55º

INSIDER

PATRICK COUNTY

New BBB report shows 25% increase in scams due to pandemic

More than 46,000 scams nationwide were reported to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker in 2020. The BBB scam tracker saw nearly 25% more reports in 2020 compared to 2019. “Locally, the (government agency) imposter scams were number one followed very close to online scams. His regret is finding out about the BBB Scam Tracker after the fact. The FTC found the gift cards scammers ask for the most are Ebay, Google Play, iTunes, Amazon and Target.

FloydFest organizers encouraged by eased outdoor entertainment restrictions

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. – Southwest Virginia’s largest music festival is planning its return this year, which has been made easier with Virginia’s new COVID-19 guidelines. FloydFest will come back to Patrick County between July 21 and 25, social distancing restrictions permitting. Ralph Northam announced the capacity for outdoor entertainment will soon increase to 1,000 customers, an encouraging sign for FloydFest chief operating officer Sam Calhoun. “It’ll be amazing,” Calhoun said. “We’re just waiting with cautious optimism that we can get a higher number than that and have more of a large gathering on that mountain in a safe manner.

FloydFest announces 2021 lineup after last year’s canceled festival

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. – Get ready to jam out at one of the biggest music festivals in our region this summer. FloydFest has announced its lineup for 2021 after being canceled last year due to coronavirus restrictions. The festival will be July 21 through July 25, and The Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson, the Old Crow Medicine Show and the Turkuaz will be the headlining acts for the four-day event. The Avett Brothers aren’t a stranger to FlodyFest and were in FloydFest 4 during 2005. For more information visit their website.

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: Fleming and Radford boys get wins on the hardwoods Tuesday night

ROANOKE, Va. – On senior night at William Fleming, Mickey Hardy’s Colonels paced themselves in a 59-43 victory over Franklin County. In Daleville, the highly touted Radford Bobcats put their show on the road, earning a 65-55 win over Lord Botetourt. The three-point machine, Cam Cormany, tallied 23 points in the win for the Bobcats. Other scores from Tuesday night included:BOYS SCORES:Cave Spring 66, William Byrd 43E.C. Glass 74, Heritage 10Nelson County 46, Altavista 36Northside 46, Glenvar 42Patrick County 58, GW-Danville 8Patrick Henry-Roanoke 64, Salem 43Timberlake Christian 46, Blue Ridge Christian 22William Fleming 45, Franklin County 34

Power outages still impacting thousands across southwest Virginia

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.

More than 3,000 customers now without power in Southwest Virginia

Appalachian Power outage map as of 6:10 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2020. With wintry weather conditions affect our region, there are some areas in Southwest Virginia that are experiencing power outages Wednesday. [Snow, ice to cause slippery roads, scattered power outages Wednesday]As of 4:28, more than 5,000 customers were without power. According to Appalachian Power, as of 5:58 p.m. here are the top five localities by outage number. County/City Customer Outages Henry County 1,732 Albemarle County 354 Patrick County 288 Grayson County 178 Floyd County 129The outages started at 12:05 p.m.

Man arrested for allegedly shooting into occupied vehicle in Patrick County

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. – Authorities arrested a Patrick County man after he allegedly fired several shots into an occupied vehicle on Tuesday. 48-year-old Sammy Wayne Smith is facing charges of shooting into an occupied vehicle, brandishing a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith. The man got into his car and caught up with the vehicle he suspected in the shots fired incident, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The tactical response team for the Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Smith’s home around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and they took him into custody. Smith is being held without bail in the Patrick County Jail.

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

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

Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe to launch certification program at local community college

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Mike Rowe from the hit TV show Dirty Jobs has developed a new employment certification, and Patrick Henry Community College has been chosen as one of the 20 schools for the pilot program. Rowe is partnering with the National Council of Certification Centers (NC3) for his new professionalism program, the Mike Rowe Works Foundation certification, that is centered around his S.W.E.A.T Pledge — Skill and Worth Ethic Aren’t Taboo. The certification program claims to be for anyone looking to establish workplace readiness skills based in its four pillars of professionalism: work ethic, personal responsibility, delayed gratification and a positive attitude. Patrick Henry Community College is a NC3 Leader School and was chosen as one of the 20 schools to launch the pilot program. According to a press release from the college, the certification aims to create a generation of workers who know how to communicate and are reliable, trainable and collaborative.

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:

70-year-old man dies in Patrick County motorcycle crash

PATRICK COUNTY, Va. – A 70-year-old man is dead after a crash in Patrick County on Sunday, according to Virginia State Police. Authorities say the crash happened around 12:20 p.m. on Route 58 two miles east of Route 620. According to state police, Ronald Elliott of Ridgeway was going west on Route 58 on a 2004 Harley Davidson when the motorcycle crossed the center line and hit a 2018 Nissan Titan. Police say Elliott was wearing a helmet and died at the scene. Authorities say the driver of the Nissan, Michael Hubbard, 76, of Meadows of Dan, was wearing his seatbelt and was not hurt in the crash.

Descendant of J.E.B. Stuart wants statue at his birthplace

Stuart says he wants to bring his ancestor's statue from Richmond to the cavalryman's birthplace in Patrick County in southwest Virginia. Stuart V, a Richmond orthopedic surgeon, formally asked Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and the City Council on Monday to allow the transfer of the statue to the J.E.B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust Inc., the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Stuart made clear this week that he has no interest in the statue returning to the perch it had held on Monument Avenue since 1907. The trust was established in 1991 to manage Laurel Hill on 75 acres of what had been a 1,500-farm at Ararat, near Mount Airy, North Carolina.