Week in review

Peanut butter recall

Recalled jars of Skippy peanut butter were distributed to - but not necessarily sold in - 16 states, including Virginia. A spokeswoman for Unilever United States Inc., which makes Skippy, said fewer than 3,000 jars possibly contaminated with salmonella made it to store shelves. The company declined to name the states where the peanut butter ended up on shelves.

No illnesses have so far been linked to the recall of the Skippy reduced fat creamy and reduced fat chunky brands. A spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Disease Control says the agency is monitoring for possible cases of illness connected to the peanut butter.

Students speak out

Students at Giles High School are protesting the removal of the Ten Commandments from Giles County schools. Media outlets report that at least 50 students walked out Monday morning and held signs in front of the school protesting the decision. Most of the protesters returned to class after a school resource officer spoke to them but about 15 remained out of class Monday afternoon. The students began to protest Tuesday before they were ushered back to class by a school official.

The Giles County School Board voted last month to remove the framed, 4-foot-tall, biblical texts from schools after the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened legal action.

Emergency use only

Typically, ambulances take you to the hospital.

Not so for one Woodstock man, who is in jail after police say he took off in an ambulance following treatment in an emergency room in Charlottesville. The 27-year-old man was stopped by state police on Interstate 64 on Friday at the wheel of the ambulance. He had been driving slowly with the lights flashing.

The suspect had been treated earlier at the ER of the University of Virginia Health System. He was charged with grand larceny and was being held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

In a similar case, a Hamilton volunteer firefighter was accused Saturday of taking a fire truck on a drunken joyride and nearly smashing into a deputy's patrol car.

Wrongful punishment

A staff sergeant erred when he banished dozens of soldiers to their barracks and ordered them to clean up after they refused to attend a Christian concert on a Virginia Army base last year, an investigation concluded Tuesday.

When the Army learned the soldiers were punished, the company commander apologized to them the next day. The actions of the staff sergeant, who was not named, were referred back to his battalion commander for nonjudicial action, according to Col. Daniel T. Williams, a spokesman for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command.

About 20, including several Muslims, refused to attend the performance by the Christian rock group BarlowGirl based on religious beliefs. The sergeant's actions in May 2010 at Newport News' Fort Eustis were not consistent with the voluntary nature of the concerts, Williams said.

Health care fraud

An owner of a Covington company that provided personal care services to Medicaid recipients and two employees have been indicted by a federal grand jury on health care fraud charges. State and federal officials said Thursday the indictment includes charges against Health Care of Virginia Inc., which allegedly received nearly $1 million in Medicaid funds over three years.

Also charged were 57-year-old Sandra Pope McElwain, executive director and registered nurse for Health Care Virginia, 74-year-old Agnes Underwood Vint, Health Care's office manager, and 32-year-old Melissa Lorraine Cary, staffing coordinator.

Shorts speech

A college student who was arrested after stripping to his shorts at Richmond International Airport to protest security procedures is suing federal and airport authorities.

Aaron Tobey, a 21-year-old student at the University of Cincinnati, filed a complaint in U.S. District Court, alleging agents of the Transportation Security Administration and the Richmond airport police violated his constitutional rights. Tobey partially disrobed Dec. 30 to display a message scrawled on his chest about the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. He was detained and charged with disorderly conduct, but the charge was later dropped.

Cashing in on copper

Some of Fredericksburg's historic buildings have drawn thieves looking to cash in on cooper downspouts. Three copper downspouts were taken from the Mary Washington House in downtown Fredericksburg last week, and two more were stolen just before Valentine's Day. The historic property is the home of George Washington's mother.

Police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe told The Free Lance-Star that 11 copper thefts have been reported since the first of the year. Bledsoe says police don't believe the copper is being sold at local salvage yards. The stolen downspouts are worth at least $200, making their theft a felony.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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