VIRGINIA BEACH The aquatic life of Virginia past, present and maybe-could-have-been gets a fancy new home Saturday when the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center unveils its “Restless Planet” renovation. 

If you love the Lipizzaner horses, thank Gen. George S. Patton.  The majestic animals that dance in synchronization, leap as if flying and perform other stunning gymnastic feats were again on the verge of destruction and extinction last century.

There’s a twinkle in Lou Caraker’s eyes when he talks about his grandson, Chip. It’s the pride of a warrior seeing family follow in his footsteps. Chip—Capt. Thomas F. Hancock IV—is a member of the recently established Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Hancock, of Powhatan County, was a graduate of the first class of the Marine Special Operations School in April, after he served two tours of duty in Iraq.

States that contribute pollution to the Chesapeake Bay must have controls in place by 2017 to reduce that pollution 60 percent, federal officials say. That is one of a list of cleanup requirements the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent the six bay states, including Virginia, in a letter yesterday. The letter “is about establishing a new era of federal leadership for the Chesapeake Bay, one that is marked by new accountability,“ said J. Charles Fox, President Barack Obama’s senior adviser to the EPA for bay issues.

An Amelia County child has died of causes related to swine flu. Meanwhile, a private elementary school in Henrico County continues to remain closed today because of the spreading illness. The girl, who was not identified, had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the state Department of Health said yesterday, and she had no known underlying high-risk medical conditions.

For the second consecutive day, H1N1 flu clinics scheduled in Chesterfield County are being postponed because of a lack of vaccine. Clinics scheduled for tonight have been postponed, and clinics were postponed last night after those held at four elementary schools Monday night used up the county’s entire supply—1,320 doses. Those scheduled for tomorrow aren’t looking promising, either.

The Monday morning meeting of Virginia Tech’s offensive players and coaches proceeded as usual last week. Coordinator Bryan Stinespring stood at the front of the room, talking about several plays from the previous Saturday’s game against Nebraska that flashed across a projection screen.

Two polls showed yesterday that an endorsement or non-endorsement by former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder means little to Virginia’s voters. “Wait until Election Day. We’ll see,“ Wilder responded.

As Virginia prepares to receive its first doses of swine-flu vaccine, the death of another state resident infected with the virus is a reminder that influenza can be deadly. “It’s very unfortunate and sad when anybody dies of an infectious disease,“ said Dr. Karen Remley, Virginia health commissioner, yesterday in an online video chat on TimesDispatch.com.

Authorities plan to examine video footage from several cameras on a GRTC Transit System bus that struck and killed a pedestrian during yesterday’s morning rush hour in downtown Richmond. The victim, Loucendia Reed Lambert, 55, of the 16000 block of Prince George Drive in Disputanta, was declared dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at North 14th and East Franklin streets.

Big losses in what’s usually the Richmond economy’s most stable sector—government—hit the area’s job market hard in August, Virginia Employment Commission figures show. More than half of August’s month-to-month drop in employment came in government, accounting for 1,800 of 3,100 lost jobs. However, college students’ return to classes took enough people out of the work force to bring the Richmond metropolitan area’s unemployment rate down.

The National Rifle Association yesterday reversed its stance of four years ago and endorsed Republican Bob McDonnell over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds in the race for governor. Chris Cox, chairman of the NRA’s Political Victory Fund, said the organization plans to mobilize its 120,000 Virginia members to vote for McDonnell. Both candidates had sought the endorsement.

Conner Brown Richmond City Councilman Douglas G. Conner Jr. isn’t happy with the glare of the Hollywood spotlight after a celebrity gossip Web site quoted him in a report on disgraced singer Chris Brown. The usually low-key councilman fired off a statement yesterday, saying he was misquoted by TMZ.com in a story posted Thursday about Brown’s community labor work in Richmond. The pending work is part of Brown’s sentence following his conviction for beating his then-girlfriend, the singer Rihanna.

Each night for the past two weeks Qahir Abdur-Rahman, his wife, Mahasin Shamsiddeen, and their children have patiently waited for the sun to set on their Prince George County home so they could eat for the first time since dawn. Out come the fruits, crackers, soda—and sometimes even a couple of slices of pizza if their 11-year-old daughter, Tasneem, has her way.

Destany Bing had put on her best pink dress and begun sweeping her bedroom floor by the time the makeover team arrived at her Gilpin Court home. The room transformation was the culmination of a 22-week program that paired the 10-year-old Carver Elementary School student and 12 other girls in the low-income housing development with adult mentors for a journey through art projects, life-skills lessons, meals, games and girl talk.