Web Staff
A drug take-back program has grown to eight locations in the Roanoke Valley and collected more than 5,000 pounds of prescription medications over the past five collection events. It’s an effort to keep old medicines out of the hands of kids and away from the water supply. The next drug take-back is Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. You can find a list of all the locations here.
The Virginia Department of Health is trying to raise awareness about childhood vaccinations — and to dispel doubts that frequently appear on the Internet. The department says giving babies the recommended immunizations by age two is the best way to protect them from fourteen serious childhood diseases, like whooping cough and measles. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
A AAA gas price index finds there is a new consumer breaking point on gas prices: one half of US adults consider gas prices to be too high when it reaches $3.44 per gallon. 62%t of Americans are offsetting the high gas prices by changing their driving habits and lifestyle. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
Roanoke is among the many places across the country planning to step up security at sporting events in reaction to Monday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon. Roanoke say that there will be an increased police presence at Saturday’s Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon. Continue reading
Runners and walkers from around the the Roanoke Valley will come together this weekend for the 4th annual Virginia Blue Ridge Race for the Cure. WFIR intern reporter Lindsey Piland tells us the race gets underway Saturday morning at the River’s Edge Sports Complex:
Smart Road Map from VDOT website
High school students from around the region will attend an open house today at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute..to get a first-hand look at the technology behind the smart road. WFIR Intern reporter Lindsey Piland tells us that completion of that road has been a matter of debate for years.
Three people died and more than two dozen went to area hospitals after yesterday’s series of traffic crashes on I-77 in Carroll County. Police are now saying 95 vehicles were involved in 17 separate crashes all within a one-mile stretch heading south down Fancy Gap Mountain. State police say it happened around 1:15 p.m. in heavy fog, mostly because drivers were going too fast for conditions. The traffic closed the entire interstate near mile marker 6, and it was hours before all lanes of the interstate were cleared. Continue reading
A New Quinnipiac University poll finds that Virginians favor the new law preventing disclosure of the names of those with concealed carry permits for handguns. Virginians favored closing the books to public inspection by a 60%-to-35% margin. It’s a partisan issue, with 70% of Republicans wanting that data kept secret, while 55% of Democrats favor keeping the list public. Continue reading
Roanoke County police are signing people up now for their next Citizens Police Academy, which starts next month. Officer Eric Orange is the county’s community policing coordinator. He says the curriculum of the academy has evolved over the years to keep up with the times.
“We do a mock traffic crash investigation, and we’ll have a mock trial to follow,” Orange said. “So that’s something that’s fairly new.” Continue reading
UPDATE: 4:43 p.m. Monday, March 18, 2013
We’re still waiting for Roanoke Police to release more information on two bodies found Monday morning in a home at the intersection of Brandon Avenue and Brighton Road. A news release says officers responded to a 911 call just before 10:00 a.m. They found a man and woman dead inside the home with apparent gunshot wounds. There’s no word yet on their identities, but police say they found a gun inside the home. Autopsies on Tuesday will confirm whether the two did indeed die from gunshot wounds as police believe.