Harrisonburg 01/05/09  Two teenagers have been arrested for attempted break-ins at a Harrisonburg apartment complex.

Police were called to the 11-thousand block of Devon Lane just before 11 P-M Saturday night for a report of two suspicious males knocking on doors and trying to enter apartments. The suspects had gone by the time police arrived, but witnesses provided a description of the suspects and their vehicle to police.

Officers found the vehicle and arrested 18-year old city resident Ronald Aguilar and a 16-year old. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit breaking and entering and attempted breaking and entering.

Augusta County 01/05/09  Even though nothing's on the ground yet you might still see the V-DOT trucks out and about today.

Virginia Department of Transportation crews are pre-treating roads with an anti-icing agent in certain areas of Augusta County in expectation of icy precipitation. Certain chemicals applied to the road up to 48 hours before a snow storm prevent a bond from forming between the roadway and snow and ice when the storm starts.

Receiving treatment today will be Route 11 between the Rockingham and Rockbridge County lines, Route 262 from Route 11 to Interstate 81, and Route 250 from Nelson County to the bottom of Afton Mountain.

Rawley Springs 01/05/09  Authorities say no foul play is suspected in the death of a local man near Riven Rock Park over the weekend.

According to the Rockingham County Sheriff's office, the 61-year old man left a note with his brother-in-law Friday that he was going to the park west of Harrisonburg. His family contacted police this morning after his employer called to inquire about the man's absence.

Sheriff's deputies located the man's body about 100 feet from his vehicle parked on Route 33. It appears the man slipped and fell hitting his head, causing his death.

Police are not yet releasing the man's identity.

Stuarts Draft 01/05/09  The Augusta County Sheriff's office is investigating a sizeable firearm theft.

According to the Sheriff's bulletin, the incident occurred at a residence on Gerties Lane in Stuarts Draft between New Year's Eve and Sunday evening. Among the stolen items are two handguns, five rifles, and two shotguns. The thief or thieves also took a gold necklace and a National Wild Turkey Federation watch.

The estimated cost of the lost property is over 78-hundred dollars.

Anyone with information on the incident should call the Sheriff's office.

Harrisonburg 01/05/09  Here's something you haven't heard in a while: gas prices went up over the weekend.

The average price of a gallon of self serve regular in Virginia went up four cents from Friday to 1-55. Triple-A Midatlantic, which compiled the numbers, says that's still 12-cents better than we were paying last month and a steal considering we were paying over 3-dollars this time in 2008.

Stations in Harrisonburg are posting prices around that statewide average.

The national average also went up four cents over the weekend to 1-67.

Charlottesville 01/05/09  Three Virginia sites are among 10 in the South that the Southern Environmental Law Center regards as most endangered.

The list released Monday is the first by the SELC, but deputy director Jeff Gleason says the center plans to take an annual accounting of places it deems at risk.

The center says the possible widening of all 325 miles of Interstate 81 to up to 8 lanes would cause tremendous harm to communities and historic, scenic and environmental resources.

Included are the Clinch and Powell rivers in southwest Virginia, which the SELC says could be harmed by mountaintop mining to supply coal to the Dominion power plant under construction in Wise County. Also on the list are Virginia's marine waters facing exploration of oil and gas drilling off the coast.

Gleason says the South is a testing ground for the nation's most pressing environmental issues, including global warming, energy and land conservation.
    
     (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Richmond 01/05/09  Virginia is getting more than $1.2 million in federal job training money for low-income people.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the grant Monday. It's part of $48 million the agency is doling out to public housing agencies in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico.

HUD says the grants allow public housing agencies to work with welfare agencies, schools and businesses to develop programs to help people develop their skills for jobs that pay living wages.

Participants must agree to get jobs and stop receiving welfare after five years, among other things.
    
     (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Richmond 01/05/09  Virginia Deputy Secretary of Transportation Barbara Reese is changing jobs.

Reese has been appointed as deputy policy director in the governor's office. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced her appointment Monday.

Kaine says Reese will continue to lead Virginia's efforts to secure rail service to Dulles International Airport.

Reese has served as deputy secretary of transportation since 2007. She has worked in state government since the late 1980s, in both the executive and legislative branches.
    
     (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Weyers Cave 01/02/09  A backyard experiment has gotten a valley company in trouble with the Department of Environmental Quality.

According to an order signed last month, Houff's Feed and Fertilizer Company has been found in violation of environmental laws and regulations and fined just over 36-hundred dollars.

The violation took place in June when Houff's applied seven tons of food processing sludge to property it owns in Weyers Cave.  The company did not have a permit to apply the sludge.  In DEQ documents, Houff officials said they needed to experiment with the sludge to develop a potential contract to dispose of the sludge.

Harrisonburg 01/02/09  Kai Degner is Harrisonburg's new Mayor.

The 28-year old takes over for Rodney Eagle who failed in his most recent re-election bid.

Degner, Richard Baugh and David Wiens were all sworn in at the City Council's re-organizational meeting.

In other business, Baugh was named vice-mayor and council retained the services of City Attorney Earl Thumma for another two year term.

Council also kept its schedule of meetings for the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month with a start time of 7pm.

Harrisonburg 01/02/09  The new year could bring an overhaul to Harrisonburg's zoning ordinances.

Planning Commission will take the first crack at its January 14th meeting.  Commissioners will consider adding the "Mixed Use Planned Community District" to the code book.  The new zoning is intended to provide opportunities for the development of planned communities offering a mix of residential, commercial, open space and employment uses.

The commission will also consider amending four other zoning ordinances.  Most the changes are housekeeping in nature or provide clarity to the existing code.

Rockingham County 01/02/09  People often resolve to lose weight in the new year, but a trio of valley towns are getting bigger.

Three annexations to three localities approved in December took effect at the end of the year.

Broadway Town Council unanimously approved annexation of 9.62 acres of property on the west side of South Sunset Drive.

Grottoes approved a request from a resident to bring her land, about 82-acres on South Eastside Highway, inside the towns boundary.

And Bridgewater will bring just under 44-acres of land along Dry River Road into the it's boundary for a what's anticipated to become a 150-unit subdivision.

Waynesboro 01/01/09  Turning on the tap, flushing the toilet, throwing away garbage...it's all more expensive this morning in Waynesboro.

Rate hikes take effect today in the River City.  Late last month City Council approved the increases as a way to offset the costs of major upgrades to the city's water and sewer systems to meet state guidelines for water purification and other requirements.

As a result of the increases, water goes up 35-percent, sewer fees increase nearly 14-percent and there's a two dollar hike per cart for monthly trash pickup.

Mount Sidney 01/01/09  It has been a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for one valley resident, thanks to a lottery win.

The Virginia Lottery reports Allen Brooks of Mount Sidney isn't likely to forget the Christmas present he received from his father-in-law.  It was a pair of Virginia Lottery Roll 'Em Scratcher tickets.  The first ticket won $5.  The second won $100,000.

Brooks says his wife thought he was playing a trick on her at first.

Brooks, who works as a landscaper in Verona, said he plans to invest his winnings.