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).

Position to oversee programming for the newly created Children and Nature Educational Network initiative.

As part of its continuous effort to bring natural history education to all citizens of the Commonwealth, the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville has filled the newly created position of Nature and Outdoor Education Manager. The position oversees all programming related to the new Children and Nature Educational Network initiative, led by the museum and The Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont.

Tamara Poles, a 2008 graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, was recently hired by the museum to lead the initiative.

“I’m excited about the challenge of getting this program up and running,” Poles said. “This area of Virginia offers an abundance of natural resources for everyone to enjoy. It’s the goal of the program, as well as my own, to increase appreciation for these resources while enabling residents to learn about, explore and enjoy the outdoors.”

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The Roanoke Times reports this afternoon that a prison sentence has been reduced for a former state probation officer who received one of the longest terms in a Henry County corruption case.

U.S. District Judge James Turk today reduced the 57-month sentence Carlton Riley received to four years for a conviction of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it.

…..Click here to read more

While Republicans are having their convention, Barack Obama’s running mate Sen. Joe Biden, ripped the Bush administration for wasting a chance to unite the nation in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. From a swing through Florida on Tuesday he said he and “Obama are determined to take control of the West Wing.”

On Thursday, he’ll be spending some time on WHEE-AM1370 live here in Martinsville. Biden’s appearance will be by telephone at 10:50am.

****(NOTE)****: This is a change. We had incorrectly reported earlier that Biden would appear at 9:50am.

48 year-old Capt. Cindy R. Caldwell made history in Campbell County by becoming the first woman to make captain in the sheriff’s department.

An article appearing in an Altavista newspaper says “Caldwell knew she wanted to become a police officer at the age of 16. She followed in the footsteps of her parents, Glenn Reynolds and Milcie Arnold. Both of Caldwell’s brothers, Gary and Arnie, went into law enforcement as well. Once she turned 16, she began riding with her brother Gary Reynolds, who was a Lynchburg police officer. The 22-year veteran of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office started her career at the age of 19 as a deputy in Henry County. She recalls in 1979 if you worked for Henry County, you had to supply your own gun, ammunition and gun belt. She says her mother bought her ammo and her father bought her gun. Caldwell graduated from Laurel Park High School and earned her associate degree from Danville Community College and her bachelor’s in sociology with a minor in law enforcement from Averett University.”

Cardwell stayed with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office for two years until she married and moved to Lynchburg.

The old train depot in Fieldale was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning. The 80-year-old landmark went up in flames just after 10am. The cause has not been determined. No one was injured and the building was vacant.

We had reported several weeks ago that RTI International Metals indicated that they remained committed to Martinsville, but with orders on the decline, they might scale back their plans, or put them on the slow track. Mark Heath, the Director of the local EDC and the man who recruited RTI to the area told the Henry County Industrial Authority Tuesday that there have been no changes in plans, which means RTI would be open here by this time next year. The company has promised 150 good paying jobs over a 3 year period.

The IDA approved the construction of another new shell building so Heath can go after another RTI type company. The building’s cost is expected to be less that $3.5 million. The EDC, Martinsville, and Henry County will share in the cost of the project. Bids are expected by November and it’s possbile that ground will be broken before the end of the year.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has ordered the heads of state agencies to prepare three sets of budgets for 2009-10 reflecting spending cuts of 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent. Kaine has directed Secretary of Finance Richard D. Brown to reforecast the revenue collections that will fund the two-year, $77 billion budget for July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2010. In three rounds of cuts dating to last October, the state already has sliced nearly $2 billion from the fiscal-year budgets for 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Both the New College Institute and the Virginia Museum of Natural History are wondering how much they will be hit but officials with both organizations say they haven’t heard from the Governor’s office yet.

Six weeks ago, Kaine instructed supervisors to freeze most hiring, halt equipment purchases and cut discretionary travel, while identifying areas where jobs could be cut.

First it was office and residential phones, then cell phones, and now emails. Martinsville Dupont Credit Union officials are notifying their members about the most recent scam where emails are being received notifying individuals that their MDCU account has been deactivated and that they should call a phone number to enter their account information to take advantage of a new Identity Theft Protection Program.

A release today says emphatically “DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS PHONE MESSAGE. This is a scam.” If you have responded to their request, you’re asked to contact MDCU at (800) 475-6328 option 0, so they can help you take the necessary steps to ensure that your accounts are protected.

Remember, banks will never contact you by phone or email and ask you for personal information such as your Social Security number, account number, or credit card number.

According to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 10am this past Saturday morning, a white male attempted to rob Harder’s Pharmacy on Fairystone Park Highway in Bassett. The pharmacist told police the man entered the store with his face partially covered and demanded all the Oxycontin and pain pills he had. The phamacist pulled a handgun on the would be robber and the man ran out of the store and got into the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle across the street. Two suspects fled in a gray, silver, or light green car that might be a Ford Taurus. There was no front license plate. No arrests have been made.

Theives have hit Virginia Street in Martinsville. Police reports indicate a windows of 2 vehicles were broken out and audio equipment was taken. Total damage: is estimated between 500-600 dollars.