BREAKING NEWS
Bruins fire coach Jim Montgomery after slow start in regular season follows playoff disappointments
Read full article: Bruins fire coach Jim Montgomery after slow start in regular season follows playoff disappointmentsThe Boston Bruins have fired coach Jim Montgomery after losing 12 of their first 20 games.
On Juneteenth, monument dedicated in Alabama to those who endured slavery
Read full article: On Juneteenth, monument dedicated in Alabama to those who endured slaveryThe Equal Justice Initiative nonprofit invoked the Juneteenth holiday as it dedicated a monument that honors the people who endured and survived slavery.
In cities across the US, Black and Latino neighborhoods have less access to pharmacies
Read full article: In cities across the US, Black and Latino neighborhoods have less access to pharmaciesAn Associated Press analysis of licensing data from 44 states, data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and the American Community Survey shows residents of neighborhoods that are majority Black and Latino have fewer pharmacies per capita than people who live in mostly white neighborhoods.
New Hampshire man sentenced to minimum 56 years on murder, other charges in young daughter's death
Read full article: New Hampshire man sentenced to minimum 56 years on murder, other charges in young daughter's deathA New Hampshire man convicted of killing his 5-year-old daughter and moving her corpse around for months before disposing of it has been sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison on murder and other changes.
Alabama hospital puts pause on IVF in wake of ruling saying frozen embryos are children
Read full article: Alabama hospital puts pause on IVF in wake of ruling saying frozen embryos are childrenA large Alabama hospital has paused in vitro fertilization treatments as health care providers weigh the impact of a state court ruling that frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children.
Jury opens deliberations in trial of New Hampshire man accused of killing daughter, 5
Read full article: Jury opens deliberations in trial of New Hampshire man accused of killing daughter, 5A jury has begun deliberations in the case of a New Hampshire man charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 5-year-old daughter.
Dad accused of killing 5-year-old daughter says attorneys will acknowledge guilt on 2 lesser charges
Read full article: Dad accused of killing 5-year-old daughter says attorneys will acknowledge guilt on 2 lesser chargesA New Hampshire man accused of killing his 5-year-old daughter told a judge that his attorneys plan to acknowledge his guilt on two lesser charges — falsifying physical evidence and abusing a corpse.
LIST: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. events happening in Central, Southwest Virginia
Read full article: LIST: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. events happening in Central, Southwest VirginiaHere’s a look at events happening in Central and Southwest Virginia where you can reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
NFC North-leading Lions rally from 12-point deficit late to beat Bears 31-26 on Montgomery's TD run
Read full article: NFC North-leading Lions rally from 12-point deficit late to beat Bears 31-26 on Montgomery's TD runDavid Montgomery's go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds left against his former team lifted the Detroit Lions to a 31-26 comeback victory over Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears.
Upwards of 16% of votes have already been cast in Montgomery County and other localities
Read full article: Upwards of 16% of votes have already been cast in Montgomery County and other localitiesWith in-person early voting and absentee ballots, over 9,000 votes have already been cast the day before election day.
Montgomery sparkles, Rangers beat sloppy Rays 4-0 in AL Wild Card Series opener
Read full article: Montgomery sparkles, Rangers beat sloppy Rays 4-0 in AL Wild Card Series openerJordan Montgomery scattered six hits over seven innings, helping the Texas Rangers beat the sloppy Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 in their AL Wild Card Series opener.
David Montgomery runs wild as Lions beat Packers 34-20 to take early command of NFC North
Read full article: David Montgomery runs wild as Lions beat Packers 34-20 to take early command of NFC NorthDavid Montgomery rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions asserted themselves as the team to beat in the NFC North, beating the Green Bay Packers 34-20.
Alabama asks US Supreme Court again to intervene in redistricting case
Read full article: Alabama asks US Supreme Court again to intervene in redistricting caseAlabama has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let it keep Republican-drawn congressional lines in place as the state continues to fight a directive to create a second district where Black voters constitute a majority or close to it.
Lions spoil Chiefs' celebration of Super Bowl title by rallying for a 21-20 win in the NFL's opener
Read full article: Lions spoil Chiefs' celebration of Super Bowl title by rallying for a 21-20 win in the NFL's openerThe Detroit Lions rallied for a 21-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to ruin the Super Bowl champions' celebration on the NFL's opening night.
