Across Virginia
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) – Police say a man stole an ambulance near a Maryland hospital early Friday and drove it to northern Virginia, where he was taken into custody.
WTOP-FM reports that Montgomery County Police Officer Casandra Tressler said the carjacking took place around 2:45 a.m. near Adventist Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville. Montgomery County police and Virginia State Police say the man drove the ambulance to Virginia.
Virginia State Police stopped the ambulance on state Route 110 before the exit to Interstate 395, near the Pentagon. The man has been taken to Arlington County’s jail.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Auto parts retailer and distributor AutoZone will establish a new distribution and import facility in Virginia, creating over 350 new jobs. That’s according to a news release issued Friday by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office.
The company will invest $185.2 million to establish the 800,000-square-foot facility east of Richmond in New Kent County that will serve as its East Coast distribution hub.
The Memphis, Tennessee-headquartered company’s project is expected to create 352 full-time jobs, at an unspecified pay rate. Former Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $2.5 million grant to assist New Kent County with the project, which is also eligible for other incentives.
Photo: Virginia DOF
It may not feel especially warm, dry or windy right now, but we are nearing the most dangerous time of year for Virginia wildfires. Debris burning is the state’s number-one cause of wildfires, and more than half of such fires in Virginia occur during the spring. So now through April 30th, outdoor burning is prohibited before 4:00 pm each day if the fire is within 300 feet of woodlands. brush or fields with dry grass. WIFR’s Evan Jones has more:
(Va. ABC photo)
Virginia state liquor stores are facing supply shortages on a scale never seen before, but its leader tells us you should see many of those bare shelves filling up again by April. Even in a normal year, the holidays can be so busy for Virginia’s ABC stores that the system will run out of some items, but this time around, it happened on a much greater scale, and replenishing those supplies has been particularly challenging. Officials say the system was out of 250 separate products earlier this winter, and as of February 14, that number was little changed at 246. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
A state official says a deputy Virginia attorney general has resigned after The Washington Post raised questions about social media comments the newspaper reported she made about the 2020 election, the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and other matters. The Post reported it had obtained screenshots of the posts by Monique Miles, authenticated them with people who interacted with her, and shared them with the office of Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares. A Miyares spokeswoman confirmed Miles’ resignation and said Miyares had not been aware of the posts. Miles couldn’t immediately be reached by The Associated Press for comment. But she told The Post the comments had been shared to stir up controversy.
CULPEPER, Virginia (AP) — Unable to tame inflation that has worsened sharply under his watch, President Joe Biden stressed Thursday that his administration’s policies would cut prescription drug prices and make life more affordable for families.
He traveled to Culpeper, Virginia, on the heels of a dire inflation report on Thursday morning. Consumer prices jumped 7.5% over the year ending in January, as the sources of inflation have broadened on a monthly basis with increases in the costs of rent, electricity, clothes and household furnishings. The pandemic disrupted supply chains and government aid boosted consumer demand, causing prices for gasoline, food and other goods such as autos to rise earlier this year.
Inflation poses a triple threat for Biden. Prices at a 40-year peak have dimmed his public support and endangered his policy agenda, while efforts by the Federal Reserve to curb inflation could meaningfully slow the strong economic growth that had been a highlight of his first year.
“Inflation is up. It’s up.” Biden said. “But the fact is that if we’re able to do the things I’m talking about, it will bring down the cost for average families.”
The president said he will “work like the devil” to bring down gas prices and that “everyone has less money in their pockets today because of high drug costs,” as he pledged that his policies would give family budgets some breathing room. He said pharmaceutical companies should be able to make a profit, though they cannot price drugs at levels that hurt people’s financial wellbeing.
“The idea that you can charge whatever you want is just not going to happen.” the president said.
Biden’s trip to Virginia also served as an opportunity for him to start promoting his party’s candidates in November’s midterm elections. He appeared alongside Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is in danger of losing her seat representing a central Virginia district.
Spanberger said she welcomes any effort to lower prescription drug prices and told reporters that the effort was about a broader attempt to reduce inflation.
“That’s part and parcel of what we’re here talking about, right?” she said. “So when you’re worried about the gas pump or you’re worried about the cost of chicken in the grocery store, and your child is diabetic — all those things become impactful.”
Spanberger is one of several Democrats who have raised alarms about slipping support from voters. She suggested in a November interview with The New York Times that Biden had overreached with his plans for new government programs that recalled the Depression-era agenda of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“Nobody elected him to be FDR; they elected him to be normal and stop the chaos,” she said.
After the article was published, Spanberger said, she got a call from Biden, who said “this is President Roosevelt calling.” Biden was “belly laughing,” she said.
Prescription drugs remain a politically safe focal point for Biden’s visit, and Spanberger said the president was right to push forward on it.
“One of the most unsettling things for people is the inability to afford their prescription drugs,” she said.
