w-s-l-s 10's rob manch is in botetourt county tonight. rob -- what's the argument here? the people opposed to the project are landowners in both botetourt and rockbridge counties. the proposed windmills are supposed to be more than 5 hundred feet tall, so people are concerned mostly about the viewshed being destroyed. this morning, after hearing from several landowners, supervisors in rockbridge county sent supervisors here a resolution to stall this rockbridge supervisors claim people haven't had enough time to learn about the details. but botetourt seems to disagree. cody sexton, botetourt information specialist: 20:34:48 "the project has been heavily publicized for over a year, both in the development of the ordinance. we have reached out informally at the staff level to not only rockbridge county, but other surrounding localities and neighbors of the property." rockbridge supervisors admit the project has been publicized, but say quote: "although this project has been highly publicized and vetted in botetourt county, last night was the first public presentation on the

in botetourt county, rob manch, w-s-l-s 10. the atlantic coast pipeline hits a significant speed bump in trying to cross national forest land. the monongahela and george washington national forests both say .. the project would affect endangered species. forestry officials say .. they've rejected the project application... but the company could re-apply with a new route. the mountain valley pipeline is another project planning to cross the jefferson national forest. the forest confirmed today there are several endangered species there as well. virginia tech students share findings from flint michigan they call shocking. virginia tech professor marc edwards led a team of faculty and students to independently test water samples in flint and detroit. complained about poor quality. one student says she found lead levels were 18 times higher in flint water than in detroit water. christina devine / student researcher this is the water that they were using in their system, and it was a fairly simple test they could have run before swi

in botetourt county, rob manch, wsls 10. the controversy continues in montgomery county tonight as continues in montgomery county tonight as the future of circuit clerk erica william remains in question. a petition to have her recalled two weeks ago after she didn't reappoint four deputy clerks following her re-election. wsls 10's bethany teague explains how the board of supervisors could get involved. the montgomery county board of supervisors was briefed at its meeting monday night by the county attorney about what its role can or should be in the controversy surrounding circuit court clerk erica williams. the county attorney explained to the board that it has no liability or responsibility for a constitutional officer's actions. a petition is currently circulating to have williams recalled after she didn't reappoint four deputy clerks. board members say they have no part in that petition. many residents have questioned whether those who sign the petition could be subjected to perjury charges. the county attorney says that

county. w-s-l-s 10's rob manch is live at the meeting tonight with details... botetourt joins roanoke county and delegate joseph yost in opposing catawba's closure. the mental health hospital currently houses more than 80 patients with the capacity for 110. and supervisors say the demand for those beds is on the rise. supervisors pointed out, in 20-15, catawba saw a 41 percent increase in patients. now, on the other hand, the hospital has an expensive 21 million dollar annual budget. but the county is arguing its budget will be affected if the hospital closes because of how far away patients will need to be transported to receive help. ronald sprinkle, botetourt county sheriff 00:02:05 "we're transporting mental people all over the state of virginia at this point. as far away as northern virginia down in the norfolk area, which cuts into our being open. i can only see that being greater if we close catawba hospital." the state has not offered to compensate those transportation costs. supervisors say if catawba closes, the nearest similar facility would be western state h

mcauliffe paid a visit to botetourt county today to visit one of the county's largest manufacturing plants. the governor commended arkay packaging for committing to an 11 million dollar expansion of its facility. 50 new employees. c-e-o mitchell kaneff says that money will go toward new production. "it's a 3 year kind of elevated ramp up. we're currently in the operation, we've got a 6 million end of march and a 1 point 2 million dollar blanker arriving at the end of february, and a gluer arriving at the end of april, so that's about a million mcauliffe says ... virginia beat out several other states including south carolina and georgia where arkay had been considering expansion as well. rail tourism continues to be big business in the star city and across the roanoke valley. we are now only days away from hearing the outcome of a

