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Two brothers have just opened a store in downtown Roanoke that sells more than 1,200 different types of candy. It’s called The Candy Store, located on Campbell Avenue between Market Square and Williamson Road. The brothers came up with the idea after thinking about what kind of store downtown is missing. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
Amber White Photo
Salem Police say they are treating the 11-day disappearance of a beagle puppy as a criminal matter. “Oreo” is the blue tick beagle returned home late yesterday afternoon after news media coverage brought attention to the puppy’s disappearance the night of September 6th. Owner Amber White believed from the start that Oreo had been stolen from her front yard, and Salem Police say they are indeed investigating this as a criminal matter. Police say somebody turned the dog in to them yesterday but won’t offer any further details on their investigation.
White put a large sign up in their yard that said, “please bring our puppy back.” That, and some media attention, apparently did the trick. There’s no word yet from police on where the puppy was during those 11 days. White Posted the picture below to “Lost and Found Dogs – Virginia,” along with the message, “Oreo was brought home today by animal control. Thanks to everyone for all your help.”
The Virginia Department of Forestry wants Virginians with oak trees to collect the acorns–and send them in. It’s part of an effort to preserve Virginia’s native trees by planting the acorns at the nursery in Augusta County and then selling the seedlings. Nursery forester Josh McLaughlin says the best place to collect the acorns is from stand-alone trees, from from the forest. Continue reading
Flu season is less than a month away, and health officials are opening walk-in vaccination clinics around the Roanoke Valley. Dr. Stephanie Harper, Director of the Roanoke City and Alleghany Health Districts, says health department offices are taking walk-ins on Fridays. Vaccinations are also offered Wednessdays and Saturdays at the Community Wellness Center at Valley View Mall. Dr. Harper says the vaccinations are available as shots and nasal spray.
Hear more from Dr. Harper
Tourism spending in the Roanoke Valley reached new records in 2012, and the numbers continue to rise in 2013. The Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau says in 2012, travel expenditures rose almost 4% from the previous year, and so far this year, hotel room sales are also up almost 4%. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
NASA Photo
UPDATE: NASA launches robotic explorer to moon from Va.
NASA’s newest robotic explorer is on its way to the moon.
An unmanned rocket blasted off from Virginia’s Eastern Shore late Friday night, carrying the LADEE spacecraft.
It was a change of venue for NASA, which typically launches its moon missions from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch provided a rare light show along the East Coast for those blessed with clear skies.
NASA expected the launch to be visible, weather permitting, as far south as South Carolina, as far north as Maine and as far west as Pittsburgh.
The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, or LADEE, should reach the moon on Oct. 6. It will orbit Earth’s closest neighbor for a few months, analyzing the ever-so-delicate atmosphere and lunar dust. The six-month mission costs $280 million.
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A rocket to study the moon’s atmosphere takes off tonight from Virginia — the first time a rocket launched from the Wallops Flight Facility will go beyond the Earth’s orbit. NASA says if you want to see the launch look to the east around 11:27 Friday night. More from WFIR’s Starr Anderson.
Many localities that find themselves overrun with deer have opted into the Urban Archery Season that starts this weekend. Matt Knox is a deer project coordinator for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. He says bow hunters killed hundreds of deer in urban areas around the state last year. The urban archery season starts Saturday, September 7 and runs through March. Knox says 41 localities around the state, including Roanoke County, have opted-in for that season. You can find a list of the counties, cities and towns that allow it–and the regulations–here.
Dewayne Barger
A former Salem youth volleyball coach faces sentencing in December for taking video of teenage girls without their knowledge. Dewayne Barger was found guilty today after entering no contest pleas to multiple counts, all involving girls 13 to 17. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped some of the manufacturing child pornography charges and reduced the others. Evidence was presented during the hearing that Barger recorded and photographed 17 girls from his volleyball team as they put on uniforms. He faces up to 105 years in prison when he is sentenced December 19th.
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue crews pulled two men from a burning apartment last night in the Cave Spring area. The call came in just after 10:00 pm to the 4300 block of Garst Mill Road. The victims required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation. Investigators say food left unattended on a stove sparked the fire.
(Continue reading for the full Roanoke County Fire and Rescue news release.)
Anthony Brian Barnett
Roanoke police are looking for a suspect they say should be considered armed and dangerous. Twenty-seven-year-old Anthony Brian Barnett of Roanoke is wanted on a malicious wounding warrant in connection with a shooting on the 2900 block of Williamson Road early in the morning of August 18, 2013.
Police say anyone who knows Barnett’s whereabouts should call 911. Anyone with information on the case can call the Roanoke Police Department at 540-853-5959, or Crime Line at 540-344-8500.