Across Virginia
STANLEY, Va. (AP) — A police officer in a Virginia town was shot and killed by a driver during a traffic stop before he could get out of his patrol vehicle, authorities said.
Officer Dominic “Nick” J. Winum, 48, was fatally shot in the town Friday afternoon, Stanley Police Chief Ryan Dean said in a statement.
News outlets reported Winum was shot by Dakota G. Richards, 29, before he could get out of his patrol vehicle. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Virginia State Police told news outlets Richards ran away but was later found hiding in a barn. The suspect reportedly made a “threatening movement” and was shot and killed by officers.
It was unclear what led up to the traffic stop.
Winum had been with Stanley police since 2016, Dean stated. Before that, Virginia State Police said he had been a state trooper.
The VDH is reporting the highest spike in the number of new COVID-19 deaths across the Commonwealth with 234. According to the department’s website they are still working through a backlog of death certificates for coronavirus related deaths that occurred just after the holidays. Here in the Roanoke Valley, health officials are attributing 1 additional death to Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem and Botetourt County. According to today’s numbers 49 new coronavirus cases are being reported in our region: 11 new cases in Roanoke City, 24 new cases in Roanoke County, 6 new cases in Salem and 8 new cases in Botetourt County.
The VDH is reporting the second highest spike in the number of new COVID-19 deaths across the Commonwealth with 156. According to the department’s website they are still working through a backlog of death certificates for coronavirus related deaths that occurred just after the holidays. Here in the Roanoke Valley, health officials are attributing 5 new deaths to Roanoke City, 2 new deaths to Roanoke County, and 1 new death to Salem. According to today’s numbers 90 new coronavirus cases and 3 hospitalizations are being reported in our region. 54 new cases in Roanoke County, 29 new cases and 3 new hospitalizations in in Roanoke City, and 7 new cases in Botetourt County.
For more background click the link below:
State GOP settles on traditional convention to pick statewide nominees
From Liberty University: Liberty University tries to be a good neighbor and promote civic engagement. When asked by the Virginia GOP officials about the possibility of leasing portions of retail center lots off campus for a day to facilitate a COVID-19 plan for its convention, Liberty said it would consider it, provided that full rental cost for the use was paid.
So far, Liberty has not agreed to any particular plan or contract. If Liberty should reach an agreement for the Virginia GOP to rent off-campus parking areas, Liberty would do likewise on comparable terms if another political party or candidate asked. Excess parking in retail centers controlled by Liberty University have been leased on a temporary basis for years to carnivals, circuses, car dealerships, and the like.
Liberty University must now correct a news article published online by the Virginia Mercury on Feb. 23, 2021, and picked up by other news outlets and social media.
Members of the GOP Central Committee have contacted University officials within the past week about the possibility of leasing at full cost some University-controlled parking lots off-campus in Lynchburg, Va. That much is a fact.
However, the University was not contacted by any media to confirm the published facts that presumably were supplied by state GOP officials. As a result, the article misleads on several facts.
Here are the true facts.
Liberty University:
Has not agreed to any particular plan or contract.
Has been clear that using any main campus parking lots would not be an option.
Never discussed use of any parking garages, which would also not be an option.
Did not agree to a one-location plan where one parking lot would handle all the traffic associated with a convention. The discussions were always about multiple lots that were spread out.
Never mentioned a number of parking spaces or square footage to be used. No details or agreements have been worked out. As of today, there has been no site visit.
Has not been notified that the date of the convention has been switched to May 8.
The retail center parking facilities that Liberty would offer through its real estate holding companies were only offered at market rent like that charged other users who rent these kinds of parking lots and on comparable terms for such temporary use.
The day after the erroneous story of the Virginia Mercury was posted, Liberty University was contacted by a spokesperson for the GOP Central Committee to arrange a visit to the sites and to discuss plans with the understanding that many details need to be worked out for an agreement.
The VDH is reporting a smaller increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths across the Commonwealth as they continue working through a backlog of death certificates for coronavirus related deaths that occurred just after the holidays. Here in the Roanoke Valley, health officials are attributing 1 new deaths in both Roanoke City, and Roanoke County. According to today’s numbers 56 new coronavirus cases and 3 hospitalizations are being reported in our area. 25 new cases in Roanoke City, 13 new cases in Roanoke County, and 18 new cases in Botetourt County. Health officials are also reporting the state’s COVID-19 positive rate has dropped to 8%.
Virginia’s DMV is adding more services that can be conducted on line. The idea is to make dealing with the department more convenient either from home or, when needed, at one of its offices. These involve renewals that can be conducted on line for the first time like commercial drivers licenses and learners permits. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
NEWS RELEASE: RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is now offering even more convenient online service options for customers during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Customers can now skip a trip to the DMV and instead visit dmvNOW.com to replace their commercial driver’s license (CDL), driver’s license learner’s permit, driver privilege card or learner’s permit, or limited duration driver’s license, permit or CDL. Online credential replacements are only available to customers age 18 and older. These transactions previously required an in-person visit.
“DMV continues to add online options to not only make service more convenient, but to create additional appointment opportunities for customers who need in-person service,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb. “Customers have come to rely on alternate means of service for every aspect of life during the COVID-19 pandemic and we will continue to look for ways to meet new expectations.”
Virginia is an innovator in online services and became the first state in the nation to offer secure online driver’s license renewals in the 1990s. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, DMV quickly navigated to an appointment-only operational model for in-person service and has increased the number of online transactions to over 50, necessitating fewer in-person visits and prioritizing the health and safety of customers and staff. Some of the most popular online transactions include vehicle registration renewals, driver’s license renewals, and requests for vehicle and driver transcripts.
