nine to 15 storms during this year's Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its initial outlook Thursday for the six-month storm season that officially begins June 1.
The season got an early start when Tropical Storm Alberto formed last Saturday off South Carolina's coast.
The agency predicts that this year's total will include four to eight hurricanes. One to three of those could become major hurricanes.
This season marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew's catastrophic landfall in South Florida as a Category 5 storm.
Last year marked the sixth consecutive year without the U.S. landfall of a major hurricane, which are classified as Category 3 storms with sustained winds of 111 mph or higher.
NORFOLK STATE-FINANCES
Norfolk St. financial operations concern auditor
(Information in the following story is from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) A Norfolk State University official says the school is working to correct financial operation deficiencies identified by the state's chief auditor.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch says state auditor of public accounts Walter J. Kucharski sent a letter to the university about its financial operations on May 7. Kucharski told the university that weaknesses in internal controls create a potential for fraud.
In a May 16 response, interim vice president for finance and administration Gregory A. Davis said the university agrees with the assessments.
Davis told the newspaper that many of the problems are due to a lack of personnel.
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