Web Staff
Photo: Virginia Lottery
NEWS RELEASE: What’s a good way to end an argument? Win the lottery!
That’s what Chyanne Creel did. The Roanoke woman and her boyfriend Joshua were having a tiff, so they went for a drive to cool off. When they stopped for gas in Vinton, she asked him to go inside and buy her a drink and some scratcher tickets.
One of the tickets was for the Virginia Lottery’s Lucky 7s Tripler game. She scratched it and then said, “Come look at this!”
It was a $177,777 top prize winner!
“We turned right around!” Joshua told Virginia Lottery officials when the couple redeemed the winning ticket.
“It just doesn’t seem real,” Ms. Creel added.
The winning ticket was bought at Nishi Food Mart, located at 1551 East Washington Avenue in Vinton.
Lucky 7s Tripler (game #1996) is one of dozens of Scratcher games available from the Virginia Lottery. It features prizes ranging from $5 to $177,777. There is currently one more $177,777 prize unclaimed in this game.
The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 1,040,400. The odds of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 4.21.
There are ten new confirmed or probable coronavirus case being attributed to the Roanoke Valley according to the latest numbers released this morning by the Virginia Department of Health. State health officials report 7 new cases in Roanoke County, 2 new cases in Botetourt County, and 1 new case in Salem. There are no new coronavirus related deaths reported in the Roanoke Valley.
NEWS RELEASE: On July 1, 2020 just before 11:45 a.m., Roanoke Police received a report of a person jumping from a parking deck in the 100 block of Church Avenue SW. Responding officers located a deceased individual lying in the area below the parking garage. At this time, the incident appears to be consistent with a suicide. However, officers will continue to conduct a thorough death investigation.
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Note: It is WFIR’s usual practice to not report suicides, with two exceptions: if the person is a public figure or if the event occurred visibly in a public setting. It is on the latter basis that we chose to report this death.
According to the latest numbers released this morning by the Virginia Department of Health there are 84 new confirmed or probable coronavirus cases being attributed to the Roanoke Valley. State health officials are reporting 35 new cases in Roanoke City, 28 new cases in Roanoke County, and 13 new cases in Botetourt County, and 8 new cases in Salem. There are no new deaths related to coronavirus being reported in the Roanoke Valley.
According to the latest numbers released this morning by the Virginia Department of Health there are 624 new confirmed or probable coronavirus cases statewide, increasing Virginia’s overall case total to 60,570. State health officials are reporting 25 new COVID-19 related deaths statewide bringing the total number of dead in Virginia to 1,700. There is one new coronavirus case being attributed to the Roanoke Valley and that case is being reported in Roanoke City.
According to the latest numbers released this morning by the Virginia Department of Health there are 432 new confirmed or probable coronavirus cases statewide, increasing Virginia’s overall case total to 59,946. State health officials are reporting 14 new COVID-19 related deaths statewide bringing the total number of dead in Virginia to 1,675. There are no new coronavirus cases or deaths being attributed to the Roanoke Valley.
NEWS RELEASE: ROANOKE – Virginia Western Community College announces that it will provide a full array of Fall Semester classes with a mixture of online and remote learning formats along with in-person technical training, clinical and lab instruction. The college strives to meet the safety, health and well-being of the entire community, and to continue its mission to provide quality educational and training opportunities.
“Our top priority is to serve the community and help our students achieve their academic goals,” said Dr. Robert H. Sandel, President of Virginia Western. “We are well-prepared to provide a mixture of online and hybrid classes that maintain our high academic standards to ensure students do not miss a step.”
Virginia Western will provide the majority of lecture and general education courses online and will be prepared to pivot its hybrid and hands-on courses to online should that be necessary. Some online courses are structured to meet at specific times on tools like Zoom, just like a traditional in-person class, so students can engage with their instructor and classmates together. Others offer a chance to learn material at one’s own pace, needing simply to complete assignments or take exams by specific deadlines. Our faculty stand ready to help students succeed, regardless of which mode they prefer.
