BRIEFS: NEWS NEAR YOU

NEWS NEAR YOU

Hopewell Grant's Headquarters at City Point in Petersburg National Battlefield will welcome visitors to observe an archaeological survey starting this weekend as part of Virginia Archaeology Month. Students from the College of William and Mary will conduct test excavations of the park grounds surrounding Appomattox Manor from Saturday through Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional excavation may take place Oct. 18. For details, call (804) 458-9504 or visit the City Point Archaeological Survey online

Petersburg Petersburg High School's Guidance Department is sponsoring a Senior and Parent Night tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the school's auditorium. Topics of discussion include SOL-verified credits, graduation requirements, truancy and college and career information.

Richmond Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has appointed Irving Blank of Richmond, a partner at ParisBlank LLP, to the Virginia Israel Advisory Board.

Chesterfield To recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Chesterfield County Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center will offer a program for survivors of domestic violence and the service providers who work with them. The event, called Celebrating Survivors, Healthy Relationships and You, will take place Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lucy Corr Village multipurpose room. For details, (804) 706-1272.

Henrico Henrico County police are searching for a man who they say broke into Westbury Pharmacy and stole prescription drugs. The break-in occurred between 3 and 4 a.m. on Sept. 24 at the pharmacy at 8903 Three Chopt Road. Narcotics were taken, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator C.K. Walker at (804) 501-5000 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

Dinwiddie State police expect heavy traffic from Friday to Sunday in parts of Dinwiddie County because of the National Hot Rod Association's Virginia Nationals races at Virginia Motorsports Park, 8018 Boydton Plank Road. Police encourage drivers who will be traveling in the area to avoid U.S. 1 between U.S. 460 and state Route 703. Interstate 85 is an alternative to U.S. 1.

AROUND THE STATE

Norfolk A sailor on the Norfolk-based carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower who died after a plane struck him during a training exercise Saturday evening off the coast of North Carolina has been identified as Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Lemar Robinson, 31. He was an aviation boatswain's mate.

Charlottesville An Ohio-based health-care corporation faces a civil-rights lawsuit filed on behalf of an employee who says it failed to accommodate his religious beliefs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit last week in U.S. District Court, alleging that Cardinal Health wrongly fired Howard Thompson after refusing to modify Thompson's work schedule so he could observe Sunday as a Sabbath day. Thompson was a driver at a facility in Charlottesville.

Roanoke The Roanoke City Market Building is open again after inspectors found no evidence of mice, flies and contaminated food. The building reopened Saturday after being closed for two weeks. The Virginia Department of Health had yanked the licenses of all the food court vendors at the rundown, city-owned building. Among the observations that led to the closing, inspectors found dead flies in a bucket of pickles, mouse pellets covering sliced cheese and several dead rodents. Officials said Friday that all 10 food-court vendors passed final health department inspections.