Groups break ground for capitals’ Virginia Indian Tribute

Troy Adkins , his cousin, Preston Adkins of the Chickahominy tribe and other members of the Virginia Indian Dancers perform during Saturday's groundbreaking celebration of Mantle, the Virginia Indian Tribute monument, in Capitol Square in Richmond. Olympic Gold medalist Billy Mills, of the Ogala Lakota tribe, speaks during Saturday's groundbreaking celebration of Mantle, the Virginia Indian Tribute monument, in Richmond's Capitol Square.

PHOTO: The Marines tweeted this photo on June 23, 2017, in honor of Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Lawmakers, branches of the armed forces and federal departments populated their Twitter timelines Friday with pooch pics in honor of Take Your Dog to Work Day, also referred to as Bring Your Dog to Work Day. The day was created in 1999 by Pet Sitters International, a North Carolina-based educational association for professional pet sitters, to encourage business owners to allow dogs in the workplace.

Defense chief ‘shocked’ by poor state of US combat readiness

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declared Monday that he was "shocked" upon his return to the Pentagon by the poor state of the U.S. military's readiness for combat. He put most of the blame on Congress for its inability to approve budgets on time or repeal a law that strictly limits defense spending.

Megan Leavey Review: Could have you in tears of joy

Megan Leavey Bleecker Street Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite Written by: Pamela Gray, Annie Mumolo, Tim Lovestedt Cast: Kate Mara, RamA3n RodrA guez, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, Will Patton, Sam Keeley, Common, Edie Falco Screened at: Critics' link, NYC, Opens: June 9, 2017 When I was a kid I thought that Norman Ferguson and Tee He's "Pinocchio" was not only the best movie I had seen but probably the best movie that will ever be made. Seventy-six years later, when I sit in on some allegedly more mature pictures, I am likely to think back to my judgement on that cartoon with fondness for its accuracy.

Crystal Lake dedicates Blue Star banners to deployed military personnel

Information Systems Technician Steven Chaix, on leave from the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, talks to Navy veteran and Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce member John Pletz. Chaix, of Crystal Lake, and eight other military personnel were honored with Blue Star banners along a stretch of Route 14 in front of the chamber's office.

Trump claims F-35s flew over Japan undetected: ‘Pretty cool, right?’

US President Donald Trump thinks the F-35 fighter is "pretty cool," but he seems to be a bit confused over what the newest US warplanes have been up to in Japan. In a White House interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump said almost three dozen of the stealth jets flew over Japan undetected during a visit to Tokyo by US Defense Secretary James Mattis in February.

Corps employs at-risk youth, vets to make low-income homes in Charleston area more energy efficient

Tanya Witlin, who works with AmeriCorps South Carolina, conducts a skills session with veterans and at-risk youth in the Sustainability Institute's Energy Conservation Corps participants. David Quick/Staff Chris Lisinski, who served both military and contractor roles in Afghanistan, was among the first participants in the Veterans Conservation Corps in 2015 and is now the program manager.

Ex-Marine sent to prison for fraudulent injury claims

A former North Texas Marine has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison after receiving veterans benefits, including a house, due to fraudulent claims he was injured during combat in Iraq. The 35-year-old Blackstone had pleaded guilty in September to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent representation about the receipt of a military decoration for financial gain.