Credentials ordered online are mailed to the applicant. Please note, the U.S. Postal Service advises it is experiencing unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19; therefore, the delivery time for DMV materials may be delayed.
The VDH is once again reporting a record increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths across the Commonwealth. This comes as the health officials continue to process a backlog of death certificates for coronavirus related deaths that occurred shortly after the holidays. Here in the Roanoke Valley, health officials are attributing 2 new deaths in Roanoke City, 1 new death in Roanoke County, 2 new deaths in Salem and Botetourt County. According to today’s numbers 63 new cases are being reported in the Roanoke Valley. 34 new cases in Roanoke City, 15 new cases and 2 new hospitalizations in Roanoke County, 1 new case in Salem and 13 new cases in Botetourt County.
The Virginia Department of Health today is reporting 155 new deaths across the Commonwealth, which marks the third day in a row that the department has reported record-high single-day spikes in deaths in the state. Of the more than 150 deaths reported, 1 came from Roanoke City and 2 were attributed to Roanoke County. According state health officials 39 new cases were reported in the Roanoke Valley. 14 new cases reported in Roanoke City , 11 new cases in Roanoke County, 8 new cases in Salem, and 6 new cases in Botetourt County.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers have passed bills that allow certain first responders to file workers’ compensation benefits for being disabled from COVID-19, but still need to reach agreement on some differences.
The measures would make COVID-19 an occupational disease for firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and law enforcement or correctional officers and allow these individuals to file for workers’ compensation benefits.
The workers’ dependents also would be eligible for benefits if the workers die from COVID-19. Occupational diseases arise out of and in the course of employment, according to state law, and include hepatitis, meningococcal meningitis, tuberculosis or HIV.
Senate Bill 1375, sponsored by Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, and House Bill 2207, introduced by Del. Jay Jones, D- Norfolk, had mostly unanimous support..
The main difference is that the House bill would extend the compensation to regional jail officers. The Senate also rejected an amendment by the House that would allow compensation for cases going back to March 2020. The bills would apply to persons diagnosed with COVID-19 on or after July 1, and whose death or disability from COVID-19 occurred on or after that same date, Del. Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church said in an email. She is the Senate bill’s House patron.
The workers and their dependents must meet certain requirements to be eligible for workers compensation. The bill provides that the COVID-19 virus is established by a positive diagnostic test, along with an incubation period consistent with COVID-19 and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medical treatment.
The bill would add COVID-19 to the work-related diseases that would prevent certain first responders or corrections officers from working and would cause them to lose their income, Kory said.
“In this time of pandemic emergency, our first responders are likely to be exposed to the coronavirus on the job, and should be protected if exposed to this dangerous virus,” Kory said in a statement. “I believe that adding this unemployment eligibility condition to the other work-related disabling conditions in our Code, is the fair and just thing to do.”
It would cost an estimated $2.5 million to $3.3 million to implement the Senate legislation, according to a Senate Finance and Appropriations committee held in early February. The House bill would cost significantly more if it allowed compensation for cases going back to March 2020.
There was some opposition to Jones’ bill during a January House subcommittee meeting. Jeremy Bennett, director of intergovernmental affairs at the Virginia Association of Counties, which seeks to represent the interests of counties in the state, urged legislators to vote against the House bill. He said local governments and risk insurance providers haven’t budgeted for additional payments that the new law would require. The bill should only be approved if the state provides local governments with additional funding.
Lawmakers agreed Friday to a conference committee to resolve legislative differences.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A space station supply ship named after the Black NASA mathematician featured in the movie “Hidden Figures” rocketed into orbit Saturday, the 59th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic launch.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus capsule — dubbed the S.S. Katherine Johnson — should reach the International Space Station on Monday following its launch from Virginia’s eastern shore.
Johnson died almost exactly a year ago at age 101.
“Mrs. Johnson was selected for her hand-written calculations that helped launch the first Americans into space, as well as her accomplishments in breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling as a Black woman,” Frank DeMauro, a Northrop Grumman vice president, said on the eve of liftoff. “A homework assignment for all of you is to go watch that movie after the Cygnus launch.”
Johnson’s numbers contributed to the Feb. 20, 1962, flight in which Glenn became the first American to orbit the world. The film, released in late 2016, depicted the effort put forth by Johnson and other Black women at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, during the early days of space exploration. Langley is 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the launch site at Wallops Island.
Northrop Grumman launched the 4-ton shipment for NASA in the early afternoon from Wallops, where temperatures were just above freezing. The Antares rocket was visible from the Carolinas to Connecticut, at least where skies were clear.
This will be the space station’s second delivery in less than a week. A Russian capsule pulled up Wednesday with apples and oranges, among other things.
“Oh, we love fresh food!!!” tweeted Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi. He noted that the space station flew over Virginia just 10 minutes ahead of Saturday’s launch.
Noguchi and his six U.S. and Russian crewmates can expect more apples once the Cygnus arrives, along with tomatoes, nuts, smoked salmon, Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, caramels and coconut strips.
The capsule also holds 120,000 tiny roundworms for a muscle experiment, as well as off-the-shelf computer equipment to increase data processing speed at the space station. Also flying: radiation detectors intended for NASA’s astronaut moon-landing program, and a new system to convert more of the astronauts’ urine into drinking water.
It is Northrop Grumman’s 15th station supply run for NASA. SpaceX is NASA’s other shipper.