THURSDAY,
MARCH 11th, 2010 A.M. UPDATE
Reported
by Chuck Vipperman & Jack
Garrett
(DANVILLE) -- A COMPACT CAR CRASHED THROUGH A LARGE PLATE GLASS WINDOW AT THE OLD DUTCH SUPERMARKET ON NORTH MAIN STREET WEDNESDAY. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED ABOUT 12:30 YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AS THE GROCERY WAS FULL OF CUSTOMERS. THE 83-YEAR OLD FEMALE DRIVER WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. POLICE SAY SHE WAS SLOWING DOWN TO PARK WHEN HER FOOT SLIPPED OFF THE BRAKES AND HIT THE GAS. NO ONE INSIDE THE SUPERMARKET WAS INJURED. DANVILLE POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED. THE DRIVER'S NAME WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. THE ACCIDENT REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION. (photos: Leonard Harville)
(RICHMOND)
-- VIRGINIA
SENATE BUDGET NEGOTIATORS CUT THEIR
PROPOSED $51 MILLION INCREASE IN
COURT FILING FEES TUESDAY IN A STEP
AIMED AT RESURRECTING STALLED BUDGET
TALKS.
A
DOZEN HOUSE AND SENATE BUDGET
WRITERS ARE MEETING AGAIN WEDNESDAY,
TRYING TO HAMMER OUT DIFFERENCES IN
COMPETING VERSIONS OF A TWO-YEAR,
$75 BILLION BUDGET.
CHATHAM STATE SENATOR ROBERT
HURT SAYS IN CAN’T BE DONE WITH
FEE INCREASES ALONE.
AND
HURT SAYS THE HOUSE PLAN TO USE
TOBACCO FUNDS FOR PURPOSES OTHER
THAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS
UNACCEPTABLE.
DEEP REDUCTIONS IN THE BUDGET ARE
LIKELY TO WIPE OUT THOUSANDS OF
GOVERNMENT JOBS IN VIRGINIA –
INCLUDING THOSE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
– AND CURTAIL SOME MEDICAL
SERVICES FOR THE NEEDY AND DISABLED.
IF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS TO
ADJOURN ON SCHEDULE SATURDAY, A
BUDGET AGREEMENTS MUST BE REACHED BY
FRIDAY MORNING.
(DANVILLE)
--
A
DANVILLE POLICE OFFICER HAS BEEN
CLEARED OF ANY WRONGDOING IN A FATAL
SHOOTING ON PAUL STREET.
A GRAND JURY HEARD THE
EVIDENCE AND RULED THAT CORPORAL
SAMUEL C. BRAY WAS JUSTIFIED WHEN HE
SHOT THOMAS LEE WALLER, JUNIOR.
WITNESSES SAW WALLER RUNNING FROM
THE SCENE OF AN EARLIER SHOOTING
WITH A GUN IN HIS WAISTBAND. THE
OFFICER ORDERED HIM TO STOP, BUT
WALLER IS SAID TO HAVE POINTED HIS
GUN AT CORPORAL BRAY, WHO PULLED HIS
SERVICE REVOLVER AND FIRED.
ACCORDING TO POLICE, TWO MEN
WERE ARGUING OVER A FIREARM ON
JANUARY 5TH. 27-YEAR-OLD
LAMONT WILLIAMS WAS SHOT ON
CHATELAINE AVENUE AND DIED AS A
RESULT OF HIS INJURIES. THE SECOND
SHOOTING INVOLVING THE POLICE
OFFICER HAPPENED AS AUTHORITIES WERE
RESPONDING TO THE INITIAL SHOOTING
CALL.
(DANVILLE) --TWO LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARE GETTING TOP HONORS. WOODROW WILSON AND CHATHAM ELEMENTARIES HAVE BEEN NAMED AGAIN AS “TITLE-ONE DISTINGUISHED SCHOOLS,” BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. THE SCHOOLS WERE HONORED FOR A HIGH PASSAGE RATE ON THE RIGOROUS BENCHMARKS OF THE STATE STANDARDS OF LEARNING. THEY AND ONE-HUNDRED OTHER SCHOOLS IN VIRGINIA HAVE MET THOSE THRESHOLDS FOR TWO YEARS IN A ROW.
