Cyriah Griffin, a two-time All-Tidewater girls basketball selection, announced on Monday that she has committed to play for Virginia Commonwealth University.

Griffin, and Menchville coach Adrian Webb, confirmed that she has transferred from King’s Fork and will play her senior season at Menchville. The Monarchs and VCU will be getting a talented and accomplished player.

Griffin was the top reserve as a freshman for Princess Anne’s 2021 Class 5 state championship team before transferring to King’s Fork. She averaged 15 points, eight assists and five steals as a sophomore, and starred for the Bulldogs with 12 points and 13 assists in a 71-67 win over Millbrook in the 2022 Class 4 state championship game on VCU’s floor at the Siegel Center.

A 5-foot-7 point guard, Griffin averaged 19 points, nine assists and seven steals in helping King’s Fork reach the Class 4 state semifinals last season. She was named first team All-Tidewater.

Griffin said she is excited about the commitment to VCU.

“I can’t wait to get to VCU and get to work,” she said. “I chose VCU because it’s a family environment and they believe in what I bring to the table.

“They like that I’m a true point guard who can shoot the ball and get everyone involved.”

But first, she will attempt to win a third state championship ring in four seasons wearing the purple and gold of Menchville.

“I’ve been working with Coach Webb in AAU and been in the gym with him a lot for years, so I’m very excited to get to finally play for him my last year of high school,” she said. “I love my Menchville teammates and can’t wait to get a state championship.”

Webb said VCU is the perfect place for Griffin because she’ll be within an hour of home, will get playing time early and compete to play in NCAA Tournaments.

“She’s a great decision-maker with a great handle and can get her teammates the ball,” he said. “Shooting translates at any level.

“We’re happy she’ll play here first.”

YORK — Neil A. Morgan, who has served as York County’s administrator for the past eight years, announced Monday that he plans to retire at the end of the year.

Morgan announced his plan to retire in a letter to the county Board of Supervisors. His retirement will be effective Jan. 1, 2024.

Morgan told the board that between now and his retirement, “I will do everything I can to effectively manage the county and to assist the Board and our management team in implementing an efficient succession.”

With the board’s support, he said, “we have accomplished much during the past eight years,” including the implementation of a “strong and sustainable” Capital Improvements Program for the county and the school division.

Additionally, Morgan cited focuses on the board’s strategic priorities through an operating budget that added meaningful growth in staffing for law enforcement and fire and life safety as well as the quality of service enhanced in those two areas.

“As was the case when I arrived, the county continues to be blessed with a talented, loyal and hard-working staff, which has been the key to all that our elected officials, management and our residents have aspired to accomplish,” Morgan said.

Morgan also lauded the county’s achievements despite the recession in 2015-17 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Throughout all of the rapid changes of the past decade, York County has continued its tradition of being a reliable regional partner in the many Hampton Roads and Peninsula institutions of which we are a part,” he said.

Morgan began his career in local government in 1985 as a budget analyst for the city of Roanoke and began a 27-year career with the city of Newport News in 1986. He rose from a project coordinator in the city’s planning department to the department’s assistant director.

He was promoted to assistant city manager in 1997 and then deputy city manager. Morgan served as Newport News city manager from 2009-2013 before taking a faculty post at Virginia Tech. He became York County’s administrator in 2015.

Wilford Kale, [email protected]

VIRGINIA BEACH — The city is considering footing the bill for a $22.5 million road to incentivize the construction of two warehouse and distribution center projects on Dam Neck Road.

Last summer, the City Council approved a zoning change for the projects. City officials have not officially announced the end user, instead they refer to them as “Project Beach,” and “Project Door.” But several contractors associated with the project have previous experience with Amazon facilities.

The application documents describe the larger of the two buildings, “Project Beach,” as a 650,000-square-foot fulfillment center. It would be used for storage, packaging and distribution, and would include 55 loading docks, 420 tractor trailer parking spaces and 1,750 regular parking spaces.

