More charges have been filed against a Bedford County man who authorities say shot a neighbor’s dog in front of children — and the dog’s owner faces her own charges. It surrounds an incident earlier this month in Goodview when a man told sheriff’s deputies he shot the dog after it bit his grandson. 60-year-old Fred Dooley was charged at the time with reckless handling of a firearm, and now, he faces an animal cruelty count. The sheriff’s office says Natasha Simpson is charged with failure to vaccinate for rabies and failure to register the dog.

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State police say a fatal accident on US 220 in Franklin County took the life of a Bassett woman. Troopers say 68-year-old Angela Martin went through a stop sign Tuesday on Fork Mountain Road and into the path of an oncoming tractor trailer on 220. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say neither a seven-year-old old child with her nor the truck driver were hurt.

You can now go on line and see exactly how many accidents have occurred on any Virginia roadway or intersection. You can search by street — or by accident cause like speeding, texting or alcohol use. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story;

07-26 Crash Map Wrap1-WEB

Click here for the DMV interactive accident map

A new statewide poll shows the race for Virginia governor is currently neck-and-neck. The Monmouth University Poll finds 44% of those questioned favoring Democrat Ralph Northam — and an equal 44% for Republican Ed Gillespie. It also finds that support for and opposition to President Trump has the potential to impact the fall election. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.

07-25 Monmouth Poll Wrap-WEB-WEB

Click here for full Monmouth University Poll results and methodology.

(Airport photo)

Ridership is up almost 3%t so far this year at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, and airport officials say that can greatly assist their efforts to increase flights and destinations — and see local airfares go down. They say airlines take notice when the passenger count increases, and that boosts the chances of more flights and lower prices. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:

07-24 Airport Passengers Wrap2-WEB

Dr. Claudia Martin

LewisGale Medical Center neurosurgeon Dr. Claudia Martin says she wondered if Senator John McCain had some sort of medical issue during his confused questioning last month of former F.B.I. Director James Comey. McCain has now undergone surgery for a brain tumor that frequently affects speaking and thinking. Dr. Martin spoke with WFIR’s Evan Jones:

07-21 McCain Tumor Wrap2-WEB

UPDATE: Apco’s web site says all power has been restored.

Previously: Appalachian Power reports more than 4,500 Roanoke City and County customers are currently without power, the result of four different outages. Apco officials say construction at the Mason Creek substation is responsible. The biggest service disruptions are in northwest Roanoke, where police report traffic lights out along the Orange-Melrose Avenue corridor, and the Hanging Rock-Mason’s Cove area of the county.

Bob Denton

This year’s election is still more than three months away, but next year’s Virginia Senate race is already in the news. Within the last week, Corey Stewart announced his candidacy, and Tim Kaine announced key members of his campaign staff. WFIR Political Analyst Bob Denton says for better or worse, this simply reflects the current state of U.S. politics. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.

07-20 2018 Campaign Wrap1-WEB

State environmental officials have scheduled two additional public meetings on the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline. Both are August 10^th : first at the Newport Community Center in Giles County at 1:00 pm, then at Cave Spring High School at 5:00. The Department of Environmental Quality had originally scheduled two hearings, but opponents said that was not enough. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.

07-18 MVP Hearings Wrap1-WEB

A new report shows that auto insurance rates in Virginia are 84% higher on average for buyers without credit scores than for buyers with excellent credit — a higher difference than the national average. The difference mainly affects credit newcomers, typically recent college grads or someone with no bank account history. The report comes from the free-credit-score website Wallet Hub. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:

07-17 Auto Rates Wrap-WEB

Click here to see the full WalletHub report.