How a family's choice to donate a body for pig kidney research could help change transplants
Read full article: How a family's choice to donate a body for pig kidney research could help change transplantsA sister’s choice to donate her brother’s body for research is helping doctors learn how to one day use pig organs to save human lives.
Federal judges question Alabama’s new congressional map, lack of 2nd majority-Black district
Read full article: Federal judges question Alabama’s new congressional map, lack of 2nd majority-Black districtA panel of federal judges on Monday began a review Alabama’s redrawn congressional map which opponents argue blatantly defies the court’s mandate to create a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to influence the outcome of an election.
Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice
Read full article: Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justiceBystanders who trained their smartphone cameras on an Alabama riverfront dock, as several white boaters pummeled a Black riverboat co-captain, couldn’t have known the footage would elicit a national conversation about racial solidarity.
Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion help
Read full article: Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion helpHealth care providers in Alabama have filed lawsuits against state Attorney General Steve Marshall over threats to prosecute people who help women arrange abortions outside the state.
Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama's new congressional map
Read full article: Plaintiffs in voting rights case urge judges to toss Alabama's new congressional mapCivil rights groups urged three federal judges to reject Alabama’s newly drawn congressional districts, saying state Republicans prioritized partisan concerns over compliance with a court order to draw lines that are fair to Black voters.
Meet the candidates for Virginia’s New Senate District 4
Read full article: Meet the candidates for Virginia’s New Senate District 4In the race for the newly-drawn Virginia Senate District 4 covering Roanoke City, Salem, and parts of Roanoke and Montgomery counties, three candidates on the Democratic ticket are vying for your vote: Trish White-Boyd, Luke Priddy and DeAnthony “D.A.” Pierce.
After decades of attempts, major Alabama bill to cut state's 4% grocery tax wins final passage
Read full article: After decades of attempts, major Alabama bill to cut state's 4% grocery tax wins final passageAlabama families could soon pay less at the grocery store after lawmakers gave final passage to a landmark bill to gradually remove half of the 4% state sales tax on food by September 2024.
Black College World Series hopes to spur MLB careers for HBCU players
Read full article: Black College World Series hopes to spur MLB careers for HBCU playersThe Black College World Series played this week in Alabama hopes to spur pro careers amid declining numbers of U.S.-born Black players in the major leagues.
Alabama extends time for executions, ends automatic review
Read full article: Alabama extends time for executions, ends automatic reviewAlabama has changed death penalty procedures to give the prison system longer to carry out executions — a move that comes after a string of troubled lethal injections in the state — and also eliminated an automatic review for trial errors.
Black representation in Alabama tested before Supreme Court
Read full article: Black representation in Alabama tested before Supreme CourtCongressional districts that a federal court panel said were unconstitutional because they dilute representation for Black voters in Alabama are nevertheless being used for the November election after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed them.
Police: Suspect in I-85 shootings had 2,000 rounds of ammo
Read full article: Police: Suspect in I-85 shootings had 2,000 rounds of ammoPolice are trying to determine a motive in three seemingly random shootings along an interstate highway in Alabama and Georgia that left a motorist critically wounded.
In Selma, foot soldier’s kin boosts youth voting rights role
Read full article: In Selma, foot soldier’s kin boosts youth voting rights roleDuring a commemoration of the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Elliott Smith's great-aunt pushed him across the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge in a stroller.
Alabama governor honors state's first Black poet laureate
Read full article: Alabama governor honors state's first Black poet laureateAlabama's governor is honoring the state's first Black poet laureate, a creative writing teacher from Birmingham who delves into the pain and difficulty of being Black in America.
Henry Montgomery, at center of juvenile life debate, is free
Read full article: Henry Montgomery, at center of juvenile life debate, is freeOfficials have released the inmate who was central to a Supreme Court case that extended the possibility of freedom to hundreds of people sentenced to life without parole as juveniles.
