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FLOYD COUNTY

Billy Strings replaces Sturgill Simpson for FloydFest lineup

“When one door closes, another swings wide open...”That’s what FloydFest organizers said about a change to the upcoming festival lineup, with Billy Strings replacing Sturgill Simpson. Here’s a statement from Simpson:“Unfortunately we are no longer going to be able to perform this year at FloydFest due to unexpected and unforeseen circumstances. FloydFest is a great independent festival and we highly encourage everyone to attend even though we cannot be there with you. See you on and down the road very soon.”Billy Strings won this year’s Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and was Billboard’s top artist of 2020 for both bluegrass categories. FloydFest 21 ~Odyssey is set for July 21 through 25, and tickets are available now.

Man charged with murder in connection with 2014 Floyd County missing persons case

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – The Floyd County Sherriff’s Office has charged a West Virginia man with second-degree murder in connection with an unsolved missing person case from August 2014. 33-year-old Robert Joseph Gibbons, of Snowshoe, West Virginia, is charged in connection with the death of 65-year-old Robert James Langhorne Gibbons. Deputies said when they searched his home on Lick Ridge Road in Check, Virginia, and couldn’t find him anywhere, his daughter filed a missing report later that day. After following up on a tip, Virginia State Police assisted the Sheriff’s Office with the search of a property on Lick Ridge Road. AdThe 33-year-old Gibbons is currently being held at the New River Valley Regional Jail.

Growing community profit: Local business taps into medicinal herb industry

Corporate responsibility is a key element in Taproot Botanical Alliance, a Floyd County start-up by David Grimsley, that teaches farmers to diversify their crops by growing medicinal herbs. “Taproot Botanical Alliance was created to address all three of these aspects. Grimsley said the medicinal herb industry is booming right now and can be an excellent revenue stream for farmers willing to learn the business. Ashwagandha is a medicinal herb. For more information about Taproot Botanical Alliance, email David Grimsley: taprootbotanicalalliance@gmail.com .

Friday Night Jamboree at The Floyd Country Store returning to outdoor performances in April

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – People will soon be able to enjoy their favorite old-time and bluegrass tunes while basking in the sun. The Floyd Country Store announced that its Friday Night Backyard Jamboree is returning to outdoor in-person performances next month. Last summer, the store held the Jamboree outdoors for a few months before winter. Prior to July 2020 and since late last year, all other Jamborees have been only virtual. If you can’t make it, the shows will still be live-streamed on the Floyd Country Store’s Facebook page or YouTube.

62-year-old Floyd man dies in US 221 crash

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – One man is dead after a crash early Friday morning in Floyd County. At 3:45 a.m., a 1997 Dodge Ram was going south on U.S. Highway 221 when it ran off the left side of the road, overcorrected, crossed the roadway hit an embankment, overturned and ejected the driver, according to Virginia State Police. The crash happened about a mile south of Route 221′s intersection with Route 721. The driver, Mark Andrew Proctor, 62, was not wearing his seat belt and died at the scene, according to police. Below is an approximate location of the crash.

Thousands without power as winter weather hits Southwest, Central Virginia

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:

More than 31,000 without power across Southwest, Central Virginia

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.

WATCH: Comets and Cougars go to 5 OTs, Radford boys and girls advance to Region Finals

ROANOKE, Va. – Pulaski County came out strong against Halifax County in the Region 4D Semifinal, building a 10 point first half lead. But Halifax County stayed disciplined, remained poised and closed the game strong to force overtime. In Radford both the boys and girls programs advanced to Region 2C Finals. The girls defeated Fort Chiswell 64-32, behind four three pointer from Haley Whitt. AdOther Wednesday night scores included:BOYS:Blacksburg 50, Amherst County 30Halifax County 75, Pulaski County 69, 5OTLiberty Christian 67, Fluvanna 53Floyd County 73, Fort Chiswell 39Radford 66, Glenvar 45Narrows 59, George Wythe-Wytheville 57Parry McCluer 44, Auburn 33GIRLS:Pulaski County 64, Salem 33Glenvar 52, Giles 42Radford 64, Fort Chiswell 32

Floyd County experiences snow, freezing temperatures from winter storm

FLOYD, Va. – A snowstorm blanketed the New River Valley Wednesday night, and Floyd County experienced every aspect of winter’s wrath. Some sections of Floyd County received up to five inches of snow, and blowing snow caused a problem on some roads the day after the storm. The area is in the crosshairs of another projected winter storm set to hover over Virginia on Sunday. He said he does not mind the snow as much as others, but he is already looking forward to the end of winter. “When winter first hits, we’re always really excited for the snow, but as time goes on, we also get ready for the spring,” Ryker said.

