Across Virginia
The VDH today reported no new coronavirus deaths and no new related hospitalizations in the Roanoke Valley for a fourth straight day. State officials also report 10 new coronavirus cases among Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem and Botetourt County. According to the department, there are 4 new cases in Roanoke City, and 6 new cases in Roanoke County.
The VDH today reported no new coronavirus deaths and no new related hospitalizations in the Roanoke Valley for a third straight day. State officials also report 9 new coronavirus cases among Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem and Botetourt County. According to the department, there are 3 new cases in Roanoke City, 4 new cases in Roanoke County, and 2 new cases in Salem.
The VDH today reported no new coronavirus deaths and no new related hospitalizations in the Roanoke Valley for a second straight day. State officials also report 24 new coronavirus cases among Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem and Botetourt County. According to the department, there is 5 new cases in Roanoke City, 18 new cases in Roanoke County, and 1 new case in Botetourt County.
A national apartment rental website says if you are looking a a relative bargain in Virginia, the number-one place to look right now is Roanoke. Rent.com says one-bedroom apartments in the Star City have been going for about $600 dollars on average over the last year, and that is about one-third the statewide average. Two Roanoke-area communities also show up in the top ten, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
Click here to read the full rent.com report.
UPDATED NEWS RELEASE: The motorcycle’s operator, Richard L. Boyce Jr., 30, of Bassett, Va., and passenger, Chastedy R. Boyce, 29, of Bassett, Va., were both thrown from the motorcycle. Both were flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Both were wearing helmets.
PREVIOUS: Virginia State Police Trooper G.L. Goad is investigating a two-vehicle crash in Franklin County. The crash occurred June 18, 2021 at 7:45 p.m. on Snow Creek Road/Rte. 890, approximately one mile east of Shady Grove Road/Rte. 882.
A 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser was traveling west on Snow Creek Road when it crossed the centerline and struck an eastbound 2018 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The impact of the crash caused the Toyota to run off the road and strike a tree.
The 29-year-old male motorcyclist and a 29-year-old female passenger were both thrown from the motorcycle. Both were flown to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Both are Bassett, Va. residents and were wearing helmets.
The driver of the Toyota, a 52-year-old female from Martinsville, Va., was transported by ambulance to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening, injuries. The driver was wearing a seatbelt.
Charges at this time are pending and the crash remains under investigation.
The VDH today reported no new coronavirus deaths and no new related hospitalizations in the Roanoke Valley in the latest 24-hour reporting period. State officials also report 4 new coronavirus cases among Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem and Botetourt County. According to the department, there is 1 new case in Roanoke City, 2 new cases in Roanoke County, and 1 new cases in Botetourt County.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Virginia Parole Board will not grant parole to a man who was convicted of killing three people and wounding two law enforcement officers during a 1984 rampage.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Friday that the board voted not to grant parole to Kenneth Wayne Woodfin.
A relative of one of Woodfin’s victims said she received an email from the Virginia Department of Corrections that said the 74-year-old’s parole was denied.
The notice said that “the Parole Board is not convinced at this time that the offender is suitable for parole,” Kim Parke said.
Parke was the niece of Woodfin’s wife, Jean Whittaker Woodfin, whom Woodfin fatally shot. He also was convicted of killing his wife’s sister, Susan Whittaker Hall, and Hall’s boyfriend, Frank Gabbin. He then shot and wounded Hanover County sheriff’s deputy Willard “Bubba” Worsham and Richmond police officer Cheryl Nici, authorities said.
“We are very relieved that the Parole Board made the right decision and that justice will continue to be served for his victims and our families,” Parke said.
Woodfin has maintained his innocence. He got three life terms plus 116 years. He was sentenced nearly a decade before Virginia abolished parole in 1995.
A sister, Joan Robinson, said family members believe Woodfin has served enough time and deserves his freedom after nearly 37 years in prison.
WACHAPREAGUE, Va. (AP) — The Coast Guard rescued four people on a boat taking on water and sinking about 32 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
After receiving a report via VHF-FM radio on Thursday, the Coast Guard dispatched boats and a helicopter from stations at Wachapreague, Chincoteague and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. A crew transferred a pump to the sinking boat and took the vessel under tow. Six hours later, the vessel was moored in Wachapreague, where it was later trailered. No injuries were reported.
