Web Staff
Timothy Wellons (Roanoke City Sheriff photo)
Online court records indicate the Salem man charged with causing Wednesday’s deadly crash on Interstate 581 still is being held in jail. Timothy Wellons, 34, appeared in court Thursday morning on involuntary manslaughter charges. Prosecutors say Wellons will face DUI and possibly other charges as well. Continue reading
Animal control officers spent several hours Monday trying to track down a young bear spotted in various parts of the city. Officers used tranquilizer darts to capture the bear at Colonial Avenue and Persinger Road. A state wildlife biologist says available food in urban areas may attract more black bears. Jay King has the story.
The Better Business Bureau is warning about full-page newspaper ads it calls “misleading.” The ads promise a “free silver Walking Liberty coin,” but the BBB says potential buyers have to buy a $99 “vault bag” of coins without knowing what is actually in it. WFIR’s Jay King has the story.
Click here for the full Better Business Bureau news release.
Audrey Polk
A senior from Blacksburg High School won the top prize in Saturday’s After Prom Grand Finale in downtown Roanoke. Audrey Polk, who will attend Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall, got behind the wheel of a Nissan Juke, donated by First Team Auto Mall. Continue reading
For the third time in the last four days, police are investigating an armed robbery in the Vinton area, and all three appear related. The latest occurred today at the Pizza Hut on Bypass Road. Witnesses report a man walked in and showed a small black handgun demanding money. The suspect description and weapon sounds very similar to a holdup Sunday morning at the Subway restaurant and the Friday holdup at George’s Tobacco Store. Police say the Subway robber entered the store just after 9:30 a.m., displayed a black handgun and demanded money from the clerk. He got away on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. He was last seen heading southbound toward the Vinton Bowling Alley.
Memorial Day travelers can use the internet to avoid traffic congestion. VDOT has real-time and historic traffic data available on its website. Historical traffic information is color and time coded to show where and when traffic may be worse. WFIR’s Jay King has the story.
Click here for the latest traffic conditions on major Virginia highways.
Click here to see historic hour-by-hour Memorial Day holiday weekend traffic congestion trends.
Roanoke River Greenway planners say yesterday’s $12 million grant means completion can come much sooner than anticipated, and it opens more opportunities for the valley. The funding will bridge the greenway’s remaining gaps in about seven years. WFIR’s Jay King has the story.
The potential sale of Virginia’s Natural Bridge points out the importance of tourism to the commonwealth’s economy. State tourism officials say the Lexington-area attraction is part of a statewide tourism industry that generated more than $24 billion in 2011. WFIR’s Jay King has the story.
Click here for the on-line sales listing.
Click here for the Natural Bridge of Virginia web site.
Unemployment is dropping in the Commonwealth, and that means consumer sentiment is rising. A new Roanoke College poll shows consumer sentiment is at 80.9% this month — up 12 points from the first quarter of this year. WFIR’s Jay King has the story.
Click here for full poll results and methodology.