Tasty Tuesday: Cocoa Mia brings homemade, international treats to Floyd County

FLOYD, Va. – At Cocoa Mia , experience is everything. Jennifer explains that, “It’s very dependent on temperature and humidity.”It’s the technique, expertise and finesse that helpline this Floyd County shop with truffles, bars and homemade mixes . It’s a chocolate mint that we get out of our garden,” says Gray. This time happens to be the best time of year to get chocolate since Valentine’s Day isn’t far away. The couple says they’ll be selling, “Little packages for truffles and candy bars that we make.”

Floyd County’s creative use of CARES Act money kept a community well-fed, in business

The way Floyd County used it’s CARES Act Funds truly showcases that community spirit. Melissa Branks, the manager of the Floyd Farmers Market, said COVID-19 had a huge impact on the ability of local farmers and vendors to sell their products. Floyd County Supervisor Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch said it was the perfect way to spend county CARES Act money before the deadline. “I like to call it a win, win, win, win, win, win, win, because it had a domino effect,” DeVito Kuchenbuch said. The local farmers and producers, they were excited because it was a game-changer for their year of course.

New year, new goals: Learn to play traditional music of the region

Handmade Music School, located inside Floyd Country Store, believes with more time at home what better time to pick up a new instrument. The school usually sees an uptick in interest in lessons and workshops at the start of the year. From the fiddle to the banjo and even the mandolin, Handmade Music School teaches the region’s traditional music, oftentimes on locally handmade instruments. Continuing lessons and workshops amidst a pandemic is special to Handmade Musical School because it’s supporting musicians. Learning to play a new instrument can be a little intimidating but Small doesn’t want that to stop anyone interested.

Cast your vote in Floyd gingerbread house contest

FLOYD, Va. – Gingerbread houses are no longer a four-wall home with icing and gumdrops, and this annual competition proves just that. Floyd Country Store and Floyd Tourism have come together to host gingerbread house contests for about 10 years now, but this year they took it up a notch. You can see the houses in-person at Floyd Country Store but you don’t have to go inside, they are on display in the store’s window. The country store even made a house of their own outside of the contest. Posted by The Floyd Country Store on Thursday, December 17, 2020If you don’t feel comfortable visiting in-person, you can look at videos and pictures of each gingerbread house.

Floyd County Christmas tree farm working to meet high demand in 2020

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – Thanksgiving supper hadn’t even hit the table, and siblings Memphis and Jasmine Bender spent Thursday shopping for a Christmas tree to surprise their mom. “She’s always loved decorating and stuff like that, but we recently haven’t been able to get a good Christmas tree in the house,” said Memphis. Super excited.”Sweet Providence Christmas Tree Farm owner John Houston said they’ve been fielding calls all week from families looking for a little Christmas cheer. Knowing that everyone’s had a tough year, he’s expecting a big early Christmas rush. Garden centers, chain stores and other small Christmas tree lots could be impacted.

Thousands without power as rain moves through southwest, central Virginia

Thousands of people were without power on Thursday as rain moved through southwest and central Virginia. At one point Thursday morning there were more than 2,800 outages. As of 4:58 p.m., it was down to 376 Virginia customer outages, according to Appalachian Power. Here is a breakdown of local outages, as of 4:58 p.m.:Roanoke County: 142Roanoke City: 92Bedford County: 16Henry County: 13Franklin County: 8Carroll County: 6To see the full map of outages, click here.

Virginia General Election Results for Floyd County on Nov. 3, 2020

The 2020 General Election will be held on November 3. You can find results for Floyd 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

18-year-old Floyd County woman dies in Route 221 crash

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – An 18-year-old woman died in a crash early Sunday morning in Floyd County, according to Virginia State Police. Police said the crash occurred at 2:18 a.m. on Route 221, about half a mile north of Route 761, after a 1998 Ford Mustang traveling south ran off the left side, hit a tree and ejected the driver. The driver, Katerina Renee Higgins, of Willis, was not wearing her seatbelt and died at the scene, according to police. The crash remains under investigation. Below is a map of the approximate location the crash happened:

Floyd County High School students head back to the classroom one extra day per week

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – Students at Floyd County High School are slowly getting back in the classroom more often. Starting Monday, high school students will attend school in person twice per week. Right now, they’re attending one day per week. Students who have been learning in person on Monday or Tuesday will now attend school on both of those days, while students who have been learning in person on Thursday or Friday will now attend school on both of those days. Click here for more on the county’s reopening plan for schools.

Big turnout as early in-person voting starts in Georgia

A line forms outside of the State Farm Arena for early voting on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)ATLANTA – The chance to cast ballots on Georgia's first day of in-person early voting Monday had thousands of people waiting for hours to make their voices heard. Technicians resolved the problem and the lines soon cleared at the arena, which is Georgia's largest early voting site, with 300 voting machines. Early in-person voting runs through Oct. 30 in Georgia. While voters must vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day, they can vote at any voting site in their county during early voting.

