Luray Police arrest a Missouri man who avoided arrest for 15 years
On March 1 Luray Police Chief C.S. Cook arrested yearlong Page County resident Charlie Benfield for crimes in Missouri.
Chief Cook was made aware of Benfield after a local businessman reported a suspicious transaction according to the Page Valley News report.
Chief Cook ran the perpetrators name and found he was wanted for misconduct with a 4-year-old child in Missouri.
The child’s mother did not want her then 5-year-old daughter to relive the incident in court so Benfield entered a plea agreement that included a plea of guilty to felonious restraint or simply holding someone against their will.
The agreement gave Benfield 5 years’ probation and an ankle bracelet.
Benfield cut the bracelet off and has been avoiding the law since 2008 until his arrest in Page County.
Chief Cook found Benfield outside a business in Luray.
Benfield attempted to flee and pulled a garage door down and Cook pulled the door back up and arrested Benfield without incident.
Benefield is scheduled to appear in Page County General District Court March 9 to review extradition restrictions to Missouri.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Fire Departments remind you to set your clocks and check your alarms
Fire Departments across the region are reminding citizens that we set our clocks ahead an hour this Sat. Mar. 11 Sun. morning Mar. 12.
As they so often do Fire Departments are also reminding us it is a good time to check your smoke alarms as well.
Winchester Fire and Rescue announced for instance that It is also a good idea to not just replace batteries but check the age on your smoke alarm as well.
If the alarm is over 10 years old it is a good and safer idea to upgrade to a new model.
Call your local Fire Department to find out the latest information on smoke alarms and in some cases get a free smoke alarm.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
BRWC reminds citizens that some wildlife is illegal to keep
The Blue Ridge Wildlife Center reminds citizens that it is illegal to keep a wild bird in captivity in the United States.
The issue arose when a well-intentioned individual couldn’t renest a nestling blue jay and tried to care for it.
Once the individual found out it was illegal, they took it to an authorized care facility.
The bird was found to be overweight with poor plumage and completely incapable of flight.
The facility is hoping to correct the situation with proper diet and rehabilitation.
Even with that the changes of the bird returning to the wild are poor.
Where it is illegal to keep wild birds in your care throughout all the United States and has been since 1918.
The regulations regarding amphibians, reptiles and mammals very state to state.
Even wildlife centers must have prior authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to care for wild birds.
In all cases it is never a good idea to try to keep and care for any wild animal it is always best to contact animal control to ensure proper care.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
Friday Tidbits
Greetings From The Booth!
With so much happening this week in sports, locally and regionally, I thought I would try to cover all the bases with some Friday tidbits, so here goes:
First, CONGRATS to the Rappahannock High Girls Basketball team, who captured the VHSL Class 1 State Championship this week with a win over Eastside at the Siegel Center at VCU. Winning a state title is a huge accomplishment, so thanks ladies, for bringing the hardware back to the Shenandoah Valley! Tomorrow (Saturday 3-11) the Clarke County Girls will try to duplicate that feat as they take on perennial power Central-Wise in the Class 2 Championship Game.
Meanwhile, the Skyline HS Boys team saw it’s season end at the hands of Hopewell (again) in the Class 3 semifinals on Monday. With the loss, the Hawks suffered their first loss of the season and finished at 26-1. If you’ve never played sports, it’s hard to convey the feeling of emptiness when you get so close to a championship and an undefeated season, only to see it end just 2 wins from the finish line. When the sting of that lone loss wears off, Skyline will look back with pride at a season that will live forever in the school’s annals. The Hawks were a gritty, scrappy bunch, and should have no doubt about being “legit.” They were. Sometimes, you just run up against a better team…
Which makes a nice segue into a pet peeve of mine: bad fan behavior. The optics were not good following Skyline’s loss to Hopewell, as law enforcement had to keep members of both fan bases apart. I’m not going to weigh in on who started what. That’s usually a “we said-they said” kind of thing. But, we live in a trash talking, phone wielding culture, with little emphasis on sportsmanship, and that reared it’s ugly head after Monday’s game. Nothing major erupted, thank goodness, but it was not a good luck. Win with class, lose with class, and always remember that kids take their cues from adults.
