News
Stephon Blackmon-McClane
From the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office: On Tuesday November 15th, 2016 at approximately 10:50pm the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a burglary at the Speedy I81 convenient store located at the exit 162 off interstate 81. A witness passing by the store reported they observed a male subject take off running and carrying multiple items. Sheriff’s Office personnel arrived within minutes and discovered entry had been made into the store. A perimeter was established and a K-9 officer from the Sheriff’s Office was called in. The subject was tracked using the K-9 and arrested without further incident. The suspect was identified as Stephon Blackmon-McClane of Statesville North Carolina. He is currently being held at the Botetourt County jail without bond for charges of breaking and entering as well as grand larceny.
A new “Growing Goodwill Pavilion” was dedicated this morning at the 3-acre community garden on Salem Turnpike at 24th Street. A grant from Foundation for Roanoke Valley helped pay for the $20,000 pavilion. Several Eagle Scouts built new walking paths through the garden area to the shelter. Goodwill Industries President and CEO Bruce Phipps envisions the outdoor shelter as hub for activity in northwest Roanoke City:
National Collection Week is underway for an evangelical organization intent on making sure impoverished children get a gift this Christmas. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
VDOT officials say the completed Valley View interchange will open Monday evening after a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier in the day. The $64 million project will permit access to and from both directions of Interstate 581 from the southern end of the Valley View Mall area. The interchange includes the region’s first “diverging diamond” that will direct mall traffic over the interstate on the left side of the divided roadway.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – AAA is projecting that 1.3 million Virginians will travel 50 miles or more from home for the Thanksgiving holiday, the most travelers in Virginia since 2007.AAA said in a statement Tuesday that its projected number is an increase of nearly 50,000 since last year.AAA defines the Thanksgiving holiday travel period as Nov. 23 to Nov. 27. AAA says about 90 percent of Virginians are expected to travel by automobile, 7 percent by air and 2 percent by other means.The group says that nationwide, 48.6 million people are projected to travel more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving.
The U.S. Forest Service is implementing a fire ban until further notice in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, the result of the recent drought conditions. It means no campfires or stove fires outside of developed recreation area, and even then, there are some limitations in those areas. You can still use stoves, lanterns and other equipment that uses liquid fuels.
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Montgomery County has joined the list of localities instituting a burn ban. It means any burning of leaves, limbs, bonfires, or anything else outdoors is banned until further notice. It’s the result of the very dry conditions we have encountered in recent weeks. Blacksburg, for instance, has recorded about one-quarter of an inch of rain total in the last 31 days.