The smaller one, “Project Door,” on the opposite side of Dam Neck Road, will be a delivery station.

Combined, the company will invest more than $350 million and provide up to 2,100 new jobs in Virginia Beach, according to the city. About 1,000 of those jobs would be full time with an average wage of $17 an hour. The second phase of the project would bring 50-100 full time jobs and 500-1,000 part time jobs with an average wage of $20 an hour, according to city documents.

A public hearing on the appropriating public facility revenue bonds to finance the road and infrastructure improvements will be held Tuesday at the City Council meeting.

The new two-lane road would connect Dam Neck and London Bridge behind the Mayberry subdivision.

The debt service will be $2.1 million annually, and the city expects real estate revenue from the project will eventually be able to cover the bill. A groundbreaking could happen by the end of this year.

William Hudgins, senior development manager at Panattoni Development Co., is the company representative. Panattoni was involved with a 650,000-square-foot fulfilment center in the Western Branch neighborhood of Chesapeake, along with Amazon projects in Richmond and Nevada. The project’s design consultant firm, Kimley-Horn, has worked on Amazon facilities in Florida and Wisconsin, The Virginian-Pilot has reported.

An Amazon spokesperson has previously declined to confirm whether the retail giant is behind the project. A spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.

The City Council will vote on the road Aug. 15.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, [email protected]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

William & Mary has been ranked fourth in the Stats Perform Preseason Top 25, announced Monday.

It is the second top-five and third top-10 preseason ranking for the Tribe this year. Athlon Sports ranked them fourth earlier this summer and HERO Sports ranked them seventh.

W&M is one of five CAA teams in the Stats Perform Top 25. New Hampshire (11th), Richmond (18th), Rhode Island (21st) and Delaware (22nd) are the others.

• Virginia Tech seniors Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane have been named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which honors college football’s top receiver.
• Former William & Mary tight end Lachlan Pitts has signed with the Chicago Bears, according to reports.

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

McDermott repeats as IL’s top pitcher

Norfolk Tides right-hander Chayce McDermott has been named the International League’s Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week.

McDermott, an Anderson, Indiana, native who went to Ball State, tossed six scoreless innings and allowed one hit and two walks while striking out seven in a victory over Charlotte last Wednesday.

In his previous start against Nashville on July 27, he pitched five scoreless innings and allowed two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Since being promoted from Double-A Bowie, McDermott is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA with the Tides.

COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD

Hampton’s Davis to compete in Worlds

Hampton’s Jalani Davis is going Hungary next week for the World Track & Field Championships.The Bethel grad finished third in the shot put at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, but did not hit the qualifying mark of 61′ 8¼.

She had several weeks to try to reach the qualifying mark, but didn’t.

A decision was supposed to have been made at the end of last month to determine if she would still go. She got her answer last week.

“I got an email saying, ‘Congratulations, you made the team.’ That was basically it,” she said.

She will represent Team USA at the World Championships, which begin Aug. 19.

HIGH SCHOOLS

HOF seeks scholarship nominees

The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for its 2023 Student-Athlete Achievement Awards scholarships.

The Hall of Fame is looking for high school senior student-athletes in Virginia that excel academically and engage in their communities.

Student-athletes may nominate themselves or be nominated by a family member, coach, administrator or mentor. Individuals completing the nomination will be asked to include details and references that support the student’s achievements in each of the areas of focus: academic, civic and athletic.

The nominating period runs through Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.VaSportsHOF.com.

Briefly

• The Old Dominion women’s soccer team has been picked to finish third in the Sun Belt preseason poll. Monarchs midfielder Ece Turkoglu made the all-conference team. James Madison and South Alabama tied for first in the poll. JMU goalkeeper Alexandra Blom has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
• Virginia Tech incoming freshman Emily Mathews won the 25th Carolinas Women’s Match Play Championship on Saturday at Cedarwood Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, by defeating Layla Meric of Wesley Chapel, North Carolina, 3 and 2.