The tougher question is how to blunt Republican criticism on inflation and convince skittish lawmakers such as West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin to back Biden’s pared down economic agenda. Manchin, the decisive Democratic vote, has said the priority should be on stopping inflation rather than on more government spending. Meanwhile, Republicans seized on Thursday’s inflation report to blast Biden for his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package for fueling the spike in prices.
“Rampant inflation and soaring prices are crushing, crushing the American people,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday in remarks on the Senate floor. “If you haven’t personally gotten a pay raise of 8% or more in the last year, then Democrats’ policies have given you a pay cut.”
A December poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found inflation and personal financial issues rising as priorities for Americans. In an open-ended question, 14% named inflation among their top priorities for the government to be working on this year, compared with almost nobody naming it a year before.
In an AP-NORC poll conducted in January, just 37% said they approved of Biden’s handling of the economy, down from 60% in March of 2021 and slightly lower than his overall approval rating, which stood at 43%.
Efforts to lower prescription drug costs have long been popular with voters, but bipartisan consensus has proved elusive. It’s unclear if there’s a political path forward for Biden’s plans in Congress.
His proposals include capping out-of-pocket medication costs for Medicare recipients at $2,000 per year and insulin at $35 per month. In addition, Medicare would be allowed to negotiate prices for a limited number of prescription drugs and drugmakers would be required to pay rebates if they raise costs faster than inflation.
“It’s safe to say that all of us can agree that prescription drugs are outrageously expensive in this country,” Biden said Dec. 6.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A bipartisan majority in the Virginia Senate has voted to pass legislation that would ban public school systems from imposing mask requirements on students. The measure passed the Senate Wednesday and now heads to the GOP-controlled House of Delegates. The house is expected to advance it to Gov. Glenn Youngkin for his signature. Youngkin is cheering on the legislation, which emerged in the Senate earlier this week. He called the Senate vote a win for students across Virginia. But Democrats who voted against the bill said it would strip local school boards of their authority.
Washington Commanders safety Deshazor Everett faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Everett turned himself in at a Virginia jail Tuesday after an investigation found he was speeding when his car slammed into trees and rolled over. The 29-year-old NFL player was seriously injured and his passenger, 29-year-old Olivia S. Peters of Las Vegas, was killed. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office says Everett was driving his Nissan GT-R at more than twice the 45 mph speed limit before the crash on December 23. He was released on $10,000 bond and his lawyer says they will vigorously defend him against the allegations.
( From Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Facebook page)
(Roanoke County, VA—February 8, 2022) Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 to 125 West Virginia Avenue, in the Town of Vinton, for the report of a commercial structure fire in an apartment building. First arriving crews from Station 2 (Vinton) found smoke and fire showing from the second floor of a three-story apartment building and marked it a working fire. The apartment was occupied by three adults and a cat at the time of the fire. The fire was brought under control in about 10 minutes. The adult occupants and cat are all safe and there were no injuries. One person in another apartment was transported to a local hospital for a medical issue unrelated to the fire. The occupants of the apartment where the fire occurred will be displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross. We appreciate the assistance of Roanoke Fire and EMS on this call. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is on scene to investigate a cause and provide a damage estimate.
A Mississippi man is dead and two people were taken to the hospital this morning following a vehicle crash on I-81 at mile marker 168 in Botetourt County. Authorities said a vehicle was speeding when it took the exit ramp, then rear ended a tractor-trailer parked on the side of the ramp.
NEWS RELEASE: BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – Virginia State Police is investigating a two-vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred Tuesday (Feb 8) at 4:20 a.m. on Interstate 81, at the 168-entrance ramp in Botetourt County.
A Chevrolet was traveling south on Interstate 81, when the vehicle came through a Botetourt County Sheriff deputy’s radar at 99 mph. The deputy activated his emergency equipment and attempted to stop the Chevrolet. The vehicle would not stop and continued south. The deputy discontinued the pursuit when he lost site of the vehicle. As the deputy passed the 165-mile marker, a 911 call was received reporting a crash at the 168-entrance ramp on the southbound side.
The Virginia State Police Troopers responded to the scene to find 2018 Chevrolet Impala had exited the Interstate at a high rate of speed, crossed the road and struck a tractor-trailer that was illegally parked on the entrance ramp, and then caught fire. Witnesses to the crash pulled the occupants from the vehicle as the Chevrolet was burning.
The Chevrolet was driven by Errington F. Stenson, 27, of Gulfport, MS. Mr. Stenson was wearing his seatbelt and was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
There were two passengers in the vehicle. Ronnie E. Lankins, Jr., 33 of Gulfport, MS. Mr. Lankins was injured and flown by Helicopter to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Gevante Dale Bolton, 28, of Beaumont, MS, died at the scene.
Speed was a factor in the crash and charges are pending.
The tractor-trailer driver was charged for improper stopping on the Interstate.
The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team and the Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Team assisted with the crash.