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VDOT still working to assess, devise plan of action at site of Afton Mountain rock slide
- The stretch of U.S. 250 between Route 6 and Route 151 on Afton Mountain has been closed since May 3, and there is still no firm date for when it will be reopened to traffic, according to the VDOT engineer overseeing the project.
Local/State News
Update: Suspect dead in officer-involved shooting reported in Grottoes area
- Virginia State Police has identified the man killed in an officer-involved shooting in Augusta County on Friday as Jeffrey J. Bruce, 48, of Grottoes.Former Rockbridge County Regional Jail superintendent sentenced on civil rights, bribery charges
- John Marshall Higgins, the former superintendent of the Rockbridge County Regional Jail, was sentenced this week to 51 months in federal prison.Virginia Tech researchers identify a missing piece of the Lyme disease puzzle
- Over the past 20 years, the United States has experienced a dramatic increase in both the number of cases and the geographic distribution of Lyme disease.Owner of Lighthouse Properties pleads guilty to wire fraud
- A Forest man who owned and operated Lighthouse Properties of Virginia Inc. pleaded guilty this week in connection with an embezzlement scheme in excess of $550,000.Farmers markets almost back to pre-COVID conditions
- Customers at the Charlottesville farmers market sites have had to preorder and pick up their produce remotely since last spring. Market manager Justin McKenzie said his vendors are eager to return to face-to-face sales.
Politics
Virginia lifts mask mandate to align with CDC guidance
- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam lifted Virginia’s universal indoor mask mandate to align with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Northam also announced that Virginia will ease all distancing and capacity restrictions on Friday, May 28, two weeks earlier than planned.Central Shenandoah to begin COVID-19 vaccinations for 12- to 15-year-olds
- The Central Shenandoah Health District began vaccinating those aged 12-15 on Friday, following federal approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents.Community Vaccination Clinics offering COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents beginning Friday
- State-run Community Vaccination Clinics will begin offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents aged 12-15 on Friday.Jobs report: New unemployment claims down
- For the filing week ending May 8, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 11,270, a decrease of 961 claimants from the previous week.Northam announces $62.7M in Virginia LEARNS Education Recovery grants
- Gov. Ralph Northam has announced $62.7 million in Virginia LEARNS Education Recovery grants to help school divisions expand targeted initiatives to address learning loss among Virginia students.
Podcasts
UVA basketball recruit Isaac McKneely talks hoops
- UVA basketball class of 2022 recruit Isaac McKneely joins "The Jerry Ratcliffe Show" to talk about his high school team's run in the West Virginia state tournament, and the upcoming summer AAU season.VDOT’s Carrie Shepheard, Lou Hatter on the Afton Mountain rock slide
- VDOT's Carrie Shepheard and Lou Hatter join the show to break down what VDOT is doing at the site of the Afton Mountain rock slide.Truex wins at Darlington, Dover preview, gas hoarding
- Rod Mullins joins the show to break down Martin Truex Jr.'s win at Darlington, give us a Dover preview, and Rod and Chris Graham talk gas hoarding.
Sports
‘The Other Side of the Ring’: A different take on the wrestling documentary
- The wrestling documentaries popular these days all end the same way: in tragedy. Jeremy Norrie, director of “The Other Side of the Ring,” goes the other direction, following the booker’s inclination to send the fans home happy.Nathan Light throws gem as VMI beats ETSU, 6-5
- Redshirt sophomore Nathan Light was outstanding for seven innings on the hill, and the VMI baseball team held on for a 6-5 victory over visiting ETSU Friday in a Southern Conference game.FredNats fan 19, but losing skid deepens with 7-3 loss to Shorebirds
- Mitchell Parker led a strong pitching effort for the Fredericksburg Nationals, but it wasn't enough to secure the club's first victory in a 7-3 loss to the Delmarva Shorebirds.UVA baseball faces three must-win games in weekend series with Wake Forest
- The stakes are what they are as Virginia preps for a three-game ACC weekend series with Wake Forest beginning Friday night at Disharoon Park.Squirrels no-hit Senators, set franchise win streak record
- Matt Frisbee, Joey Marciano, Matt Seelinger and Patrick Ruotolo combined to throw the first nine-inning no-hitter in team history as the Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Harrisburg Senators, 2-0, at FNB Field on Thursday.
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