Bid considered to wipe Alabama arrest records of King, Parks
Read full article: Bid considered to wipe Alabama arrest records of King, ParksThe quest by a civil rights pioneer to have her arrest record wiped clean after nearly 70 years after she protested racial segregation has raised the possibility of similar bids to clear the names of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama.
Civil rights pioneer seeks expungement of '55 arrest record
Read full article: Civil rights pioneer seeks expungement of '55 arrest recordAn 82-year-old Black woman who became a civil rights pioneer when she was arrested for refusing to move to the back of an Alabama bus in 1955 wants to end the case once and for all.
Though young and healthy, unvaccinated father dies of COVID
Read full article: Though young and healthy, unvaccinated father dies of COVIDHealth officials in Alabama say they are seeing a spike in cases among young adults and children as the highly contagious delta variant sweeps through unvaccinated populations.
Britney Spears' father says 'no grounds' for his removal
Read full article: Britney Spears' father says 'no grounds' for his removalBritney Spears’ father says in a Friday court filing that there are “no grounds whatsoever” for removing him from the conservatorship that controls her money and affairs.
Lynching memorial organizers plan slavery museum expansion
Read full article: Lynching memorial organizers plan slavery museum expansionThe organization that created the nation’s first memorial to lynching victims has announced a major expansion of a museum designed to trace the impact of slavery and racism through the centuries.
Virginia House of Delegates District 7 Democratic Primary results on June 8, 2021
Read full article: Virginia House of Delegates District 7 Democratic Primary results on June 8, 2021Derek Kitts and Tara Orlando are vying for the Democratic nomination in the Virginia House of Delegates District 7 race.
Palin confirms COVID-19 diagnosis, urges steps like masks
Read full article: Palin confirms COVID-19 diagnosis, urges steps like masksFILE - In this Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks at a rally in Montgomery, Ala. Palin says she tested positive for COVID-19 and is urging people to take steps to guard against the coronavirus, including wearing masks in public. Sarah Palin says she tested positive for COVID-19 and is urging people to take steps to guard against the coronavirus, such as wearing masks in public. “And history will show we Masked Singer visitors were masked before being masked was cool,” she said in her statement, referring to the TV show on which she once appeared. It was not clear when Palin, 57, tested positive. She told the magazine that other members of her family tested positive as well.
Bloody Sunday memorial honors late civil rights giants
Read full article: Bloody Sunday memorial honors late civil rights giantsThe Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee marks the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — the day on March 7, 1965, that civil rights marchers were brutally beaten by law enforcement officers on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. Vivian, and attorney Bruce Boynton were the late civil rights leaders honored on Sunday. Footage of the beatings helped galvanize support for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Let the people vote.”Lowery, a charismatic and fiery preacher, is often considered the dean of the civil rights veterans and led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Organizers acknowledged the fallen civil rights leaders and planned to lay wreaths at the bridge in their honor.
Thousands without power as winter weather hits Southwest, Central Virginia
Read full article: Thousands without power as winter weather hits Southwest, Central VirginiaAEP outages as of 5 p.m.Thousands are without power as Southwest and Central Virginia are experiencing wintry weather. Below are the worst outage areas among the 2,724 Appalachian Power customers in Virginia without power:County/City Customer Outages Pulaski County 1,347 Montgomery County 500 Wythe County 162 Roanoke County 148 Giles County 144 Pittsylvania County 94 Carroll County 28 Smyth County 20 Franklin County 41 Grayson County Fewer than 5Here’s a breakdown of the Dominion Energy customers in our region without power:Charlotte County: 44Halifax County: 169Alleghany County: 36Danville officials say that 1,200 customers on Memorial Drive, Lanier Avenue, Park Avenue, Bishop Road and across the river on Piedmont Drive are without power. Here’s a breakdown of the Mecklenburg Electric customers in our region without power:Halifax County: 608Pittsylvania County: 459Here’s a breakdown of the BARC Electric Cooperative customers in our region without power:AdHighland County: 109Here’s a breakdown of the Southside Electric Cooperative customers in our region without power:
US carries out its 1st execution of female inmate since 1953
Read full article: US carries out its 1st execution of female inmate since 1953FILE - This undated file image provided by Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery shows Lisa Montgomery. Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. “Lisa Montgomery’s execution was far from justice.”It came after hours of legal wrangling before the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri. The last woman executed by a state was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on Sept. 30, 2015, in Georgia.
