Henry County to sell Schock shell building
The Henry County Industrial Development Authority approved the sale of the former Schock shell building at Beaver Creek on Tuesday.…
Category: Local news
Three candidates apply for Henry County School Board
The Henry County School Board held a public hearing on Tuesday, where three people applied for the at-large seat on…
Black ice expected Tuesday morning
Areas of black ice across the region will remain through this morning. With temperatures starting the day in the upper…
Winter weather hits Midwest, East as Pacific Northwest braces for atmospheric river
(NEW YORK) — After a weekend of snow in the Midwest, the winter weather is focused farther south on Monday, with snow hitting Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest is bracing for an atmospheric river set to bring dangerous flooding.
Here’s the latest forecast:
Chicago saw 4.6 inches of snow on Sunday, with areas north of the city getting 6 inches.
Parts of Iowa and South Dakota saw more than 9 inches of snow over the weekend.
On Monday morning, the snow is focused farther east, falling from Kentucky to North Carolina.
A winter storm warning is in place for parts of Virginia, with 2 to 5 inches of snow possible from Roanoke to Richmond.
Norfolk, Virginia, could see up to 2 inches; up to 1 inch is possible for eastern Kentucky and the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina; and 1 to 3 inches of snow could hit western Virginia and southern West Virginia.
The snow will end Monday evening, but residents across the region should brace for a potentially dangerous evening commute.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, an atmospheric river is set to bring days of heavy rain to Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
A flood watch is in effect for more than 9 million people, and landslides and debris flows are also possible.
More than 10 inches of rain is possible just from Monday through Wednesday across parts of western Washington and Oregon.
River levels may reach major flood stage by Wednesday, and the rain will continue through the week and into the weekend.
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Fire fatality in Patrick County
A person has died following an early morning residential structure fire, according to Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith. The 911…
Intruder killed after confrontation
On December 5, 2025, at approximately 7:45 PM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to 8884 AL Philpott Highway…
First snow of the season arrives
A winter weather advisory expires at 1 p.m. today as low pressure over the area moves east and away from…
Wife of Virginia football coach wanted for possession of child pornography pleads with him to ‘face the allegations’
(APPALACHIA, Va.) — The wife of a Virginia high school football coach who went missing days before being wanted on charges involving child sexual abuse material and solicitation of a minor is pleading with him to “face the allegations by defending yourself in a court of law,” as he remains missing for two weeks.
Travis Turner, 46, of Appalachia, Virginia, was last seen on Nov. 20, according to the Virginia State Police. He is wanted on multiple felony charges, including five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor, according to Virginia State Police. The Union High School football coach is considered a fugitive, police said.
Turner was last seen by some family members walking into the woods with a gun, according to the coach’s family.
“While the family’s last contact with Travis causes them to have great concern for his well being, they cling to the hope he will be found and afforded the opportunity to defend himself in a court of law,” his family said in a statement released Wednesday through his wife’s attorney.
The family said they continue to cooperate with law enforcement, including having their home and properties searched “multiple times,” amid efforts to locate Turner.
Turner’s car, keys and wallet were left at home, as well as daily medications and his contact lens and glasses, according to his family.
When he did not return that evening, his wife contacted law enforcement and filed a missing person report the following day “as directed” with the Virginia State Police, his family said.
“Criminal charges were not obtained against Travis until days after he failed to return home,” the statement from his family said. “He was not a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time he went missing. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him.”
His wife and children are “in distress” and urged him to come home.
“Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you,” the statement said. “They love and miss you. They want you to know they are your support.”
The U.S. Marshals Service this week announced a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Turner’s capture.
The U.S. Marshals warned that Turner “may be armed” and to “use caution” in a wanted poster released on Monday.
Turner is a physical education teacher and head football coach at Union High School, in the Wise County public school district, according to the school’s website. Amid his disappearance, the football team has advanced to the Virginia state semifinals, scheduled for this Saturday, during a 13-0 season.
In response to a request for comment on Turner, Wise County Public Schools said Tuesday it is “aware that law enforcement has filed charges against a staff member who has been on administrative leave.”
“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students,” the statement continued. “The division will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process moves forward.”
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
1 in 4 Affordable Care Act enrollees would ‘very likely’ forego health insurance if premiums double: Poll
(NEW YORK) — One in four Americans covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are considering going without health insurance if their monthly premiums double next year, a new KFF poll published Thursday finds.
Open enrollment for the ACA began last month, and many Americans experienced sticker shock upon receiving their annual notices and discovering their 2026 premiums would be increasing.
