Thursday, June 11WATCHFUL EYE

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Chesapeake men in jail after coming to Gloucester ‘with intent to steal’
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Crime, News

Chesapeake men in jail after coming to Gloucester ‘with intent to steal’

Two Chesapeake men are in jail being held without bond after they allegedly traveled to Gloucester to steal $28,000 worth of equipment, Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office reported. GCSO said the men were caught on July 11 after a citizen saw and reported that someone was driving what appeared to be a new John Deere tractor on George Washington Memorial Highway, a four-lane artery that connects the Middle Peninsula to Hampton Roads. That citizen also reported that when the tractor got near Vulcan Stone, it was loaded onto a trailer. A deputy spotted a truck pulling a trailer with a John Deere, said GCSO. It was heading south, the direction of Hampton Roads. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and discovered that not only was the tractor stolen but so was the trailer pulling it. Did...
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US Marshals catch murder suspect 8 months after Prince William shooting
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News, Popular

US Marshals catch murder suspect 8 months after Prince William shooting

The US Marshals Service caught the Fredericksburg man who was wanted in Prince William for the murder of 26-year-old Quatrail Raynard Smalls of Big Stone Gap. As  previously reported, on November 14, Prince William County Police found Smalls shot in the 3700 block of Wharf Lane in Triangle. He survived the trip to the hospital but later died. The following day, PWCPD announced Tyus James Terrell, a 27-year-old Fredericksburg man, as the suspect. After over a week  of fruitless attempts to find him, the department announced a $5,000 reward. On January 3, PWCPD doubled the reward, but still there was no Terrell until this week. PWCPD reported that Terrell was apprehended by the USMS Fugitive Task Force in the area of Dale Blvd and Neabsco Mills Rd in Woodbridge on July ...
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Why Kroger may sell Harris Teeter stores in VA, DC & Maryland
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News, Trending

Why Kroger may sell Harris Teeter stores in VA, DC & Maryland

Grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons are trying to get approval for a merger. To address antitrust concerns raised by state and federal regulators, the companies agreed to sell assets to C&S Wholesale Grocers, the parent company of Piggly Wiggly. On Tuesday, the companies revealed which stores, plants, and distribution centers are in the divestment plan. There are 579 stores to be sold across 19 states, including three Harris Teeter locations in Northern Virginia at: 735 N Saint Asaph St., Alexandria 2425 N Harrison St., Arlington 105 Purcellville Gateway Dr, Purcellville These are the only assets in Virginia that are slated to be divested as part of this deal. But there is a Harris Teeter in DC’s Navy Yard and four in Maryland that are also slated for sal...
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1st offshore wind cable facility in U.S. coming to Chesapeake, offering 330 jobs
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News

1st offshore wind cable facility in U.S. coming to Chesapeake, offering 330 jobs

Virginia, and more specifically Chesapeake, is set to become the home of the first offshore wind cable manufacturer in the United States, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Representative Bobby Scott announced yesterday. LS GreenLink USA is investing $681 million to build a facility to produce high-voltage subsea cables used for offshore wind farms. Those cables are designed to optimize bulk clean power transmission, the company said. A February 20 letter signed by nine members of congress calling on the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide financial support for the project noted that work is underway on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project – a 2.6 gigawatt commercial offshore wind farm that is expected to power over 650,000 homes in the Commonwealth. Mean...
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VADOC taking control of Lawrenceville prison from GEO Group in August
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VADOC taking control of Lawrenceville prison from GEO Group in August

VADOC recently confirmed the department is still on track with its takeover plan Lawrenceville Correctional Center is in its final weeks under private management. Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) will assume control of the prison on August 1. VADOC announced its intention to take over the state’s only privately-run prison last December. In a press release earlier this month, the department revealed a VADOC team conducted a shakedown at Lawrenceville and discovered an array of contraband, including drugs, phones, and cash. VADOC added that it is still set to take control of the facility next month. Lawrenceville is currently run by GEO Group, a company that owns, leases, and manages prisons in the U.S., Australia, and South Africa. But Lawrenceville is its only operat...
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Companies plan to ramp up shift to automation, reports Richmond Fed
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News, Trending

