Martinsville News

Strong winds whipped through the area Wednesday evening, leading to reports of downed trees and other wind damage.

"The first step to catching these folks is to figure out what they are doing with ," Henry County Sheriff's Major Ricky Walker said.

Martinsville City Council will hear public comments before deciding whether to transfer the city's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which also serves Henry County, to the Danville Redevelopment & Housing Authority.

After four rounds, the words "vanilla" and "dissect" brought spelling bee victory for Martinsville Middle School eighth-grader Katie Gilbert.

The bill for wholesale electricity that the city purchased in January - power that ultimately was distributed to city electric department customers - was $2,248,197.

A roughly 80-year-old home overlooking the Martinsville hydroelectric dam burned Tuesday night.

Fire investigators likely won't be able to enter the former American of Martinsville plant before the end of this month to try to find the cause of the March 3 blaze that destroyed it, an official said Tuesday.

The Martinsville Community Development Department is accepting public comments as part of a process required to be considered for a Community Development Block Grant to rejuvenate an area on the city's north side.

"Scavenger's Daughter" will premiere at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center at Hollins University.

The city already has two such sirens - one each at the fire stations on West Church Street and Starling Avenue.

A group of different types of vultures are seen in a wooded area near the interesection of Mulberry Road and Corn Tassel Trail in Martinsville.

To help prepare for that, Henry County and Martinsville will take part in a statewide tornado drill at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Martinsville is considering turning over its housing assistance program, which also serves Henry County residents, to Danville as a money-saving measure.

The days of Shakespearean intimidation are over, if TheatreWorks Community Players and the cast of "Julius Caesar" have anything to say about it.

A new Martinsville police chief is expected to be announced by the end of next week, according to City Manager Leon Towarnicki.

Due to the recent harsh weather, a June completion date now is anticipated for the construction of the shell building on Lot 8 in the Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek industrial park, said Henry County Administrator Tim Hall.

"But I'm not ruling anything out" as the cause of Monday's blaze at the former American of Martinsville plant, city Fire Marshal Ted Anderson said Thursday.

Armstrong confirmed Wednesday that he has submitted a letter of intent to U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, as well as the Virginia State Bar, to seek a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

People were lined up to enter the expo when it opened at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Fast Track 2014 offered area residents - both new and established - an opportunity to learn about the businesses in their backyard, according to the attendees Wednesday night.

The buildings on Aaron and Broad streets caught fire around 5:30 p.m. Monday. Within the hour, walls on one building collapsed as explosions could be heard from inside the structure.