Web Staff
From the Virginia Museum of Transportation: The official transportation museum for the Commonwealth of Virginia today announced the filing of its initial application with the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO) (www.uspto.gov). If the Virginia Museum of Transportation’s application is successful and a trademark registration is awarded by the USPTO, a legal presumption is created for the Museum’s nationwide ownership of these trademarks for the for the Norfolk & Western Class J steam passenger locomotive, specifically the Class J 611, and the Museum’s exclusive right to use these trademarks on or in connection with all the registered products, services and media produced by the Museum.
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The Botetourt County Department of Community Development is hosting a public forum on a proposed utility-scale wind energy ordinance on Tuesday, April 21, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Greenfield Education and Training Center in Daleville. Anyone interested can stop by between those hours to learn about the proposal and ask questions. There will also be an opportunity to give written comments. The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors and the Botetourt County Planning Commission hope to use those comments to help shape the final proposal which will be presented at a public hearing later this spring.
The Natural Bridge Zoo was scheduled to open for the season tomorrow, but the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has suspended its exhibitor permit. In a letter addressed to owner Karl Mogensen the department says it’s clear the zoo is in violation of several conditions of the permit. You can read the letter by clicking here. According to the Humane Society, another bad inspection last month by the Department of Agriculture showed the zoo is not clean and treats some animals poorly. You can read the results of that inspection by clicking here.
LEAP for Local Food will receive $134,000 over the next three years as part of a much larger federal grant awarded to the Food Insecurity Nutrition Program. LEAP operates or supports a handful of farmer’s markets in the Roanoke Valley. The money will be used to help increase access to fruits and vegetables for the food insecure in the Roanoke Valley and also bring additional market sales to small and mid-sized farmers in the region. The City of Salem partnered with LEAP to help secure the grant.
From Botetourt County Fire & EMS: As of this afternoon, the Short Hill Mountain fire has burned approximately 500 acres of woodland. Crews from Botetourt County, the Virginia Department of Forestry, Rockbridge County (including Natural Bridge and Glasgow) are on scene continuing the containment efforts. As of 4:00 p.m., the fire is approximately 40% contained. Crews continue to work with bulldozers to create containment lines around the fire. Backfires are being lit into the evening to help burn the areas between the containment lines and the original fire areas. It is important for residents and passersby to be aware that smoke conditions will intensify as the backfires burn. Department of Forestry officials expect the fire to have burned 1,000 acres before it is considered to be fully contained. The fire is expected to be fully contained by late evening tomorrow, April 2, 2015.
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From Roanoke County Police: At approximately 8:30 a.m., Roanoke County Police responded to a call in the 5700 block of Meadowcrest Street in response to a possible hand grenade found in the front yard by homeowners who were mulching and discovered the object. Police determined that the object did appear to be an older, heavily rusted hand grenade. Police set up a perimeter and attempted to evacuate residents in the immediate area. Virginia State Police responded and took custody of the grenade. A Roanoke County K-9 officer trained in detecting explosives was utilized during the investigation and officers found no indication of any other devices around the property. Officers on the scene determined that there were no other threats in the area. Police cleared the scene at approximately 11:00 a.m.
From the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office: On Tuesday March 31, 2015, Bedford County 911 dispatchers received a call from the a Roanoke County dispatcher advising they had received a call reporting a female had been abducted by gun point from the Thaxton area of Bedford County. The caller further advised that the suspect and victim were at a home in Vinton. Vinton Police responded to the address and located them. The suspect, Bradley R. Gray, age 23, the husband of the victim, was taken into custody and transported back to Bedford. Gray was charged with abduction, assault and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is being held without bond in the Bedford Adult Detention Center.
Paul Torgesen
From Virginia Tech: Paul Torgersen, Virginia Tech’s president from 1994-2000 and a member of its faculty since 1967, died Sunday at age 83. “As a professor, a dean, and a president, Paul Torgersen has made a tremendous impact upon our institution,” Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands said. “We are deeply saddened to lose him, but will always remain inspired by his legacy.” The Virginia flag outside the university’s main administrative building, Burruss Hall, was lowered to half-mast in memory of Torgersen. The university’s governing Board of Visitors observed a moment of silence in his honor during its March 30 meeting.
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Penelope Kyle
From Radford University: President Penelope W. Kyle and Board of Visitors (BOV) Rector Michael A. Wray announced today that the BOV approved on March 28, 2015 President Kyle’s plan to retire as president, effective June 30, 2016. Kyle, who was appointed in 2005 as Radford University’s sixth president, is also RU’s first female president.”I am proud to have played a part in the transformation of Radford University since my arrival nearly a decade ago,” said President Kyle. “After much deliberation and looking back on the tremendous accomplishments we have achieved together for Radford University and our students, I have given consideration to identifying a good time frame for transition of the presidency.”
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Noah Thomas
Pulaski County authorities this morning said they’re moving forward with the investigation into the death of five-year-old Noah Thomas. Five days of searching for young Noah came to a tragic end yesterday with the discovery of his body in a septic system near his home in Dublin. Assistant Pulaski County Administrator Anthony Akers this morning read a statement from Sheriff Jim Davis.
“This investigation will be focused on facts and physical evidence and will not be driven speculation nor rumors,” the statement said. The sheriff did not appear at the news briefing, and Akers said he could not answer questions about the investigation. The sheriff yesterday said that Noah’s body was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for an autopsy. He said the family has been cooperative in the investigation.