Cornell hires Virginia Tech assistant Bill Courtney as its new head coach

Bill Courtney, an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, has been hired to replace Steve Donahue as the head coach at Cornell. The announcement is not official yet, and a press conference is scheduled for this afternoon in Ithaca, according to The Post-Standard.

Courtney spent one season with Virginia Tech, and he was an assistant coach at George Mason for the eight years. He was at George Mason when the team made its run to the Final Four in 2006.

Donahue left two weeks ago to take the head coaching job at Boston College. He coached Cornell the past ten seasons, and he took the Big Red to the NCAA Tournament the past three years. The team has won three consecutive Ivy League titles and made the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

Military health costs are increasing

Military health expenses are rising twice as quickly as the nation's overall health care costs, according to USA Today. 

Pentagon health care expenses have increase 167 percent since 2001, from $19 billion to a projected $50.7 billion in 2011. The sharp raise in costs is because of mental health and physical issues for troops who have been sent to the war multiple times.

The amount of money the United States is spending on health care is also drastically going up. The U.S. spent around $1.5 trillion in 2001, and its on pace to pay around $2.7 trillion next year, which is an 84 percent increase.

Cortland professor is charged with rape

A sport-management professor at SUNY Cortland was charged with a few sexual crimes against a teenage girl, according to police. The Post-Standard says Daniel DePerno has been charged with second and third degree rape, which are both felonies, and second-degree sexual abuse.

The indictment comes after a complete investigation by Cortland Police, SUNY Cortland Police, and Homer police. DePerno is accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl since she was 13. No one has disclosed the girl's current age.

DePerno is being held at the Cortland County Jail on $250,000 bail or $500,000 bond, which depends on a future visit to Cortlandville Court.