Universal Orlando Resort is creating the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a new theme park area opening next spring.

At a trial in Northern Virginia this week, an Illinois man pleaded guilty in a nationwide identity theft ring that victimized both individuals and institutions.

Now comes an opportunity to bring back a long-gone species to Virginia, and through no real effort of our own.

Community members are wise to keep up the pressure for better sidewalks and bikeways in the Pantops area.

Recent information about the organization named ACORN is disturbing, discrediting and cause for action.

He’s not the first governor to hold the roles of chief executive, presidential cheerleader, vice presidential contender and party boss, but the timing, given the fiscal state of things, was poor. Virginia needed his attention here.

In a digital age, the written word still has great power.

A California man didn’t see a thing wrong with throwing as many as 3,000 golf balls into Joshua Tree National Park: He was paying tribute to dead golfers.

If the cat has nine lives, how many do you think the dog has?

Us dogs gotta stick together when the fuzz arrives. That must have been the pact a pack made in Hope Mills, N.C.

A thumbs-up also goes to the University of Virginia School of Architecture, which partnered with the Elizabeth River Project to create the Learning Barge.

Congratulations to Charlottesville and Albemarle County students and schools for gains in SAT scores over last year.

The very agency responsible for consumer safety in the transportation of hazardous materials has gotten so chummy with the industry that it has lost sight of its responsibility to the public, a new congressional report charges.

Too many books, too little time,” goes the saying. Well, Virginia inmates may have plenty of time — but now they have too few books.

Much diplomatic tut-tutting was sparked by Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez’s gift of a book to President Obama at the Summit of the Americas in April.

Did you hear about the motorists who were concerned about a load of shrubs that had apparently fallen off a truck into the highway?

This week held two significant dates — 9/11 and 09/09 — each evoking emotions at the opposite end of the scale.

Frank Batten Sr. was not a resident of Charlottesville, but through his support of the University of Virginia he influenced this community as profoundly as many who make this their permanent home.

There could be no other choice …

When the Troubled Asset Relief Program — the federal effort to shore up failing companies — was passed last year, we wondered and worried:

Children who were “opted out” of the president’s speech missed an inspiring yet pragmatic pep talk, and that’s just too bad.

Fact: The national debt is so huge, its numbers don’t even fit on a standard calculator.

The health care debate has turned dramatic, with angry crowds storming meetings. But most disturbing is the haste with which reform is being pushed.

Ever envy those folks who can type a term paper on their computer while listening to their iPod and chatting on their cell phone? Or who can Skype on their desktop, Google on their laptop and game on their Xbox, all at the same time?

The “imagineers” of Herbie the Love Bug were really on to something.

Wow. Don’t forget your deodorant if you’re planning to vacation in Honolulu.

One would think that the Obama administration would eschew opportunities to position itself with Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez.

The new Amtrak route to D.C. is a disappointment to many. And it will require a shift of emphasis to make the new route successful.

The question: Del. Phillip Hamilton violate conflict of interest law when he sought a job at a planned teaching center Old Dominion University and then later used his legislative influence to direct $500,000 toward creating that very center?

The general public’s assumption about the FDIC is that no matter what happens to their bank, their deposits are safe.