Cindy Hamilton got a photo of a ruddy turnstone as he was flying overhead at Grandview Nature Preserve in Hampton in an area known as Factory Point, where birds tend to congregate.

Connie Owen sent a photo of a least sandpiper on the beach at Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore. Least sandpipers are the smallest of the shorebirds and belong to a group known as “peeps.”

Laura Joksaite photographed a ghost crab with grass sticking out of its mouth on the beach at Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

Benjamin Gerber photographed a family of dolphins including a calf frolicking in the water off the Virginia Coast while on a Rudee Tour in Virginia Beach.

Scott Balderston sent a photo of a juvenile white ibis that was sitting on his dock in his backyard along the Elizabeth River in the Riverwalk neighborhood in Chesapeake.

Bill Caruso got a photo of a mallard hen with her ducklings enjoying an early summer evening on the Jamestown Crescent Tidal Pond in Larchmont in Norfolk.

Pat Enderly had a surprise visit from a pileated woodpecker and its baby in Bellamy Manor Estates in Virginia Beach. “This male pileated woodpecker has visited my yard for several days, but bringing the baby and feeding it was a wonderful surprise,” Enderly wrote.

Mike Chin sent a photo of his third brood of bluebirds in their nest and mouths open waiting for food in the Pine Ridge neighborhood of Virginia Beach.

Harold Winer sent a photo of his fourth nesting of bluebirds as they were hatching from their shells in Kings Grant in Virginia Beach. “This same pair has been with us since 2017 and this is the first time they have had four nestings in one season,” wrote Winer.

Steve Daniel sent a photo of a female cardinal and her juvenile baby munching on a blackberry at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach.

Frank Daman sent photos of “Bewick’s wren and a pair of juvenile bluebirds from a previous hatching returning to see where they were born” in Kempsville Greens in Virginia Beach.

Liam Conery photographed a female hummingbird drinking nectar from a zinnia plant in his Virginia Beach backyard.

Thomas Houser sent a photo of a zebra swallowtail feeding on nectar from a zinnia flower in his backyard in the Carolanne Farms neighborhood in Virginia Beach.

Joseph Robbins photographed a tiger swallowtail butterfly on a butterfly bush in the Rose Hall neighborhood of Virginia Beach.

Greg Thomas photographed a black-and-yellow garden spider in the center of its dew-covered web in his backyard in the Red Mill neighborhood in Virginia Beach.

Mickie Nance took a photo of a green tree frog at the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail in Chesapeake. “He hopped all the way to the top of the flagpole,” wrote Nance.

Rich Brown had a yellow-bellied slider visit his backyard in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach.

Gary Williamson sent a photo of a beautiful tan and golden cottonmouth sunning itself on a log on the Little River in North Carolina.

Joan Chang sent a photo of a yellow-tailed squirrel at Great Neck Point in Virginia Beach. “With a plethora of squirrels, this is the first one I have seen with a golden yellow tail,” Chang wrote.

Mike Weirich got a photo of a raccoon peeking out from the fork of a tree in his yard in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach.

Chris Watt sent a photo of a couple of fawns grazing on the second fairway of the former Signature at West Neck Golf Course in Virginia Beach.

Vickie Shufer, [email protected]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed Monday as forecasts warned of destructively strong storms, including tornadoes, hail and lightning, and residents were warned to stay indoors and prepare for the worst.

Rain began falling in the Washington area shortly after 5 p.m., and the skies gradually turned an ominous dark gray, a precursor to the severe weather and mass power outages that were predicted.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater D.C. area, lasting until 9 p.m., as well as a flood warning extending through Tuesday morning. A special Weather Service statement warned, “There is a significant threat for damaging and locally destructive hurricane-force winds, along with the potential for large hail and tornadoes, even strong tornadoes.”

The storms’ spread was massive, with tornado watches and warnings posted across 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The National Weather Service said the area of greatest concern centered in the Washington-Baltimore region.

