Evan Jones
We are entering the heart of the college commencement season, and at one college in the region, this is probably the final time. Sweet Briar College has announced plans to close this summer, which raises the question: are other smaller Virginia colleges at risk? WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
A comprehensive Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Study that looked in on and measured driver habits will now be available to researchers around the world. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, safer driving is the anticipated result.
Click here for the full story from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Pro-life supporters are unhappy with an opinion from Attorney General Mark Herring on abortion clinic building regulations, but pro-choice supporters say it’s about time an earlier decision is reviewed. At issue is whether existing Virginia abortion clinics should meet the same building standards as hospitals. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
AP photo
A state task force created after the fiery Lynchburg oil train derailment one year ago has released its initial report and recommendations. Among other things, the Virginia Railroad Safety and Security Task Force recommends increased state inspections of tracks carrying crude oil and other hazardous materials — and requiring railroads and federal regulators to share all safety-related information. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Pinball Museum photo
A new museum is set to open next month at Center in the Square in downtown Roanoke dedicated to the history of pinball. And if there was ever a hand-on museum, this will be it: admission lets you play them all. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for the Roanoke Pinball Museum’s Facebook page
Attorney General Mark Herring has sent letters to representatives of Sweet Briar College and the group hoping to keep it from closing. The letter asks for a meeting sometime in May in hopes of finding a resolution that does not involve costly litigation. The letter re-affirms Herring’s previous statements that his office has no standing to take a position one way or another.
A new children’s enrichment center is preparing to open its doors this weekend, and it’s all based on a well-known childhood staple. Bricks 4 Kidz uses LEGOs to create projects for children three to 13, the goal being to provide an educational experience that is creative and fun. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for the Roanoke Valley Bricks 4 Kids web site.
The U.S. Forest Service is issuing a temporary special use permit that will allow surveying in the Jefferson National Forest for the proposed Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline. The permit covers proposed pipeline routes through forest lands in Roanoke, Montgomery, Craig, and Giles Counties. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, this is not a permit for any pipeline construction.
(Continue reading for the full U.S. Forest Service news release.)
Virginians on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate plan to be at the U.S. Supreme Court today as justices consider whether state bans on such marriages are unconstitutional. This specific case does not involve Virginia, but the justices are expected to rule by late June whether states have the right to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.