Evan Jones
Dominion Virginia Power and Appalachian Power both say low temperatures over the past week led its customers to set a record for electricity usage. Appalachian Power Spokesperson Teresa Hamilton Hall says the utility set its unofficial all-time peak by supplying 8,697 megawatt hours of electricity Friday morning. Dominion officials say their usage also reached a peak at 8:00 Friday, a morning of countless record lows for the date and, in Lynchburg‘s case, the lowest temperature ever recorded.
(Associated Press contributed to this report.)
It’s been almost ten months since the fiery train derailment in Lynchburg, and the CSX Railroad’s resulting responsibilities are far from over. The Department of Environmental Quality says CSX will pay about $380,000 in fines and costs, and as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, that does not include continued cleanup and monitoring.
A bill that would change Virginia’s voter photo ID law is now headed to Governor McAuliffe’s desk. Right now, anyone voting in person or applying in person for an absentee ballot must show a photo ID. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, the bill would require more people applying to vote absentee by mail to also submit a photocopy of their ID.
Local emergency rooms and urgent care centers report plenty of patients coming in from falls, with broken wrists among the largest number of cases. They report relatively few cases so far directly connected to the record-breaking temperatures, but doctors say you need to take precautions when heading out this morning. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
When the temperatures go way down, the demands on home furnaces and heat pumps go way up — and older ones in particular are more likely to fail. Experts say the one thing you can do more than any other to reduce your chances of a service call are to simply turn your thermostat down three to five degrees. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
With frigid temperatures on the way the next two mornings, shelters like the Roanoke Rescue Mission expect to serve more people than normal. The Mission typically has about 300 people staying overnight this time of year, but the number this week has been closed to 350, and it may be even greater the next two nights, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports.
The General Assembly is a step closer toward passing a law that would permit public schools to hold some food fund-raisers that are currently banned. Federal law requires all foods sold during the school day must meet nutrition standards, but the law allows states to pass exemptions for fund-raisers. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Efforts are underway in the General Assembly to exempt older Virginians from a boating safety law enacted after fatal accidents on Smith Mountain Lake. The bill’s sponsor says older boaters don’t need the course, but supporters of the current law say it makes boating safer in the commonwealth. WFIR’s Evan Jones has both sides of the Richmond debate.
The House of Delegates and Senate have both approved their amendments to the state’s two year budget. Both versions include pay raises for teachers and state employees. Democrats are unhappy the Senate budget does not include language that would enable Medicaid expansion as they and Governor McAuliffe have sought the last two sessions. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more on that side to the story.