Across Virginia
BENTONVILLE, Va. (AP) — An ATV driver is charged with drunken driving and child endangerment after a 7-year-old girl was killed and a 4-year-old boy was injured when the ATV overturned in Warren County, Virginia State Police said.
The crash happened Tuesday evening when the Polaris Ranger side-by-side was unable to maneuver the terrain on private property in Bentonville and overturned, police said in a release on Friday.
The girl was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene and the boy was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said. The driver, Jerrell Leadman Jr., 61, of Bentonville, received minor injuries and was treated at the scene, police said. They were not wearing seatbelts.
Leadman was charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and two felony counts of child endangerment. Leadman is being held without bond. Additional charges are pending as the investigation remains ongoing, police said.
It’s not clear from online court records whether Leadman has an attorney.
MADISON, Va. (AP) — The founder of a Virginia service-dog company could pay about $3 million in restitution and other penalties to settle a lawsuit that accused him of deceiving customers and providing them ill-trained animals.
An agreement signed by a judge this past week ends litigation initially filed in 2018 by state Attorney General Mark Herring against Charles D. Warren Jr. and his Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers firm, originating in Madison County.
Herring’s office said in a news release that Warren’s dogs purportedly could assist people who have diabetes, autism and other disorders. But customers often were delivered poorly trained puppies with behavioral issues and inadequate training, The Daily Progress of Charlottesville reported. Warren charged $18,000 to $27,000 per animal, according to the lawsuit.
An amended lawsuit also alleged Warren misled customers and others in part about its affiliation with law enforcement agencies.
Under the consent judgment, which includes no admission of wrongdoing, Warren must pay $514,000 in restitution to consumers, $1.1 million to Virginia in civil penalties and legal expenses and over $1.4 million for charities that support purposes for which the company collected funds.
The collection of civil penalties and attorneys’ fees will be suspended if he meets conditions that in part require him to stay out of service dog-breeding business. Warren now lives in Florida, the judgment says.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Department of Health announced Friday that third shots of coronavirus vaccines will soon become available for immunocompromised residents to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge.
The announcement Friday evening came shortly after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people with significantly compromised immune systems get a third dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. The CDC guidance followed a late Thursday announcement from U.S. regulators saying transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
The state health department says vaccine providers are expected to make third doses available over the next several days.
“This is important additional protection for people who have impaired immune systems,” said Virginia Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver.
Cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are both on the rise in Virginia, although the state is not currently facing the same dire conditions as others in the South.
NEWS RELEASE: (Richmond, Va.) — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced [Friday]that Virginia will make third doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines available for moderately and severely immunocompromised Virginians, starting as early as August 14. This move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its vaccination guidelines to recommend third mRNA doses for people who have significantly compromised immune systems. Vaccines are readily available throughout Virginia, and vaccine providers are expected to make third doses available over the next several days as they adapt their processes.
“This is important additional protection for people who have impaired immune systems,” said State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, M.D., M.A. “As COVID-19 cases rise across Virginia and the country, everyone who is eligible should get appropriately vaccinated as soon as they can.”
The CDC’s move is the final step in the authorization process for third doses of the mRNA vaccines for some eligible populations. Studies have shown that people with a compromised immune system can have a weak response to the standard vaccine regimen, and that a third dose is needed to strengthen immunity in these persons and protect them from serious COVID-19 complications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluated those studies and recommended the change to the CDC on Thursday.
Only Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are mRNA vaccines, and therefore the FDA has not recommended additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Additionally, the FDA has not recommended booster vaccines for the general public. Those immunocompromised who have already received two doses of either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech should wait at least 28 days after their second dose before receiving their third dose. The third dose should be the same manufacturer as the previous two doses when possible, but this is not required.
This EUA expansion is estimated to include approximately 3% of people in the United States. Immunocompromised persons are those whose immune mechanisms are deficient because of certain immunologic disorders or immunosuppressive therapy. As of today, approximately 4,144,080 Virginians have received two doses of an mRNA vaccine and approximately 124,322, or 3% of these Virginians, may be immunocompromised and therefore be eligible to receive a third dose. Individuals with questions about whether they are significantly immunocompromised should consult their healthcare providers.
While available evidence shows that a third dose provides a modest benefit to improving the immune response to mRNA vaccination, it is important to remember that immunocompromised persons might still not have a strong level of protection against COVID-19, even after receiving a third dose of vaccine. Additional COVID-19 precautions remain important for this population. These include wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance from others outside of the home, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.
Persons who are significantly immunocompromised should also discuss the possibility of monoclonal antibody treatment options with their healthcare provider in case they get infected with or are exposed to COVID-19. Household members and other close contacts of significantly immunocompromised persons should get fully vaccinated to provide increased protection to their loved ones.
VDH, physicians and healthcare workers, and vaccine providers across the Commonwealth stand ready to assist this vulnerable population to obtain the added protection a third vaccine dose will provide against COVID-19. Just like previous EUA authorizations and CDC ACIP approvals, additional clinical considerations have been published that provide more detailed guidance. These clinical considerations will provide necessary guidance to assist COVID-19 providers in implementing these new recommendations. In Virginia, providers may begin administration of third mRNA doses for this vulnerable population across the Commonwealth in accordance with these clinical considerations.