The college released its Summer Semester re-opening plan and a cross-functional task force is continuing to develop the Fall Semester plan to submit for approval from Virginia’s Community Colleges and the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). The plan will follow Executive Orders from the Governor, guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and other definitive public health sources. Students taking classes in person, will have smaller, socially distanced groups with protocols that align with national and statewide guidance.
Virginia Western’s School of Corporate and Career Training (CCT) resumed in-person training for Certified Medical Assistants last week, with Precision Machining and other courses starting this week. The college will resume other in-person Summer Semester courses on a limited basis beginning on June 30. The Hall Associates Career Center will continue providing career services to students, alumni and employers this summer through online and remote means including Career Connections (CCN), Zoom video conferencing, email and phone. For more information, visit our website at www.virginiawestern.edu/careercenter.
In addition, student services for enrollment, advising and financial aid will be available by appointment beginning June 30. Students and prospective students can schedule an appointment at: https://virginiawestern.edu/advising/schedule_an_appointment.php.
For more information about Virginia Western’s Fall Semester classes and how to enroll, please visit www.virginiawestern.edu.
NEWS RELEASE: Somewhere, there is a ticket from Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing. It may be in a glove compartment somewhere, or it could be in someone’s wallet. Wherever it is, that ticket is now worth $1 million.
It was bought at the Food Lion at 350 West Main Street in Floyd.
The winning numbers for the June 23 drawing were 6-20-37-40-48, and the Mega Ball number was 15. This ticket matched the first five numbers and missed only he Mega Ball number. That wins Mega Millions’ second prize of $1 million.
This ticket was the only one nationwide to match the first five numbers in the June 23 drawing. No ticket in Virginia or anywhere else matched all six numbers to win the $35 million jackpot, so the jackpot grows to an estimated $44 million for Friday night’s drawing.
Whoever has the ticket has 180 days from the drawing date to claim the prize. The Virginia Lottery advises that before doing anything else, the winner should immediately sign the back of the ticket to establish ownership. When the person is ready to claim the million-dollar prize, he or she should contact the Virginia Lottery.
Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday nights at 11:00. Drawings are broadcast on TV stations across Virginia and streamed live at www.valottery.com. The odds of winning the $1,000,000 prize in Mega Millions are 1 in 12,607,306.
Authorized by Virginia voters in a successful 1987 referendum, the Virginia Lottery generates more than $1.7 million per day for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. For more information, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page, visit our website, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and check us out on YouTube. With all gaming, please remember to play responsibly.
According to the latest numbers released this morning by the Virginia Department of Health there are 23 new confirmed or probable coronavirus cases being attributed to the Roanoke Valley. State health officials are reporting 16 new cases in Roanoke City, 5 new cases in Roanoke County, and 2 new cases in Botetourt County. Coronavirus numbers in Salem remain the same. There are no new deaths related to coronavirus being reported in the Roanoke Valley.
NEWS RELEASE: In order to address the financial impact of COVID-19, Roanoke College announced cost-cutting measures to employees today. Beginning July 1, 2020, the College will reduce spending by approximately $6 million dollars.
Roanoke College’s budget cuts will include suspension of contribution to employee retirement plans and a reduction of salaries, operating expenses and workforce. Many positions that are already open, as well as 14 currently filled staff positions will be permanently eliminated.
“The current devastating health and economic crisis require us to take these actions,” said President Michael Maxey. “We are making the sacrifices necessary now to ensure our long-term viability and ability to provide a high quality experience to every one of our students,” Maxey said. “These are difficult decisions to make.”
“We work hard to build an inclusive culture at Roanoke College and to have to say goodbye to some of our employees is heart wrenching for all of us,” Maxey said.
“Before today, Roanoke College’s most recent reduction in force occurred in the early 1990’s. The fact that business conditions have come to this now, saddens us deeply. We are working to ensure that those Roanoke College employees whose roles have been cut receive as much help and financial support as possible,” said Kathy Martin, Director of Human Resources, Roanoke College.