George Atkinson, a hard-hitting former Raiders safety who struck fear in the opposition, has died.

Out with the warm, and in with the cold! If Mother Nature plays along, the Homestead will be ready for skiers next week.

BATH COUNTY, Va. – Despite signs of hope amid the coronavirus pandemic, the tourism industry is still being hit hard, forcing the Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County to scale back its operations. Though guests are checking out, no one is checking in at the Homestead. “COVID-19 has definitely had a devastating impact on our resort, on Omni hotels and resorts and on our industry as a whole. “We have a very significant economic impact on the county in this region and so we don’t make these decisions lightly,” Swann said. It’s not yet clear what operations will look like beyond January, but Swann said the Homestead’s long-term viability is top of mind.

The Omni Homestead Resort was forced to shut down for three months because of the pandemic. We closed the resort on March 29 and now three months later, June 29, we are reopening to our guests, said Lynn Swann, director of marketing and communications for the Omni Homestead Resort. The resort is also reopening to employees. Changes include barriers separating associates from guests, enforced social distancing, strict cleaning policies, daily health screenings for workers and limited amenities. The Homestead reopening is good news for the entire area, as the resort is Bath County's largest employer.

Preserving small pieces of history in Bath County, the Cascades Inn in Healing Springs is beyond the end of its life and is being torn down. But not before Robert Kulp and Mike Whiteside of Black Dog Salvage claim some small parts of it for restoration. The inn served a number of purposes over the years but has sat empty for the last 25 years. "So you want to make the best of that situation by calling in people like Mike and Robert," said Swann. Mike and Robert will show some of their visit at the Cascades on season 11 of Salvage Dawgs on DIY Network later this year.