Former State Sen. Frank Ruff died Saturday. He served portions of Southside for 30 years.

When it comes to climate, extreme weather and other so-called natural disasters, people generally look to America's hurricane or earthquake prone coasts and say that’s where the danger is.

Lawmakers and voters in North Carolina have rejected past efforts to remove from the state constitution an unenforceable literacy test requirement that had been used to disenfranchise Black voters during the Jim Crow era.

Cody Garcia, 19 years old, is wanted on three counts of failing to re-register as a sex offender, police said.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Brodnax County Police Chief Joseph "Joe" Carey, Sr.

Early voting ended Tuesday, so Zeta hasn’t disrupted any voting so far. Early voting ended Tuesday, so Zeta hasn’t disrupted any voting so far. State officials weren’t sure how many of the 336 early voting locations statewide were closed or delayed in opening. ___6:55 a.m.Officials in Georgia say high winds from Tropical Storm Zeta have caused a second death in the South. ___4:00 a.m.A tropical storm warning is in effect in Atlanta as Tropical Storm Zeta makes its way quickly toward the northeast.

But the line of voters building before sunrise outside Mallard Creek High School in a distant suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday was different. By the end of Thursday, North Carolina had accepted 333,466 in-person ballots, up from 166,000 on the first day of in-person voting in 2016. “So yeah, it’s that important for me to get out here and wait in line for however long it takes. About 100 miles southwest, Trump, the world's most famous recently-recovered COVID patient, appeared at a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina. Reports of lines of voters dominated the news in North Carolina, after days of similar reports from Georgia and elsewhere.

RICHMOND, Va. – As of September 24, Virginia is now reporting 143,492 cases of the coronavirus across the commonwealth since March. [Where are Virginia’s coronavirus cases? The latest from the health department]Thursday’s total of 143,492 marks an increase from Wednesday’s total of 142,590 cases. of Health reports there have been 2,054,035 total testing encounters. The health department started using this metric on May 1.

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. – Several people have tested positive for COVID-19 at a long-term care facility in Mecklenburg County, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced Wednesday. The residents at Sentara Meadowview Terrace who tested positive are being temporarily relocated to an isolation unit at Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital. Sentara officials say all residents and staff at Meadiowview Terrace are being tested for COVID-19, and they expect the results back by Thursday morning. Sentara is asking family members to stop visiting Sentara Meadowview Terrace or Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital and stay in touch with family via phone or video chat. Residents who were in the hospital’s isolation unit will return to Meadowview Terrace once there is no risk of exposure, according to Sentara.

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. – A Mecklenburg County man in his 50s is Virginia’s latest case of the coronavirus. This marks the first case in Virginia’s Southside Health District, which is comprised of Halifax, Mecklenburg and Brunswick counties. This man had contact with a person in another part of Virginia who was diagnosed with COVID-19, according to health officials. “The Virginia Department of Health, hospitals, and health care providers continue to work together to identify COVID-19 cases in the community and across the Commonwealth,” said Southside Health District Director Dr. Scott Spillmann. “The health district is investigating this case and will identify and reach out to any close contacts of this resident who would require testing or monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19."

Based on investigative leads developed over the holiday weekend, search efforts for Amy Renee Fabian, 43, are now concentrating in the area of South Hill and Mecklenburg County. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.