For more information on COVID-19 in Virginia, visit vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus. Anyone age 12 or older can find free vaccination clinics near them by visiting vaccinate.virginia.gov or calling 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1).
The VDH today reported 2,270 new coronavirus cases and 16 new deaths statewide, marking the largest single day spike in new deaths since late May. State health officials reported 65 new cases and 1 new death and 2 new hospitalizations among Roanoke City, Salem, and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties.
The VDH today reported 2,361 new coronavirus cases statewide, marking the largest single day case spike since February 14th. State health officials reported 79 new cases but no new deaths or hospitalizations among Roanoke City, Salem, and Roanoke and Botetourt Counties.
MGN
The incident began with a 911 call to a residence in the 500 block of Gold Drive just before 11 p.m. Saturday for a report of a domestic disturbance. The Christiansburg Police Department and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office both dispatched personnel to respond to the scene.
The Christiansburg Officers and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies entered the residence and encountered a male subject in a back bedroom holding a female at knife point. Both the officer and deputy worked to negotiate with the 38-year-old male subject to surrender his knife and safely release the 41-year-old female. The male refused to cooperate. When the man began attacking the woman, a Sheriff’s Deputy fired and struck the male.
The male subject was flown to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital where he is still being treated for serious injuries.
The woman was transported to LewisGale Montgomery Hospital in Blacksburg for treatment of serious injuries sustained from being cut by the male subject..
A 16-year-old female at the residence was not injured during the incident. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.
At the request of the Town of Christiansburg Police Chief, state police responded to the scene and is conducting the investigation into both the domestic assault of the woman and the officer-involved shooting. Charges are still pending at this stage of the ongoing criminal investigation.
Rep. Denver Riggleman
A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol has hired former Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman as a senior staff member, bringing on the one-term Virginia lawmaker as GOP leaders have criticized the panel as too partisan. Chairman Bennie Thompson announced Riggleman’s hiring Friday evening, saying Riggleman has a “deep background in national security and intelligence matters.” Riggleman served in military intelligence before he was elected to the House in 2018. The committee is investigating the insurrection by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, who beat police, broke into the building and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers tasked with reconciling House and Senate spending plans for $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money reached an agreement Friday on a proposal that would preserve most of a plan crafted by Democrats but would also include some changes proposed by Republicans, including raising bonuses for sheriffs’ deputies and regional jail officers from $1,000 to $3,000.
Details of the proposal were provided to The Associated Press by Democratic Del. Luke Torian, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger, two members of a conference committee assigned to hash out a compromise. Torian and Hanger said all 14 members of the committee have agreed to the proposal, which is expected to be debated and possibly voted on Monday.
Earlier this week, the House of Delegates approved a spending plan crafted by Gov. Ralph Northam and fellow Democratic leaders. The Senate also approved the bill but made a handful of amendments after angry protests from Republicans who said they had been shut out of the budget process.
Both the Senate and House bills call for spending most of Virginia’s $4.3 billion share of the American Rescue Plan funding on initiatives aimed at helping small businesses, improving air quality in public schools, bolstering mental health and substance-abuse treatment, increasing broadband access and replenishing the state’s unemployment trust fund.
Among the amendments by the Senate was a provision to raise a $1,000 bonus proposed in Northam’s bill for sheriff’s deputies and regional jail officers to $5,000, the same amount state police will receive under the Democratic plan. Hanger said the conference committee decided on a compromise that, if approved, would give sheriffs’ deputies and jail officers $3,000 bonuses and maintain the $5,000 bonuses pledged to state police.
Another Senate-proposed amendment approved by the committee would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to resume walk-in service at its customer service centers throughout the state. Because of the pandemic, the DMV has instituted an appointment-only system for in-person services.
In a win for Northam, the conference committee also decided to leave in the budget a provision that would allow student athletes — including students at four-year universities and community colleges — to receive compensation from outside parties for use of their name, image and likeness in sponsorships, paid partnerships and advertisements. The Senate had stripped that language from the bill, arguing that the measure should not be considered during a special legislative session called to focus on how to spend federal coronavirus relief funds.
The committee also agreed to keep an amendment proposed by Hanger that will extend a 12.5% Medicaid rate increase for providers of services to people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
In an email to conference committee members late Thursday, state Finance Secretary Joe Flores urged the committee to leave Northam’s spending plan intact, without any amendments.
But on Friday, after details of the plan approved by the conference committee began to circulate, Northam’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, said Northam supports the compromise.
“This bill makes critical investments in small businesses, public health infrastructure, first responders and law enforcement, universal broadband, and college affordability,” Yarmosky said. “It will move our Commonwealth forward, and we look forward to seeing it passed.”
The budget plan, as written by Northam and fellow Democrats, sets aside about $800 million to use later as the state continues to deal with the pandemic’s impact on the economy. Hanger said the plan approved by the conference committee reduces the amount of unallocated money to about $700 million.
Democratic Sen. Janet Howell, chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
On August 6, 2021 at approximately 11:45 p.m., Roanoke Police were notified of a person with a gunshot wound who had arrived via personal transport to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.Officers responded to the hospital to speak with the adult male victim who was being treated for what appeared to be serious injuries.At this time, Officers and Detectives have not been able to determine wherethe shooting took place. Details about what led up to this incident are limited due to the victim’s lack of cooperation. No arrests have been made regarding this investigation and it remains ongoing