Transcripts For WDBJ Early Mornin 20160216 : vimarsana.com

WDBJ Early Mornin February 16, 2016

And ice this morning. Yesterday many people got lucky with yesterday many people got lucky with yesterday many people got lucky with the timing of the storm and that it fell on a holiday when many people were already off work and out of school. But thats not the case today, and this latest round of winter storm may cause many headaches for people today. Wdbj7s shayne dwyer is live in Downtown Roanoke for us this morning. Morning, and most importantly how are the roads . Kimberly its downright dangerous out here. The primary roads are in as good as shape as they can be, the plow crews have been working all through the night to get those clear. But there is a lot of standing water and slush on the roads. My 15 minute commute into work this morning took me over 30 minutes. If you went slow yesterday, try to go about half that speed today. Kimberly ice can come out of no where and turn a normal day into a power crews are very on power lines and trees. More than 14 thousand outages reported this morning. Kimberly crews are very worried and for good reason this ice right now crews are reporting Power Outages across the area. If you can stay home today again thats probably the best option. Or at least wait until later today when hopefully some of this will melt and wash away. A 47yearold from farmville is charged with reckless driving after an accident in appomattox county that sent her and five passengers to lynchburg general hospital. Three of those were children, ages two, seven, and 13. State police say it noon yesterday on route 460. The woman was heading west when she lost control, ran off the road, and flipped her suv. Investigators say speed was a factor. The woman was also charged with two child restraint violations. The two and sevenyearold were sharing a regular seat belt instead of being in individual child safety seats. Part of interstate 81 was closed during yesterdays storm after this wreck in frederick county. It happened in the northbound lanes near the interstate 66 interchange. State police say the truck was loaded with 33 cattle, which broke free of the trailer and were wandering around the interstate. 6 of the animals died, and six others escaped the damaged trailer. Police and fire crews helped to round them up. The driver is charged with reckless driving. cold toss to leo through the next several hours a lot areas its just plain old rain right now some that rain falling heavily at times its the Roanoke Valley Franklin County eastward toward the lynchburg area down toward henry county were finding freezing rain at this point time say parts of pittsylvania Halifax County heavy rain all plain old rain and then on the backside another little swath of cold air trying to drivein so western parts of taz well county you may be switching back over to some snow right now but as we head through the morning and afternoon everyone will begin to warm up but again to the ronald valley into Franklin County we are finding a major ice event going on right now rain falling, temperatures are below freezing so just clinging to everything getting reports of trees coming down tree limbs coming down Power Outages of course as we just mentioned and he can see in around the Roanoke Valley up toward the northeast would most of the ice is located will continue to see this improve over the next several hours but still very dangers driving conditions. We also that worry about flooding flood advisory southwest with gracing county until eight forty five all that snow yesterday some heavy rain today all the drains a kino blocking all the snow so watch upper ponding the water out on the roadways ronald now up to the freezing mark thirty two but still freezing rain martinsville below freezing at thirty one but most other areas are now just above freezing even forty 40 and louisburg so thats the good news would a continue to warm over the next couple of hours of the freezing rain should eventually turn just a plain old rain showers and when you get some breaks is sunshine as we head through the day is temperatures get back into the 40s as this low. Finally get that you forecast today wintry mix early rain likely warming up temperatures in the mid to upper forties and some low fifties as we head through the afternoon tonight and evening shower barely cloudy lows in the upper 20s low to mid 30s seven day planner finally wednesday thursday friday saturday would begin to dry out you deftly warm up what him and by the we can would a be hovering right around sixty degrees all of this can melt the way but i want emphasize again over the next several Roanoke Valley toward Franklin County, dangerous road there may still be some slick spots on the roads this morning. But the snow and ice caused a lot of accidents in the new river valley yesterday. Wdbj7s justin ward tells us how one family is trying to get home after a serious wreck yesterday morning. Staff at the days inn in blacksburg were welcoming to linda northern and her family but staying here wasnt part of their plans. Linda northern mother i have cried so much i cannot shed a tear right now. Northern was headed to chesterfield, virginia from arkansas with her two daughters and four grandchildren and into the heart of this winter storm when it happened. Linda northern mother i was going 45 Miles Per Hour and this big truck came and it kind of fishtailed. So i ended up running right into a guard rail. Their struggles didnt end there. Her daughter was sent to the hospital and without a car she and the rest of her family eventually got rides from Law Enforcement to Lewis Gale Hospital montgomery. Linda northern the airbag exploded and it burned my hand and were ok, they were fine. Some of them left with bruises and cuts and with what they thought was a reservation at the hotel across the street. So they walked through the snow only to get turned