Woman set to die for killing woman, cutting baby from womb
Read full article: Woman set to die for killing woman, cutting baby from wombFILE - This undated file image provided by Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery shows Lisa Montgomery. Montgomery who In 2004, killed a pregnant woman, cut a baby from her womb and then passed off the newborn as her own is set to die for the crime. Like Stinnett, Montgomery also raised rat terriers. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows. Prosecutors argued that Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb.
Vikings excited to get back to prep hoops
Read full article: Vikings excited to get back to prep hoopsRoanoke, Va. – The " let them play” movement in Southwest Virginia reached Roanoke County on Tuesday. But Botetourt is back, and now Roanoke County joins them. Roanoke County voted 4 to 1 this afternoon to return to play, within the county only. Both coach and his team are equally excited about getting back on track to a competitive season. we like to compete,” Pope says.
Appeals court vacates order delaying woman's execution
Read full article: Appeals court vacates order delaying woman's executionFILE - This undated file image provided by Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery shows Lisa Montgomery. A federal appeals court has lifted a judges order that had blocked the execution date for Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row. The ruling was handed down Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. (Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery via AP)WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the only woman on federal death row to be executed before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Moss concluded that the under his order the Bureau of Prisons could not even reschedule Montgomery’s execution until at least Jan. 1.
Judge delays execution of only woman on US death row
Read full article: Judge delays execution of only woman on US death row(AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after president-elect Joe Biden takes office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomerys execution date for Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)WASHINGTON – A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Moss prohibited the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery’s execution before the end of the year and officials rescheduled her execution date for Jan. 12. Generally, under Justice Department guidelines, a death-row inmate must be notified at least 20 days before the execution.
Judge delays execution of only woman on US death row
Read full article: Judge delays execution of only woman on US death row(AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after president-elect Joe Biden takes office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomerys execution date for Jan. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)WASHINGTON – A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after president-elect Joe Biden takes office. Moss prohibited the Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery’s execution before the end of the year and officials rescheduled her execution date for Jan. 12. Generally, under Justice Department guidelines, a death-row inmate must be notified at least 20 days before the execution.
30 named storms: Record hurricane season comes to a close
Read full article: 30 named storms: Record hurricane season comes to a closeMONTGOMERY, Ala. – A record-setting Atlantic hurricane season that saw the highest number of named storms officially came to a close Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set multiple records while producing a record 30 named storms. NOAA said an average season has 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three become major hurricanes. The prior record for named storms hitting Louisiana in a single hurricane season is 4 set in 2002,” Klotzbach said. NOAA said this was the fifth consecutive year with an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with 18 above-normal seasons out of the past 26.
Judge halts federal execution after lawyers contract virus
Read full article: Judge halts federal execution after lawyers contract virusWASHINGTON – A federal judge is temporarily blocking the federal government’s plan to execute the first female death row inmate in almost six decades after her attorneys contracted the coronavirus visiting her in prison. The order, handed down Thursday by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, prohibits the federal Bureau of Prisons from carrying out Lisa Montgomery’s execution before the end of the year. She was scheduled to be put to death on Dec. 8 at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Montgomery’s attorneys had sought to delay the execution in order to file a clemency petition on her behalf. Both Henry and Harwell have serious symptoms from the virus and are “functionally incapacitated” and thus unable to help file a clemency petition, Babcock said.
GOP’s Tuberville defeats US Sen. Jones, flips Alabama seat
Read full article: GOP’s Tuberville defeats US Sen. Jones, flips Alabama seatJones ran an ad showing Tuberville using the phrase to respond to student hecklers after leaving a coaching job. Three years ago, Jones became the first Alabama Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in a quarter-century. Although he was denied a full term in the Senate, Jones said there was important work to continue. Tuberville’s victory party was held in a hotel ballroom not far from the Alabama Capitol. Jones’ party was at an outside space in Birmingham where most people wore masks.