botetourt county has altered that plan. "in seeking to balance the needs for historical preservation and economic development the board feels that they have made the best decision possible for the situation to balance all of those competing needs" willis says she was also concerned about the possible gravesites that may be on the land. but the county has insured that if graves with care. "we need to tell the whole story of our history" there is no set date to when the houses will be moved. both of them will be placed at at historical preservation site about a mile from where they originally stand. noell saunders wdbj7. we are your hometown news leader, wdbj-7. coming up, why the head of liberty university says donald trump should be our next president. we hear from bernie sanders about his private meeting with president obama today. and why a mother is duct tape. liberty university is explaining his decision to endorse donald trump for president. jerry falwell junior made the announcement yesterday and says it was a persona

bridge work could slow you down on i- 81 in botetourt county. the northbound right lane is blocked at mile marker 165, which is near one of the route 11 exits. it's expected to re- open in about 20 around the corner and that means un- fixed female cats will be going into heat. this can lead to a new litter of kittens which many people aren't prepared to deal with, but a local clinic is offering cheap fixes to try and combat the issue. wdbj-7's shayne dwyer is here with us this moring. good morning shayne good morning kimberly. mountain view spay and neuter is able to offer deep discounts because of local government grants and other fundraising efforts. the clinic says these operations are proven to help control the pet population and help prevent pets from dying in shelters everyday. for many people our pets are just like our family, which means they need health care just like us, although the operations aren't exactly same. corie prater with mountain view spay and neuter, corrie what has you pumped up this february? this february is beat the he

botetourt county unanimously to move forward with the next planning steps for a proposed wind farm. wdbj7's noell saunders joins us now with an update from tonight's public hearing, tonight several expressed their concerns from wind experts to county leaders. even neighboring rockbridge county had some questions. a packed room with a lot of concerns about virginia's potential first commercial windfarm. botetourt county board of supervisors opened the floor at tuesday's meeting to anyone who had questions or statements. "most of time not all the time but most of the time localities are left worse off then when they started" "i don't have a problem with it, if they want to set one up in my yard they can set one up in my yard" the developer, apex clean energy spoke on the project it's calling the rocky forge windfarm. the company says it is going through all the necessary steps and rules in order to build it. "the botetourt ordinance was very thorough on what studies was required of us and we also have alot more studies to do down the road agencies" botetourt county voted unanimously t

well for one, they've been standing in that same spot in botetourt county for more than 2 hundred years. the county wants to move those structures to make way for new industrial development. but descendants say it's destruction of their heritage. one of those decendents, cheryl sullivan willis, says the ultimate goal for her would be to preserve the original 19-acre plantation as a historic site. but the county has already prepared an area they plan to move the buildings to. sullivan willis says that would destroy the historic nature of the property. cheryl sullivan willis, descendant: 10:58:52 "when you move them, you take away the authenticity of, in their history, you can't move all the dirt, all the land, you can't move the things that are around it." the county announced yesterday archaeological study of the area around the buildings to determine if there are any unmarked graves. if graves are discovered, the county will have to determine if they will leave the area alone or proceed to move the buildings and the graves to the preservation site it has set aside. coming up at 6, we t

and, a controversial plan to move two old slave houses is getting more attention in botetourt county. it's time for another season of the national syndicated concert series song we're live with host later on wdbj-7. 40s. isolated snows an accident is i-81 north in montgomery county. the route four-60 we're still seeing minor icy patches on roads in the new river valley and the none of those problem spots are on the highways or main roads, but you may run into slick areas on bridges and ramps. two construction you down this 29. in pittsylvania county, the southbound left lane goodyear boulevard ramp for another 45 minutes. there's also bridge work on route 29 in amherst county around north main street near the off- ramp. one southbound is closed there for the next 45 minutes. this is a live look at i-77 in bland county from a virginia department of transportation camera. there are no major problems on that highway so far this morning. a campbell county group is trying to preserve a 170- year-old building that serves as a symbol for their community. the historic courthouse in the 1840's

an update on tonight's board of supervisors meeting in botetourt county. the vote on whether to move forward with plans to build a wind farm. and ... shooting survivor vicki garnder gets a standing ovation from the state senate for her work in the smith mountain lake community. good evening, and thanks for joining us for wsls 10 at eleven. i'm lindsey ward. john has the night off. the fugitive is behind bars .. and now the sheriff is rewarding those who helped put him there. in a story you'll only see on wsls ten .. today .. alleghany county than a dozen people for their work capturing a double homicide suspect on the run from west virginia. but an arrest would have never happened .. had two observant passersby .. not called 911 that saturday. it's a weekend, so a lot of stuff is closed. you just got people traveling through to the homestead, to the greenbrier. on saturday november 28th lieutenant casey gibson would come across an out of towner passing through .. but that someone wasn't heading to a weekend getaway. this is .. 22- year-old aaron bussard ..