By late Monday afternoon, more than 1,300 U.S. flights had been canceled and 5,500 delayed, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. More than a quarter of the cancellations were at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which was digging out from disruptions caused by Sunday storms.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was rerouting planes around storms heading to the East Coast and warned it would likely start pausing flights in and out of the New York City area, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte and Atlanta.

The White House pushed up by 90 minutes President Joe Biden’s departure on a four-day trip that’s taking him to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The White House also canceled a back-to-school cybersecurity event that was to feature first lady Jill Biden, who is a teacher, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and school administrators, educators and education technology providers from around the country.

The Office of Personnel Management announced Monday that all non-emergency employees would have to depart before 3 p.m., when all federal offices closed.

“This does look to be one of the most impactful severe weather events across the Mid-Atlantic that we have had in some time,” National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Strong said in a Facebook live briefing.

Also concerning forecasters was the timing of the storms. They were expected to strike major population areas in late afternoon and early evening, prompting federal workers to be sent home early so they wouldn’t be in their cars amid wind, hail and tornadoes.

Strong advised residents: “Have yourself in a strong shelter. Be at home or be at work.”

By early evening, more than 580,000 customers were without power across Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee and Virginia — all states along the storm system’s path, according to poweroutage.us. The Knoxville Utilities Board tweeted that the damage across its service area in Tennessee was “widespread and extensive” and will likely take several days to repair.

Dominion Energy reported nearly 15,000 people without power in Loudoun County, Virginia, west of D.C. And Pepco, a power company serving Washington and its suburbs, reported outages affecting more than 2,000 people.

Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington and AP Airlines Writer David Koenig contributed to this report.

A crash on Tidewater Drive in Norfolk left a sheriff’s deputy trapped in her marked vehicle on Monday.

According to a spokesperson for the Norfolk Police Department, the deputy was responding to a call for a person that was suicidal at the time of the crash. She had been driving north on Tidewater Drive after 9 a.m. when her vehicle was struck by another vehicle turning off E. Lorengo Avenue.

Upon arrival, first responders found the deputy has become trapped inside of her marked emergency vehicle.

Norfolk-Fire Rescue extricated the deputy from her vehicle, and both drivers were taken to the hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening. According to PulsePoint, the call for the crash was closed after about an hour and a half.

Eliza Noe, [email protected]

Housing complexes in Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth are cleaner after volunteers with Ketchmore Kids made their rounds with trash bags this weekend.

But beautification isn’t the only way the group leaves its mark on the community.

The organization has expanded its anti-violence youth intervention sessions since it received about $94,000 in grant funding from Newport News to address gun violence. The city distributed a total of $1.8 million to 19 community groups working on youth intervention programs last year based on results of a citywide survey on best approaches to combat gun violence.  

“Before, we were maybe doing one workshop a month, maybe one every other month. It just depended on the resources we had if we could do it,” said Chanell Ketchmore, executive director and founder of Ketchmore Kids, during Saturday’s cleanup at The Grand in Hampton.

Now, the funding allows them to regularly host four sessions a month and the consistency helps build long-term relationships — a key to building conflict resolution, she said.

“Not just telling kids, ‘Oh, these are some ways to avoid conflict.’ But we’re able to actually see the follow-through to see if they are implementing some of these new strategies that they’re learning,” she said.

It also allows the organization to have a more proactive presence, she said.

“It allows us to show up, not just when someone has been hurt or killed, but when things are going good,” Ketchmore said.

Saturday’s cleanups, which took place at the Aqueduct Apartments in Newport News, The Grand Hampton At Langley in Hampton and London Oaks Apartments in Portsmouth, were one such example of touching base with the community.

About 25 people volunteered at the Newport News site, including Newport News law enforcement, with others joining at other locations.

“Ketchmore Kids is a grassroots organization that is very plugged into some of the areas of the city that we are focusing on, including Aqueduct Apartments,” said Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew in a statement after volunteering with the group Saturday.  “We’ve seen a reduction in crime in these areas this year, which is the culmination of the efforts of many people.”

