By Rachel Stone Lexington police confronted a tense situation on the eve of Thanksgiving last year. A man named Joseph Anthony Jackson of Roanoke was resisting arrest after a brawl in a local bar. (Jackson, seven months later, committed suicide.) The actions Lexington police took a year ago may have kept this small town from becoming another national headline.
Author: admin
By Anna Akins At a candidate’s forum held at Lexington’s Hampton Inn Wednesday, Oct. 21, candidates for the 24th District House seat presented two distinct paths. Del. Ben Cline (R) offered a hands-off style of government while challenger Ellen Arthur (D) advocated for tighter government regulations in certain areas. On Nov. 3, Arthur is facing Cline in a contest for the 24th District House seat, which Cline has held since 2002. Virginia’s 24th House District includes the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista, parts of Amherst and Augusta Counties and all of Bath and Rockbridge Counties. Cline is an attorney…
By Katie Wildes Waddell Elementary School construction is on time and within budget, city officials say. Lexington City Council members were taken on a tour of the site last week. The project is expected to be completed in the middle of May.
By Margaret Dick and Wesley Cutler Food trucks could line the streets of downtown Lexington next year, if a proposal from Main Street Lexington passes muster with the Lexington City Council and the city planning commission. Stephanie Wilkinson, a board member of Main Street Lexington and co-founder of The Red Hen, said she believes that bringing food trucks into Lexington will provide residents and students with a larger variety of food options and a vibrant social environment. “The argument that people make for food trucks is that it creates a bigger market,” Wilkinson said. “Some cities have decided that they…
By Emma Deihle The Chamber of Commerce’s candidate forum Oct. 21 drew an unexpectedly high turnout at the Hampton Inn Col Alto. However, local registrars think voter turnout Nov. 3 will remain consistent with past off-year elections. Nearly 14,000 people were registered to vote in Rockbridge County as of Oct. 13th, which is about the same as the total number in 2013. Two years ago, when there were also primarily local races, voter turnout in Lexington was 39 percent and it was 20 percent in Buena Vista.
By Polina Noskova Last year, 728 Virginians died from drug overdoses, more than died on the highways. In Rockbridge County, the jail is overcrowded to the point where inmates are transported to other locations. The jail was built in the 1980s to last until the 2030s. “When those plans were done, meth wasn’t around,” Sheriff Chris Blalock said. Drug deaths in Rockbridge County mostly coincide with the times that a new drug is introduced, like meth or bath salts, Blalock said. “I think it just shows a need for more treatment plans and new ideas as to how we can…
By Mac Trammell The candidates running for office in Buena Vista are talking a lot about the issues: the perception of the city, its aging infrastructure and the consequences of defaulting on the city’s Vista Links golf course debt. Six candidates are running for three city council seats and one candidate is running unopposed for mayor. Council member Larry Tolley, the city’s vice-mayor, is the lone candidate for mayor. He will replace Frankie Hogan, who served as mayor for four years. Hogan, instead of running for re-election, is one of the six candidates running for city council. Two incumbents seek re-election:…
By Mac Trammell The candidates for the Rockbridge and Lexington Commonwealth’s Attorney office faced off in a debate on the campus of Washington and Lee University on Wednesday night. Candidates Joshua Elrod (I) and Chris Billias (R) answered questions from students on a number of different topics.
By Emma Deihle Rockbridge Church, a young and growing non-denominational church in an area of more established mainline churches with steady numbers, is meeting in a motel but expects to acquire a permanent space in Lexington by the end of the year. The church’s 5 p.m. Sunday service, currently held in a conference room at the Best Western Plus Inn at Hunt Ridge, draws around 100 worshippers. The church leaders are actively seeking a larger space to accommodate even more parishioners and their families. “We need a space that’s large enough to gather together,” Pastor Matt Vaught said. Vaught is…
The roundup of drug suspects on Sept. 30 was reported by news media with several conflicting numbers — of people arrested and indictments. A press release from the state police gives a definitive set of numbers. Seventy-nine individuals were targeted on 231 grand jury indictments. These people face charges of drug possession, distribution and manufacturing, and child endangerment. Various numbers were reported because a few of the individuals were picked up prior to the roundup operation, some are still being sought, three are known to have fled and all were spread out over a larger area than usual for a Rockbridge…