we wanted it here in the commonwealth of virginia in botetourt county. arkay says it was running out of room at the location on eastpark drive. so it's moving warehouse operations to another buillding. and preparing to install new machinery. mitchell kaneff/arkay ceo: at this point in time we're bringing in state of the art brand new pieces of printing equipment, gluing equipment. and ceo mitchell kaneff says arkay will need 50 additional employees to run all of that equipment. and local leaders say the announcement will help spread the word that botetourt county takes care of business. jack leffel: it makes a statement that if we get folks here, we try to treat 'em well and they're going to be here a long time. and this is a perfect example of that. ceo mitchell kaneff says arkay is looking for experienced equipment operators, but he also said the compnay will consider others with passion, energy and a strong work ethic who are interested in building a career with the company. we've included information on how to contact arkay, with this story on wdbj7-

we'll have more on those new jobs and what this announcement means for botetourt county coming up at six on wdbj7. for the latest weather anytime, turn to our webpage at wdbj7.com and be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter for weather headlines and more thank you for choosing your hometown news leader, wdbj7. we'll see you at six.

supervisors were met with opposition from both botetourt rockbridge county supervisors ... who say people have not had enough time to learn about the details. the approval of the special exception permit allows apex energy to move forward with plans. ### now to kristina, with a look at our forecast. wednesday: few morning rain showers with flurries and a light icy mix possible.cleari ng for the late-morning & afternoon.tem peratures climb into the upper 30s and lower 40s thursday: sun & clouds with highs in the middle 40s friday: sun & clouds with highs in the middle 40s saturday: mostly sunny with highs in the middle 50s sunday: mostly sunny with highs in the middle to upper 50s monday: isolated rain showers highs in the upper 50s . wednesday: few morning rain showers with flurries and a light icy mix possible.cleari ng for the late-morning & afternoon.tem peratures climb 40s thursday: sun & clouds with highs in the middle 40s friday: sun & clouds with highs in the middle 40s saturday: mostly sunny with highs in the middle 50s sunday: mostly sunny with highs in the middle

the company - started operations in botetourt county - in 1996. square feet - is expected to expand with those jobs. the bernie sanders camp - is opening an office in the roanoke valley. the group says - it will open a ronaoke field office tomorrow afternoon - on franklin road road southwest in roanoke. it will be campaign office in the commonwealth. virginia - of course - is one of 11 super tuesday states - voting on march 1. uber says - it is reducing uber-x prices by 35 percent in roanoke. the seasonal change - is aimed at enticing customers during the slow months - while making sure drivers - still make money. uber says - the discount has helped beat the january blues - in other cities - they hope it will do the same in the star city. if you are watching us on cox communications right now - we may not be here in the morning. despite non-stop negotiations - a distribution fee agreement has not yet been reached - which means - wfxr your cable lineup. 00:00 - 00:05*** nats ***wfxr and wwcw - has been working around the clock this week. from hourl

low to mid forties back into the mid and a plan is moving forward for a proposed wind farm in botetourt county. the county board of supervisors have voted unanimously on the issue last night. several residents express concerns about the project. but the developer, apex clean energy, says it's going through all the necessary steps and rules to build the wind farm. the company will now start going through a state process. an image uploaded to facebook is causing controversy and now police are investigating death threats to a school in galax. the picture is a meme mocking ptsd for veterans. now the chestnut creek school of the arts is receiving threats. but the person whose page it was published on says he didn't upload it. he claims someone hacked his account trying to hurt him. facebook page lists the city-run business as an employer. but they say those who know them know they would have nothing to do with the post. two people are dead and three others were hurt after a shooting at a homeless encampment in seattle. the incident happened last night and a police source said multiple men were invo