Person associated with Floyd County schools tests positive for COVID-19

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – A person who is associated with Floyd County Public Schools has tested positive for coronavirus. According to a Facebook post from the school district, the person hasn’t been on Check Elementary property for five days, Floyd Elementary School property for eight days, and hasn’t been on Floyd High School or Willis Elementary property for nine days. School officials say they were told by the Virginia Department of Health that the person did not catch the virus at school property and they weren’t the cause of any high-risk exposures. Schools will remain open.

Floyd County head football coach honored with a field in his name

FLOYD, Va. – In July, Floyd County’s school board met to honor two longtime coaches at the high school by renaming their respective “offices.”Winfred Beale, the head coach for Floyd County High School’s football team, is entering is 39th year at the school. And what a better way to celebrate nearly four decades at a school than having your home turf named after you? The field will be renamed to Coach Beale Field, which the coach said surprised him. “Humbly happy, surprised, just grateful. The fans, parents, really good peoples well as their businesses, I’m just really glad to be in a place like Floyd, Virginia.”

One positive coronavirus case at Floyd County elementary school

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – One person has tested positive for coronavirus at an elementary school in Floyd County. School officials say the person is associated with Check Elementary School and has not been on school property for the last nine days. Officials say they were told by the health department that the person did not get coronavirus at the school and there were no high risk exposures at the school.. Check Elementary School will remain open.

Missing 70-year-old man found safe in Carroll County

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – UPDATEAuthorities say Turner Quesenberry, 70, was found around 11 a.m. in Carroll County. According to Carroll County sheriff Kevin Kemp, he was found just off Piney Ford Road. ORIGINAL STORYThe Floyd County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help to find a missing elderly man. Turner Quesenberry, 70, was last seen around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday wearing a ball cap, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say he left on foot near the post office on Indian Valley Road and the Carroll County border.

One dead, one hospitalized after Blue Ridge Parkway crash in Floyd County

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – A 65-year-old Patrick County man is dead and another person is in the hospital after a two-vehicle crash near the Rocky Knob Visitor Center on Thursday afternoon. At about 2:30 p.m., authorities responded to the crash near milepost 168 on Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the parkway officials. Danny Shelton, of Meadows of Dan, was driving south when authorities say he crossed the center line and crashed head-on into an oncoming vehicle. Shelton died at the scene while the driver of the other vehicle was flown to a local hospital. Below is a map of the approximate location of the crash:

Man dies after fatal Floyd County motorcycle crash in July

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – Authorities say they are investigating after a man died in a motorcycle crash in Floyd County in July. According to state police, the crash happened on July 26 around 6 p.m. on Route 799, just east of Route 805. Matthew Dalton, 39 of Meadows of Dan, was on a 1999 Harley Davidson Road King going east on Route 799 when police say he lost control and crashed before being ejected. Authorities say Dalton was wearing a helmet and was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital where he later died.

Floyd County schools offering free breakfast, lunch for all students this year

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. – Students in Floyd County returned to the classroom for the first day of school on Tuesday. With the new school year comes a new program providing free meals for every student in the county. “Access to food is an emergency service that every community has to have, and here in Floyd we are the emergency food provider at our five schools,” Floyd County Schools Superintendent John Wheeler said. Parents and their students don’t have to fill out any forms in order to participate, and students can get free breakfast and lunch every day for the year. For the latest on Floyd County Public Schools’ reopening plan, click here.

Hot, dry weather could have big impact on local Christmas tree industry

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. Christmas is still more than five months away but the recent hot and dry weather could be having an impact on one of the holidays most popular symbols. Local Christmas tree growers may have to start watering their trees if we get another long stretch of hot dry weather. That could have a big impact on growers. The owner of Sweet Providence Farm in Floyd County, John Houston, said Thursday that most local growers dont normally have to irrigate their trees. I was starting to keep track of how long it has been and looking at our rainfall from the previous month, Houston said.

Million-dollar lottery ticket sold in Floyd

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. Check your glove compartments a ticket from Tuesdays Mega Millions drawing was purchased in Floyd, and is worth $1 million. According to lottery officials, the winning ticket was bought at the Food Lion at 350 West Main Street in Floyd with the winning numbers 6-20-37-40-48. The only number they missed was the mega ball number, which was 15. The ticket was reportedly the only one nationwide to match the first five numbers in Tuesday nights drawing. No ticket in Virginia or anywhere else across the country matched all six numbers, so the jackpot grows to around $44 million for Friday nights drawing.

Flash Flood Warning issued for areas across southwest Virginia

Published: May 21, 2020, 7:10 amBLACKSBURG, Va. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for parts of southwest Virginia. The following areas are under a Flash Flood Warning:Floyd CountyCarroll CountyNorthwestern part of Henry CountyGalaxWestern part of Franklin CountyPatrick CountyFlooding of small creeks and streams, highways, streets and underpasses and other drainage and low lying areas are expected to be impacted.