PITTSYLVANIA

Strong storms swept across the region, bringing heavy winds, crazy storm clouds, and several warnings and threats.

Some storms will be capable of producing hail or damaging wind Thursday afternoon and evening

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a grant to add 10 school resource officers to its school division.

Any storms that develop could produce strong winds, heavy rain and lightning

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Halifax and Pittsylvania counties.

Two teens were injured following a crash involving a Pittsylvania school bus on Route 29 Thursday morning, according to Virginia State Police.

A 22-year-old man is dead after he was hit by a car on Route 750, which is near Route 724 in Pittsylvania County, according to Virginia State Police.

Booster shots for all three COVID-19 vaccines are now available at three mobile vaccination clinics in the Pittsylvania/Danville Health District.

Despite a shooting Saturday night outside of the fairgrounds, the Danville Pittsylvania County Fair continues to welcome in large crowds.

From 2020 to 2021, all agencies improved their response time by an average of 14%.

We are tracking the potential for another round of severe weather this weekend

After the current command and increasing supply of the COVID-19 vaccine, Phase 2 residents who are pre-registered in the Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts can now receive a vaccine starting next week.

DANVILLE, Va. – Thousands of people in the Danville area will now be able to can now get their coronavirus shot. Calling it a game-changer, Pittsylvania/Danville Health District Director Dr. Scott Spillman, said the new mass vaccination center at the Danville Mall will administer up to 3,000 doses a day for the next several weeks inside the old JCPenney store. Ad“This site also provides opportunity economically to hire individuals in the community to support this as well,” said Brown. “For a while, it didn’t look like we were going to get there until the middle of the summer,” Spillman said. You can pre-register through the state’s registration website or by calling the COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 1-877-829-4682.

The Pittsylvania/Danville Health District is holding a COVID-19 testing clinic today. You can get a test between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Frith Fine Arts Center at Averett University. Roanoke Mutual Aid is holding a food drive today. It’s unveiling a Mobile STEM Center today, allowing the Girl Scouts to take STEM Opportunities to communities throughout the region. The Virginia Department of Health holds a COVID-19 vaccine clinic today.

– More people living in two health districts in Southside Virginia will now be able to receive the COVID vaccine, according to the Virginia Department of Health. On Tuesday, both the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District and the Southside Health District, which covers Halifax, Mecklenburg and Brunswick counties, expanded beyond vaccinating only those 65 and over as part of Phase 1b. “We are very excited to be able to now offer the vaccine to everyone in Phase 1b,” said director of the PDHD and SSHD Dr. Scott Spillmann. The previous group included police officers, firefighters, hazmat workers, childcare workers, pre-k through 12 school staff, at-risk populations and adults aged 65 and older. If you’re interested in receiving a vaccination, you can pre-register here.

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:

Appalachian Power customers out of power on Feb. 16Thousands are still without power across southwest and central Virginia as the region braces for more winter weather Thursday. Below is a breakdown of local counties covered by Appalachian Power and the number of outages they’re experiencing:Bedford: 93Campbell: 437Floyd: 2,163Franklin: 2,887Henry: 1,114Patrick: 208Pittsylvania: 658Roanoke: 626Below is a breakdown of local counties covered by Mecklenburg Electric:Halifax: 2,602Pittsylvania: 2,070Danville Utilities is reporting 4,699 outages.

Pittsylvania/Danville Health District Director Scott Spillman said after talking to the governor’s office they may receive an extra 15% of vaccines next week. “I told the person last night I am going to talk to them every single day until we get more vaccines,” Spillman said. AdWith phone systems crashing in the past and low internet accessibility, Sovah Health now has a team going door to door to register people on their iPads. With communities of color more at risk, Sovah Health is reaching out to community leaders to spread the word. “We noticed there was a lack of balance there and that’s why we reached out to folks this time around to get to the ground level,” Sovah Health Danville Chief Operating Officer John Kent said.

PITTSYLVANIA, Va. – This pit bull terrier has the personality to match his fun name. At 2-years-old, Wasabi is a smart and fun-loving boy who is looking for someone to shower him with affection. His dream home is with a family that has a nice yard that he can play in. Click here to learn more about Wasabi.

PITTSYLVANIA, Va. – You can see it in her eyes. May was definitely a Jedi in a past life. May is a 1-year-old female cat with the most beautiful tortoiseshell coat. She is chatty, loves to snuggle and will be by your side (not the Dark Side) for hours. If you are interested in May, you can find her at the Pittsylvania Pet Center.

PITTSYLVANIA, Va. – This handsome 4-year-old pit bull terrier will brighten up your life. With his cheesy smile and playful personality, there will never be a dull day with him. Miller is a little particular about his four-legged friends, so he would need time to meet and approve other dogs. Regardless, he is a spirited and loyal dog that will quickly become your best friend. Click here for more information about Miller.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – A person working in VDOT’s Lynchburg District has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The Lynchburg District contains Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Nelson, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward counties, as well as Danville and Lynchburg. Those who worked with this person have been notified, and any facilities impacted were immediately closed for cleaning and disinfecting according to CDC guidelines, according to Paula Jones with VDOT. Those facilities will reopen only when all protocols are completed.

ROANOKE, Va. – Although the watch was initially scheduled to expire at 5 p.m., the National Weather Service canceled it shortly after 1:20 p.m. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for multiple counties in Southside Virginia until 5 p.m.At 11 a.m., the watch was issued for Halifax, Henry and Pittsylvania counties, as well as the cities of Danville and Martinsville. Remember, a watch means that storms containing damaging wind will be possible. If a warning is issued, that is when you take action.

GILES COUNTY, Va. – Another local area has been declared a Second Amendment sanctuary. The Giles County Board of Supervisors approved it with a 5-0 vote Thursday night. Giles County joins Appomattox, Campbell, Carroll, Charlotte, Patrick and Pittsylvania counties in the designation. Franklin and Pulaski counties are considering the measure.

BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. - Drought conditions are improving across much of our area, but thats not stopping counties from declaring a drought disaster. That means if the state and federal government declare drought disasters, some farmers in the counties may be eligible for money from the federal government to help them recover. For other farmers and growers, like Ikenberry Orchards manager Gwen Ikenberry, a federal drought disaster declaration may not help. Some beef cattle farmers won't be so lucky, though. If and when the state and the federal government may declare a drought disaster is unclear.

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA - Twelve counties across Southwest Virginia have issued burn bans due to dangerously dry conditions. Chris Thomsen, with the Virginia Department of Forestry's, said the dry conditions go deeper than the ground's surface, so putting out fires is that much harder. "A bush hog will go out and the blade will strike a rock and it will spark a fire and you don't see that if it's not this dry," Thomsen said. As long as the drought doesn't let up, neither will the burn bans. "Sooner or later we'll be out of this, it just doesn't look like it's going to be anytime soon," Thomsen said.

DANVILLE, Va. - Goodwill Industries of South Central Virginia is filing for bankruptcy, hoping to merge with other area Goodwills. The organization covers stores at its base of operations in Danville and also in Pittsylvania and Halifax counties. A statement posted to its website said its provided services for 46 years, but after going through a difficult few years its now hoping to merge with other area Goodwills. It also states that stores will remain open and services will continue to be offered during the process. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.