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Today's News

  • Drugs taken from Laurel Fork clinic

    UPDATED — A handgun went off during the struggle between an alleged robber and a pharmacy employee Friday afternoon in Carroll County but no one was injured. The suspect escaped after stealing an unspecified amount of controlled drugs.

    The Carroll County Sheriff's Department reported late Friday that a man wielding a handgun robbed the Tri-Area Pharmacy on U.S. 58 about 4:23 p.m. that afternoon in the Laurel Fork community.

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  • Suspect avoids drug sting, takes off

    HILLSVILLE — A suspect in an investigation fled the scene of a drug buy set up near Hillsville Thursday, leading officers from five law enforcement agencies on a chase through the Twin Counties, authorities say.

    Donald Scott Vaughan, 52, of Galax faces multiple charges as a result.

    The investigation — and the chase — led to charges of felony eluding police, two counts of distribution of a schedule II drug, reckless driving and using a police scanner to evade law enforcement, according to information from Carroll Sheriff Warren Manning.

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  • Emergency contract awarded for bridge

    The Federal Highway Administration will allow the Virginia Department of Transportation to proceed with an emergency contract to replace Carico Bridge.

    VDOT spokeswoman Michelle Earl said that the highway administration granted approval to move forward with the emergency contract.

    A project showing for potential contractors was held at the VDOT Bristol District Office. Ten contractors were invited to attend based on prequalification and experience in similar projects, Earl said.

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  • Galax tourism director gears up for summer

    New Galax Tourism Director Ray Kohl says his initial focus is to get the city’s new welcome center up and running at least by the Leaf & Strong Festival of June 11-12, and to market the area and oversee festivals.

    Even though the welcome center was complete last month, former tourism director Chuck Riedhammer resigned March 3 to accept a position with the Southwest Virignia Cultural Heritage Commission. He was to relocate his office from the Galax Municipal Building to the visitor center so he could manage it.

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  • Grayson couple guilty of ID theft

    A married couple from Elk Creek pleaded guilty to stealing the identity of an elderly man for whom they provided in-home care, and using the information to commit bank fraud.

    Robbie Kevin Poole, 50, and his wife, Kathryn Rebecca Poole, 58, entered pleas of guilty in U.S. District Court in Roanoke to two counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

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  • Grayson seeks budget comments

    INDEPENDENCE — The Grayson County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing about the school system’s proposed $20.76 million 2010-11 budget at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Grayson County Courthouse boardroom.

    The budget includes a request for $5.1 million in county money – a 22 percent increase from this year’s local contribution of $4 million and an 8 percent increase from $4.7 million in county funds in the 2008-09 budget. The request is on par with the local contribution of $5.1 million in 2007.

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  • Carroll opts for renovation over new construction

    HILLSVILLE — Carroll County school officials hope to retool financing efforts for improvements to two facilities by seeking Rural Development’s assistance.

    After it became apparent at a special meeting between the school board and the Carroll supervisors that building a new high school plus remodeling two buildings would be too expensive, educators will focus on the renovation idea.

    Schools’ Superintendent Greg Smith mentioned at Tuesday’s Carroll School Board meeting his contact with Travis Jackson of Rural Development.

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  • Grayson to borrow money

    INDEPENDENCE — Grayson supervisors will explore their financial options as the county looks to make up a potential $2.7 million deficit at the end of the current budget year.

    Corbin Stone of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates — the accounting firm compiling a financial forecast for Grayson County — and Dan Siegel of law firm Sands, Anderson, Marks & Miller were on hand April 13 to discuss a few options supervisors need to consider.

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  • Water on the way in Carroll communities

    SYLVATUS — A community that has asked Carroll for water for more than two years — will tap into an overflow of money from another public utility system being constructed in the county.

    Carroll County officials from the Board of Supervisors and the Public Service Authority, along with Rural Development Regional Director Travis Jackson, shared the news with the community at the Sylvatus Ruritan Club over a tall, cool bottle of water Monday morning.

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  • Two arrested in connection with drug operation

    HILLSVILLE — Federal court documents describe an investigation into a substantial illegal drug operation that led to the arrest of two Hillsville men April 14.

    The Carroll County Sheriff's Office recently reported that Rigoberto Ruiz-Ruvalcaba of 328 Saddle Up Trail and Stacey Harold Bullion of 63 Lewis Lane face federal charges of distribution of methamphetamine.

    These charges cap off a two-year investigation by the Twin County Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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