The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:
NIDAL MALIK HASAN
His name appears on radical Internet postings. A fellow officer said he fought his deployment to Iraq and argued with soldiers who supported U.S. wars. He required counseling as a medical student because of problems with patients. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS
More than one in 10 members of the American workforce were unable to get a job in October, the Labor Department said Friday, the first time in almost three decades that the unemployment rate has soared into double digits. (Washington Post)
FLU LIKE ILLNESS DOWN, DEATHS UP...
Flu-like illness in the state appeared to decline last week, but deaths caused by the H1N1 flu continue to rise. As of yesterday, 21 deaths across Virginia were being blamed on swine flu. That's four more than reported earlier this week. "I can't tell you that we are coming down on the other side of the pandemic curve yet," Dr. Karen Remley, Virginia's health commissioner, said during a news briefing yesterday.(Richmond Times Dispatch)
FEWER FURLOUGH DAYS FOR TEACHERS
All county school employees will take one less furlough day than planned this year, a boon made possible by surprise surpluses left over from last year's budget. In a 9-0 vote, the county Board of Education yesterday unanimously approved the decision a day after meeting with union representatives who balked when they saw the account balances climb. Last year, all employees were told to take days off without pay to help the school system cope with a funding shortfall. (The Capital)
DEER SEASON, CAREFUL DRIVING
The phrase "a deer in the headlights" is no laughing matter for drivers who have hit one. Fairfax County officials said the county has an estimated 250,000 deer, and more than 48,000 Virginia drivers are projected to file insurance claims this year for damage sustained as a result of a deer-vehicle collision. (Fairfax Times)