Feds to execute woman who killed victim, cut baby from womb
Read full article: Feds to execute woman who killed victim, cut baby from wombWASHINGTON – A woman convicted of fatally strangling a pregnant woman, cutting her body open and kidnapping her baby is scheduled to be the first female inmate put to death by the U.S. government in more than six decades, the Justice Department said Friday. Lisa Montgomery is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Dec. 8 at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Montgomery was convicted of killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in December 2004. The resumption of federal executions started July 14, with the execution of former white supremacist Daniel Lewis Lee. Before the resumptions of executions this summer, federal authorities had executed just three prisoners in the previous 56 years.
Alabama Ex-House speaker reports to begin prison sentence
Read full article: Alabama Ex-House speaker reports to begin prison sentenceMONTGOMERY, Ala. – Former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, for years once of the state's most influential politicians, reported to jail Friday to begin a prison sentence for his 2016 ethics conviction. Hubbard reported to the Lee County Detention Center in Opelika, according to jail records, to begin his four-year sentence. The Auburn Republican was for years one of the state’s most powerful politicians until the ethics conviction in a corruption case ended his political career. He had been free on appeal since his 2016 conviction as he unsuccessfully fought to completely overturn his conviction. Hubbard, the architect of the GOP’s takeover of the Alabama Legislature in 2010, was a legislator from Auburn and former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party.
Alabama gov seeks 3 private built mega prisons, names sites
Read full article: Alabama gov seeks 3 private built mega prisons, names sitesKay Ivey announced the Alabama Department of Corrections would enter into negotiations with two development teams including Nashville, Tennessee-based private prison giant CoreCivic and Alabama Prison Transformation Partners, a group including state-based construction firm BLHarbert, on developing the three new prisons. She said the three mega prisons would collectively house a total of 10,000 male inmates more than 3,000 per prison. Considered one of the most violent and understaffed systems in the country, the Alabama prison system has faced a litany of federal criticism. A federal judge in 2017 ruled state mental health care in prisons is horrendously inadequate" and ordered improvements in staffing levels and care. Prison construction bills failed in the legislature among political infighting over which districts would lose existing prisons and which ones would get the new facilities and the jobs that come with them.
Across South, a push to change Confederate school names
Read full article: Across South, a push to change Confederate school namesMultiple school systems in Alabama, Texas and Virginia have voted to change school names in recent months, but local resistance and state laws make that no simple task. The Montgomery County School Board voted in July to change the names of the three schools, but a 2017 state law protects Confederate monuments and other long-standing memorials and names. In Virginia, the removal of Confederate names began in the states northern region in 2018, when J.E.B. Washington-Lee High School in Arlington changed its name to Washington-Liberty at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. In Hanover County, a conservative jurisdiction outside Richmond, the school board narrowly voted to change the name of Lee-Davis High.
Montgomery, Pulaski counties close pools, cancel camps for summer
Read full article: Montgomery, Pulaski counties close pools, cancel camps for summerMontgomery and Pulaski counties are closing their pools and canceling camps for the summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. Below is the full statement:"In response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak (and uncertainty regarding the short- and long-term reopening guidance established by the Commonwealth), Montgomery County Frog Pond and the Pulaski County Evelyn Alexander Water Park will not open for the 2020 summer season. In addition, the Montgomery County Frog Hoppers Summer Camp and the Pulaski County Randolph Park Summer Camp are cancelled for 2020."
Tornado warning expires for parts of Roanoke and Montgomery counties
Read full article: Tornado warning expires for parts of Roanoke and Montgomery countiesROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE: The National Weather Service has expired the tornado warning early. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of Roanoke and Montgomery counties. At 3:37 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Huffman, or near Mountain Lake, moving southeast at 35 mph. Tornado Warning on April 8 Tornado warning issued parts of for parts Roanoke and Montgomery counties. At one point, the warning covered parts of Craig and Giles counties, but that has since been lifted in those areas.
UFC fighter asks for help finding daughter who vanished in Alabama
Read full article: UFC fighter asks for help finding daughter who vanished in Alabama(CNN) - A mixed martial artist is asking for the public's help finding his teen daughter after Auburn, Alabama, police said her vehicle was discovered abandoned an hour south, in Montgomery. Before it was found in Montgomery on Friday, her car was last seen about 12:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. ET) Thursday near the intersection of Interstate 85 and South College Street, a main thoroughfare into downtown Auburn. She stands 5-foot-6-inches tall, weighs about 125 pounds and was last seen wearing a black dress, tan duck boots and black stockings. In posts on Instagram and Twitter, Harris pleaded for the public's help in finding his daughter.
