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Today's News

  • Police chief looks back on 2013

    The number of both vehicle stops and traffic tickets in Galax were higher in 2013 than the previous year, but there was a decrease in traffic-related injuries and property damage.
    Police Chief Rick Clark gives partial credit for this shift to the city reducing speed limits on some streets, he said in his annual report to Galax City Council.

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  • Former police dispatcher pleads guilty

    Burgandy Bobbitt, a former dispatcher for the Galax Police Department, has entered a “no contest” plea to 15 charges of making “annoyance calls” to Fries resident Heather Shaffner last year.
    The calls are classified as a Class 3 misdemeanor, for which the state of Virginia limits fines to $500 or less per charge.
    In court in Floyd County on Feb. 3, Bobbitt was found guilty on the 15 counts and fined a total of $2,054, including court costs.

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  • House OKs guns on school grounds

    RICHMOND — On a largely party-line 67-32 vote, the Republican-controlled House of Delegates passed legislation last week allowing teachers and other school employees to have firearms on school grounds in certain cases.
    The bill (HB786) from Del. Tony Wilt (R-Rockingham County) says school employees can’t be dismissed or placed on probation for having an unloaded gun in a closed container, locked trunk or gun rack — or a concealed handgun with a valid permit — in a vehicle on school property.

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  • Winter storm aftermath: what to do about property damage?

    As a result of last week’s winter storm, the American Automobile Association offers tips on how to handle insurances matters relating to damage to your property:
    If your car is damaged by a fallen tree or limbs, file a claim using your vehicle policy’s comprehensive coverage.
    If your tree falls on your house, your insurance will cover removal of the tree and home repairs due to damage.
    If your tree falls on your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s homeowners’ policy would provide insurance coverage.

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  • Police identify shooting victims

    UPDATED Feb. 20, 2014, 5 p.m.:

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  • READ THE FEBRUARY 14 E-EDITION

    Due to technical problems, todays online "e-edition" of The Gazette isn't in its usual place on the website.

    Normally, the online edition is found under the "Special Sections" page of the site, but today the individual pages are downloadable from the links on this page. We hope to have the problem fixed later today (Feb. 14) and the online edition will be back where it belongs.

    We apologize for the inconvenience.

    FEBRUARY 14 E-EDITION: CLICK LINKS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD EACH PAGE:

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  • Legislators approve education reforms

    RICHMOND — Virginia’s teachers may be getting several items on their legislative wish list after the House of Delegates approved a handful of education-overhaul bills on Tuesday, the eve of the session’s crossover deadline.
    The changes could mean fewer standardized tests, more time to prepare for them and a delay in giving each school an A-F grade based largely on those exam scores.

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  • Writer explores meaning of love

    It was a typical evening at her boyfriend Richard’s house when writing hobbyist and former Independence resident Melissa Caudill first got the idea for a short story.
    “I was sitting there, and his cat got on my lap and was laying there in what looked like an uncomfortable position. [Richard] mentioned that the cat likes me, and I told him, ‘no, she’s just looking for a comfortable place.
    “So he says, ‘That doesn’t look comfortable — that looks like love.’”

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  • Collapse puts N.C. 89 work on hold

    LOWGAP, N.C. — An ongoing project to realign a deadly curve on Lowgap Mountain in N.C. has been delayed after a lack of sturdy rock material on the hillside led to an unexpected collapse.
    The infamous “Snowbird Curve” has built a bad reputation for Route 89, which crosses the state line and runs through Galax. The quarter-mile stretch of road has limited visibility, and is not particularly accommodating to large tractor trailers.

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  • 'Andrew's Law' faces hurdles in the House

    HILLSVILLE — A proposal meant to protect state “Samaritan” workers, named in memory of fallen Trooper Andrew Fox, has been approved unanimously by the Senate, but family members worry that the bill will not get a fair hearing in the House of Delegates.
    Trooper Andrew David Fox died Oct. 5, 2012, of injuries sustained when he was struck by Angelica Valencia’s car while directing traffic at the Virginia State Fair near Richmond.

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