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Manassas man ejected, killed in I-81 crash in Shenandoah
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Manassas man ejected, killed in I-81 crash in Shenandoah

A two-vehicle accident on I-81 in Shenandoah County proved fatal for an ejected passenger. The incident occurred Monday, January 29, at 6 p.m. at the 289 mile marker, Virginia State Police reported. A 2015 Ford F350 experienced a driver’s side blowout, which caused the truck to run off the right side of the road, flip, and hit the guardrail. Wilson R. Acosta Zelaya, a 21-year-old of Springfield, was in the backseat and was not wearing a seatbelt, VSP stated. He was thrown from the vehicle into roadway and was hit by a Kenworth tractor-trailer. He died at the scene, VSP reported. The driver of the Ford, Pedro Lemus Mendoza, a 49-year-old Manassas man, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment, VSP reported. Two other adult passengers we...
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Crash & fire caused shutdown on Rt. 288 in Chesterfield
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Crash & fire caused shutdown on Rt. 288 in Chesterfield

Traffic delays around midday on Rt. 288 South in Chesterfield were caused by a crash near Watkins Center Parkway that sparked a fire and shut down all of the travel lanes. Around 11:30 a.m. a tractor-trailer and an SUV collided and a power line was hit, according to Virginia State Police. The toppled pole left power lines in the highway. Chesterfield Fire and EMS reported that one car got tangled in the power lines and an individual inside required assistance getting out. No one was injured, and there were no reports of any vehicles catching on fire. However, the powerlines sparked a brush fire that burned about 2 acres along the highway, stated Chesterfield Fire and EMS, which was assisted by Powhatan County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, and the...
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Newport News man received kilos of cocaine via UPS found guilty, awaiting sentencing
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Newport News man received kilos of cocaine via UPS found guilty, awaiting sentencing

A Newport News man is facing 5 to 40 years in prison after a federal jury found him guilty in a case where he received 2 kilos of cocaine via UPS. Last August, 33-year-old James Arthur Scott sat in a rental car in a parking lot in Hampton and waited for over an hour and a half for a UPS package from California, court documents and evidence from his trial revealed. That parcel, which was addressed to “Lit Wick” contained several layers of packaging and had two shoeboxes filled with wax. Inside the wax, there was a kilo of cocaine in each box. Law enforcement agents had intercepted the parcel at the UPS facility in Newport News and organized a controlled delivery. Based on the evidence presented, authorities waited for Scott to take possession of the delivery and put it in the car. ...
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Man & Woman charged for business burglaries in Loudoun
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Crime, News

Man & Woman charged for business burglaries in Loudoun

Two Purcellville residents are accused of burglarizing businesses in Loudoun County. According to Leesburg PD, on Thursday, January 18, its officers were dispatched to a business on North King Street for a report of a burglary. A representative of the affected business reported that shortly before 3:00 a.m., a male and a female entered the closed business and stole property. LPD said through an investigation, they determined the two suspects involved were 46-year-old Samuel Jenkins III and Abigail Laura, age 38. On Friday, January 26, LPD officers were once again dispatched to a business for a burglary call. This time the business was on North Street NW. LPD said officers were told shortly after midnight, a female entered the closed business and stole property. Through an inves...
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2 more racists threats at Gloucester schools, 1 perpetrator identified
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2 more racists threats at Gloucester schools, 1 perpetrator identified

In the January 30, Dr. Vladu said two incidents were discovered within the last 24 hours. At Page Middle School a message was found in a restroom that similar to the one found at Peasley Middle School on January 19, the superintendent stated. At Gloucester High School, “a message of hatred directed at the African American Community” was found on a bathroom stall. Vladu said the bathroom was closed after the discovery, and an investigation is underway. Today, Dr. Vladu confirmed the investigation of the Page Middle School incident is complete, and the responsible person has been identified. “The school division is issuing due process and discipling the student in accordance with the code of conduct,” he said. On a larger scale, according to the superintendent, GCPS...
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Middlesex man wanted in Mathews
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Middlesex man wanted in Mathews