rockbridge county board supervisors is asking botetourt to delay a zoning application for the project for 90 days until they learn more about it. tonight, we'll learn if that windfarm will be built sooner than later. i'm noell saunders and i'll have that story at 10 on my19 and 11 a post on social media has people outraged and is leading to threats against a school in galax. but wdbj7's eamon o'meara learned, maybe the anger is toward the wrong person? an image that has gone viral on facebook mocking those with ptsd is causing problems for the chestnut creek school of arts. the school, which is open to all ages, is run by the city of galax. (keith barker, galax city manager) we've also received a number of phone calls from individuals leaving messages and have received, actually, threatening phone calls which we've turned over to the galax police department who are investigating the case right now. the person whose page the image was published on is affiliated with the school. (christina pollins, executive director, chestnut creek school of the arts) we hire our teachers as contract e

supervisors in botetourt county are undertaking an archaeological study of the land surrounding two historic slave quarters. the county ultimately wants to move the buildings to make way for industrial development. but people in the county are concerned there are unmarked graves lying below them. a descendant of the slaves who used to live and work on the property more than 2 hundred years ago says .. she hopes graves are discovered and the buildings cheryl sullivan willis, slave decendant: 10:57:33 "i'm guardedly hopeful. i think that's the way a lot of us feel, because it's very important that we acknowledge and respect the last resting place of these people." 10:57:46 the county says the archaeological study of the area could take up to 3 months and cost more than 60 thousand dollars. hospitals across the country are in need of more nurses. it's something our local hospitals like carilion clinic are experiencing as well. currently there are 100 openings at carilion... which is why the hospital is ramping up recruiting efforts. carilion is increasing pay... focusing on getting nurses from

big news in botetourt county as governor terry mcauliffe announces an eleven-million dollar expansion at arkay packaging.. and the creation of fifty-new jobs. we'll have more on the announcement on our website wsls-dot-com.. and tonight beginning at five p-m. the final g-o-p debate before the iowa caucuses is in the books. today many are talking about last night's fireworks. donald trump is also getting a lot of attention for his decision not to show up. tracie potts has the latest.### donald trump/ r presidential candidate "look at all the cameras, it's like the academy awards. this is the academy awards!" side by side... donald trump's veterans fundraiser... :08-:12 donald trump/ r presidential candidate "isn't that better than this debate that's going on where everyone's sleeping?" during the fox news debate where candidates mocked his absence. :16-:21 ted cruz/ r presidential candidate "i'm a maniac and everyone on :21-:23 marco rubio/ r presidential candidate "he's an entertaining guy. he's the greatest show on earth." :24-:26 jeb bush/ r presidential candidate "he was a little t

it's a unanimous vote from the botetourt county board supervisors to move forward with the next planning steps for a proposed wind energy farm. several expressed their concerns from wind experts to county leaders at a public hearing last night. even neighboring rockbridge county had some questions. the developer, apex clean energy spoke on the project it's calling the rocky forge windfarm. the company says it's going through all the necessary steps and rules in order to build it. "the botetourt ordinance was very thorough on what studies was we also have alot more studies to do down the road whether that's the state or federal agencies" apex clean energy will now start going through a state process. continuing coverage now: michigan's governor met today with the mayor of flint. the meeting comes ,as more children are being tested for lead. adriana diaz is in on the situation. michigan governor, rick snyder joined flints mayor today updating residents about the water crisis. (sot rick synder, (r)mi ) more is getting done. were going to keep doing more. we are committed to the people of fl

botetourt county supervisors are now putting more thought into plans to move two historic buildings. wendy jones, former morgan stanley employee: "it was the picture, it was the flag, it was the united states, it was the towers and then the words got me."