At the same time, enhanced premium tax credits under the ACA, which help lower the cost of monthly premiums for about 22 million Americans, are set to expire at the end of the year, and it’s unclear if Congress will take action to extend them.
The survey, which included a nationally representative sample of 1,350 U.S. adults between ages 18 and 64 and was conducted during early to mid-November, found that many Americans are reconsidering coverage on the ACA marketplaces.
“What we’re really interested in is understanding how marketplace enrollees are thinking about their decisions around coverage in 2026 … and so we wanted to actually hear from the people that were being directly impacted by this,” Ashley Kirzinger, director of survey methodology at KFF, told ABC News.
The survey found that one in three people covered under the ACA said they would “very likely” shop for a cheaper plan if their premium payments doubled, or if they currently don’t pay a premium and would have to pay $50 a month.
Kirzinger said the finding that one in four Americans would “very likely” forego insurance if faced with the same scenario is concerning.
“One of the things that the Affordable Care Act did was decrease our uninsurance rate in this country,” she said. “And so this could have major implications and major consequences as more people become uninsured for the first time in a decade.”
“And so, it’s not that they want to go without coverage. It’s that that may be the only option available to them,” Kirzinger added.
‘We have to judge the value of our health’
One of the survey respondents, Jon, 38, from Florida, who withheld his last name due to privacy reasons, said his family needs a health insurance plan on the marketplace that has good coverage because his wife has an autoimmune disorder.
The monthly premium — which covers Jon, his wife and their two children — is currently $2,000 per month and is going up to $2,500 per month next year.
“Having health insurance is important,” he told ABC News. “We’re one accident from not being financially okay, one accident away from not being able to cover the cost of food, daily expenses.”
Jon said that his family is considering a plan next year that would lower the cost of the monthly premium but would raise their copay for doctor’s visits and emergency room visits
“Now we have to judge what the value of our health and nobody should have to judge the value of that,” he said.
The survey also found that 58% of enrollees, or six in 10 Americans, say they could not afford an annual increase of just $300 per year without significantly disrupting their household finances.
An additional 20% said they would not be able to afford a $1,000 per year increase without disrupting their finances.
If total health care costs — including premiums, deductibles and other expenses increase by $1,000 next year, about 67% of marketplace enrollees said they would likely cut down on daily household needs and 41% said they would likely skip or delay other bills, according to the survey.
‘Our most difficult monthly cost’
More than half of ACA policyholders, or 54%, said they expect the cost of their health insurance coverage next year to “increase a lot more than usual,” with one in four saying it will “increase a little more than usual,” the survey found.
Another survey respondent, Venus, 27, from Kentucky, who withheld her last name due to privacy reasons, told ABC News it’s currently difficult to pay for the cost of her and her husband’s monthly health insurance premiums.
“Mainly because we only have one income and we have to pay for two health insurances for people with two different chronic illnesses,” she said. “It’s our most difficult monthly cost to pay.”
Venus explained that because they need an insurance plan with a higher deductible, their premium is lower, but out-of-pocket costs are higher.
She and her husband pay about $200 each month, and their monthly premium is expected to increase $90, which will eat into their monthly budget.
If premiums doubled, she said she and her husband would have to consider going without insurance.
“I don’t even have the words for that,” she said, “Paying for insulin out-of-pocket, I just couldn’t imagine.”
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Arctic blast invades the Midwest, Northeast: Latest forecast
(NEW YORK) — The Northeast is bracing for its coldest temperatures of the season as an arctic blast hits the Midwest and then moves east.
On Thursday morning, the temperature is forecast to plunge to 5 degrees in Chicago; minus 4 degrees in Minneapolis; minus 1 degree in Green Bay, Wisconsin; and 8 degrees in Kansas City, Missouri.
On Friday, the temperature could fall to 1 degree in Chicago, 8 degrees in Detroit, 10 degrees in Pittsburgh, 14 in Boston and 21 in New York. Chicago, Pittsburgh and Portland, Maine, could also record daily record lows.
By the weekend, the temperature won’t be as extreme, but it’ll still likely feel cooler than average in the North and Northeast. Unseasonably cold conditions in the East are expected again next week.
Meanwhile, in the West, winter storm alerts are in effect on Wednesday in Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, where 3 to 13 inches of snow is forecast.
Much of this snow is welcome, as the mountains have been behind normal snowfall this season.
Denver could see 3 to 6 inches of snow on Wednesday, with totals increasing in higher elevations outside of the city.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.