No FEMA Money for Va. Earthquake Recovery

Virginia’s governor says he will try again for federal disaster aid after his request was denied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Governor Bob McDonnell says he is disappointed FEMA was unwilling willing to offer aid for individuals whose property was damaged by the Aug. 23 earthquake. The 5.8 magnitude quake caused an estimated $15 million in residential property damage in Virginia.

The governor says most of that damage is not covered by insurance. He also says federal assistance is necessary to help Virginians get their homes back in working order. The FEMA aid Governor McDonnell had sought would have provided low-interest loans, grants, unemployment assistance, disaster housing assistance, and crisis counseling.

Omni Lights Up Downtown Dallas With Texas, OU Spirit

College football fans driving into Downtown Dallas can't help but notice the massive Texas and OU signs rotating around the Omni Dallas Hotel.

"This is really cool," fan Laura Gentry said.

The convention center hotel isn't open yet, but its general manager, Nils Stolzlechner, is testing out the 3.5 miles of LED lights that surround its exterior.

"[They] just really emphasize the skyline of Dallas," he said. "When you drive in, just to make Dallas look more exciting than it already is."

Stolzlechner said while Dallas is one of the largest cities in the nation, its skyline is lacking. He said he wants the Omni to become the next iconic building in Downtown Dallas.

OU fan Steven Carter said the building immediately stood out to him.

"It really makes me want to stay there, [I'm] not going to lie," he said. "I just think it's really unique. All hotels are really similar, but [the lights] kind of make it unique, kind of adds a new atmosphere to it. And it's close to the West End, where everyone wants to be."

The Omni is scheduled to open in early November.

Stars Win Home Opener Against Blackhawks

Kari Lehtonen assured a successful NHL debut for Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan.

Lehtonen stopped 37 shots, Alex Goligoski and Jamie Benn scored second-period goals, and the Stars held on for a 2-1 decision over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night in the opener for both teams.

"He had a great performance," Gulutzan said about Lehtonen. "I thought he was the difference. ... Kari was our backbone tonight."

Gulutzan was promoted over the summer by general manager Joe Nieuwendyk from the Stars' AHL affiliate to succeed Marc Crawford, who was fired at the end of last season after the team missed the playoffs for a third straight season.

"It's a relief," Gulutzan said. "Now I know I can win one."

Lehtonen was at his best in the second period, making a series of sliding saves while Chicago built a 22-12 shots advantage, a total pumped up by three power plays.

"All the penalties seemed to be (against) us," Lehtonen said. "It was a tough task there, but the penalty killing unit took most of the crazy chances away. It was a great battle. I was able to see the puck well tonight."

Lehtonen came up with a key stop with about 5 minutes left on Jamal Mayers' short-handed attempt from the left circle, and denied Patrick Sharp on a solo rush with 4 minutes remaining.

With goalie Corey Crawford on the bench in favor of a sixth attacker, Nick Leddy scored from the left circle with 13.6 seconds to play as Chicago avoided the shutout. Crawford made 31 saves.

"By then, it was too late," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

The teams will meet again Saturday night in Chicago.

"It's not the way we wanted to start the season, obviously," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "I think we made too many mistakes and gave up too many chances. We've got to play with a little more energy."

Goligoski opened the scoring at 59 seconds of the second period on a one-timer from the high slot off a feed from Mike Ribeiro.

Benn made it 2-0 with 3:58 left in he second while the teams skated 4 on 4, backhanding the rebound of Sheldon Souray's slap shot past Crawford.

Benn contributed a crunching hit on Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson with 14:51 left in the game, checking Hjalmarsson into the corner with such force that the collision broke a pane of glass.

Crawford gave the Blackhawks an early lift when he denied Benn on a breakaway just over 2 minutes after the opening faceoff. Crawford kept the game scoreless when he stopped Benn again from close range in the final minute of the first period.

NOTES: Canadian businessman Tom Gaglardi, the front-runner to become the new owner once the Stars emerge from bankruptcy, watched the game from a luxury suite. ... Former Stars C Mike Modano received a standing ovation when he was shown on the big screen sitting in a luxury box during a break in the second period. Modano recently announced his retirement. ... F Adam Burish (groin), D Nicklas Grossman (hip) and D Adam Pardy (ribs) were out for Dallas. Chicago was without F Ben Smith (concussion), C Dave Boland (upper body) and LW Viktor Stalberg (lower body). ... The Stars went 3-1 against the Blackhawks last season, but Dallas lost its final regular-season game at Minnesota, allowing Chicago to take the final Western Conference playoff berth.

Man Sought in Irving Hit-and-Run

A family in Cedar Hill is asking for a hit-and-run driver to come forward.

Timiyah Miles, 7, was walking with a family friend on East Grauwyler Road in Irving at about 11 a.m. last Sunday when the pair were run over.

Miles is now in a medically-induced coma with a critical head injury and her 57-year-old friend is listed in critical condition.

The driver of the car got out of the vehicle and ran from the scene.

Investigators have named Marvin Perez, 27, a suspect in the hit-and-run and Miles' family is asking for help in locating him.

"It could be your daughter. If you're an uncle, it could be a niece or a sister or someone. Just put yourself in our shoes for a few moments and look inside your heart and realize you have to turn yourself in," said Cecelia Miles, the young girl's grandmother.

Perez is Hispanic, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds.  He has black hair and brown eyes.  An arrest warrant with a bond amount of $100,000  has been issued.  Anyone with information on Perez's location should call the Irving Police Department at 972-273-1010.

 

Fatal Accident in Montgomery County

Montgomery County Police are investigating a fatal car accident at Twinbrook Parkway and Viers Mill Road.

Police say that they received the accident call at 4:15 a.m. and that one person was killed in the accident.

Stay with NBC Washington.com throughout the day for more on this story.

Nearly 700 School Aides Axed

Nearly 700 New York City school workers have gotten the ax.

   

School aides, parent coordinators and other public support staffers lost their jobs Friday in one of the largest single-agency layoffs since Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office.

   

Teachers were mostly spared from the layoffs after a deal was brokered in June. Nearly 2,000 teachers lost their full-time positions but were entitled to stay on as temporary instructors or substitutes. Half of those teachers found new positions or left the school system.

   

The mayor's office has said the cuts are the result of the city's inability to reach an agreement wit unions during budget talks.

   

Unions representing the workers denounced the layoffs, saying most of the job losses would affect poorer communities that are already in need of critical social services.

 

Occupy Wall Street Treks to Washington Square Park

An expedition of protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement is scheduled to hold a meeting in Washington Square Park Saturday.

 

Organizers of the demonstration say they will hold a "general assembly" at 3 p.m, which they describe as an opportunity to recruit new supporters and share ideas.

 

"The Washington Square Park thing is a great way to bring us to the next level," said Michael Fix, an organizer of the demonstration.

 

There are no plans at this stage to set up a twenty-four hour camp in Washington Square Park similar to the one that has operated for three weeks in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park.

 

The protesters living in Zuccotti Park have built a full-service demonstration staging zone, complete with hot food, health care, a digital counter registering supporters, and a solar energy truck to help supply power to electronics.  

 

First-year medical resident Jay Kang arrived Friday to serve as a health care volunteer.

 

"The greed that is prevailing on Wall Street is causing a lot of problems in society today," Kang said.

 

"That is why I am here to support the protesters."