Local News

Roanoke’s gas prices bucked the national trend last week, but analysts say that luck may turn with the meeting of an intergovernmental organization. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has that story: 10-04 Gas WRAP2-WEB   The post Analysts say local gas prices may rise after OPEC meets first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

Ahead of the General Assembly session beginning in January, legislative agendas are taking shape for 2023. WFIR’s Ian Price has more.

10-4 Sutterlein WRAP

The post State Sen. discusses 2023 General Assembly goals first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

The non-emergency phone lines in the Roanoke County Emergency Communications Center are not operational at this time. Citizens are asked to only dial 911 if it is an emergency. Citizens can call 540-283-6597 for non-emergencies and if there is a busy signal, please try again later. The phone company is working on the problem and… ... Continue Reading

Its called the “Gateway Overlay District,” which reduces some of the red tape for development projects around the Exit 150 interchange in Botetourt County that was re-configured several years ago. What county officials would like to see now, from WFIR’s Gene Marrano: 10-4 BoCo Overlay Wrap#2 The post Botetourt County remakes development rules around exit… ... Continue Reading

From Virginia State Police– Virginia State Police is investigating a single-vehicle crash, which resulted in a fatality. The crash occurred September 29th ,  at 3:17 a.m. on Route 678, one tenth of a mile south of Route 688 in Franklin County.

A 2004 Jeep Cherokee was traveling north on Route 678, when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree.

Raymond Leon Chisom, 80, of Hardy, Va. drove the Jeep. Mr. Chisom was wearing his seatbelt and was transported Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Chisom died on October 3, 2022, from injuries received in the crash.

The crash remains under investigation.

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The post Man dies after vehicle crash in Franklin County first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

Horizon Behavioral Health’s Bedford location has opened a new onsite pharmacy in partnership with Genoa Healthcare. Spokespeople from both organizations say the site has improved the community’s adherence to medication regimens. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with details:

10-03 Pharmacy WRAP2-WEB

The post New pharmacy at Horizon serves patients and the community first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

Roanoke County has announced the appointment of Megan Baker as Director of Economic Development. Baker will assume her new position October 24. She comes to Roanoke County from Peachtree City, Georgia where she currently serves as President of the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA). Baker leads the business attraction and retention programs for Fayette County… ... Continue Reading

The recently announced election integrity unit is designed to streamline pre-existing functions of Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General, says AG Jason Miyares. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with details:

10-03 Elections WRAP2-WEB

 

The post AG Miyares says new unit demonstrates renewed focus on election law first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

Roanoke County Fire and Rescue responded at 8:36 a.m. on Monday, October 3, 2022 to the 5700 block of Enchanted Lane, in the Clearbrook area, for the report of a residential structure fire. Upon arrival units from Station 7 (Clearbrook) found a one story brick home with smoke and fire showing from the roof of the structure. No one was home at the time of the fire. A family of 7 occupied the structure but were all gone at the time of the fire. There were no injuries. The fire was brought under control in about 40 minutes. Due to the lack of hydrants in the area, a tanker shuttle was utilized to bring sufficient water to fight the fire. The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is on scene to investigate. The house is a total loss.

The post Roanoke County home total loss after morning fire first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

A Roanoke County School bus was hit by a vehicle early this morning near Northside High School. District officials say no students were on board Bus 45 at the time of the incident.

The post Roanoke County school bus involved in crash near Northside High School first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

Bedford County got a recent unexpected tourism boost from an unsolicited article in Travel and Leisure magazine. The article mentions many of Bedford’s key year-round attractions like the National D-Day Memorial before saying autumn is the best time of year to visit, citing things like fall foliage along the Blue Ridge and apple picking. Officials… ... Continue Reading

One person was taken to the hospital after being hit near the 16000 block of Snow Creek Road in Penhook Sunday morning. According to the Franklin Co. Sheriff’s Office, a call reporting a possible hit-and-run came in at around 6:50 a.m. The driver was located shortly after but was not in custody as of this afternoon, according… ... Continue Reading

Situation (as of 10:50am) Heavy rain and gusty winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ian caused damage in parts of Appalachian Power’s Virginia service area late Friday night, which left more than 29,000 customers without electric service. Outages and Storm Response Efforts Around 6,500 customers affected by storm-related outages are currently without electric service. Damage assessors and… ... Continue Reading

On October 1, 2022 at approximately 5:00 a.m., Roanoke Police were notified by the City of Roanoke E-911 Center of a person with a gunshot wound in the 800 block of Ferdinand Avenue SW. Responding officers located an adult female victim with what appeared to be a non-life threatening gunshot wound. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported the… ... Continue Reading

Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department’s Emergency Services Division advises motorists to be aware of areas in Roanoke County that are subject to possible flooding. These areas are: Areas of Bottom Creek Crystal Creek and Merriman Garst Mill Road at the Roanoke City line Green Ridge and Woodhaven Masons Creek at Thompson Memorial and Catawba… ... Continue Reading

(update 11:42 am)

Situation

As expected, heavy rain and gusty winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ian caused damage in parts of Appalachian Power’s Virginia service area late Friday night, which left more than 29,000 customers without electric service.

Outages

Most outages are in the company’s Virginia service territory in areas east of Interstate 77. Counties most affected include Patrick (3,700 customers), Carroll (3,494), Bedford (2,659), Henry (2,248) and Botetourt (2,132).

Weather

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va., expects the continuing rain could lead to flash flooding of streams and creeks, which could lead to additional outages or create difficulty accessing damaged areas.

Storm Response Efforts

Appalachian is implementing its plan to move crews from unaffected areas into areas where damage and outages occurred. Damage assessors and line workers from West Virginia are traveling to assist local crews with service restoration. Restoration estimates will be made available when the extent of damage is more completely assessed.

(update from ApCo 10:05) At the moment, we have 26,000 customers without power across our Virginia service territory. Of that number, about 2,500 are in Roanoke City and Roanoke County. A news release with updated numbers and info will be issued later this morning.

(previously) several thousand Appalachian Power customers are without power in the Roanoke area as of 9:50am today. Another 400-plus are also without power in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg area. We will update and advise on expected power reconnection as that information comes in. See a link to the ApCo power outage map below. Heavy, steady rain last night from the remnants of Hurricane Ian led to the outages.

ApCo power outages map

The post Rain from Ian leads to power outages in Roanoke and New River Valleys first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

We are sure to get plenty of rain at times from the remnants of Hurricane Ian, but what is less certain is which areas, if any, encounter flooding.  Meteorologists say the potential exists just about anywhere from small mountain valleys to larger river basins like the Roanoke, and it is important to remain alert for… ... Continue Reading

As our area braces for whatever Hurricane Ian might bring, FEMA is in place with officials saying they’re ready to respond as WFIR’s Ian Price reports. 9-30 FEMA WRAP The post Hurricane Ian response ready in Southwest VA first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR. ... Continue Reading

The Supreme Court of the United States will open for its next session on Monday. During a recent press availability, one of Virginia’s U.S. Senators said that Congress would not wait for the Court to revisit certain questions. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with more: 9-28 Kaine SCOTUS WRAP2-WEB The post Senator Kaine previews bill ahead of… ... Continue Reading

Its mission has changed slightly but now Friends of the Blue Ridge – they dropped “Parkway” from from the title – still has to raise money as a non-profit. Now the memory of a legendary traditional music giant will help Friends do that during a “Blue Ridge Jamboree.” WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports: 9-29 Doc Wrap#2-WEB… ... Continue Reading