Lynn Dexter Bailey Jr.

Around 6:30 Wednesday morning, police responded to the 3000 block of Bluffside Drive near the Defense Supply Center to investigate a suspicious vehicle report.  When officers approached the car, the driver sped away and crashed in a nearby ditch.  Police say Bailey and a woman police did not identify fled the scene.  Officers discovered the child near the car.

The toddler was unharmed and is in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Police ask anyone with information about Bailey's whereabouts to call the Chesterfield County Police Department at (804) 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at (804) 748-0660.  

Jay Ipson, President and Executive Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum, stood before four demonstrators who shouted anti-semitic statements and held signs that read, "Rabbis Rape Kids" and "God Hates Jews."  Ipson, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, raised his voice above the din and invited the members of the Westboro Baptist Church to join him inside the museum.  He was met with another volley of hate from the members of the Topeka, Kansas-based church.

"Let's go back inside," one of hundreds of people present to show support for the museum suggested.  "They won't listen." 

Jay Ipson, now in his mid-seventies, was six years old when his family was forced into the Kovno ghetto in Lithuania.  He and his remaining family were able to escape the ghetto and Hitler's "final solution" and were later sheltered by a Polish family in rural Lithuania.

Inside the museum, Ipson addressed supporters crowded into a replica of Lithuania's Chor Schul (synagogue).

Referring to the small group of demonstrators, Ipson said, "We offered them an invitation to come inside.  They could continue their chant if they wanted to.  But guess what?  They were afraid.  They were afraid of you all who looked them in the face.  And even though you didn't say a single word, each one of you stood united as one against evil."

After his remarks to supporters, Ipson told Cox Radio, "This community will not stand for hate and I'm very grateful to to the people of all faiths that came to support us."  Referring again to the demonstrators he said, "Those people out there hate everybody and I think we showed them that this is a community united against hate and we're not going to accept it."

According to their Web site, on March 4th Westboro Baptist Church members plan to picket the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Kielen Dunn at Arlington National Cemetery.  The 19-year-old Chesapeake native lost his life last month serving his country in Afghanistan.     

Both events were part of Engineering Career Day at the Science Museum of Virginia, sponsored by the Richmond Joint Engineers Council.

Tony Marotto of the Richmond Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers said, "The point of the contest is to get the kids involved to come down to Career Day so that they are made aware of the different engineering societies around town and the different forms of engineering that they can learn in the future."

In the Great Egg Drop Contest, contestants were called one-by-one to the stair rail where, at Marotto's signal, they dropped their design containing a raw egg toward a target on the concrete floor below.  Contestants then traveled down the stairs to see if the egg survived.  In most cases the egg remained unscrambled.  Prizes were awarded for the lightest cushion-type container closest to the target, the lightest parachute-type container closest to the target and the most creative design.

Next door, judges used a crank-and-pulley system to apply stress to the center span of contestants' ice cream stick bridges.  Tension mounted as a digital display showed the amount of pressure each bridge was experiencing.  Many survived more than 165 pounds before the audience heard the tell-tale cracking sound that signalled the bridges' structural limits had been reached.  Prizes were awarded for bridges that sustained the most load, and for the most innovative and aesthetic designs.

The annual contests are held in conjunction with Engineer's Week.

Visit the Science Museum of Virginia online at www.smv.org         

"The explosions, we believe, were from acetylene tanks which is used in welding here," said Lt. Shawn Jones of the Richmond Fire Department.

Firefighters were able to remove some of the tanks from the building and the city's HAZMAT team was called to the scene.

The three-alarm blaze in the city's east end brought fire crews from nearby Henrico County to assist Richmond Fire personnel already on scene.  Employees of S. B. Cox used heavy equipment to help firefighters clear a fire break, keeping flammable materials from feeding the blaze.

The fire was marked under control at 6:15 AM. 

"We are concerned about some of the environmental impact associated with some of the tires that were burning at this facility," Jones said. "The HAZMAT teams from the City of Richmond, Henrico and, at some point, maybe even the EPA will be out here to look into the situation."

Investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze.

The tentative contract agreement had averted a possible strike by GRTC's union bus drivers.  The union also rejected a proposal by the company last month.

GRTC is the primary mass transit carrier in the Richmond area. 

Temparature variations, chemical applications and repeated scrapings have left area roadways pock-marked with pot holes.  Asked how the Virginia Department of Transportation is addressing the problem, VDOT's Dawn Eischen said the transportation department is doing what it can.

"We've been going out and addressing pot holes by putting cold patch in them and cold patch is really all we can use this time of year," Eischen said, "because we really need to have temperatures above 50 degrees continuously for us to be able to use the more permanent asphalt patching."