(DANVILLE)
--
THE
DANVILLE REGIONAL FOUNDATION HAS
AWARDED A GRANT OF NEARLY $1 MILLION
TO THE DAN RIVER BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT CENTER TO EXPAND ITS
VIRTUAL OPERATIONAL CAPACITY, AIDING
ENTREPRENEURS IN DANVILLE,
PITTSYLVANIA AND CASWELL COUNTIES.
THE $912,000 IS FOR THREE
YEARS. IT WILL ALLOW THE DAN RIVER
BUSINESS CENTER TO EXPAND INCUBATION
SERVICES TO START-UP BUSINESSES ON
THE SOUTHSIDE. THE MONEY WILL BE
USED ON BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE TO
HELP “VIRTUAL TENANTS,” OR THOSE
WHO BENEFIT FROM THE SERVICES AND
OCCASIONAL USE OF THE FACILITY, BUT
ARE NOT TENANTS. THE FUNDING WILL
PROVIDE FOR THE EXPANSION OF
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR COACHING
AND COUNSELING SMALL BUSINESS
OWNERS, BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITIONS
AND EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLES.
OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THE
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER'S
TENANTS HAVE CREATED 1,758 JOBS,
WITH CAPITAL INVESTMENTS OF OVER $54
MILLION.
(CASWELL
COUNTY, N.C.)
--FORMER
CASWELL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
JOEL BREWER IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
FOR ALLEGEDLY USING HIS POST TO
DISMISS CITATIONS IN EXCHANGE FOR
POLITICAL FAVORS, AND FOR
IMPERSONATING A POLICE OFFICER.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO A
SEARCH WARRANT THAT WAS ORDERED TO
BE MADE PUBLIC YESTERDAY.
BREWER ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY
HE WOULD RETIRE AT THE BEGINNING OF
MARCH, EVEN THOUGH HE HAD TEN FULL
MONTHS LEFT IN HIS TERM. BREWER WAS APPOINTED TO THE POST IN 1994, AND WON
RE-ELECTION FOUR TIMES OVER THE NEXT
16 YEARS.
THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE
BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS LAUNCHED A
PROBE IN NOVEMBER, AND SEIZED ITEMS
FROM BREWER’S OFFICE LAST WEEK.
HIS SEAT WILL STILL BE ON THE
BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER. NORTH
CAROLINA GOVERNOR BEVERLY PERDUE
TODAY APPOINTED FORMER JUDGE JAMES
M-LONG AS INTERIM DISTRICT ATTORNEY
FOR CASWELL AND PERSON
COUNTIES. LONG SERVED AS A
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE FROM 1970-1994.
MEANWHILE, GOVERNOR BEVERLY PURDUE
ON WEDNESDAY APPOINTED FORMER
SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE JAMES M. LONG
TO SERVE AS ACTING DISTRICT ATTORNEY
IN PERSON AND CASWELL COUNTIES. LONG
WILL COMPLETE BREWER'S TERM. JUDGE
LONG SERVED AS A RECORDER'S COURT
JUDGE FOR CASWELL COUNTY FROM
1964-1970 AND AS A SUPERIOR COURT
JUDGE FROM 1970-1994. GOV. PURDUE
PRAISED LONG FOR "HIS
WILLINGNESS TO SERVE" THE
PEOPLE OF CASWELL AND PERSON
COUNTIES.
(CHATHAM)
--AN
ALREADY-BAD BUDGET SITUATION IN
PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY IS ABOUT TO GET
WORSE.
SUPERINTENDENT JAMES McDANIEL
SAYS THEY’VE BEEN BRACING FOR A
FOUR-AND-A-HALF (M) MILLION DOLLAR
CUT IN STATE FUNDING.
TURNS OUT THE COMPETING HOUSE
AND SENATE SPENDING PLANS WOULD BE
EVEN WORSE!
AS IT STANDS NOW, THE SENATE
PROPOSAL WOULD CUT STATE FUNDING TO
COUNTY SCHOOLS BY $4.7
MILLION. THE HOUSE PLAN CALLS
FOR A NINE-MILLION DOLLAR LOCAL
CUT. THE SCHOOL BOARD
LAST NIGHT APPROVED A PLAN TO OFFER
EARLY RETIREMENT TO TEACHERS.
