BLAND COUNTY

UPDATE

UPDATE

The scene has been cleared, according to VDOT.

Incumbent Morgan Griffith (R) and Taysha Devaughan (D) are vying for Virginia’s 9th congressional district the U.S. House of Representatives.

A vehicle fire is causing delays on I-77S in Bland County, according to VDOT.

A 40-year-old man lost his life after crashing on Route 42 in Bland County, according to Virginia State Police.

A 42-year-old man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for engaging in and filming his sexual activity with two minors.

Motorists traveling north along Interstate 77 in Bland County can expect delays due to a tractor-trailer crash Monday evening.

The 2021 General Election will be held on November 2. You can find results for Bland County here.

A Bland County faces up to 50 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing child pornography on Monday, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

East Mont rolled to a 34-8 victory over Bland County

Some residents across Southwest Virginia are experiencing power outages due to Wednesday’s storms.

Deputies need your help finding a woman who is missing out of Bland County.

People going north on Interstate 77 in Bland County can expect delays.

Thanks to Robin for sending in today's Picture of the Day from Bland County!

AEP 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:

Tree down in DanvilleROANOKE, Va. – Saturday’s winter weather continues to cause thousands to lose power. As of 10:15 p.m. Monday, Appalachian Power is reporting 9,011 customers without power in Virginia. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:2,895 customers in Halifax County1,541 customers in Charlotte County1,138 customers in Pittsylvania County665 customers in Campbell County420 customers in Appomattox CountyAs of 10:20 p.m. Monday, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative is reporting 5,388 customers without power in our region. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:2,751 members in Halifax County2,441 members in Pittsylvania County196 members in Charlotte CountyAs of 10:20 p.m. Monday, Southside Electric Cooperative is reporting ‬8,994 customers without power in our region. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:3,405 members in Charlotte County3,039 members in Campbell County1,469 members in Bedford County866 members in Pittsylvania County215 members in Appomattox CountyAs of 10:24 p.m. Monday, Danville Utilities reports 1,556 customers are without power.

Around 11,000 without power due to winter weather moving through the area overnightAround 8,700 people are in the dark after winter weather made its way into Southwest Virginia overnight. Here’s a breakdown of the top areas with outages across our region as of 4:14 p.m.:Carroll County: 2,497Wythe County: 1,986Grayson County: 1.323Bland County: 761Giles County: 557Floyd County: 410Smyth County: 231Montgomery County: 161Galax: 146Patrick County: 119Henry County: 28Franklin County: 18Pulaski County: 12Click here for the latest information from Appalachian Power.

Thousands of Appalachian Power customers saw power outages on Thursday evening. Hundreds of Appalachian Power customers saw power outages on Thursday evening. Crews are still assessing many of the outages so it’s not clear when power will be restored. Here is a breakdown of customer outages, from Appalachian Power, as of 10:29 p.m.:Pulaski County - 190Grayson County - 127Franklin County - 110Wythe County - 90Roanoke County - 61Montgomery County - 57Roanoke City - 53Giles County - 33Bland County - 22Buchanan - 19Carroll County - 19Galax - 9Floyd County - 6This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – Authorities have identified the woman who police say was found dead near a Bland County gas station earlier this month. According to Virginia State Police, the woman has been identified as Janice Poole, 56, of Griffin, Georgia. A BP gas station is at the intersection of those two roads. Police say Poole’s remains were found at the edge of a gravel lot next to the BP gas station. Anyone who has any information on this incident is asked to call Virginia State Police at 276-228-3131.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – Authorities have arrested the man they believe is responsible for killing a woman in Bland County. Gilbert Lee Riggs, 58, of Bluefield, West Virginia, is being held in West Virginia, pending extradition to Virginia, on one felony count of second-degree murder and one felony count of hit-and-run. Riggs was arrested without incident Thursday night by West Virginia State Police at his residence, according to Virginia State Police. ORIGINAL STORYPhoto taken by Virginia State Police investigators at the scene of the lot where the body was located. (Virginia State Police)Virginia State Police are investigating after a woman’s body was found near an Interstate 77 exit.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – Virginia State Police are investigating after a woman’s body was found near an Interstate 77 exit. A BP gas station is at the intersection of those two roads. The remains, which appear to be that of a woman, were found at the edge of a gravel lot adjacent to the BP Station, according to police. The body has been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke for examination, autopsy and positive identification. Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the immediate area or has any information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Virginia State Police at 276-228-3131 or by email at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

The 2020 General Election will be held on November 3. You can find results for Bland County here. This includes how the county voted in the U.S. Presidential, U.S. Senate and any U.S. House races or locally-contested races. Use the picker below to find them:Find Race ResultsOnly care how other counties and cities in the area voted? You’ll find all those options in this picker:How cities, counties in our region votedGet the latest Virginia election news here

Thanks to Mark for sending us today’s Picture of the Day out of Bland County!