Haley Pontiac GMC Service Manager Paul Hartman said Monday their service department sees the end-result of the pot hole problem.

"We've seen an increase in pot hole-related repairs.  Probably about 20 to 30 percent more than normally we'd see this time of year.  Mostly damaged tires and wheels," Hartman said.

Service technician Barry Kerns advises motorists to pay attention to what their cars may be telling them after a pot hole encounter.

"Vibrations. Does the vehicle start to pull one way or the other where it did not prior to hitting it?  Certainly keep an eye on the tire to make sure that it's not losing air," Kerns said, "Sometimes they'll develop a slow leak that you won't notice right at first."

Service technicians say play it safe.  If you suspect something may be damaged, take your vehicle to a repair shop and have it checked.

Fire crews attempted to enter the building but were forced back by the flames.  As a third alarm was called, Henrico Fire teams used ground ladders to rescue two people from the third floor of the building. 

Several residents suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene and released.  One firefighter was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  The Red Cross is assisting residents displaced by the blaze. 

The Honey Tree apartment complex was the scene of another fire in March of this year that gutted one of its buildings. 

     the Red Cross arrives to assist displaced residents

Authorities say 56-year-old Robert Ware and his son, 20-year-old Ashton Ware, each died of a single gunshot wound.  Robert Ware's wife, 44-year-old Virginia Ware, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Henrico County Fire Marshall's Office says the fire was likely started in an attempt to destroy the home.

A joint investigation is continuing as fire and police investigators await lab reports from the Virginia State Lab and the Medical Examiner's Office.

(see original story below)  

"With the report that there may be victims trapped, Henrico Fire upgraded it to a second alarm which brought an additional two engines and another specialty unit as well as multiple ambulances...there's a bunch of people out here today," Shumate said. 

The fire was marked under control around 11:00 this morning.  The number of fatalities was unknown when fire and police officials conducted a press briefing at 11:30 this morning and the victims have not been identified.  Lieutenant Eric Owens with the Henrico Police Department said police investigators are exploring all possibilities as to the cause of the blaze.

"On fires where there is a fatality, we normally work as a group - Police and Fire together.  Everybody has resources that compliment each other," Shumate said.

On scene, 1700 block of Debbie Lane in Henrico County        

Appomattox Sheriff O. Wilson Staples said Speight was unarmed when he turned himself in.  Authorities have not determined a motive in Tuesday's shooting rampage.  Speight fired several shots from a high-powered rifle at a police helicopter yesterday.  One of the shots hit the helicopter's fuel system forcing the flight crew to make an emergency landing.

Speight was taken to an undisclosed location for questioning.  Charges against him are pending.

Speight

According to Henrico Police, 33-year-old Christopher Lynn Walker of 4th Avenue in the City of Richmond was immediately taken into custody. 

Walker faces a First Degree Murder charge in Henrico County.   

The stakes are high and Obama has waded deeper into the race.  He recently recorded an automated phone call (robo-call) asking voters to support Coakley. 

Democrats are preparing for a defeat in Massachusetts.  The White House and Democratic allies are scrambling to prepare a game plan for saving health care reform should Brown win tomorrow's election.  One option involves House Democrats accepting the health care bill passed last month by the Senate.  That's an "iffy" gambit as the Senate bill provides coverage for fewer people than the House version - a sticking point for many House Dems.

The close race in Massachusetts - statistically tied in the latest polls - surprised many political observers as they watched Coakley's double-digit lead disappear in a matter of weeks.  Although Democrats enjoy a 3-to-1 advantage among registered voters in the heavily Democratic state, they've been scrambling to energize their base.

Following a Republican gubernatorial win here in Virginia and the decisions by several high-ranking Dems to retire, many pundits see the special election in Massachusetts as a referendum on the Obama health care reform initiative and, perhaps, his administration in general.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says that no matter who wins the election, the fact that the race is so close in a largely liberal state sends a clear message that voters don't support the President's health care overhaul.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani says a Republican win would signal that voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. 

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told a largely black congregation yesterday that if Coakley loses, it will be a victory for those who want Obama to fail.

Both sides say voter turnout will be key.  Coakley is counting on labor unions to help her get out the vote.  Brown's camp is targeting independent voters who have been receptive to the Republican's message.

One thing is certain: Coakley cannot afford last-minute missteps.  Most recently, a television ad for Coakley (paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) was pulled after it was learned the spot included a brief image of the World Trade Center in New York City.  Rudy Giuliani said Coakley and her allies owe an apology to the families of those killed in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.  Hyperbole?  Sure.  But this race was Coakley's to lose and, after squandering a double-digit lead to a come-from-behind underdog, there isn't wiggle-room enough to be tripping over her own shoe laces.