BUT McDANIEL ADMITS THIS
WON’T BALANCE THE BOOKS.
HE SAYS TEACHER LAYOFFS WILL
BE THEIR LAST RESORT TO MAKE ENDS
MEET.
(WASHINGTON)
--EVERYONE ELSE IS
TIGHTENING THEIR BELTS, AND CONGRESS
SHOULD BE NO DIFFERENT.
THAT’S WHAT FIFTH DISTRICT
CONGRESSMAN TOM PERRIELLO SAYS AS HE
SUPPORTS A MEASURE TO CUT
CONGRESSIONAL PAY FIVE PERCENT.
PERRIELLO WAS AMONG THE
SUPPORTERS LAST YEAR IN A SUCCESSFUL
EFFORT TO BLOCK AUTOMATIC
CONGRESSIONAL PAY RAISES, AND HE’S
SUPPORTING AN EFFORT TO PREVENT ANY
PAY HIKES FROM AUTOMATICALLY TAKING
PLACE IN THE FUTURE.
IF IT PASSES, THIS WOULD BE
THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL PAY CUT
SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION.
The
scene of last Thursday's plane crash
in Louisa County where a
Danville-bound pilot was killed.
(LOUISA COUNTY, VA.) --STATE POLICE HAVE CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS A NORTHERN VIRGINIA MAN WHO DIED IN A PLANE CRASH LAST THURSDAY IN LOUISA COUNTY. 63-YEAR OLD JAY YOUNGQUIST WAS FLYING INTO DANVILLE TO UMPIRE A BASEBALL GAME. INVESTIGATORS YOUNGQUIST HAD JUST FUELED UP. HE CRASHED INTO A HOUSE ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT. THE HOMEOWNER WAS IN THE BASEMENT AT THE TIME AND MANAGED TO ESCAPE THE FIRE. YOUNGQUIST WAS FLYING IN TO OFFICIATE THE AVERETT UNIVERSITY BASEBALL GAME AGAINST HAMPDEN-SYDNEY. INVESTIGATORS SAY NO ONE ELSE WAS ON BOARD THE TWIN-ENGINE CESSNA. THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.
Hazardous
Materials team members block off the
Municipal Building while they
quarantine a suspicious white
powder.
(Leonard Harville photo)
(DANVILLE) --A SUSPICIOUS POWDER CAUSED AUTHORITIES TO BLOCK OFF THE AREA AROUND THE DANVILLE MUNICIPAL BUILDING MONDAY AFTERNOON. THAT’S BECAUSE A PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY MAN BROUGHT A WHITE POWDER TO POLICE HEADQUARTERS. HE SAYS HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO WITH IT---THAT SOMEONE HAD PLACED IT ON HIS PORCH SATURDAY, AND HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS. THE DANVILLE HAZ-MAT TEAM ISOLATED THE POWDER AND DETERMINED IT WAS NOT HARMFUL. STATE POLICE HAVE SENT A SAMPLE TO THE STATE LAB IN RICHMOND TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.
(RICHMOND)
-- THE
STATE CAPITAL WILL BE “GROUND
ZERO” TODAY IN THE LATEST
CHAPTER OF THE URANIUM MINING
DEBATE.
THE SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL
LAW CENTER IS SPONSORING A SYMPOSIUM
TO HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL DANGERS
FROM A PROPOSED MINE IN PITTSYLVANIA
COUNTY.
ORGANIZER BRENT BLACKWELDER
SAYS THEY’RE BRINGING IN FIVE
EXPERTS. THE SPEAKERS WILL HAVE
DETAILS ON URANIUM MINING OPERATIONS
IN THE WESTERN U-S, CANADA, AND
AFRICA.
THE SYMPOSIUM RUNS FROM TEN
TO FOUR THURSDAY AT THE RICHMOND
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS.
WAKG Weather.
TODAY: CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS LIKELY. HIGHS NEAR 64. LOWS 54.
FRIDAY: MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 70% CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS NEAR 65. LOWS 51.
SATURDAY: CLOUDY, WITH A 50% CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS 62. LOWS 44.
SUNDAY: CLOUDY WITH A 30% CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGHS 60. LOWS 40.
MONDAY: CLEAR SKIES WITH HIGHS NEAR 60.