Police are confirming the death of a 16 year-old boy on State Road 680 about a mile north of U.S. 58 in Patrick County.

State Police say the boy was driving a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 around 2:15pm Sunday afternoon when he ran off the right side of the road and then the left side. The truck hit some concrete and then overturned.

The name of the victim is not being released because of his age.

The Martinsville area made out pretty well as Hanna blew through Saturday morning. There were a few power outages that were restored in short order. The National Weather service says about 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in the region.

“”For every southern boy, it is always high noon on July 3, 1863, and Pickett has not been called up, and Lee has not lost at Gettysburg…”
                                             –William Faulkner

Rueben Shades had another rough day at Forever High School.

He loved football, and wanted so much to play, that he prayed every night on callous hands and knees that God would allow him to be a member of the varsity squad.

But today, his prayers would not be answered. Coach Chew called him in after practice had finished, “Sit down son, we need to talk.”

…..Click here to read more

According to Sgt. Curtis Spence with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, in recent days there have been many complaints of telephone calls and text messages that tried to scam people in to giving personal account numbers.

Spence says they have found out some of the telephone calls and messages were actually routed from Canada.

Now there is another scam in our area. Several residence of Martinsville and Henry County have contacted the Sheriff’s Office about E-Mails they have received. It’s the same scam where and attempt is made to get account numbers and personal information. If any person in the area has a question about their bank account, they should go to the nearest branch office in person.

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office suggests you never give out any information over the telephone.

A Bassett man was indicted Monday on a charge of attempted murder. Juan Ramon Ramirez of Bassett was charged with attempted second-degree murder of Randall Hylton of Stuart in connection with an incident that occurred on May 10, 2008.

Ramirez was also indicted on a charge of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The grand jury returned 42 indictments against 20 individuals on Monday, including Melissa May Smith, Bassett, charged with grand larceny of property belonging to Alden Sterling Marshall, and with possession of a firearm by a felon, on Feb. 14, 2008 and Marcus Jerome Tarpley, Martinsville, charged with four counts of breaking and entering and four counts of grand larceny in connection with a Sept. 19, 2007 break-in at the residence of Marian C. Ramsey; a Sept. 19, 2007 break-in at the residence of Misty Ratliff; a Jan. 29, 2008 break-in at the residence of James Scott; and a Jan. 29, 2008 break-in at the residence of Monroe Haynes. Tarpley was also indicted on one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Police confirm 53 year-old Judy Arnold Rea of Martinsville died after her 1997 Nissan Pathfinder filpped crashed into a tree around 8pm last night.

She was headed west on Virginia 627 when she ran off the right side of the road, overcorrected, lost control, overturned off the left side of the road and then struck a tree.

She was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause of the accident has not been determined.

Published reports indicate significant changes are under way for Craftsman Truck Series team - Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia, a 20-time series winner, including the 2004 championship with the late Bobby Hamilton.

The team began this season with a new home in Martinsivlle and two full-time trucks, but for the final nine races of the season, it will run only one of those trucks, and come next season, that truck likely won’t be a Dodge for the first time since just after BHR started in CTS competition in the late 1990s.

Dennis Setzer, 10th in points, will continue driving the team’s No. 18 the rest of this season, while Stacy Compton’s No. 4 — Hamilton’s championship number — was parked.

Fifteen BHR-VA employees were laid off in the downsizing.

Clay Campbell, part-owner and president of the Martinsville Speedway, was quoted as saying “they really did something that was almost not doable, and it accelerated our circumstances financially because we had a lot of costs that maybe other teams wouldn’t.

Following the national conventions, Congress is back, and it is still uncertain if the House of Representatives is going to vote on lifting the moratorium on drilling for oil and natural gas on the Outer Continental Shelf, or vote on the American Energy Act, which was discussed in a newsletter last month.

The American Energy Act lifts the moratorium, allows drilling to go forward in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and permits development of our shale oil resources and increases the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that essentially blocks construction of new refineries.

The bill also includes a number of tax credits that would benefit individuals and businesses.  In the case of those who buy more fuel efficient vehicles, there is a $3,000 base tax credit, which is adjusted up or down depending upon certain considerations, such as the efficiency of the power supply and the weight of the vehicle.  And, there are tax credits for businesses, which make their companies more energy efficient.

…..Click here to read more

24th Annual Indian Festival to feature familiar favorites and unique elements never before seen

The Virginia Museum of Natural History’s 24th Annual Indian Festival will be held on Saturday, September 13 from noon to 5 p.m. outside the Martinsville Middle School, at 201 Brown St., in Uptown Martinsville, Virginia.  Marking its final year, this year’s festival promises to offer many of the familiar favorites from past festivals, while adding unique elements never before seen, including Aztec dancers. The museum is replacing the Indian Festival with the Virginia Folklife Festival beginning in 2009.

Native Americans in full regalia, host drums, and jingle, fancy and hoop dancers will headline the event. In addition to the performers, the festival includes weapons and lifestyles demonstrations, children’s activities, crafts and vendors.

The festival begins at noon and will feature a grand entry procession of many tribal affiliations, including chiefs, head dancers, elders, and children.  Master of Ceremonies Rick Youngblood will direct the activities in the arena and will explain the symbolism, protocol, and spiritual meanings of the dances, regalia and drums to the spectators. “Rick Youngblood and the Birdchoppers” will serve as host drums for the event.

…..Click here to read more

Drewry Road Fire

The Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office and the Martinsville Police Department are conducting a joint investigation into the fire that caused heavy damage to a house that was supposed to be vacant located at 1128 Drewry Road in Martinsville. The fire was fully involved when police officers arrived on the scene this morning at approximately 12:15 a.m. Damage to the home was extensive; no exact value has been given. There were no injuries.

“Although the property was supposed to be vacant, there have been reports of people staying at this residence recently. We have reason to believe the fire may be of suspicious origin and we are conducting a thorough investigation,” said Martinsville Fire Marshal Ted Anderson.

Anderson added that there was no utility service at the residence at the time of the fire. Glen Hairston of Martinsville is listed as the owner of the property, the home was not insured.

Assistance was provided on scene by Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, Martinsville Fire Volunteers, Stone Ambulance Service, and the Martinsville Police Department.

Due to the sensitive nature of the incident and the ongoing investigation, specific details are limited at this time. Additional information will be released to the media and the public as soon as possible.

Investigators are gathering information, following leads, and asking anyone who may have seen any type of suspicious or unusual activity at or near the residence recently to report what they saw.

If you have information pertaining to this incident you should contact the Martinsville Fire Marshal’s Office at 403-5202, the Martinsville Police Department Investigations Unit at 403-5301, the 911 Center, or Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers pays rewards of up to $1,000 in certain cases. You do not have to reveal your identity. Report tips anonymously to 63-CRIME (276-632-7463).