Evan Jones
Even as Appalachian Power repair crews work on a long list of outages, new ones keep cropping up today, thanks largely to the continuing high winds. Apco says as a result, there is no way to predict when all service will be restored. In addition, the winds create potential safety problems, especially for crews up in bucket trucks, and that could slow down some of the repairs. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for the Appalachian Power outage web site
Andy Schmookler
WFIR continues its profiles of the candidates for the Congressional districts covering the Roanoke region. Today, we take a closer look at Andy Schmookler, the Democratic challenger in the 6th District. It includes Roanoke and Lynchburg and extends northward through the Shenandoah Valley almost to Winchester. WFIR’s Evan Jones has our candidate profile.
Click here for the Andy Schmookler campaign web site.
The Roanoke region’s economic development leaders say FedEx Ground is delivering an important message to other companies. FedEx Ground broke ground Monday for a new distribution center in northeast Roanoke. The new center will replace its smaller one in Salem; it will be bigger and able to handle more packages. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Area VDOT crews are preparing for just about everything as Hurricane Sandy roars by. The department’s Salem District covers 12 counties from the North Carolina line south of Martinsville to the mountainous West Virginia line in Craig and Giles Counties. VDOT officials say they’re ready to deal with flooding, downed trees and snow as any or all of those conditions develop. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
10-29 VDOT Preps Wrap1-WEB
As election day nears, WFIR is presenting profiles of the candidates for the Congressional districts covering the Roanoke region. Morgan Griffith is the Republican incumbent in the 9th Congressional District that extends from Kentucky and Tennessee all the way to Martinsville and skirting the Roanoke area up to Alleghany County. WFIR’s Evan Jones has our candidate profile.
Click here for Griffith’s campaign web page.
If the deluge of political ads for the presidential candidates isn’t enough, we’re also seeing and hearing many more from advocacy groups like those representing companies supporting new coal power plant construction. They urge voters to support candidates who oppose current Environmental Protection Agency regulations that effectively stop new coal power plants due to the cost of meeting those rules. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
We have asked the Environmental Protection Agency for its perspective. We will present the agency’s response when it is provided.
Click here for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity web site.
Anthony Flaccavento
As election day nears, WFIR is presenting profiles of the candidates for the Congressional districts covering the Roanoke region.Anthony Flaccavento is the Democratic nominee in the 9th Congressional District that extends from Kentucky and Tennessee all the way to Martinsville and skirting the Roanoke area up to Alleghany County. WFIR’s Evan Jones has our candidate profile.
Click here for the Anthony Flaccavento for Congress web page.
Passenger trains return to Roanoke next month — but for just one weekend. And this year, the annual rail excursions are paying special tribute to veterans. The excursions head to Abingdon and back on the 10th, and then on the 11th — Veteran’s Day — they roll past Waynesboro to Shenandoah and back, with a special service honoring vets during the stopover. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Click here for more information on the passenger train excursions.
Virginia is once again demonstrating its importance in this year’s presidential election, with candidates from both parties making stops today. Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke in Bristol before heading to another event in Charlottesville, and a short time later, President Obama addressed a rally in Richmond.
WFIR’s Evan Jones reports on Paul Ryan’s appearance in Bristol.
WFIR’s Evan Jones reports on President Obama’s appearance in Richmond.
Chief Chris Perkins
The Roanoke Police Training Academy welcomes 12 new recruits today, and Chief Chris Perkins says it will be the most diverse class ever: three recruits are black and two others are women. Perkins says it is the result of changes in recruitment and hiring procedures — and the academy itself has seen recent changes in its training procedures. More on that from WFIR’s Evan Jones.