Alabama's capital could elect its first-ever black mayor
Read full article: Alabama's capital could elect its first-ever black mayor(CNN) - In the two centuries since its founding, Montgomery, Alabama, has never had a black mayor. If elected, Reed would become the first black mayor of Montgomery since the city was founded in 1819. Alabama's second-largest city and its capital, Montgomery was also the first capital of the Confederacy early in the Civil War, and many streets and schools still bear Confederate names. Candidate touts role as first black probate judgeReed and Woods received the most votes in August in the city's 12-person mayoral primary, leading to Tuesday's run-off. Woods is the owner and president of Woods Communications, which owns local television station WCOV, a CNN affiliate.
12 counties issue burn bans due to dangerous, dry conditions
Read full article: 12 counties issue burn bans due to dangerous, dry conditionsSOUTHWEST VIRGINIA - Twelve counties across Southwest Virginia have issued burn bans due to dangerously dry conditions. Chris Thomsen, with the Virginia Department of Forestry's, said the dry conditions go deeper than the ground's surface, so putting out fires is that much harder. "A bush hog will go out and the blade will strike a rock and it will spark a fire and you don't see that if it's not this dry," Thomsen said. As long as the drought doesn't let up, neither will the burn bans. "Sooner or later we'll be out of this, it just doesn't look like it's going to be anytime soon," Thomsen said.
Remains of Nearly 100 Cats Found in and Around Home After Former Owner Is Evicted
Read full article: Remains of Nearly 100 Cats Found in and Around Home After Former Owner Is EvictedAuthorities are investigating after the remains of nearly 100 cats were found in and around a Montgomery, New York, home. The discovery was made after the home's former owner was evicted, according to officials. At least 89 different cats have been recovered so far, though there may be more. Police Chief Arnold Butch Amthor said that officers described the home's conditions as "horrific," the Times Herald-Record reported. What People Are Saying About That 'Cats' TrailerAustralia Is Overrun by Feral Cats, and the Government Wants to Stop Them
Civil rights leader Juanita Abernathy dies at 87
Read full article: Civil rights leader Juanita Abernathy dies at 87Civil rights icon Juanita Abernathy, who helped plan the Montgomery bus boycott and survived a bombing of her home by white supremacists in 1957 has died at the age of 87. ATLANTA - Civil rights leader Juanita Abernathy, whose influential role in the civil rights movement helped reshape America's cultural and political landscape, has died. She came up with a business plan for the boycott, which later became the model for the American civil rights movement, her family said. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a co-founder of the civil rights movement. Abernathy's work in the civil rights movement was not without risks.
Parts of our area officially under a drought, per Thursday Drought Monitor update
Read full article: Parts of our area officially under a drought, per Thursday Drought Monitor updateROANOKE, Va. - As of the Thursday, September 12, 2019 update of the drought monitor, parts of Montgomery, Floyd and Franklin Counties are officially in a drought. This is the first time that any part of area has been in a drought since April 10 of 2018, when parts of Southside were in one. Areas in the yellow on the map above can more-or-less consider themselves in a 'drought watch.' Outside of some Wednesday's storms, rain has been hard to come by around here. In the next seven days, it will be hard for us to get any widespread rain to come through.
Man to serve 25 years for trying to kill police during standoff in Botetourt County
Read full article: Man to serve 25 years for trying to kill police during standoff in Botetourt CountyBOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. - A man who pleaded guilty to trying to kill law enforcement officers last year in Botetourt County will spend the next 25 years in prison. Chad Montgomery, 40, of Covington, shot at police during a standoff in Troutville last September. The standoff lasted for several hours until officers used tear gas to get him out. Last week, Montgomery pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted capital murder. According to Botetourt County Commonwealths Attorney John Alexander, the judge originally sentenced Montgomery to two life sentences plus 30 years but suspended the sentence after 25 years.