A larceny suspect was apprehended Monday after a wild chase that included dogs, a helicopter and a scuffle with a Stafford County deputy. Stafford Sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy said the incident began about 8:50 p.m. when a resident called police to report suspicious activity in the area of Bismark and Rye Creek drives north of the Crucifix off U.S. 1. The resident reported seeing flashlights and hearing loud noises in an area where there are numerous unfinished homes and several storage units....

Five candidates will vie for the Garrisonville District seat on the Stafford County School Board on Wednesday night. The applicants include a previous board member, a retired Marine, a charter-school principal, a graduate student and a security specialist....

One of Stafford County's fire stations no longer offers adequate housing for its crews. A 1920s farmhouse in North Stafford has been a temporary home for Station 14 for the past three years....

Boy, 14, accused of arson in car fires A 14-year-old Spotsylvania County boy has been charged with three counts of maliciously setting fire to personal property valued at $200 or more, Deputy Fire Chief Monty Willaford said....

The University of Mary Washington Foundation has filed a $6.35 million lawsuit against the estate of Arabelle Arrington in an effort to collect on a pledge by the late alumna. Arrington, a Fauquier County resident who graduated from Mary Washington College in 1941, pledged the $6.35 million to the UMW Foundation between 2000 and 2005, according to a breach of contract lawsuit the foundation filed in Fauquier Circuit Court. She died in November 2010 at the age of 89 before giving the foundation the funds....

Lake Anna Plaza, at the foot of the State Route 208 Bridge in Louisa County, is a growing venue of lakeside commercial space, boat slips and townhouses. Bob Propst, site supervisor for the developer, J.A. Snyder Entities Inc., says the company wants to be ready for future growth on the lake by updating and expanding a sewage treatment plant that serves the plaza area....

Robert E. Lee's breakout moment just hit the smartphone universe. A multimedia, GPS-enabled guide to Virginia's Battle of Malvern Hill, the final clash of the Civil War's Seven Days' campaign, is now available for free download. And that's regardless of whether you're an Apple acolyte or prefer the Android operating system....

BY ROBIN KNEPPER Orange County school employees have gone without a salary increase for four years and everyone at this week's School Board meeting agreed that a pay raise is their top priority for next year....

State legislators have filed their annual reports detailing gifts they've received over the past year, and as usual, it's an interesting read, full of gifted dinners, flights, sports tickets and trips. Not surprisingly, Virginia Uranium--company that wants Virginia to lift its ban on uranium mining so it can open a mine in Pittsylvania County--was the top gift-giver....

RICHMOND--Virginians could soon be paying sales tax on Amazon purchases. A Senate committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill that would require Internet retailers with a distribution center, warehouse or other office in Virginia to collect and remit the state sales and use tax for Internet sales....