Ian Price
From Virginia State Police: FLOYD, Va. – A Floyd County Sheriff’s Investigator has been released from the hospital Sunday after being shot by a Floyd County resident during a domestic incident Saturday evening (Sept. 24). Investigator R. Stanley was being treated for serious, but non-life threatening injuries, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., Saturday, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance in the 2500 block of Ridgeview Road in Floyd County.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they encountered David J. Annarelli, 41, of Floyd County, armed with a shotgun and standing on the rear porch of the residence. As the deputies made repeated demands for Annarelli to drop the shotgun, Investigator Stanley arrived at the scene. Annarelli aimed at the sheriff’s investigator and shot at him multiple times. Investigator Stanley returned fire.
From Mill Mountain Zoo: Friday, September 23, 2017 Since January of 2016, staff and board members at Mill Mountain Zoo have been busy completing their application for accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums(AZA). An exhaustive process, the application includes written documentation about the Zoo’s animal welfare and care practices, organizational issues, facilities, education outreach and fiscal stability as well as an on-site visit by a licensed veterinarian and a Zoo professional from another AZA facility. The application and inspection were completed in July and the Zoo was informed of the outcome at AZA’s national conference in San Diego two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, the AZA’s increasingly stringent standards for financial stability and sustainability have been steadily rising and the Zoo’s transformational change work which is supported by Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Virginia Tech and Virginia’s Blue Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau, couldn’t overcome a 10-20 year history of tentative finances and the Zoo was informed that it would not receive accreditation. The Commission acknowledged the positive impact of the organizational and planning work done by Zoo staff and board over the last 18 months and also found no issues with the care and ongoing welfare of the Zoo’s animal collection and were complimentary of the Zoo’s staff in that regard.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia election officials say the state’s voter identification law differs greatly from a North Carolina law recently struck down by a federal appeals court. Attorneys for the Virginia Department of Elections and Democratic Party of Virginia sparred in front of a three judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday over whether the state’s law requiring voters to show photo IDs at the polls discriminates against minorities. Much of the debate centered on how the Virginia case differs from one over a North Carolina law that required voters to produce a photo ID, scrapped same-day registration and shortened early voting periods. The 4th Circuit blocked that law in July. Bruce Spiva, an attorney for the Democrats, says Republicans lawmakers’ intent to discriminate against minorities with the voter ID law is as clear as it was in the North Carolina case. Virginia election officials say the law isn’t discriminatory and doesn’t suppress minorities’ ability to vote.
UPDATE: A Roanoke County spokesperson says investigators have determined a failure of an attic electrical fan sparked the fire and caused an estimated $20,000 in damages.
From Roanoke County Fire & Rescue: September 22, 2016 (ROANOKE COUNTY)— Roanoke County Fire & Rescue crews responded to the 3000 block of Hillandale Drive at about 1:45 for a report of a structure fire. When the first firefighters arrived, they reported smoke coming from the attic of a single story brick home. It took crews from the Cave Spring, Clearbrook, and Back Creek stations about 15 minutes to knock down the flames. The fire was contained to the attic space. An older adult female and her caretaker smelled smoke and called 911. The women left the home without injury. The owner is displaced and has alternative housing. Investigators are on the scene.
From Roanoke College: Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has cut more than half of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s lead in a month, but still trails by seven percent among likely voters in Virginia (44%-37%), according to The Roanoke College Poll. Libertarian Gary Johnson remained steady with eight percent of likely voters, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein dropped to 1 percent, while 9 percent remain undecided. In a two-way match-up, Clinton’s lead extends to 11 points (51%-40%). Clinton led by 16 in the August Roanoke College Poll (48%-32%).
The Roanoke College Poll interviewed 841 likely voters in Virginia between September 11 and September 20 and has a margin of error of +3.4 percent. With the percentage of undecided voters remaining steady, Clinton’s vote share declined by 4 percent since August while Trump’s share increased by 5 percent.
Continue reading for a more in-depth look at the poll
The news that Tanglewood Mall had been sold came just hours before the first 419 “re-imaging” meeting last night, drawing more people. WFIR’s Ian Price has details on the sale:
General Electric has purchased Roanoke-based software developer Meridium. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
James Radford
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a suspect accused of stealing a car from an 81-year-old man. Officials say James Radford,32, broke into Eli Gentry’s home and took the keys to his 2001 Toyota Camry on August 27th after Gentry refused to give him a ride. The camry was recovered in Danville on Sunday. Radford is wanted on several charges.
Continue reading for the full news release
From Virginia State Police: ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – The Virginia State Police have charged a Franklin County resident with one felony count of attempting to elude police and two misdemeanor counts of destruction of property. Gary R. Turner, 37, of Boones Mill, Va., is currently being held at the Roanoke City Jail. The charges stem from an encounter Turner had with a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy and Rocky Mount Police Officer Saturday (Sept. 10). At approximately 11:20 p.m., Saturday, the officer and deputy attempted to stop an older-model Ford pickup truck in the 900 block of Tanyard Road/Route 40. The pickup truck and its driver, Turner, fit the description of a “Be On the Lookout” (BOL) that had just been broadcast over the radio. Turner was wanted for an outstanding warrant in the City of Roanoke.
Bedford County Deputies are calling a situation last week a “Chiller” after they encountered an adult male, threatening suicide, with a gun in his hand. Authorities say the male suddenly turned and advanced toward deputies with the weapon still in his hand, appearing to elevate it at them. Deputies then tased the suspect only to discover the subject’s weapon was a BB gun.
Police say this near tragedy underscored the need to clamp down on the sale of replica and pellet guns that often look nearly indistinguishable from actual weapons.