All quiet at Scout offices after gay membership vote

The decision by the Boy Scouts of America to allow openly gay boys to join its ranks had generated little feedback from the public at the local Scout offices as of Friday morning.

Once a colonel, now a contractor reflects on Memorial Day

Almost one year has passed since Drexel Ross retired from the Army, but he's still living on a military base in a war-ravaged part of the world.

Defendant contests charges after videotaping police while armed

Andrew Charles Studds insists he wasn't doing anything wrong when he videotaped Front Royal police while carrying a holstered gun on his right hip as they conducted traffic stops a few weeks ago.

New trial ordered in kennel owner's defamation lawsuit

A defamation lawsuit once decided in favor of Frederick County kennel owner Russell Lee Ebersole has been resurrected.

Forecaster furloughs a concern for Wolf

A letter from U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Vienna, to a top administrator at the Department of Commerce signals growing concern about planned furloughs of meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Sterling and elsewhere.

Region, state not immune to tornado threats

Virginia residents can be grateful this part of the country is much less vulnerable to the kind of devastating tornados that wreaked havoc in Oklahoma, but the state is not completely immune.

Winchester police abandon new holsters after gun incident

A school bus shooting incident in which a student managed to squeeze the trigger on a police officer's gun has led the Winchester Police Department to abandon new holsters acquired only about six months ago.

Student's father criticizes handling of school cafeteria fight

The father of a Strasburg High School student is disputing a decision by police and school officials to press charges of disorderly conduct and assault and battery that grew out of a cafeteria food fight on May 7.

Police accuse wife of stabbing estranged husband

Strasburg police arrested a local woman Saturday night after a fight that sent her estranged husband to Winchester Medical Center with a stab wound.

Police launch seat belt enforcement campaign

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Northern Shenandoah Valley will be paying extra attention to seat belt enforcement as part of the national Click It Or Ticket campaign that began Monday and runs through June 2.

Fatal plane crash lawsuit settled, investigation ends

A $60 million lawsuit linked to a helicopter-airplane collision in which an Edinburg man died has been settled.

Strasburg crime rate fell to lowest point in 2012

Crime statistics for 2012 show Strasburg to be a mostly safe place that is getting safer.

Judge recuses himself from embezzlement case

The trial of a Strasburg woman on drug charges linked to her alleged theft of thousands of dollars from a charitable trust fund reserved for a child's medical expenses is off for now.

Officer back on duty after gun discharge on school bus

A Winchester police officer whose gun discharged on a school bus Monday as he sat next to a special needs student is back on duty, department officials said Wednesday.

Fugitive turns himself in to W.Va. authorities

A fugitive described by the Warren County Sheriff's Office as armed and dangerous has turned himself in to law enforcement authorities in West Virginia, Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron said Wednesday.

Fallen law enforcement officers remembered at service

Tuesday was a day for bagpipers to play "Amazing Grace" and poetry readings from the podium as family and friends of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty gathered to honor their memory at Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy in Middletown.

Special prosecutor appointed for disorderly conduct case

A special prosecutor has been appointed to replace Shenandoah County Commonwealth's Attorney Amanda M. Wiseley in the disorderly conduct case of a Strasburg man accused of bringing a board into an elementary school bearing the words "high powered rifle."

Suspected escapee accused in burglary, vehicle theft

Law enforcement officials say they believe a man arrested early Sunday morning in Wythe County is the same suspect wanted in a burglary and car theft hours earlier in Woodstock.

Excessive force cited as reason for officer's dismissal

Former Strasburg police officer Aaron H. Lewis lost his job over accusations that he used excessive force against a suspect in a drug case, falsification of records and violation of safety rules without a threat to life, according to documents in Shenandoah County Circuit Court.

Couple's immigrant dreams dissolve in courtroom

Martha Elena Gomez Torres and Carlos Alberto Morales-Luis spent more than decade trying to build decent lives for themselves and their three children in the United States, but the efforts all but ended Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg.

Authorities accuse Luray man in 7-Eleven robbery

A Luray man faces eight felony counts, including armed robbery and assault and battery against a law enforcement officer, stemming from two sets of crimes committed in Warren County in August 2011 and November 2012.

Shenandoah school bus driver resigns

The Shenandoah County school bus driver charged with reckless driving after a crash in Mauertown is resigning after 14 years with the school system.

