Across Virginia
PRINCE GEORGE, Va. (AP) — Authorities in Virginia say that a second person has died following a shooting at a New Year’s Eve bonfire party in Prince George County.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the shooting occurred about 12:30 a.m. Saturday.
Prince George police said that officers responded to the report of a shooting at an outdoor party that was estimated to have had more than 200 people in attendance.
Police said they found two gunshot victims laying on a grassy field. Tramaz Tynes, 20, of Surry County, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Saturday afternoon that a second victim who’d been taken to a hospital died of his injuries. He was identified as Devon Clanton, 22, of Dinwiddie County.
The crowd at the party began to disperse as police officers arrived. But police said they’re confident that there are people who witnessed the shooting and urged them to come forward with information.
No arrests have been made so far.
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP) — Police in central Virginia say they’re investigating a road-rage shooting that sent a person to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Chesterfield County police said in a news release that the incident occurred late Friday afternoon on the 108000 block of Midlothian Turnpike.
Police said the person who was shot had been driving when a silver vehicle pulled up along the passenger side and fired a single shot at the victim’s car. Police said they believe the victim experienced a road rage incident with the suspect before the shooting.
Chesterfield County police urge anyone with information to contact them at 804-748-1251 or through Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660 or through the P3 app.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia has launched a statewide Mortgage Relief Program to help homeowners who’ve been financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Ralph Northam announced the new program on Thursday. He said the state has received more than $250 million through the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide relief.
Applications for the assistance will open up on Monday.
The program will be similar to Virginia’s Rent Relief Program which has provided more than $500 million in assistance to more than 75,000 households. The governor’s office said that families with children made up the majority of recipients.
“Virginia is taking aggressive steps to help people stay in their homes,” the Democratic governor said. “Owning a home is the American dream, and this new program will help keep that dream alive.”
Eligible homeowners must have experienced a reduction of income or increase in living expenses after January 21, 2020, the state said. They also must currently own and occupy the property as their primary residence. There also are maximum income limits and other eligibility requirements.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s unemployment rate has fallen significantly since the coronavirus pandemic had shut down much of the economy last year. But the state’s labor force is still slightly smaller than what it was before the pandemic began.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Wednesday that the state’s unemployment rate peaked at 11.3% in April 2020. The rate fell to 3.4% by November of this year.
At the same time, the number of people who are working or actively looking for work in Virginia has not fully recovered. The state’s workforce was at 63% in November. It was at 66% before the pandemic began.
Some have blamed labor shortages on the enhanced unemployment benefits that were offered through summer 2021. But a report from Old Dominion University said numerous factors are likely at play.
Those factors include child care availability, health concerns regarding the coronavirus and people transitioning from one type of work to another. There’s also been an uptick in the number of people who are retiring.
Rep. Ben Cline
Statement from Congressman Ben Cline: Today, I am proud to share that I will run for reelection in Virginia’s redrawn Sixth Congressional District (VA-6), which includes my hometown of Lexington and our current home in Fincastle.
I am excited the new VA-6 still includes so many of the communities I’ve served since I was first elected in 2018. With change brings new opportunities, and I look forward to the opportunity of introducing myself to the new voters added to VA-6 including the Counties of Frederick, Clarke, and Alleghany, and the Cities of Winchester, Covington, and Salem. However, I am disappointed I will no longer have the privilege of representing so many friends and neighbors in Amherst and Bedford Counties and the City of Lynchburg.
No matter the district lines of VA-6, I will continue to be a committed and consistent, conservative voice for the people of this district and the state of Virginia. My team and I will diligently work to keep solving problems in Washington and providing effective constituent services for the families and small businesses of the district.
Virginia made a resounding statement in 2021, we are not satisfied with the disastrous results of one-party Democrat control, whether in Richmond or in Washington. My goal is to replace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker and elect a Republican to that position. However, I know to do this we must first win VA-6. I am confident the momentum that began in Virginia in 2021 will be carried across the country.
Monitor Santa’s Holiday travels by clicking on the NORAD tracker below:
WFIR/Evan Jones
State transportation officials are taking one of the next steps needed to extend passenger service to the New River Valley by 2025: determining exactly where the station will be. And they are asking the public for their ideas. This comes after Virginia signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern last spring to purchase one of the two rail lines between Roanoke and the Christiansburg area. But there is no usable station in the NRV area along these particular tracks, so state officials have created an on-line survey to help consider four options. A public meeting is also planned for some time this winter. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Click here to participate in the survey.
