Evan Jones
Virginia appears ready to extend the ban of underage tobacco sales to include “electronic cigarettes”, and health advocates applaud the move. Votes in both the House and Senate were unanimous, the final one coming yesterday in the Senate to a bill prohibiting the sales of what are termed “nicotine vapor products” to anyone under 18 . WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Governor McAuliffe and Republican lawmakers appear far apart on proposed Medicaid expansion in the commonwealth, and that’s raising concerns of a possible budget impasse.
At issue is whether Virginia should join a program under the Affordable Care Act to provide health insurance to 400,000 more state residents. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Roanoke Police say a recently-posted web page has already led to the arrest of one person for allegedly stealing liquor from an ABC store, and they have promising leads on several others. The page shows surveillance photos of people in ABC stores in the city — people wanted on theft charges. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here to see the Roanoke Police web page
Theft suspect photos from Roanoke Police web page
Roanoke Police have a set up a web page devoted solely to surveillance photos of shoplifters at state ABC stores. Police says they investigated almost 90 thefts last year from ABC stores in the city, and they hope the new web page will help find some of the people doing it — and deter others from trying. The surveillance photos posted so far generally show very clear shots of the theft suspects. The page also includes the Roanoke Valley Crime line phone number; police hope people will use it when they recognize someone.
Click here to see the the Roanoke Police web page.
Virginia Senate Democrats are using their new majority in efforts to repeal a controversial ultrasound law passed last year. Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of repeal. But the measure has little chance of passing the heavily-Republican House of Delegates. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Samanata Shrestha
Virginia Tech officials say two student organizations will host a candlelight vigil Thursday for Samanata Shrestha, the VT senior who was killed over the weekend. The university says Epsilon Sigma Alpha and the Nepalese Student Association will host a candlelight vigil on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on the lower terrace of War Memorial Chapel, weather permitting. Should the weather make it necessary to change the time of the event, it will be posted to Virginia Tech News.
In addition, Virginia Tech says the family of Samanata Shrestha invites the university community to a visitation at McCoy Funeral Home in Blacksburg. It will be held on Wednesday from noon to 2:00 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the entire region, effective from 1:00 p.m. tomorrow until 6:00 pm Thursday. The weather service says snow accumulations of six to 10 inches are possible west of the Blue Ridge, and 10 to 14 inch accumulations are possible further east — and higher amounts are possible in some places.
Click here to read the full National Weather Service warning.
Roanoke Police say tomorrow’s evening homeward commute is likely to be hazardous if the forecast snow arrives as scheduled by late afternoon. On its Facebook page, police urge drivers to take standard bad weather precautions — and, “if you can, you might consider leaving work early tomorrow to avoid the storm.”
Here is the full Roanoke Police statement:
WEATHER ALERT: As of right now, the National Weather Service is forecasting this pending snow storm to start “mainly after 3 p.m.” on Wednesday. So your drive home tomorrow from work could be hazardous! Remember: lights on–wipers on. Slow down. No distractions. And, if you can, you might consider leaving work early tomorrow to avoid the storm.
After a series of hit-and-miss snowfalls that raced across the region in recent weeks, the one expected tomorrow appears ready to be widespread and disruptive. The big grocery chains are getting ready for the pre-storm rush, and as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, VDOT will also be busy today, pre-treating major roads.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for our entire listening area, effective Wednesday morning and running through Thursday evening. The weather service says accumulations of five to eight inches are possible west of the Blue Ridge and six to ten inches further east.
Click here to read the full National Weather Service Winter Storm Watch statement.