VIRGINIA BEACH For more than a decade, city officials, conservationists and nature lovers have coveted the last major swath of undeveloped land along the Lynnhaven River, a 117-acre plot called Pleasure House Point.

Days after two Virginia-based pilots aired concerns about the F-22 Raptor, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has ordered additional safety measures for the U.S. military's most advanced fighter jet.

CHESAPEAKE Despite homeowners' objections that it would crowd schools, increase crime and lower property values, the City Council has approved plans for an apartment complex in Edinburgh, an upscale community in the southern part of the city.

The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday night that a missing 12-year-old York boy was found safe.

Continued outcry from parents and a push by School Board members put the fifth grade orchestra program back into the school budget.

State police say alcohol was a factor in a single-vehicle crash that occured Monday night on Route 258.

Forum discusses cuts that could take effect in January

CHESAPEAKE — To a receptive crowd of several hundred at the Chesapeake Conference Center on Monday, three members of the Hampton Roads congressional delegation, local political and business leaders, industry experts and residents discussed how $500 billion in across-the-board defense cuts that are currently set to take effect in January would devastate the region.

Police are asking the public to be vigilant after a black bear was spotted Monday near a South University parking garage.

WILMINGTON, Del.  Delaware's tall ship is ready to set sail. The Kalmar Nyckel is scheduled to depart Wilmington today for a stopover in Lewes, followed by journeys to Portsmouth and Cape Charles, Va., and Solomons Island, Md. The ship will return to her homeport of Wilmington in late June in time for the second annual Wilmington Pirate Festival on June 30.

At 7:45 a.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation was reporting the following traffic issues: Interstate 64 A large wrecker was overturned and was blocking the exit from I-64 east to Greenbrier Parkway. A fuel spill was blocking two lanes and hazardous materials workers were on the scene. A crash was blocking the exit ramp from I-64 west at Victory Boulevard. Downtown Tunnel