two historic buildings in botetourt county are the county are the center of public debate. now ... the county is taking action. the buildings are scheduled to be moved, but people believe there are unmarked graves underneath. supervisors are conducting an archaeological study and formed an advisory commission to oversee the plans. w-s-l-s 10's rob manch has the details. 10:48:07 "the debate is over these buildings here behind me that are more than 2 hundred years old. the county wants to move them, but the friends of the greenfield plantation say there may be feet on this hill." one of the decendents of the people possibly buried there is cheryl sullivan willis. she says the ultimate goal for her would be to preserve the original 19- acre plantation as a historic site. but the county has already prepared an area they plan to move the buildings to. sullivan willis says that would destroy the historic nature of the property. sot: 10:59:21 "when you move those priceless treasures, you take away a lot of the history and the understanding that comes with that... 10:58:02 "when you lose

the botetourt county board of supervisors is creating a preservation advisory committee to help with the relocation of two slave houses on the former greenfield plantation. after heavy debates over the relocation, board supervisors are asking for outside help. creating the greenfield preservation advisory commitee are following the right these houses are preserved and not county leaders say accomodate "in seeking to for historical preservation and development the they have made the situation to balance all of those competing needs" there is no set date on the relocation. historical preservation site about a mile from where they originally stand. it's national school choice week, a chance to highlight diferent educational options for children in grades k through 12. in this week's early years, we're learning more about one of the several private schools in our area, pathway christian academy in christiansburg. its leaders say a private school education can be more affordable than you think. michael hurst/pathway academy principal: two or three years ago, virginia put in the capacity f

for an announcement with the botetourt county board of supervisors. the governor has made economic development his top priority... and has traveled to multiple countries trying to recruit new businesses to locate here. # the campbell county sheriff's office holds its annual awards ceremony today. outstanding and heroic efforts of members of the sheriff's office will be recognized. people in the community will also be honored for their assistance to the office. more than 500 roanoke catholic school students and teachers will celebrate national school choice week today, by donning yellow scarves made by parent volunteers. more than 13,000 other schools throughout the united states holding similar events. the goal is to raise public awareness of all types of education options. the salem civic center hosts the 2016 winterfest beach bash tonight at 6pm. warm up on a cold winter night to the summertime hits of the band of oz. tickets are $10 at the door. ### a historic change for one of most popular toys of all time. popular toys of all time. mattel is now o

the botetourt county board of supervisors is creating a preservation advisory committee to help with the relocation of two slave houses on the former greenfield plantation. there have been a lot of debates over the relocation. and a salem woman won a million dollars in the powerball drawing earlier this month. the mother of four said she and her children. are you in need of a flu shot? new research at virginia tech shows who should be getting ittle shocking right there just like the weather up there shocking ly lot got it blustery and cold will have a nice warm up this week and the we can get through today would've this wintergreen everybody's out on the slopes enjoying the afternoon every once in while couple snow showers drive through that location as he head over toward with bill looking out from wytheville community college still a nice snowpack we are seeing some blue sky my first alert forecastlooking out live through our mill mountain camera this afternoon a panacea jump in around there that is the wind on top mill mountain out on the camera around finding blustery conditions

lane closures in botetourt county are scheduled on route-11. lanes off of interstate 81 at exit 150 will be closed for a pipe replacement. motorists should watch for v-dot says you should also expect delays while traveling through these areas. the lanes will re-open thursday, february fourth. storm team ten meteorologist jonathan kegges has more -- jonathan. the warmth continues as we close out january today. with the help of sunshine for the first half of our sunday temperatures will flirt with the 60 degree threshold. today: mostly sunny and warm with highs around 60. tonight: increasing clouds with lows in the low 40s. monday: chance for afternoon showers. warm with highs in the low to mid 60s. the "wedge" sets in on tuesday taking temperatures back to the upper 40s and lower 50s, but temperatures around 60 return on wednesday even with very good rain chances crossing the area. behind that system temperatures head back to looms for the end of the first week of february. enjoy the warmth while we have it! . and we want to remind you of our co

says he's running because he believes america isn't as safe as it should be. 3 pattie tight the botetourt county board of supervisors is moving ahead with its controversial plan to relocate two historic log structures to make room for economic development. the roanoke times reports the board approved the decision on tuesday to move two pre-civil war structures. one a slave quarters and the other a kitchen house. in place, they want to construct an industrial shell building. the board chairman said they didn't anticipate the plan would stir so much interest. 3 mona tight even though the winter storm has passed, construction crews are still feeling the impact. the snow impacted a danville- pittsylvania county habitat for humanity project. crews just finished doing the electrical work at the home on the 4-hundred block of hughes when the storm hit. the halt on construction caused a chain reaction- even delaying other projects inside the house.karen sgrinia, "we're in the process of working out h-vac and plumbing can't start until the h-vac is done. the h- vac is being done by an h-vac class at dcc,

