Lillian Boyd
From News Release: Virginia State Police Trooper T.D. Sykes is investigating a seven-vehicle crash in Pulaski County. The crash occurred Dec. 27 at approximately 3:15 p.m. on I-81 at the 94 mile marker.
A tractor-trailer traveling NORTH on I-81 sideswiped a tractor-trailer traveling in the adjacent NORTHbound lane. The impact of that crash caused both tractor-trailers to run off the left side of the interstate and into the median. The first tractor-trailer came to a stop in the median. The second tractor-trailer continued across the SOUTHbound lanes of I-81, collided with/caused five passenger vehicles to crash, and then the tractor-trailer went over the guardrail off the right side of the SOUTHbound lanes.
The driver of the first tractor-trailer, Miriam U. Campbell, 32, of Gastonia, N.C., was wearing a seat belt and was not injured in the crash. Trooper Sykes charged her with reckless driving.
The driver of the other tractor-trailer – who is from Tennessee – was wearing his seat belt and was not injured in the crash.
A female adult passenger in one of the five passenger vehicles was flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening, injuries. Two other individuals among the five passenger vehicles were treated and released at a nearby hospital for minor injuries. A fourth person was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
From Vinton Police: On December 27, 2017 at 2157 hours Vinton Police Officers responded to an armed robbery at Alvaro’s Market, 1002 Walnut Ave. Two black males, wearing masks entered the store displaying handguns and demanded money from the clerks. The suspects fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. The two clerks did not receive any physical injuries. No additional details at this time.
Chris Hurst
When former WDBJ7 anchor Chris Hurst defeated Delegate Joseph Yost in last month’s election, he made national headlines for unseating a three-term, NRA-backed Republican. But it wasn’t his first bout with country-wide recognition. In 2015, Channel 7 reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward were gunned down on live television – Hurst had been sharing a relationship and a home with Alison. He joined WFIR live, in studio to discuss his first-ever bill proposal and his legislative ambitions for the new year.
From Roanoke County Police: At approximately 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Roanoke County Police responded to a medical emergency in the 7200 block of Bradshaw Road. Officers were able to determine that a seven-year old female was the victim of an apparent accidental shooting. The juvenile was transported by helicopter to Roanoke Memorial Hospital and the extent of injury is unknown at this time.
A Bedford County drug investigation has led to 29 arrests. A grand jury returned 53 indictments on those people December 1st. According to a news release, the indictments are the results of an ongoing narcotics investigation. According to court records, the 29 individuals were arrested between December 7th and 15th.
From News Release: On Friday December 1, 2017, a Bedford County Grand Jury indicted twenty-nine individuals on 53 narcotics charges. The indictments are the results of an ongoing narcotics investigation in Bedford County by the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.
Bedford County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of Bedford Police Department and the Virginia State Police has arrested the following persons:
Paul Graham (three counts of distribution of Roxycodone)
Curtis Floyd (three counts of distribution of Methamphetamine)
Hunter Galaini (three counts of distribution of cocaine)
Brian Blankenship (one count of distribution of Heroin)
(one count of distribution of Methamphetamine)
Justine Cooper (one count of distribution of Oxycodone)
(one count of distribution of Methamphetamine)
Mary Lilly (one count of possession of Heroin)
(one count of possession of Methamphetamine)
(one count of possession of Buprenorphine)
Justin Carter (one count of distribution of Heroin)
Vickie Moreno (one count of distribution of Fentanyl)
(one count of child endangerment)
Terry Overstreet (one count of distribution of Fentanyl)
Shane Wooldridge (one count of distribution of Heroin)
Kenny Ramsey Sr. (one count of distribution of Oxycodone)
Sarah Meyers (one count of crack cocaine)
Jack Evans (two counts of distribution of cocaine)
(two counts of distribution of cocaine in a school zone)
Jeremy Steptoe (two counts of distribution of cocaine)
(two counts of distribution of cocaine in a school zone)
Courtney Hickey (two counts of distribution of methamphemine)
Scott Shank (one count of distribution of Methamphetamine)
Samuel Foster (one count of distribution of Methamphetamine)
Donovan Bruns (one count of distribution of Heroin)
Lisa D. Davidson (one count of manufacture Methamphetamine)
Joshua Adams (one count of opana)
Elicia Dickson (two counts of buprenorphine)
Each person arrested was presented with warm Christmas wishes from Sheriff Mike Brown in the form of his annual Christmas card explaining their Miranda rights.
