News Near You for July 3

NEWS NEAR YOU

Henrico Fairfield District Supervisor Frank J. Thornton has been appointed to the charter and bylaws committee of the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission. His one-year term on the committee began Wednesday. The commission is a multijurisdictional planning agency that works to develop cooperative policies on such regional issues as transportation, water resources and solid-waste planning. The commission serves the city of Richmond, town of Ashland and counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan. Thornton is serving a four-year term on the commission.

Chesterfield A stray cat impounded Saturday by Chesterfield County's Animal Control Division has tested positive for rabies. The cat was found in the courthouse area. Animal-control officials remind residents to ensure their pets have current rabies vaccinations and to contain their pets on their property. Residents also should avoid coming in contact with and feeding stray animals.

AROUND THE STATE

Wise The University of Virginia's College at Wise has broken ground for a $30 million Convocation Center. It's the largest construction project in the college's 55-year history. The facility will seat 3,000 for sports events and 4,000 for concerts or convocation activities. It's the region's first venue to seat large crowds -- something economic developers have promoted to boost growth in far Southwest Virginia. The Convocation Center is scheduled to be completed in two years.

Virginia Beach Authorities say a white substance that was mailed to the Christian Broadcasting Network headquarters in Virginia Beach, causing several employees to be isolated for six hours, was whey protein powder, not anthrax or ricin. CBN spokesman Chris Roslan says two employees opened the envelope containing white powder Wednesday morning.

Falls Church A funeral home that has been accused of mishandling bodies awaiting burial at Arlington National Cemetery says an internal review found no evidence of wrongdoing. Attorneys for National Funeral Home in Falls Church wrote to a Virginia regulatory board that the company has not violated any laws or industry standards. A former employee has accused the funeral home of storing bodies in hallways and on unrefrigerated storage racks in a garage.

Suffolk Police say they now have a suspect to go with an image of a person who snapped a photo of himself with a cell phone belonging to the owner of the home he burglarized in early June. Police say a 17-year-old Suffolk resident faces charges of burglary and larceny. They're not identifying him because he's underage.

Salem The Virginia Department of Transportation says a metal defect in an anchor bolt and a higher-than-typical load contributed to a pedestrian bridge collapse that injured nine people. VDOT said yesterday that the bolt broke, causing the bridge spanning Walker Creek in Giles County to collapse Oct. 12. Ten people were on the cable-and-wood bridge when it collapsed.

Salem Roanoke County has ended Roanoke law-enforcement officers' use of a county-owned firing range and driver-training facility, citing a disregard for safety. The decision stems from a sniper training session in October in which an instructor put officers within 5 feet of a target while others fired live rounds from 50 yards away.

Virginia Beach Investigators recently broke up a drug-distribution ring and seized more than $60,000 in marijuana, including about 265 marijuana plants, from a Virginia Beach house, police said. Johnathan L. Wright Jr., 26, and Adam Ray Pipkin, 31, both of Virginia Beach, were booked into the Virginia Beach Correctional Center on drug and conspiracy charges. A third man, Trent T. Haynes Jr., 24, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was charged with conspiracy, police officials said Wednesday.