UPDATE: Langford was arrested on February 13th without incident by Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office and was subsequently held without bond. A Middlesex man is wanted in Mathews after allegedly making a successful getaway. Mathews County Sheriff’s Office reported that one of its deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop on a 2011 Black Ford Focus on Tuesday, January 30. The deputy was initially attempting to stop the car for going an excessive speed on Twiggs Ferry Road in the area of Dixie Drive, MCSO explained. But when the officer activated his lights, the driver reportedly “fled at an even higher rate of speed.” The deputy identified the driver as Jason Edward Langford of Waterview, but MSCO didn’t disclose how the officer was able to do so. Langford reportedly didn’...
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Virginia lawmakers vote to make cocktails to go permanent
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Biz & Life, News

Virginia lawmakers vote to make cocktails to go permanent

Lawmakers in both houses have decided Virginia should keep the ability to sell cocktails to go. During the pandemic, Virginia was one the states that allowed the sale of cocktails to go on a temporary basis to help businesses survive through struggling times. As it stands, that ability will expire on July 1, 2024. House Bill 688, patroned by Delegate Jay Leftwich, and Senate Bill 635, patroned by Senator Aaron Rouse, repeal the sunset date. And the bills give properly licensed distillers, restaurants, and farm wineries a permanent ability to sell mixed beverages and pre-mixed wine for off-premises consumption. The final vote in the House received overwhelming support with an 81-18 vote. In the Senate, the vote in favor was unanimous. Although the bill still has to be signed int...
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Decision put off on VA bill calling for free inmate communications
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Decision put off on VA bill calling for free inmate communications

Virginia inmates will not get free telephone call, video calls, or messages this year if Senate Bill 378 has to deliver it. SB 378, presented by Senator Jennifer Boysko of Herndon, called for the Department of Corrections to provide telephone systems and web-based or electronic communications systems free of charge.  And the bill barred DOC from receiving any commission from telephone systems, “so prisons don’t profit from the calls or videos,” Boysko told members of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. With Boysko’s bill, each inmate would have been allowed to have at least 20 phone numbers of their approved call list. SB 378 also required correctional facilities to have at least one phone for every 10 inmates in a housing unit. Senator Boysko presents the cas...
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Traffic detoured on Rt. 602 on Eastern Shore until 2025
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Traffic detoured on Rt. 602 on Eastern Shore until 2025

Eastern Shore drivers should be aware that, as of Monday, January 29, the portion of Rt. 602 between Belle Haven Road and east of Darby’s Wharf Lane is closed to through traffic. There is a detour in place that will direct motorists traveling from Accomack County to follow Route 178 (Belle Haven Road) to Route 13 (Lankford Highway) to Route 183 (Occohannock Neck Road) to Route 602 (Cemetery Road). The route is reversed for those traveling from Northampton County. Rt. 602 detour between Accomack and Northampton counties According to VDOT, the detour is expected to remain in place until late spring 2025. During the closure, access to all private property and the two cemeteries on Route 602 (Lee Street) will be maintained at all times, VDOT stated. Additionally, the road “ma...
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VA Senate bill calls for penalty if handgun left in sight in a car
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VA Senate bill calls for penalty if handgun left in sight in a car

The Virginia Senate passed a bill, SB 447, that will allow gun owners to be charged a $500 civil penalty for leaving a handgun in view in an unattended vehicle that’s parked on public property. Further, the offense allows the police to deem the vehicle illegally parked, allowing it to be towed when there’s a visible handgun. “This is a minimalist approach to dealing with a huge problem,” said Senator David Marsden, who represents a portion of Fairfax. Marsden explains the 'epidemic' Guns being stolen from cars is “an epidemic,” Marsden said when presenting the bill in the Courts of Justice committee. “It's happening pretty much everywhere,” he said, claiming the situation of unattended guns being stolen from cars is “aisle 6 at Walmart.” “One of the current trends seems to b...
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