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The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford invites people of all ages to take a step back in time this weekend and experience life in the 1940s. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has more details on the annual Family Day.
Photo by AP
NICE, France (AP) — The Latest on a truck that drove into the crowd in Nice:
Two French police officials say identity papers found alongside the attacker behind a killing spree in southeastern Nice belonged to a 31-year-old Frenchman of Tunisian descent with previous misdemeanor convictions but no known link to extremist groups.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said Friday that the papers were those of Nice resident. They cautioned that DNA and identity checks with acquaintances were pending to fully verify the identity.
The suspect died in a shootout with police after mowing down dozens of people with a truck on Nice’s seaside Promenade des Anglais during national Bastille Day revelry Thursday.
The Paris prosecutor’s office, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment.
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U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby says two Americans were among those killed in Nice on Thursday when a large truck plowed through a crowd gathered for fireworks.
Kirby didn’t identify the individuals by name, citing privacy concerns.
He says the U.S. is providing assistance to those affected by the attack, while the embassy tries to account for all Americans in the Mediterranean city.
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The French Interior Ministry has raised the death toll to 84 from the attack on people celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera city of Nice. The additional four deaths were apparently from the 18 people who were seriously injured when a truck slammed into the crowds. Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said extra medical-legal police were being sent to Nice to speed the identification process so bodies can be returned to families.
Bedford area residents may see plenty of law enforcement vehicles and ambulances tomorrow and hear loud bangs and sirens. The Bedford County Sheriff’s office is conducting an active shooter exercise for its deputies, especially those new to the force. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) – An internal review has found reports of child abuse and neglect that were ignored by Rockbridge social services.
The review identified 41 problems, including evidence that a former Rockbridge Area Department of Social Services supervisor shredded reports before they could be investigated. Other problems cited in the report include slow responses to emergency calls, missed deadlines, altered documents and low staff morale.
The review also cites one case in which a child later died. Police are investigating that case as well as others. Susan Reese, head of the social services’ Piedmont Regional Office, says the three-month review, which was completed in May, is “very concerning.”
The regional office conducted the review after receiving several complaints from the county sheriff’s office and other state agencies.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Two Virginia state senators are calling for an investigation into a $2.3 billion University of Virginia surplus.
Sens. Chap Petersen and Bill DeSteph said in a statement Thursday that they intend to formally call for an audit into the fund, which former university board member Helen Dragas called a “slush fund.”
The two senators say the fund should be used for lowering student tuition and fees. They also accuse the university of overcharging for its services.
The university said in a statement Tuesday that the Strategic Investment Fund is not connected with tuition or public funding. The school also says that the money came primarily from additional returns on the university’s $7.5 billion endowment since 2009.
Zackery Toms
UPDATED July 14 3:40 pm — Roanoke County Police say Zackery Toms was arrested without incident today by county officers and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Toms is behind held without bond at the Roanoke County/ Salem Jail.
UPDATED July 13 5:45 pm — Roanoke County police have identified the suspect for last weekend’s armed robbery at the 7-Eleven along Plantation Road at Hershberger. They are looking for Zackery Toms. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Roanoke County Police.
16 rising 8th and 9th graders are spending this week at the latest “Camp Carilion Clinic” as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
A coffee shop in Roanoke received international attention this week after a message an employee wrote went viral. WFIR’s Starr Anderson has the story.