Dr. Charlie Broaddus, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), has issued a permit to Nicolas “Santa” Claus, of the North Pole, to bring his herd of “eight tiny reindeer” and one additional rare red-nosed reindeer into Virginia on the evening of Dec. 24. While the USDA regulates the international movement of animals, the VDACS Office of Veterinary Services regulates the movement of animals into the Commonwealth of Virginia. DWR is charged with the management of the state’s wildlife resources.
All ruminants entering Virginia must bear identification, and the identification number must be noted on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). Identification can be an ear tag issued by a state or federal entity, or other forms of identification approved by the State Veterinarian, and is critically important in tracing animals in the event of a significant disease outbreak. As the importation of deer into Virginia is generally prohibited, the State Veterinarian collaborated with DWR to issue the permit. A DWR permit is required to possess any member of the deer family in Virginia.
“Santa travels to Virginia each year with his herd of reindeer, and while his visit is brief, it is still vitally important to Virginia’s agricultural industry that the reindeer are safe and healthy. Santa takes great care of his herd and I am happy to issue an approved permit,” said Dr. Broaddus.
In discussing this approval, Santa said, “I love delivering Christmas presents to the Commonwealth. Virginia farmers produce some of the best products in the world. I especially enjoy the milk and eggnog and my reindeer really love Virginia Grown carrots and apples.”
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced the 1887 time capsule will be opened today, Wednesday, December 22. A historic preservation team will open the capsule at 12:00 PM at the Department of Historic Resources lab, located at 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, 23221.
The 1887 time capsule was discovered last Friday morning by crews disassembling the pedestal that formerly held the statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond. It was found approximately 20 feet above ground level in the pedestal’s tower, not in the base.
Historians believe a time capsule was placed on October 27, 1887. Records from the Library of Virginia suggest that 37 Richmond residents, organizations, and businesses contributed about 60 objects to the capsule, many of which are believed to be related to the Confederacy.
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A Luray, Virginia man pleaded guilty today to cyberstalking a female Army recruiter after being upset about failing his Army entrance examination.
According to court documents, Braxton Louis Danley, 26, contacted the victim, an army recruiter in Harrisonburg, Virginia, via email in February 2018 expressing his interest in joining the United States Army. In March 2018, Danley arrived at the victim’s recruiting station in Harrisonburg to take the required entrance exam. When Danley was unable to obtain a passing score, the victim and other recruiters instructed Danley to continue studying and to retake the test at a later date.
In April 2018, Danley called the victim multiple times on both her Army-issued cell phone and the recruiting station general telephone to inquire about re-taking the entrance exam. Each time, Danley was asked if he had studied for the test – which he admitted that he had not – and was advised that he would only be permitted to re-take the test after he had studied.
On May 14, 2018, Danley sent an email to the victim’s official Army email address stating, “I remember every thing you [expletive] done to me so time to settle the score.” (sic). On the same date, Danley called the recruiting station and told another recruiter he was angry and that he (Danley) needed to be arrested. In light of the email threat and phone call, the victim obtained a “no trespassing” notice and posted it at the recruiting station.
For the next few months, Danley continued to send the victim harassing texts. Eventually, the victim obtained a state Preliminary Order of Protection (PPO) against Danley.
On December 23, 2018, Danley posted a message on Facebook directed at the victim and two other Army recruiters that read, in part, “your lieing fu**ed up my life . lock and load fu**ers ima at your doorstep now .”(sic) A week later, Danley was arrested for violation of the state PPO and was convicted and sentenced to 12-months’ incarceration. He was released in June 2019.
Within a couple months of his release, Danley again posted threats against the victim on Facebook. Finally, in January 2020, Danley posted a message on Facebook that read “24 im getin locked remember j rj this is to. you im coming to get you.”(sic) Along with the message, Danley posted a link to a YouTube video that depicted, through images and lyrics, a violent home invasion and murder of the family residing in the home.
Danley pleaded guilty today cyberstalking and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 1, 2022 where he faces a sentence of up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Harrisonburg Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber is prosecuting the case.