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – HOPE Inc. in Wytheville is asking you to grab your bike out of the garage or hop on an exercise bike to ride the distance and give back along the way. Friday, Oct. 16 is the first day of The Fast and the Fiorini 17th annual charity ride. The ride was created in 2004 and was originally named The Big Walker Ride, but was renamed after Ian Fiorini who was instrumental in starting the first ride. Before the pandemic, HOPE was housing one to two people in motels but since the COVID-19 outbreak, they hit a peak of 44 people a night. So know when you register to ride that fee will help fund hope when people need it the most.

There is nothing bland at all about Bland County in the fall. Here are five suggestions to spend an unforgettable day in Bland County. Bland County is one of the many communities that sits along the Appalachian Trail. Try the Federico Morini Signature Road Cycling Trail. The Federico Morini Signature Road Cycling Trail can be a paradise for both serious and casual cyclists alike.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – What started out as a search for a missing person has ended in a murder case, according to authorities in Bland County. A grand jury indicted two people on Monday in connection with the murder of David Hayes, of Tazewell. On Monday, Justin Hackler was indicted on charges of second-degree murder, concealing a dead body, conspiracy to conceal a dead body and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Leslie Hackler, his mother, was indicted on charges of conspiracy to conceal a dead body and concealing a dead body. The Bland County Sheriff’s Office and Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office both presented evidence to the grand jury in Bland County Circuit Court on Monday.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – Authorities are searching for this man who they say broke into a store on Thursday night and stole thousands of dollars worth of Halloween decorations. The Bland County Sheriff’s Office posted the above photos to its Facebook page, saying this man broke into a store in the Rocky Gap area of the county and stole the decorations. Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call the Bland County Sheriff’s Office at 276-688-4311 or Virginia State Police at 276-228-3131.

ROANOKE, Va. – It took a day over four months, but now, the coronavirus has spread to all 133 counties and cities in Virginia. Bath County held out for a while, 123 days to be exact, but on Wednesday, VDH data show there is one COVID-19 case in the county. Only about 4,400 people live in Bath County, making it Virginia’s second-least populated city or county. Watch the daily spread of COVID-19 in Virginia:It had been the lone county without a case since June 19, when Bland County reported its first case. Below is an interactive look at how the coronavirus has spread day-to-day since Virginia’s first reported case on March 7.

RICHMOND, Va. There are now 57,443 cases of the coronavirus in Virginia as of June 20. [Where are Virginias coronavirus cases? The latest from the health department]Saturdays total of 57,443 marks increase from Fridays total of 56,793 cases. Bland County reported its first case on Friday, leaving Bath County as the only one of Virginias 133 counties and cities without a single reported coronavirus case. of Health reports there have been 588,652 total testing encounters.

ROANOKE, Va. – After more than three months, only one Virginia locality has yet to report a case of the coronavirus. While 132 of 133 Virginia cities and counties have reported at least one case of COVID-19, the number for Bath County remains at 0. Only about 4,400 people live in Bath County, making it Virginia’s second-least populated city or county. On Friday, Bland County reported its first case, while on Tuesday, Dickenson County reported its first case. Below is an interactive look at how the coronavirus has spread day-to-day since Virginia’s first reported case on March 7.

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – State police continue to investigate after a man was found dead on Saturday in Bland County. The body of 57-year-old Bruce Ritchie, of Pennsylvania, was found in a ditch along Wilderness Road, according to Virginia State Police. Authorities were notified just before 12:30 p.m.Ritchie had been stabbed outside his vehicle, according to state police. Wilderness Road is Route 606 and is Exit 62 off I-77 in the South Gap community of Bland County. Anyone with information is asked to call the Virginia State Police Wytheville Division at 276-228-3131 or send an email to questions@vsp.virginia.gov.

ROANOKE, Va. – As more and more counties vote to become Second Amendment sanctuaries, we’ve compiled a list to help you keep track. 10 News talked with a Constitutional law professor to learn more about what it means to become a Second Amendment sanctuary. To read the bills related to weapons, including guns, that will be discussed during Virginia’s 2020 legislative session, click here. Counties/Cities Adopted:Accomack County - Adopted on Dec. 18. Email jwilliamson@wsls.com

BLAND COUNTY, Va. – A man is recovering after a shocking crime along I-77 on Friday morning. State police are still looking for the person who opened fire on the interstate, shooting a man as he drove through Bland County. “They said the man had been shot in the shoulder and ... knicked him on top of the head,” said Akers. As a precaution, all Bland County schools were closed on Friday, which was supposed to be the first day back after winter break. State police continue to search for a suspect, and some in Bland County are still on edge after the shocking crime.

iStock/klikkROANOKE, Va. - Several local cities and counties are lifting burn bans after dry conditions across the region and drought in some areas increased fire hazards. On Thursday, Rockbridge County announced that its burn ban has been lifted. On Wednesday, Montgomery County announced that its burn ban would be lifted at noon. On Tuesday, Botetourt, Franklin and Wythe counties announced that their burn bans had been lifted. On Monday, Pittsylvania County and Danville city officials announced that the citywide burn ban has been lifted.