Evan Jones
From Virginia State Police:
The investigation remains ongoing into the officer-involved shooting in Bedford County July 30, 2014. At the request of the Bedford County Sheriff, the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s “Police Shooting Investigative Team” out of the Salem Field Office is investigating the fatal shooting of a man by a Bedford County deputy sheriff. The series of incidents that led up to the shooting began at approximately 8:03 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, 2014, in Bedford County when a man forced his way into a residence in the 1500 block of Stewartsville Road, which is Route 24, in Bedford County. The homeowner says the male intruder threatened her with a gun. When the man, David A. Mendoza, 32, was unable to steal a vehicle from that residence, he fled the scene on a dirt bike heading west on Route 24/Stewartsville Road.
(Continue reading for the rest of the news release.)
A former member of the Roanoke City Republican Executive Committee has quit his post, quit his party and chosen to lead Robert Sarvis’ Libertarian Party Senate campaign. Caleb Coulter says he can no longer support the candidates of either major party. Coulter heads to Alexandria later this week to direct the Sarvis campaign. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
The federal corruption trial of former Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen enters its second week today. Prosecutors say the couple accepted all kinds of cash and secret gifts in exchange for promoting a Richmond-based company’s products. Political observers say what they did was clearly unethical, but a jury will have to decide if it was illegal. WFIR’s Evan Jones has our story.
Caldwell Butler (UVA
Library photo)
Friends and family will honor and remember former Congressman Caldwell Butler later this morning. Among those who will attend the memorial service: current 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte, and as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, Goodlatte says those years helped shaped his own approach to the office.
The memorial service for Caldwell Butler is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am Friday at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke.
One of music’s big names in the last 20 years performs tonight at Elmwood Park, and Roanoke City officials hope Sheryl Crow’s concert will demonstrate that the renovated park — and its new amphitheater — can work well for big-name acts. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click HERE for more details on the concert.
Caldwell Butler (UVA
Library photo)
Former Roanoke Congressman Caldwell Butler is being remembered for his political courage during the Watergate era. Butler died two nights ago at age 89. He is best known as a Republican who, in his first term, voted for President Richard Nixon’s impeachment, and as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, Butler went to some unusual lengths before reaching his decision.
Same-sex marriage supporters are rejoicing, but advocates of Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban say “not so fast” after a federal appeals court ruled the ban violates the U.S. Constitution. Same-sex ceremonies are not yet permitted in Virginia , and as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, whether or when they might begin is not yet clear.
22 private colleges and universities in Virginia are rolling out a special one-week welcome mat for high school students and their families. Many campuses have special events planned for “Virginia Private College Week” to show what they’re about. Admissions officials say this annual event is a proven way to attract future students, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports.
Camp Easter Seals UCP, Craig Co.
campeastersealsucp.com
Seventeen college students from 10 states are spending the week at Camp Easter Seals in Craig County, building a pagoda, nature trail and ropes course. The camp serves children with cerebral palsy, and it is one of several the students are visiting as part of a summer volunteer work project. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for more information on “Build America”.
The oil and gas industry welcomes a federal government move that could eventually lead to drilling off Virginia’s shoreline, but environmentalists do not share that enthusiasm. The Obama administration has approved the use of seismic technology to explore for oil and gas in waters from Florida to Delaware. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.