away because northern said staff told her there were no clean rooms. That misunderstanding introduced them to a Good Samaritan who told us about their story and who helped them find a place to get warm in another motel about a block away. Linda northern you are an angel and my family, we love you. Justin ward, wdbj7 dominos and that Good Samaritan donated pizza for the family last night. A friend from richmond is taking them home today. Law enforcement say if you wreck during a winter storm, put on your blinkers, and be patient. With a break in the weather monday afternoon, conditions improved on major highways throughout the Roanoke Valley. And people began to venture out in neighborhoods that were still waiting for a snowplow to arrive. In salem, we met victor bell, who was out for a walk with his dog blue. Walking, blue was along for the ride. Victor bell Salem Resident it was little deep for her. She likes it, but then she gets a little cold when the snow is dragging across her belly all the time. She does all right though. Shes a good little girl. A few doors down, we found maddie fountain working alongside wilson and seth rakes. They were on their third driveway, making a little spending money when we caught up with them monday afternoon. A lot of roads are still in very bad shape this morning, with icy spots and a lot of standing water. Well have your latest ihometown traffic report, next. And being a muslim in todayss society a lot of negative press. Roanoke muslim, understanding is the fear and stereotypes. Conditions as freezing rain continues for some. Right now we are finding winter storm warnings the good news been canceled from bland with carol county westward temperatures well above freezing. But the rest of us still have that until noon today still finding pockets of heavy freezing rain through the Roanoke Valley southward watch upper dangerous Road Conditions we will see that scour out that cold air as we head through the next several hours and will do see plain old rain showers but again take e the roads across our area are dangerous right now. The Virginia Department of transportation is asking drivers to avoid traveling until the temperatures rise safely above freezing. Were already accidents this morning. Theres also thick fog in the fancy gap area along i77 in carroll county. Were looking live at i81 in christiansburg camera. The highways are mostly clear with some isolated slick patches. I64 is the worst right now in rockbridge county. Stretches of that highway are covered in a layer of ice. Vdot crews hope passable by tomorrow. Make that happen. Muslims pkg muslims arent always portrayed in a positive light. Because of some violent events in our country and elsewhere, people sometimes look on followers of the religion with fear, or even anger. In my report, misunderstanding muslims, i found out that education could be the key to uniting all faiths in our community. Roanoke is hundreds of miles away from the united nations. Yet, it offers its own welcoming commitee for people from all nationalities and religious backgrounds, including muslims. Local colors executive director beth lutjen says theyve long been a part of our community. Beth lutjen local colors executive director its not that in the last few years, muslims have first come to america. Muslims have been here for many, many, many years. They are a part of the american story. That story includes roanokes Masjid An Nur mosque, whose founding members were u s army veterans. Thats a little known fact its assistant imam, Arthur Mcdonald brought to our attention when him. Mcdonalds married, with two sons in roanoke city public schools. Virginias been his home for over 20 years, and roanoke for the last four. Arthur mcdonald roanoke resident we love mill mountain. We love going to the zoo up there. My youngest son, he loves chuck e cheese, so were always going to chuck e cheese. Mcdonald says he loves living here. His experience has largely been a positive one, with the exception of last years vandalism at the mosque. A broken glass panel is a reminder of the hateful gesture he says that came as a shock to arthur roanoke resident we were kind of afraid, because we didnt know next. Mcdonald says islam requires prayer several times a day, yet some people have the wrong idea about Arthur Mcdonald roanoke resident that islam hates americans and the west. I think that is the biggest misnomer. Kimberly mcbroom wdbj7 we reached out to others in the muslim community. Many said they just dont feel comfortable putting themselves in the spotlight, because of the negative attention muslims often get. One man told me he wants people to know that sanction violence, but is a religion of peace and mercy. The Muslim Population is also growing sector of our population. According to 2010 numbers from the association of religion data archives, muslims make up about seven percent of the roanoke metro area. In a gesture of community and good will, the mosque made a 25 hundred dollar donation to the Roanoke Rescue Mission back in december. Mcdonald says that went a long way in community relations, and earned a lot of positive feedback on the mosques facebook page. Theres still a long way to go. Fear and misunderstanding remain the biggest obstacles. Arthur mcdonald roanoke resident you know, were just regular people. We might dress a little different sometimes, but its nothing for anyone to be fearful of. Lutjen agrees, and reminds us not to judge the majority by just a small minority. Beth lutjen local colors what we dont understand sometimes we fear. And fear is negative. There is just not a good side to fear. Mosque is extending an invitation to the entire community to learn more about the islam faith. He says it will be hosting an open house in the next couple of months. There are also many websites with information about islam. Weve included a few of them for you on our website, wdb7dotcom. Just click on