This is the time of year that I start paying attention to college basketball. The conference tournaments are fun to watch, although with multiple teams from the power leagues getting into the NCAA Tournament, those affairs don’t have the urgency that they had back in the day. I love Selection Sunday, when teams anxiously await their fate. This year, my WVU Mounties look to be safely in, despite a loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament. But, until your team is announced, there is always some anxiety.
Finally, let’s switch gears and talk some football. Folks, I may just be getting on the bandwagon of your DC Defenders of the XFL. The Defenders play their home games at Audi Field, near Nationals Park. It’s a nice Euro-feeling venue, and apparently home of one of the most enjoyable fan experiences in sports. The fans are enthusiastic, sometimes raucous, and love their team (which is currently 3-0). The now-legendary beer cup snake is back, not to mention the anti-Dan Snyder chants. All this in sharp contrast to the dismal game-day experience at Fed-Ex Field with the Washington Commanders. Which points out one thing: DC fans will turn out for winning, fun football.
Those are your Friday Tidbits from The Booth! Have a great “Selection Sunday!”
RW
Sports: Monday, March 10, 2023
Panthers Are State Champions, Virginia Advances To ACC Semifinals, Caps Slide Continues
THE RAPPAHANOCK COUNTY GIRLS ARE THE VHSL CLASS 1 BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS. THE PANTHERS BEAT EASTSIDE 70-65 YESTERDAY AT THE SIEGEL CENTER AT VCU. ON SATURDAY, THE CLARKE COUNTY GIRLS GO FOR A CLASS 2 TITLE. THEY’LL PLAY POWERFUL CENTRAL-WISE. THAT GAME WILL TIP OFF AT 4:30…ALSO AT THE SIEGEL CENTER.
IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL… VIRGINIA ADVANCED TO THE ACC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS WITH A 68-59 WIN OVER NORTH CAROLINA. THE 24-6 CAVALIERS WILL NOW PLAY CLEMSON TONIGHT AT 9:30 IN THE GREENSBORO COLISEUM.
MEANWHILE, WVU WAS MANHANDLED BY KANSAS 78-61 IN THE BIG 12 QUARTERFINALS. THE 19-14 MOUNTIES WILL NOW AWAIT THEIR NCAA SEEDING ON SELECTION SUNDAY.
THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS’ LATE SEASON SLIDE CONTINUED LAST NIGHT WITH A 3-2 SHOOTOUT LOSS TO NEW JERSEY. THE CAPS, WHO DID PICK UP A POINT LAST NIGHT, TAKE ON THE ISLANDERS TOMORROW NIGHT STARTING AT 7:15 ON FOX SPORTS RADIO 1450.
Gov. Yougkin releases funds for learning recovery grants
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that soon $30 million will be released for learning recovery grants for parents and students.
The governor noted the COVID-19 pandemic caused the loss of in-person instruction and in-school support services.
The funds will be used for qualifying education services to address the impact of the pandemic.
The resources for parents will ensure that many children in Virginia have access to tutoring, summer enrichment programs and other specialized services.
Those services will help students reach their full potential and combat the severe learning losses.
Some students could receive up to $3,000 while other students will receive $1,500 K-12 learning recovery grant funds if they and their families meet certain qualifications.
A new platform is available here to give parents and teachers additional information that sheds greater light on individual student learning loss and growth.
Additional information is found at the Virginia Department of Education.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
News Maker Todd Jones on the upcoming SRT meeting
A public meeting for input and information on the proposed Shenandoah Rail Trail (SRT) is scheduled March 23 at 7 p.m. at Samuel’s Public Library.
We spoke to Warren County’s Director of Technology Todd Jones about the meeting in our latest news maker.
News makers are sponsored by Warren County Together We are Community.
Todd tells us the scope of the proposed project and money allocated to accomplish it.
He also tells us how important it is to attend the meeting and let our thoughts on the project be known.
Todd also has some information on projects at the county pool.
Click here for Todd’s news maker.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.