An evergreen tree was lifted up with the beam, part of a Celtic tradition that was an offering to the gods upon completion of building a home.

See photos from the hoisting ceremony.

A lack of sleep may be behind a surge in traffic accidents among teens in Virginia Beach.

Robert Vorona, MD, associate professor of internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, looked at 2008 Department of Motor Vehicles data for the adjacent cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. The study found a 41 percent higher rate of motor vehicle accidents among teen drivers in Virginia Beach than in demographically similar Chesapeake.

The study suggests, but does not prove, that sleep may be the culprit. Teen drivers in Virginia Beach may not get enough sleep in part because Virginia Beach schools open more than an hour earlier than those in Chesapeake.

Dr. Vorona presented his research findings June 9 at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in San Antonio. The meeting draws sleep researchers from all over the world.

For more about the study, read The Virginian-Pilot account.

Each member of the EVMS community is invited to make his or her mark on the newest addition to the EVMS campus. One of the final steel girders for the new medical education and research building's framework has been set out behind Lewis Hall and is available for all to sign. It's a way for each person to leave a permanent sign of their part in creating the school's future.

The beam is near the back entrance to Lewis Hall, beside the police dispatch office. Signing will continue until 11 a.m. Friday, June 11, and at 11:30, a ceremony will be held to mark the beam's hoisting to its place at the top of the structure.

For more information, call 446-6070