this story. If you want to see the president s, you dont have to drive all the way to washington, dc. Coming up next, well tell you about a home in virginia that has an interesting president ial collection. And if you want to take a ride on a piece of history, there are new excursions available on the spirit of a big concern this morningwere finding dangerous ice conditions across some hometowns also areas of dense fog down toward say interstate seventy seven through carol county watch upper dense fog pittsylvania Halifax County ares a very dense fog same story as he head up toward the highlands a you one a slowdown for the fog we also wanted deftly slowdown the Roanoke Valley southward that warm colder air will get scour out over the next the hours and everyone should warm above freezing and then chilly we get rid of this lowpressure center and season dryer air punching in but if you look really close still find the pinks in around the region right down toward say henry county into North Carolina so was still finding some heavy icing taking place dangerous Road Conditions heres the snowfall reports from yesterday a happier to digital broadcast an average around roanoke was 87 rocky mount six smith mountlake head to the east a little less lynchburg appomattox loving stint around five six inches down toward southern virginia one to three inches gretna bit more by southwest virginia all the way up to what wind and inches in a 1 inches in bluefield paris burn galax around 6. 8 inches marling to eight inches as he head over toward morrilton now temperatures starting off right around freezing in roanoke will continue to see those warm over time and he can see wintry mix early heavy rain this morning minor the region so something you wanted deftly keep in mind seven day planner shows partly sunny skies by wednesday as he head toward thursday forty five and then him maker way toward the weekend, temperatures will be closing in on 60 all this mess a man in virginia celebrates president s day all year he lives just outside of williamsburg and has the heads of 43 president s hanging out in his backyard. So how did he get such a collection . He found them in the trash these sculptures dotted the landscape of a williamsburg theme park 11years ago. But the park went bust, and the land was auctioned off. The man owns a concrete recycling business and was hired to crush each sculpture into little pieces. Howard hankins sculptures owner i didnt like that idea at all. They asked me if i could get rid of the stuff and i said sure ill get rid of it the statues were free, but moving them cost him about 50grand. Hes now looking for a new home for them. They will get kids interested in americas history. All aboard. You can now buy tickets for several 611 train excursions this spring, that include the Roanoke Valley. The roanoker will travel from greensboro, North Carolina to roanoke on april 23rd through the 24th. The powhatan will travel from roanoke to radford on may 7th and 8th. And the pelican will also travel from roanoke to radford on may 7th and 8th. Prices range from around 100 dollars, up to a thousand. Head to wdbj7 dotcom for more information. It may be cold here in virginia, but things are heating up on the track at daytona. Well have all the latest from speed weeks, coming up in dangerous Road Conditions as freezing rain continues for some. Watch for heavy rain morning. While the weather has been cold and snowy here in southwest virginia, things are heating up down in florida as we continue to countdown to the daytona 500. Heres zac glover in sports. Good morning, im zac glover, with your look at sports. Were now just five days away from the official beginning of the nascar season. Travis wells continues our coverage of speed weeks leading up to the 500 from the beach in daytona. Travis wells here in daytona beach, florida, a pair of rookie drivers have been the toast of speed weeks thus far. Chase elliott, who won the pole for the daytona 500 sunday, and ryan blaney, whos solid qualifyng effort assured the Wood Brothers and the 21machine of a starting spot in sundays Great American race. Chase Elliott Daytona pole winner i know we have a great opportunity with a Great Race Team to have a chance next week. I have a lot to learn before then. Ive never done any drafting in these cup cars at these plate tracks so thats gonna be new and like i said, just, the duels on thursday are gonna be important and i think for me, just kind of take those and learn but at the same time be smart, knowing that we are gonna be starting on the front row. We want to make sure we have this car next week but i still need to get in positions where i need to learn and hopefully speed up that learning curve and try to give ourselves a chance. Whle elliott has all week to bask in winning the pole for the 500, ryan blaney can puff his chest out just a bit too. After all the chatter the past week about the Wood Brothers not receiving one of 36 nascar charters, the sports oldest team prepared a lightning quick hot rod for stock car racings biggest event. Ryan blaney starts 4th in first duel on thursday you now were just racecar drivers and this whole woods team, they just want to go racing. They other than just wanting to go to the racetrack and be competitive and i think thats what we are so its nice for them, not only for me to get behind the wheel but for them to be working on the racecar and working together as a team. It kind of gets them back into the swing of things also so its really neat all around to be at the racetrack. Travis wells the cup drivers will be back in the Worlds Center of racing tuesday to take part in media day festivities, followed by two more practice sessions on wednesday, ahead of thursdays duel qualifying races. In daytona beach, florida, travis wells, wdbj7. The virginia Mens Basketball Team suffered a tough loss over the

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