From News Release: Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at about 12:30 a.m., on Sunday, December 17, 2017 to the 8500 block of Summer View Drive in the Hollins area for the report of a structure fire. First arriving crews did find smoke showing from the rear of the house. Crews from Hollins, and North County, responded to the fire. There were no injuries. The fire was brought under control in less than 30 minutes. There is 1, elderly female occupant of the home who was at home at the time of the fire. One dog was rescued from inside the house. The fire was mostly confined to the area of the washer and dryer, however there is smoke and water damage throughout the home. The fire marshal’s office has determined the fire to be accidental and the damages to be approximately $5,000. The female occupant of the home will be displaced and is staying with family in the area.
One of the founders of The Hope Center in Roanoke has implied on social media he will be taking over Shawn Hunter’s role with The Peacemakers for the time being. Grover Price has made Facebook posts criticizing Hunter and The Peacemakers but it appears they’ve made a truce. Price’s status says he’s decided to take The Peacemakers in a different direction while Hunter sorts out personal issues. Hunter currently faces three charges in connection to sending a lewd photo to a Roanoke Times reporter.
From Press Release: The Virginia Museum of Transportation formally takes possession of donated items for its collection Thursday, December 14, from Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley Plant, based in Dublin, Va., as part of the budding relationship between the two organizations. Volvo Trucks has graciously donated two cab cut-a-ways and an operating highway tractor to the museum.
“This is a partnership I have nurtured since I first started my tenure as Executive Director,” Museum Executive Director Bev Fitzpatrick said. “I am thrilled to see it coming to life before I retire at the end of the year in the form of donations to the museum’s collection and offers of support from Volvo.”
The highway tractor, a Volvo VT 800 daycab, was introduced in the 2006 lineup and was manufactured for about three years at the Dublin plant before production ceased on that model. It will be on static display at the museum but will also be available for the museum’s use as a tractor.
The first cab cutaway is the Volvo VNL 780 and the second is a Volvo VNL 670. Both cut-a-ways were on display at the Dublin plant and served as visual proof of product to clients and employees at the facility. Now, the cut-a-ways will serve as more visual examples of transportation in Virginia. As an exhibit, museum visitors will be able to climb into the cab to experience just what it’s like in a big rig.
“Our 42-year history of building premier trucks in the Commonwealth of Virginia has led to where we are today including investments in the plant, hiring of more employees and a ramp up of production,” Volvo Group Trucks Operations Vice President and General Manager Franky Marchand said. “We think there is no better time than now to honor our employees’ dedication and the rich tradition we’ve build here by partnering with the Virginia Museum of Transportation.”
The fully functioning truck will arrive Thursday morning, the cab cut-a-ways will arrive the first of the year. Media wishing to attend should plan to arrive at 9:30 a.m. Once the cab cut-a-ways arrive, they will be placed in the museum.
About the Virginia Museum of Transportation
The Virginia Museum of Transportation is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Official Transportation Museum. It’s home to the famed “Big Three” steam locomotives; the N&W Class J 611, the N&W Class A 1218 and the N&W Class Y6a 2156 is on loan from the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s also home to model trains, automotive and aviation exhibits. It’s housed in the historic downtown Roanoke Norfolk & Western Freight Depot added to the NRHP in November 2012. It welcomes guests from coast to coast and from across the globe on an annual basis. Open Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 1-5. 303 Norfolk Avenue SW, Roanoke, Virginia 24016. www.vmt.org and www.FireUp611.org.
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote tomorrow on whether to roll back net neutrality regulations. WFIR’s Lillian Boyd spoke to Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority CEO Frank Smith this morning on what the decision could mean for our region.
Residents in the 6th Congressional district gathered on Saturday in 30-degree weather to demonstrate how either versions of the GOP tax proposal leave them “out in the cold.” WFIR’s Lillian Boyd has the latest.