It’s important to have a working VHF-FM radio and make sure everyone on board is wearing life jackets, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Butierries, the search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Virginia, said in a news release.
“Situations can change very quickly while you’re out on the water, which is why it’s so important to have the requisite safety equipment in case of an emergency,” Butierries said.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s road to legalizing simple possession of marijuana has had some twists and turns, so it’s not surprising that advocacy groups have been flooded with calls from people trying to understand exactly what will be allowed under state law as of July 1.
Legislators initially voted in February to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for adult recreational use, but not until 2024, when retail sales would begin. An outcry ensued over the three-year wait before ending pot possession penalties, so in April they voted to move up legalization to this July 1.
Adding to the confusion: lawmakers included a “reenactment clause,” which means the General Assembly will have to vote again next year on major portions of the law, mainly to establish a regulatory framework for the legal marijuana marketplace.
The process has resulted in some contradictions that may not get resolved until years after legalization begins.
Sen. Adam Ebbin, one of the lead sponsors, said people need to understand the law’s limits for now. Possession of up to one ounce (28.3 grams) with no intent to distribute will become legal for adults, 21 and older. Adults will also be allowed to grow up to four marijuana plants per household. But not much else will change.
“People still need to be careful — this is not an official open marijuana market,” Ebbin said.
Virginia is joining 17 other states with laws allowing adults to possess and consume marijuana. In each one, laws have legalized simple possession before establishing a legal marketplace for buying and selling marijuana, said Jenn Michelle Pedini, the development director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Under Virginia’s law, buying and selling marijuana will remain illegal until Jan. 1, 2024, when retail sales are expected to begin. Smoking marijuana in public also remains against the law.
Pedini, who is also the executive director of Virginia NORML, said the organization fields questions every day from people who are surprised to learn that selling pot won’t be allowed for another three years.
“The only legal sale of cannabis in Virginia is through the medical (marijuana) program,” Pedini said.
Virginia NORML has a page on its website to answer frequently asked questions and clear up confusion. The state also launched a website to answer questions about the new law.
Although people can legally cultivate marijuana plants beginning July 1, it will still be illegal for anyone to buy cannabis seeds or cuttings needed to grow those plants. That’s one of the contradictions bothering Republican Sen. Ryan McDougle, who voted against the legislation.
“The biggest inconsistency is you cannot legally buy marijuana for recreational use in the commonwealth of Virginia,” McDougle said.
“Under federal rules you can’t transport it (into Virginia), but if you have it, you can possess up to one ounce of it in Virginia. How you get that is the inconsistency. You can’t legally get it, but you can possess it,” he said.
In the original bill, both possession and sales of marijuana would have been legalized in 2024. But many social justice advocates pushed to immediately end the disparate treatment of people of color under existing marijuana laws.
The General Assembly’s research and watchdog agency found that from 2010-2019, Black Virginians were 3.5 times more likely than white Virginians to be arrested for marijuana possession, and 3.9 times more likely to be convicted, even though both populations used marijuana at similar rates.
“We want to do this the right way, and what that means is ending the disparate enforcement, which is going to make a huge change in the lives of thousands of Virginians,” said Alena Yarmosky, Gov. Ralph Northam’s spokeswoman. She said the administration also recognizes the “reality” that “people have marijuana now,” even though it is illegal in Virginia.
According to New Frontier Data’s U.S. Cannabis Report, Virginia had the fourth-largest illicit market last year, encompassing about $1.8 billion, or 3%, of an estimated $60 billion in total illicit sales nationwide.
“Because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and because Virginia needs time to stand-up the regulatory structure for safe sales, it will not be legal to sell seeds or other marijuana until 2024,” Yarmosky said.
People will be allowed to share small amounts of seeds with one another, but they can’t sell them.
“The primary objective of legalization is to reduce criminalization and then to regulate safe legal access, so we’re checking one box, but we’re not checking the other this year,” Pedini said.
Pedini said may states have expedited adult access to marijuana through their medical marijuana dispensaries, something advocates hope Virginia lawmakers will vote to do in 2022. “Most people aren’t going to grow cannabis, but most people who will want to participate in the adult use market will prefer to do so through a legal avenue,” Pedini said.
