Evan Jones
Cpl. Jared Kubasak
A run through the commonwealth is remembering each Virginian to fall in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Virginia Run for the Fallen stops to honor each one at one-mile intervals from Virginia Beach and Arlington National Cemetery. Among those to be remembered: Corporal Jared Kubasak of Rocky Mount. His mother says she is grateful the memories of the fallen are kept alive. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for full Virginia Run for the Fallen information.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus is at the Roanoke Civic Center through Sunday, but if you went to the first show last night, you may have seen PETA protestors accusing the circus of animal abuse. Ringling Brothers say that is not the case at all. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
Appalachian Power has filed plans with state regulators to build a new electric transmission project near the existing Cloverdale substations in Botetourt County. Apco says the “Extra High Voltage” project will cost $237 million, and it is designed to address voltage problems, transmission congestion and older equipment that needs replacement.
(Continue reading for the full Appalachian Power news release.)
Researchers have discovered physical evidence that Virginia’s earliest settlers resorted to cannibalism to survive. Archaeologists have uncovered bones from Jamestown that show injuries to a 14-year-old English girl consistent with cannibalism. Written accounts from the time describe desperate starvation there in the winter of 1609-1610. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for information, photos and video from Preservation Virginia.
Salem Police say a 92-year-old assisted living center resident is in jail, charged with wounding a man at the center and assaulting a responding police officer. The Roanoke Times reports Robert Tolliver is currently held without bond at the Western Virginia Regional Jail. Police do not name the facility, but they say it all occurred on the 1900 Block of Roanoke Boulevard April 25. Salem Health and Rehabilitation Center is located on that block of Roanoke Boulevard. Police say they arrived there to find a man with lacerations to his head and face. The victim was released from the hospital the next day.
As the summer tourism season approaches, some Virginia tourism officials worry about the effects of sequestration on National Park Service properties. There are 22 in the commonwealth, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park and historic sites that include Yorktown, Manassas and Appomattox. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
VDOT reports both northbound lanes are open once again on Interstate 81 north of Lexington where a large sinkhole opened up Monday. The repairs will take a while longer involving damaged underground pipes and drains, but VDOT says it expects to keep all northbound lanes open as the repairs continue.
(Continue reading for the full VDOT news release.)
A country music legend is coming to the Roanoke Valley in October. Merle Haggard is scheduled to perform at the Salem Civic Center October 27. Haggard has played several times in Salem, but this will be his first appearance there in ten years. Tickets go on sale Monday, May 6 at 10:00 am.
(Continue reading for the full Salem Civic Center news release.) Continue reading
You have two days left to file your state income returns. The numbers show more Virginians are doing so each year on their computers, but your local Commissioner of the Revenue office can still accept returns you bring in person. Their offices will be busy today and tomorrow, but as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, not as busy as they used to be.
A sinkhole is slowing traffic on Interstate 81 north of Lexington — and it may continue doing so for another day. The sinkhole was discovered alongside the northbound shoulder near milemarker 197 where construction crews are building a truck climbing lane, and it is big enough to require the closing of a northbound lane. VDOT Spokesperson Sandy Myers:
Myers says until the work is completed, northbound backups and detours are possible. As of 4:00 pm Monday, northbound automobile traffic was being diverted onto US 11 for five miles.