Lillian Boyd
From Press Release: Bedford County Sheriff’s deputies have obtained an arrest warrant for Stephen M. Sutphin, age 37, of Evington. The warrant charges him with shoplifting a bottle of alcohol from the ABC Store located in the Graves Mill Shopping Center on January 24, 2018. The warrant in a felony for third of subsequent offence of larceny.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office at 540-586-7827 or Central Virginia Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900 or Text 274637. Crime Stopper callers remain anonymous and could receive a cash reward up to $1,000.00.
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed a bill into law granting federal recognition to six Native American tribes in Virginia.
The law gives the six tribes access to federal funds for education, housing and health care.
The congressman who introduced the bill, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Virginia, says in a press release it will also allow the tribes to pursue repatriation of historical and cultural artifacts, among other powers. The six tribes – Monacan, Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Nansemond and Upper Mattaponi – have sought federal recognition for about 20 years. They already had state recognition.
Trump’s Monday signing of the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017, also known as H.R. 984, follows years of lobbying from U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner of Virginia.
From Virginia State Police
ACCOMAC, Va. (AP) – A former Virginia state trooper who admitted writing summonses for nonexistent offenses has been sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
Forty-three-year-old Johnny Godwin was originally charged with six felony counts of forging public records and signing names on three of them. The Daily Times of Salisbury reports that Godwin pleaded guilty on Friday to three downgraded misdemeanor charges of making false entry of records by an officer.
Defense attorney Christopher Voltin noted Godwin’s 20 years of “exemplary” service. He said he made a poor choice under pressure.
Judge Stephen Mahan barred Godwin from holding any office of honor or trust in the commonwealth. He also sentenced Godwin to 12 months for each misdemeanor count, but suspended the entire sentence.
The fight over “Dreamers” leading to the government shutdown, to the ongoing conflict in the middle east, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joins WFIR Anchor Ian Price and Reporter Lillian Boyd LIVE by phone to talk about these and other issues in Washington.
From news release: Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at about 5:00 a.m., on Thursday, January 25, 2018 to the 3300 block of Circle Brook Drive, in the Pebble Creek Apartments, which is in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke County for the report of a structure fire. First arriving crews did find flames and heavy smoke coming from a ground floor apartment. Crews from Cave Spring, Clearbrook, and Back Creek responded to the fire. There were no injuries and no residents will be displaced. The apartment building had been evacuated prior to the arrival of the fire department. The fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes and was confined to the outdoor porch, however there is some smoke damage to the apartment above the fire. Some residents were reporting that the fire alarms did not sound. However, this apartment building does not have automatic fire alarms because that was not a code requirement when the building was built. There are battery operated smoke alarms in the individual apartments and those likely did not sound because the fire was located on the exterior of the building and not enough smoke made it to the interior to sound the smoke alarm. Residents of the apartment building were alerted to the fire by other residents who knocked on doors and told them to evacuate. Some residents also attempted to extinguish the fire with portable fire extinguishers that are located in the common areas of the apartment complex. The fire marshal’s office has investigated the fire and the cause is undetermined with estimated damages at $6000.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The Virginia House of Delegates has implemented a new parental leave policy for its employees.
Republican Speaker Kirk Cox announced Wednesday that full-time House employees can receive 12 weeks of paid parental leave for the new birth or adoption of a child.
Cox directed the House clerk to formulate the new policy, which is significantly more generous to new parents than what was previously offered, in December.
Shortly before 5:15 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 23), Virginia State Police received three calls from motorists traveling south on Interstate 81 in Augusta County about a white Chevrolet Avalanche driving aggressively and using the emergency shoulder as it weaved through traffic. Trooper S.J. Nicely Jr. responded & set up at the 214 mile marker where he observed the white SUV driving recklessly and recorded the vehicle traveling 90 mph in a posted 70 mph zone.
Trooper Nicely activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the Avalanche refused to stop and continued southbound on I-81 at a high rate of speed. The pursuit continued south on I-81 with the Avalanche using the emergency shoulder to flee from the trooper. As the Avalanche made it into Rockbridge County, a sheriff’s deputy successfully deployed a tire deflation device on the Avalanche. Even with flat tires, the Avalanche continued south on I-81 until it ran off the rights side of the interstate at the 178 mile marker and struck the guardrail.
The SUV’s driver, Brandon S. Hill, 37, of South Carolina, was taken into custody without further incident. Trooper Nicely arrested Hill for DUI and also charged him with one felony count of eluding police, illegal use of the emergency shoulder, reckless driving and refusal to take a sobriety test. Hill is being held at the Rockbridge County Jail.
This past Sunday was the birthday of a long-celebrated Confederate General. But not all are eager to honor the legacy of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. WFIR’s Lillian Boyd with the latest.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A failed bill seeking to help reopen a shuttered hospital in Virginia has been given another chance by a state Senate committee.
The Roanoke Times reports the Senate Education and Health panel passed the refiled bill by Republican Sen. William Stanley 11-to-0 on Thursday. The emergency legislation was short of the supermajority needed when a vote on Tuesday was 30-to-10 with all 21 Republicans, along with nine Democrats, for it.
Stanley, who opposes Medicaid expansion, says some of his Democratic colleagues told him they would kill the bill unless he voted in favor of expanding Medicaid to about 400,000 more Virginia residents.
Stanley’s bill would retroactively extend expired state certification of Patrick County’s 25-bed Pioneer Community Hospital from Dec. 31, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2018.
Last year, thousands turned up for the Womens March in Roanoke in coordination with millions around the globe. WFIR Reporter Lillian Boyd talked with this year’s new leadership for the second march.