AP
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ Organizers held a vigil in Blacksburg to remember the life of a 13-year-old girl who was fatally stabbed last month. The Roanoke Times reports that more than 100 people gathered in downtown Blacksburg on Monday night to honor Nicole Madison Lovell. Light poles in the area were strung with blue Christmas lights and members of the community held candles throughout the night. Lovell’s mother, Tammy Weeks, addressed the crowd, thanking the community for their thoughts and prayers. Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam also spoke at the event, saying the community is strong and standing together. The event was sponsored by Womanspace at Virginia Tech and Take Back the Night, two organizations dedicated to student and citizen safety. Two Virginia Tech students have been charged in connection with Nicole’s death.
DUBLIN, Va. (AP) _ Volvo Trucks says it will lay off fewer workers at its Pulaski County plant than previously announced. The Roanoke Times reports that the truck maker confirmed last week that about 600 workers are losing their jobs this month. The company announced in December that it would lay off 734 workers at the New River Valley Assembly Plant in Dublin over a three-week period in February. Volvo attributed the cuts to a decrease in demand. John Miles, a spokesman for Volvo Trucks North America, said company officials have determined they can manage the market adjustment without cutting as many jobs as initially anticipated. The 1.6-million-square-foot plant employs 2,800 workers and is the largest Volvo truck manufacturing facility in the world.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginians who aren’t registered to vote but want to cast ballots in the March 1 presidential primary need to act fast. Monday is the deadline to register. In Virginia, voters don’t register by party. Any registered voter may choose to cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary. For weeks, it looked like voters in the GOP primary would have to sign a statement affirming their Republican affiliation. The plan drew criticism, and the State Board of Elections has rescinded that requirement at the request of the state GOP’s governing body.
PULASKI, Va. (AP) _ The mother of a Virginia boy who died in a septic tank is in court for trial on abuse and neglect charges. The Pulaski County Circuit Court Clerk’s office says 31-year-old Ashley White’s trial started Monday. The jury trial is scheduled to take up to five days. White and 32-year-old Paul Thomas are accused of leaving their 5-year-old son, Noah Thomas, and infant daughter, Abigail, home alone on March 22 of last year. The boy’s body was found in a septic tank near the family’s home in Dublin four days later. The medical examiner determined that the boy drowned and that hypothermia contributed to his death.
Nicole Lovell
David Eisenhauer
Natalie Keepers
Christiansburg (AP) — A prosecutor says two Virginia Tech students plotted to kill a 13-year-old girl and hide her body. Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Pettitt revealed details about the accusations against 18-year-old David Eisenhauer and 19-year-old Natalie Keepers at a Thursday hearing. Until then, details about 13-year-old Nicole Lovell’s death had been scarce. Pettit says Eisenhauer and Keepers met at a fast-food restaurant to plan how they’d kill Nicole, and drove past her home. Pettit says they bought cleaning supplies at one Wal-Mart and a shovel at another. Pettitt says Eisenhauer planned to cut Nicole’s throat at a remote location. Pettit says the pair put the body in the back of a Lexus. Pettit says authorities found a weapon, but she didn’t describe it. Pettitt didn’t give a possible motive or describe how the killing was carried out; instead she detailed only the pair’s plans. She says Eisenhauer first denied involvement in killing Nicole but admitted to driving to her home. Pettit says he also admitted that he saw her climb out of her window, and she says he greeted her with a side hug and then brought her to Keepers.
(Associated Press)
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) _ A Harrisonburg mother of three has been diagnosed with the first known case of the Zika virus in the state. Heather Baker tells media outlets that she received a letter dated Feb. 1 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirming that she has Zika virus. Baker thinks she contracted the virus in November while on a mission trip in Guatemala. She says the first symptom was a swollen lymph node on the side of her head. She then began experiencing joint pain, a rash and body aches. Zika is transmitted from infected mosquitoes to people, from infected pregnant mothers to babies and possibly through sexual activity. Babies born to mothers with the virus can have birth defects. Baker says she is managing her symptoms and trying to be cautious.
Natalie Keepers
A bail hearing is scheduled for a Virginia Tech student charged as being an accessory in the stabbing death of a 13-year-old girl. The Montgomery County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court clerk’s office says Natalie Keepers’ hearing is now set for 11 a.m. Thursday. It originally had been scheduled for Wednesday. The 19-year-old engineering student is charged with accessory before and after the fact, as well as with illegally disposing of Nicole Lovell’s body. Keepers’ classmate, 18-year-old David Eisenhauer, is charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder. Both defendants are being held without bond.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly have approved legislation to allow home-schooled students to participate in public-school sports. A longtime goal of home-schoolers, the measure is commonly known as the “Tebow bill,” named for Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled and allowed to play football for his local high school. The measure passed the state Senate Monday. A House version passed last week. A similar measure passed last year, but was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The governor said the legislation creates a “double standard” for student athletes.
Nicole Lovell
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Seventh-grader Nicole Madison Lovell was stabbed to death the same day she climbed out of her bedroom window, by a Virginia Tech student who got help from a fellow freshman both before and after the crime, authorities said Tuesday. David Eisenhauer, the engineering major accused of kidnapping and killing the 13-year-old girl, said “I believe the truth will set me free” after he was arrested on Saturday, police said. Nicole’s mother discovered her missing last Wednesday morning, setting off an intense hunt. Police quickly zeroed in on Eisenhauer, and then found Nicole’s body on Saturday, hidden off a North Carolina road, two hours south of campus.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Republican lawmakers say it’s time for a comprehensive look at Virginia’s economic development spending as the state spends more on incentive programs aimed at luring companies to relocate or expand in the Old Dominion. A new report released Monday by the House Appropriations Committee shows that ongoing incentive programs have grown 84 percent since fiscal 2010. Both Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and his GOP predecessor, Gov. Bob McDonnell, worked to develop new incentive programs and made economic development cornerstones of their administration. But several GOP lawmakers have suggested the state needs tighter controls on its economic development spending the wake of sour deal in the Lynchburg area.