Activists from across the commonwealth came for the events, such as Christa Ellison of Richmond who works with Freedom Over Everything, a parole advocacy organization. Volunteer Khalid Karim was joined by much of his young family, who travelled from the Washington, D.C., metro area early that morning to be able to volunteer with the Ketchmore Kids and another group called Lessons Learned.

“It’s really helpful to the community because it creates a healthy environment for the kids, especially around the playground,” said Chloe Harris-Karim, Karim’s niece, after finishing the cleanup at Aqueduct Apartments.

Ketchmore said the dedication from those who came from other areas to Hampton Roads to volunteer also shows the challenges faced by Hampton Roads communities are similar to ones faced by others across the country.

“I’ve seen these kids, and not just particularly here but in many cities, playing and (there’s) just so much trash,” she said. “And they are still trying to have joy and happy moments swinging on the swing, going down the slide.”

Ian Munro, 757-447-4097, [email protected]

By Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News

NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge on Monday dismissed Donald Trump’s counterclaim against E. Jean Carroll, alleging she defamed him as a rapist after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse.

The decision by Judge Lewis Kaplan found that the difference between Carroll’s allegedly defamatory remarks — that Trump “raped” her as defined under New York law — and the jury’s finding that he forcibly digitally penetrated her was “minimal.”

“The difference between Ms. Carroll’s allegedly defamatory statements — that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as defined in the New York Penal Law — and the ‘truth’ — that Mr. Trump forcibly digitally penetrated Ms. Carroll — is minimal. Both are felonious sex crimes,” Kaplan wrote.

“If Ms. Carroll had stated that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her by forcibly digitally penetrating her vagina instead of referring also (allegedly) to forcible penile penetration, there would have been no different effect on the mind of an average listener.”

A jury on May 9 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in a Midtown changing room in the mid-1990s and defaming her last year as a liar on Truth Social. Trump filed a defamation counterclaim against Carroll in June for continuing to use the term “rape” after the verdict.

Jurors had multiple avenues of finding Trump liable for the battery claim — with options to choose rape, sexual abuse, and other offenses — ultimately finding her lawyers didn’t provide enough evidence to show he penetrated her with his penis. They believed the evidence showed he did sexually abuse her.

In another blow, Kaplan struck down Trump’s presidential immunity defense in Carroll’s outstanding 2019 lawsuit, which the judge previously said was insufficient and that Trump hadn’t raised it in time.

Carroll’s first suit — which alleges Trump defamed her while in office — was stalled for years as he and the Justice Department argued that he couldn’t be sued for anything he said while president. The DOJ recently backed down from that argument. Had it succeeded, it would have taken Trump’s place in the case.

The judge said Trump bringing it up again in amended papers made no difference.

“There is nothing new in the amended complaint that would make Mr. Trump’s presidential immunity defense any more viable or persuasive now than it would have been before,” Kaplan wrote.

“The opportunity to answer an amended complaint is not a free pass to correct past wrongs without any justification or basis for doing so.”

Trump’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“E Jean Carroll looks forward to receiving the $5 million in damages that the jury awarded her in Carroll II,” Carroll’s lawyer Robbie Kaplan said.

“She also looks forward to continuing to hold Trump accountable for what he did to her at the trial in Carroll I, which is scheduled to begin on Jan. 15, 2024.”

____

©2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A 10-year-old Chapel Hill boy died Sunday after he was found unresponsive in a motel pool in Nags Head.

First responders were called to the Colonial Inn at 3329 South Virginia Dare Trail at 11:07 a.m. and arrived to find good Samaritans performing CPR.

Rescue workers continued life-saving efforts, but the boy was later pronounced dead at the Outer Banks Hospital, the town of Nags Head said in a news release.

The child’s death is under investigation but no charges are expected.

“The town requests that the public keep the boy’s family and friends in their thoughts during this difficult time,” the release said.