Nation IN BRIEF : VIRGINIA : Lack of Planning Cited in Violence

A special city commission reviewing the racially tinged violence that gripped Virginia Beach, Va., last Labor Day weekend has concluded that city leaders failed to plan properly for the event or to communicate adequately with black leaders, panel members say. The commission’s report also urges a number of measures to avoid violence at future gatherings, including inviting black leaders into the planning process and putting more black police officers on the streets during Greekfest, an annual party for young blacks. Last year, the event erupted into widespread looting and clashes between police and a mostly black crowd of about 100,000 revelers.