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Local Newspapers Get New Owner

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:59:59 +0000

Media General announced today that it is selling 63 newspapers in Virginia including the daily News & Advance and weekly Amherst New Era-Progress and Nelson County Times. Many of the Virginia papers are assembled and printed at the Lynchburg newspaper plant by separate divisions of the company. A subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will purchase all of the newspapers owned by Media General, with the exception of the Tampa Tribune group for an estimated $142 million. The Media General newspapers will now become part of BH Media Group. In addition, the company owns television stations across the South; the company and its subsidiaries have an estimated 260,000 employees.

Copper Thieves Target GLAD’s Manufacturing Plant

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:58:58 +0000

Like many communities across the region, Amherst has experienced a rash of copper thefts. Authorities are still investigation a costly copper theft at the Glad Manufacturing last month. Investigators say sometime before 5 p.m. April 17, someone cut through a fence at the plant and entered an electrical substation and removed copper wire, leaving more than 1,000 people without power and sending an entire shift of workers home with lost pay. The Glad break-in was the first such disruptive theft on the record in Amherst County that has seen at least a dozen since March. Scores of other thefts have been reported in counties through Central Virginia in recent months. Appalachian Power says the company spends about a $1 million a year on copper theft; The Company offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of copper thieves.

Man Sentenced For Selling Property That Wasn’t His

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:57:01 +0000

An Appomattox man was sentenced to seven months in jail for selling property that he did not own. Edward Hamilton, Jr. was sentenced to 12 years in prison with all but the seven months were suspended on the condition of 15 years good behavior and two years supervised probation upon release. Hamilton was convicted of four charges of obtaining money through false pretenses between June and August of last year. According to the Times Virginian, Hamilton received money along with other items for property and never received permission from the owner to sell the property.

Check Point Scheduled on Friday For Monacan Bridge

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:56:07 +0000

The Central Virginia Highway Traffic Safety Board will be holding a traffic checkpoint on Route 29 at the Monacan Bridge on Friday May 18th to kick off the Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign. The multi jurisdictional enforcement event will be held from noon until 2pm at the Monacan Bridge where Amherst and Campbell Counties and the City of Lynchburg join.

UPDATE: Rt. 460 Accident Kills D.C Man NAMES RELEASED

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:57:59 +0000

UPDATE:Virginia State Police this morning released the name of the man killed in a wreck along 460 in Thaxton yesterday. Authorities say 72 year old, John Willis Gravely of D.C., lost control of his car, crossed a median and hit a bucket truck head-on. His passenger, a 67-year-old female was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The truck’s driver, 47 year old David Ray Burnette, of Roanoke, was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, while his passenger, 33 year old, Colby S. Powell of Troutville, was taken by ambulance. Wednesday’s accident marks the ninth fatal crash and the tenth death since April 21 in Central Virginia

One person is dead and three are injured after a Wednesday afternoon crash in Bedford County. It happened along Route 460 when the driver of a westbound Cadillac lost control of his car and went into the eastbound lanes, hitting a bucket truck head-on. The driver of the Cadillac, who was from Washington, D.C., was killed in the accident. His passenger and the two occupants of the truck were taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Ash Lawn-Highland’s 18th Annual WineFest May 19-20

Mari — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:50:32 +0000

Ash Lawn-Highland’s 18th Annual WineFest Will Be Swinging on May 19 and 20

With spring in the air, there’s no better venue for an outing than Ash Lawn-Highland’s 18th annual WineFest on May 19 and 20 at the home of President James Monroe. There will be wines from some of Virginia’a notable wineries and live music. Add in carefully-selected artisans and food crafters, a house tour with knowledgeable guides, cows mooing in the pasture, a souvenir wine glass for tasting, music by the Last Call Gospel Choir and the day is set. The Festival is held rain or shine, with cover at the Hilltop Pavilion and in tents from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The Festival’s wine samplings can be paired on the spot with a variety of food by various vendors.

Participating wineries include:

AmRhein Vineyards

Boxwood Vineyards

Chestnut Oak Vineyards

DelFossee

First Colony

Little Washington Winery

Rosemont Vineyards

Admission is $15 for advance reservations (through May 18 only), $20 at the door and $7 for children ages 6-11. For reservations, call 434-293-8000 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m..

Ash Lawn-Highland is open daily from 11 am to 5pm November – March, and 9am to 6pm April – October. Tours are $12 for adults ($11 for seniors and AAA members), $6 for children (ages 6 to 11) and $5 for local residents (Albemarle, Augusta, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Nelson, Orange and Rockingham counties). Ash Lawn-Highland is located off I-64, exit 121, 2 ½ miles past Jefferson’s Monticello at 2050 James Monroe Parkway. For more information, call 434-293-8000 or visit www.al-h.us.

Train Derailment Closes Road

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:59:15 +0000

Several cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed en route to Lynchburg, leading to the closure of Route 628 in Appomattox County. Virginia State Police and Norfolk Southern officials say no one was injured and there were no hazardous materials on the train which went off the main track just before 4 p.m. It’s believed that seven empty cars derailed and although police have finished their investigation at the scene, Route 628 is expected to remain closed until at least 6:00 this morning.

Accused Drug Dealing Pair Will Not Face State Charges

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:56:58 +0000

A Lynchburg man and woman charged in the city’s largest-ever drug bust will NOT face state charges. Christopher Lee Wood and Julian “Jamaica” James are accused of dealing 4.5 million dollars worth of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, marijuana, cash and firearms. The two still face federal charges.

Historic Library Remains Unsold

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:55:06 +0000

The former Jones Memorial Library in Lynchburg is still for sale. At an auction yesterday, bidding started at 500-thousand dollars but the only offer was 100-thousand, which the owner rejected. The 1908 building on Rivermont Avenue housed the city’s first library and is assessed at 638-thousand dollars. Owner Kevin Clauson says he’ll leave it on the market for sale.

Virginia Will Get A Portion of Skechers Settlement

tina — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:48:25 +0000

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says Virginia will receive about $115,000 from a multistate settlement with Skechers USA Inc. over the company’s shoe ads. Under the settlement announced Wednesday, Skechers will pay the states a total $5 million