Heavy rain hits region, few problems reported

Heavy rain sweeping through the Northern Shenandoah Valley Wednesday raised river levels to near flood stage for the first time this year.

New Market man arrested after burglary at plant

Shenandoah County sheriff's deputies arrested a New Market man Thursday and charged him with burglary and two other felonies after finding him after work hours in a plant where he used to work.

Authorities looking for suspect in gun theft

The Warren County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man, described as armed and dangerous, who is suspected of stealing a 9mm pistol.

Seminar aims to help seniors guard against fraud

Crooks can use pens as well as guns to steal, and no group is more vulnerable to unscrupulous plots to separate people from their money than the elderly.

Judge upholds town's firing of police officer

The town of Strasburg has won what could be a final victory in a legal dispute with fired police officer Aaron Lewis.

Billboards depicting fiery crash ask for Jeep Cherokee recall

Jenelle Embrey shows no sign of letting up on her efforts to get the federal government to recall some Jeep Cherokees, and she is paying for a trio of billboards to prove it.

Juvenile arson worries Warren County fire officials

Warren County fire officials are increasingly worried about a rash of arsons this year involving juvenile suspects.

Front Royal police searching for escaped suspect

Front Royal police are searching for an 18-year-old town resident who escaped from custody as he was about to enter the jail around 3 p.m. Thursday.

Wildfire season passes uneventfully

Fire chiefs in Warren and Shenandoah counties said Thursday favorable weather helped tame wildfire season this year.

Volunteer firefighter accused of theft, misuse of credit card

A volunteer firefighter with Warren County Fire and Rescue Services has been charged in General District Court with fraud and theft in a case involving gasoline purchases for his own car that authorities say he paid for with a department credit card.

Drug arrests may be fueling surge in jail population

Overcrowding at the Warren County Jail has Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron scrambling to find neighboring jurisdictions willing to house some of the inmates.

Grocery owner faces SNAP disqualification

IIt takes more than a threatening letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent Rodney Sparks from selling groceries to customers enrolled in the Food Stamp program, recently renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Authorities deem defendant too unruly for court appearance

Clyde Eugene Burrell Jr., charged with attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer and several related offenses, was involved in another confrontation with police Tuesday, according to his attorney and Warren County Circuit Judge Dennis L. Hupp.

7-Eleven robbery charges upheld at preliminary hearing

A case involving a man accused in the robbery of a 7-Eleven store in Front Royal almost two years ago is set to be presented to a grand jury after a preliminary hearing Tuesday.

Warren County's 48 arrests led drug operation

Law enforcement officers from the Front Royal police and Warren County Sheriff's Office swept up 48 people as part of a massive drug enforcement operation throughout the Northern Shenandoah Valley on Thursday.

Community, emergency responders come together on safety day

Woodstock residents got an up close look at the world of police, fire and emergency medical services in their community Saturday.

Family of slain Stephens City man plans suit against Martinsburg

Martinsburg city officials have been served notice by the family of Wayne Jones, the Stephens City man slain by Martinsburg police on March 13, that they intend to sue for $250 million.

PCP, crack ring leader sentenced to 35 years

PCP, crack cocaine, marijuana and other drugs flowed with regularity for 10 years from Barnett Southall Dillman Jr.'s parents' home in Bladensburg, Md., south to Front Royal.

Three sentenced for roles in Winchester crack dealing ring

A man described in court documents as the leader and enforcer of an extensive crack cocaine ring in Winchester was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court to life imprisonment.

Public defender reflects on 50th anniversary of landmark case

The effects of a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued 50 years ago on Monday that began with a poor drifter sentenced to five years in prison can still be seen everyday in area courtrooms.

Gun charge nixed: Judge rejects felony gun charge against Forest Service ranger

A U.S. Forest Service ranger facing three gun-related charges won a round in a preliminary hearing Monday when a judge refused to certify the sole felony offense to a grand jury.

Judge dismisses suit against lawyer in divorce case

A Winchester judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a local attorney against his former wife's divorce attorney.

Progress 2013: New technology aids public safety workers

The gunshots that took the life of a Woodstock man as he struggled with law enforcement officers on the night of July 20 proved to be an unlikely catalyst for technological change among several police agencies in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

Keyser recalled as 'old southern sheriff'

Former Warren County Sheriff Gary Turner Keyser, remembered by colleagues as one of the last of the old-time small town sheriffs, died Saturday at Blue Ridge Hospice Inpatient Care Center in Winchester.