Web Staff
For the second time in a month, Roanoke Fire and EMS has been called to a house fire where there were no working smoke detectors. The most recent occurrence was early Sunday morning in the 1400 Block of Lafayette Boulevard Northwest. Fire officials say a smoke detector can be the first warning sign of a fire in your home, and proper placement and maintaining the smoke detector are very important. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
The website StateUniversity.com ranks Virginia Western Community College eighth in the nation and first the in state for campus safety. VWCC Police Chief Craig Harris says making sure officers are always visible is just one of the ways campus police keep Western safe. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
Click here for the full rankings from StateUniversity.com
ConAgra Foods has voluntarily recalled a limited number of packages of its Andy Capp’s Hot Fries flavor product. They may contain the Andy Capp’s Cheddar Fries flavor, which would include an undeclared allergen, soy. Anyone who has an allergy or severe sensitivity to soy runs the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. The product was shipped to retail food distributors in three states for distribution to retail stores in Virginia and seven other states.
Read the entire news release:
The Roanoke Rescue Mission is preparing to serve a Christmas day meal to about 900 people — double the amount of people they served on Thanksgiving. It’s mostly because many other missions that serve dinners Thanksgiving day do not on Christmas. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.
Surveillance Photo from Roanoke P.D.
Roanoke police say a robber shot and wounded a convenience store clerk during a holdup this morning. Police say the clerk, 38-year-old Manzoor Ali Kahn of Montvale, told them that a man with a gun entered the Quick Mart in the 3000 block of Salem Turnpike about 7:00 a.m. The clerk said the robber fired one shot into the air and then fired a second shot, which struck him in the arm. Kahn said after he was wounded, the suspect forced him to walk to the register and give him money. Kahn was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Continue reading
BLACKSBURG, Va., Dec. 14, 2012 – The following is an open letter to the Virginia Tech community from Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger:
We of the greater Virginia Tech community know, from our experience, of the unending sorrow and horror that has now descended on the Newtown, Conn., community. No words can express how they now feel over this senseless and insane tragedy. Our words seem so inadequate in light of their plight. Still, we extend our deepest condolences, thoughts, and prayers to the Newtown community as it begins to cope with their grief and blackness.
RICHMOND—Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement following news of a shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut:
“It is with a heavy heart and the deepest of sympathies that I learned earlier today of the horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted by the events transpiring today, and to the teachers, emergency responders, and all others touched by this tragedy. Unfortunately, Virginia has our own painful memories of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Those memories will never fade, and we continue to grieve for all those lost on that April day. We are all too aware of the impact that events like this can have on a community. If there is anything Virginia can do to assist Governor Malloy and the citizens of Connecticut, we stand ready to do so.”
12/14/2012 6:00 a.m. UPDATE:
An overnight Ferrum College campus lockdown has been lifted and students are asked to resume normal activities. Just before 6:00 a.m. officials said students were free to move around campus as usual and that exams would proceed as scheduled. Ferrum College Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies and Virginia State Police continue to investigate an attempted armed robbery and robbery of a wallet at gunpoint last night. Campus police responded to the first call around 9:15. The second call came in while police were taking the first report.
UPDATE 6:29 p.m. 12/12/2012: VDOT reports that the tractor trailer accident is now clear.
UPDATE 4:44 p.m. 12/12/2012: Virginia State Police say the driver of the log truck swerved on Route 460 West shortly before 3:00 Wednesday afternoon, overcorrected, lost control, the truck overturned in the median. The logs spilled onto both eastbound lanes. Police say Donald Ray Mann swerved in an attempt to avoid hitting other vehicles stopped for a school bus unloading children. Mann is from Campbell County and was not injured. He is charged with failure to maintain control of his vehicle.