This week in the news

First recipient of Tyler Binsted
scholarship named

Freshman Conor Backman is the first recipient of
the Tyler Binsted Endowed Scholarship in Sculpture
and Extended Media.

The scholarship memorializes Tyler Binsted, a
VCU sculpture major who was killed in March at
Byrd Park.

The VCU School of the Arts designated the
scholarship for the top student of the Art Foundation Program accepted into the sculpture department.

“This scholarship will honor the life and work
of Tyler Binsted, who proved to be an outstanding
student and artist during his time at VCU,” said
Richard E. Toscan, dean of the School of the Arts.
“We will use this scholarship to reward exceptional
students like Conor who have demonstrated the kind
of talent and dedication we will always remember
in Tyler.”

Backman will receive $1,000 from the scholarship
for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Information provided by University News Services

Virginia unemployment rate on the rise

Virginia’s March unemployment rate was 3.9
percent, up a percentage point from the same time
a year ago, largely because of automotive-industry
strikes and layoffs, the Easter holiday and an ongoing
residential-construction slowdown.

The Virginia Economic Commission’s chief economist,
William Mezger, says the general slowdown in
economic growth also contributed to the increased
jobless rate, up from 2.9 percent.

Also, the Easter holiday fell in March, versus April
last year. There are always some layoffs before and
after Easter.

March’s unemployment was up 0.1 percentage
point from February’s rate.
The national unemployment rate in March was
5.2 percent.

Among Virginia’s 134 counties and cities,
Arlington County had the lowest unemployment
rate at 2.3 percent; Martinsville had the highest, at
11.7 percent.

Brief by The Associated Press

Former UMW president arrested
on drunken-driving charges

Ousted University of Mary Washington President
William Frawley faces new drunken-driving charges
after police discovered him asleep in his car, which
was still running, and found open bottles of alcohol
inside.

Police from Montgomery County, Md., charged
Frawley with driving under the influence of alcohol.

He failed a field-sobriety test and had registered
a .18 blood-alcohol level on a breath test, according
to a police report.

The incident occurred April 10, exactly a year
after he was arrested for drunken driving in Fairfax
County after flipping his university-owned car.

The following day, he was arrested in Fredericksburg
and charged with a DUI after a motorist called
to report Frawley was swerving into oncoming traffic
and driving with his right front tire missing.

Frawley was fired April 30. Judy G. Hample,
chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher
Education in Harrisburg, will become the school’s
eighth president July 1.

Brief by The Associated Press

Leonard Pitts, Chris Matthews
will speak at ODU

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts
Jr. and MSNBC host Chris Matthews will be Old
Dominion University’s commencement speakers.

Pitts is a nationally syndicated columnist for The
Miami Herald. He was awarded the 2004 Pulitzer
Prize for commentary.

Matthews is the host of “Hardball with Chris
Matthews” and the Sunday talk show “The Chris
Matthews Show.”

Old Dominion’s graduation ceremonies will be
held May 10.

Brief by The Associated Press and information
provided by The Virginian-Pilot