Companies plan to ramp up shift to automation, reports Richmond Fed

Workers may want to prepare. According to the Richmond Federal Reserve, companies have been investing in automation and plan to ramp up that shift as inflation persists. Over the past year, about 60% of companies have automated tasks previously performed by employees, and nearly two-thirds of companies have made it a “strategic priority” to now ramp up automation going forward, the Richmond Fed said the CFO Survey revealed. The automation that occurred over the past year has come from a combination of software, equipment, and technology. But the  Fed said the majority of firms that plan to automate over the next 12 months intend to do so with AI. And why are companies increasing automation? The majority, 58%, reported using automation to improve product quality, the Fed no...
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Delays, lane closure on Downing Bridge Sunday night
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News, Traffic

Delays, lane closure on Downing Bridge Sunday night

Drivers crossing between Tappahannock and Richmond County should expect delays from Sunday evening into early Monday morning due to the Downing Bridge being reduced to one lane, VDOT announced. Crews will be paving Rt. 360 north of the bridge on the Richmond County side. Traffic on the Downing Bridge will be reduced to a single from 8 p.m. on the July 7 until 5 a.m. on July 8. There will be a flagging crew and a pilot car to lead the alternating lanes of traffic across the bridge and through the work zone, said VDOT. If the work is canceled due to weather, it will be rescheduled to start at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 8, and run through 5 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9. FOLLOW the Watchful Eye on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with what's happening in Virginia!
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VDOT backtracks on decision to cut Jamestown-Scotland ferry service
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News, Traffic

VDOT backtracks on decision to cut Jamestown-Scotland ferry service

VDOT backtracked on its plan to cut service for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry starting July 8. As previously reported, VDOT planned to reduce service for the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, which runs 24/7 every day of the year, citing staffing problems. Today, VDOT said the reduced schedule would no longer be implemented. “As staffing and vessel resources allow, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry will remain operating under the summer schedule that went into effect May 27 to accommodate the increase in ferry passengers during the summer travel season,” the department stated. With the summer schedule, a boat crosses the James River about every 20 – 30 minutes, depending on the time of day. Meanwhile, VDOT said it’s actively recruiting to fill vacancies on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry tea...
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VDH ends Lake Anna STEC outbreak investigation, reminds public of swimming advisory
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News, Popular, What & Where

VDH ends Lake Anna STEC outbreak investigation, reminds public of swimming advisory

Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced it has ended its investigation into the Memorial Day STEC outbreak without conclusively linking the illnesses to Lake Anna. As previously reported, there were 25 Shinga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) cases that appeared linked to visits to Lake Anna around Memorial Day weekend. Five of those cases resulted in children being hospitalized, and the incidents prompted VDH to launch an investigation that included numerous rounds of water testing from various areas around the lake. In its June 20th update, VDH said the lake water “the likely source” of the infections. However, yesterday, July 2nd, VDH said the most recent testing of water samples collected from Lake Anna did not detect the presence of STEC. VDH said fecal bacter...
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Year of lane closures, detours in Mathews near Fort Nonsense
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News, Traffic

Year of lane closures, detours in Mathews near Fort Nonsense

Those who use Rt. 3 / Rt. 14 to travel between Mathews and Gloucester be advised. On Monday, VDOT will begin a major bridge rahab project that will change the traffic pattern in the Fort Nonsense area for over a year. On July 8, VDOT is slated to start its $5.5 million project improving the westbound bridge over Burke Mill Stream in Mathews. By late August, the westbound lanes of Rt. 3 / Rt. 14 will be closed at Windsor Road. When the westbound lanes close, westbound traffic will be shifted to an eastbound lane on Rt. 3 / Rt. 14, which means eastbound traffic will also be reduced to a single lane. This work zone traffic pattern is expected to be in place from the August 2024 to fall 2025 “to accelerate work,” said VDOT. Westbound view at the intersection of Rt. 3/ Rt. 14 and Wi...
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