Briefs
Local & VCU
Va. bill would make it illegal for children to ride motorcycles
A Virginia lawmaker wants to toughen up the state’s motorcycle’s laws and make it illegal for children younger than eight to travel by motorcycle.
Between 2005 and 2009, 23 children under the age of 10 were injured while riding motorcycles in the commonwealth, according to Department of Motor Vehicle statistics provided by an article in The Virginian-Pilot newspaper.
While none of those died, a 9-year-old boy died in an accident in October.
Bristol Virginia Police Officer Michael Whiteaker said putting a child on a motorcycle is so unsafe it should be illegal.
But, motorcycle enthusiasts argue it is their right to decide.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Va. child porn cases rise dramatically
Figures show child pornography is increasing faster than other crimes in Virginia.
The Virginian-Pilot reported Sunday that the number of child pornography cases increased 218 percent from 2003 to 2009. Nationally, federal figures show arrests rose 2,500 percent in 10 years.
U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride says the industry was dying until the Internet and peer-to-peer networks started a growing epidemic.
FBI agents Paula Barrows and Jack Moughan, who search for child pornography as part of a task force in Virginia, say the material they find is sickening, but the job is more rewarding than chasing drug dealers because it protects children.
Brief by the Richmond Times-Dispatch
National and International
Family weighs next step in AZ congresswoman’s care
The family of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is trying to decide the best course for helping the injured congresswoman recover from a gunshot wound to the head, a spokesman said Wednesday.
The Democratic three-term congresswoman has been making considerable progress in her recovery, and now her family is turning its sights to finding the best rehabilitation center for dealing with the type of brain injury suffered by Giffords, said Mark Kimble, who works in her Tucson office.
Giffords was gravely wounded by a gunshot to the forehead on Jan. 8 as she was meeting with constituents outside a grocery store on the northern edge of Tucson. The gunman shot 18 other people, killing six and wounding 12 more.
Brief by the Associated Press
NM teacher on leave after locking up student
A shop teacher at a New Mexico high school has been put on paid leave after cell phone video surfaced of her locking up a student in an outdoor cage.
Santa Fe police say the 15-year-old boy was acting out in class on Jan. 7. The teacher had other students help drag the boy outside and lock him in the chain-link enclosure used for storage.
Santa Fe Police Detective Sgt. Louis Carlos tells KOAT-TV in Albuquerque that the boy can be seen waving to classmates and eventually kicks the gate to free himself. Carlos calls the video disturbing and says the female teacher could face child abuse and false imprisonment charges.
The district attorney will determine if charges are warranted.
Brief by the Associated Press
