Evan Jones
Virginia Lottery Photo
A Floyd County man has stepped forward to claim a Powerball prize worth $2 million. Darrell Burnette of Willis picked five numbers in the August 18th Powerball drawing — and paid another dollar for the “Power Play” that doubled the prize of the $3.00 ticket to $2 million. Burnette says he basically had to fib to others about whether he was holding it until today, when he claimed the prize. Burnette is a small business owner who says he has no immediate plans for his winnings.
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Lone Star Tick (Female)
The summer season may be coming to an end, but the Virginia Department of Health says the threat of tick-related illnesses continues well into fall. Health officials say Lyme Disease case numbers are generally holding steady, but there is a rise in Ehrlichiosis — and a record number of Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
The State Board of Education will consider revisions next month that would set different mathematics goals for different groups of students — higher pass rate standards for Asians than whites, lower ones for blacks and Hispanics. The Obama administration is allowing states to set different goals for different student groups, but lower-performing students are required to make greater rates of progress in coming years. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, it is all part of the federal “No Child Left Behind Act”.
VDOT Photo
Geico Insurance is about to sponsor “Safe Phone Zones” at the state’s highway rest areas and welcome centers, part of state efforts to bring in new revenue through rest area sponsorships. The program will now include highways signs directing drivers to the safe phone zones, signs which will feature the Geico name and picture of its ever-present gecko. Another contractor is already paying for the right to provide vending services at these rest areas. Overall, it should bring in about $2 million a year to help Virginia pay the $21 million cost of running the facilities — 43 of them in all.
The AARP says it is working with seniors to be sure they have proper voter identification with them in November. This comes in response to a law passed this winter in Richmond, one that recently received Justice Department approval in Washington. The new law requires voters to bring any one of various ID types to be sure their vote is counted that day and not set aside as provisional WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Roanoke Police are targeting a second city neighborhood in efforts to clear out drug dealers — and make those neighborhoods better places to live. The first one was Hurt Park, and police say the crime numbers have remained down across the board there since last year’s targeted program. The “Drug Market Initiative” also offers young first-time offenders opportunities for education and job training instead of jail and a criminal record. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
A Roanoke company that makes prosthetics is looking after one of its newest patients — a four-legged one. “Stitches” is a 15-year-old donkey who lost a hoof after an accident. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
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Roanoke County Supervisors have postponed a decision on whether to adopt guidelines for invocations at future board meetings. It came after 90 minutes of often impassioned comments from supervisors and citizens.
Evan Jones has details:
The proposed policy would allow invocations seeking God’s guidance, but they could not promote or single out any one religion. Even those supervisors who appeared prepared to approve it sounded pained at the prospect but felt the county had little choice, given the likelihood of successful and costly legal challenges without the change.
In the end, they agreed to confer first with Liberty Counsel, which represents governments in such cases, and an evening vote is now scheduled for September 25.
Salem teachers are back in their classrooms this week preparing for the start of school there one week from today. But teachers are also working with Salem administrators on a longer-term project, one that may shape how they are paid in the future. The goal is determining the best ways to measure student growth each school year and develop a system that would tie some of a teacher’s evaluation and pay to that growth. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal Tuesday that would continue invocations before its meetings — but with restrictions that did not exist before. The policy recommendation from County Attorney Paul Mahoney would allow invocations to seek the guidance of God as a supreme being, but they could not make reference to specific religious figures like Jesus Christ. All this follows a complaint earlier this year from the Freedom Religion Foundation in Wisconsin. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more.