in the twenties the likely we are still above freezing with arkay packaging is expanding in botetourt county. the company says it will invest 11-million dollars and create 50 new jobs. governor terry mcauliffe visited the plant on eastpark drive for the announcement friday morning. arkay makes high- quality packaging for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. the company plans to install new equipment and increase capacity to meet growing demand for its products. governor terry mcauliffe/(d) virginia: "they looked at south carolina, north carolina, georgia, florida and texas. they chose virginia. low taxes, business-friendly. i think all the things we talk about every day in building the new virginia economy, i think went into it." if you're interested in applying for a position at arkay packaging, we've included contact information with this story on wdbj7- dot-com. a mcdonald's manager in roanoke has received a global award for all of her hard work. geanina poff is the manager of the route 460- orange avenue mcdonald's. received the ray kroc award. it's a prize that recognizes the top

check out this amazing shot of a barn in botetourt county. email us the pictures you've taken around the area. send them to news-at- wsls.com. five things you need to know are coming up next. ### here's a live look at blacksburg need to know" before you head out the door this morning. the search continues in blacksburg for 13-year-old nichole lovell. she was last seen around midnight tuesday at her family's apartment. police say she's in danger because she has to take medication twice a day after having a liver transplant. blacksburg police and workers from help save the next girl are asking the community to come forward if they have any information. a virginia man is in critical condition at the hospital after he shot himself in the head. dana william" was found in amelia county for homicide and abduction charges. investigators are still searching for 67-year-old olene brooks. police believe william kidnapped her over the weekend after killing her husband. the water crisis continues in flint michigan this morning after a virginia tech profes

supervisors were met with opposition from both botetourt and rockbridge county landowners ... along with rockbridge county supervisors ... who say people have not had enough time to learn about the details. the approval of the special exception permit allows apex energy to move forward with plans. ### let's check in with storm team meterologist kristina montuori. wednesday: few morning rain showers with flurries and a for the late-morning & afternoon.tem peratures climb into the upper 30s and lower 40s

lord botetourt hosting rockbridge county in a blue ridge district matchup...1. these two teams letting it fly from deep... ryan fralin with the 3 to get the scoring started for lord botetourt... 2. then it's trey hornback for the cavaliers finding the bottom of the net... botetourt up 6-1...3. rockbridge can shoot the rock as well... shameik ware hits from distance to cut the lead to 2...4. at home you get the friendly bounce... dante agosto gets the shooters roll... cavs back up 4...5. but the wildcats would not go away... byron winchester hits this shot... it is worth 3-points because he took it behind the line... this one goes down to the wire as the cavs go on to nip the wildcats 55-54... girls basketball action...1. northsides jone booker intercepts this pass... goes in for the layup... 17-16 alleghany in the 2nd...2. but the mountaineers would get a little breathing room... murray mcclung to rachel hepler for the layup... 19-16 alleghany...3. then it was mcclung's turn to score... she dials long distance... alleghany goes on to win 49- 40... coming up... th

high" the multiple listing service includes cities of roanoke and salem, town of vinton, counties of roanoke, botetourt and craig plus a portion of bedford and franklin counties. coming up in sports, we'll introduce you to the newest members of the salem- roanoke baseball hall of fame. and no one in virginia one the were a couple million dollar winners. from salem, next. sunshine and a gusty nw wind. highs today near 40. the virginia tech team returned to blacksburg to host another ranked opponent, plus the salem- roanoke baseball hall of fame inducted its newest members. here's karen loftus with more. good morning everyone, i'm karen loftus with your look at sports. after a 13 and one start to the season, the virginia tech women's basketball team has stumbled a bit lately, losing 4 of their last 5 games. the hokies looking to bounce-back from a road loss to third-ranked notre dame against another ranked opponent in miami, hosting the 17th- ranked hurricanes thursday night. chanette hicks gets it to dominique powell for the jumper, giving tech the early lead. they stay out front thanks in part to regan