CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — One man is dead after an early-morning house fire Thursday in Chesterfield County.

It happened on Glenpark Lane near the Stonehenge Golf and Country Club. A neighbor called 911 shortly after 1 a.m. to report the fire.

It took 45 minutes to put the flames out. The house is a total loss.

Neighbors told 8News the man who lived in the home was in his 50s and was disabled. They say he lived in the neighborhood for about 15 years.

Chesterfield fatal fire

One neighbor says he couldn’t believe it when firefighters found one person dead inside.

“I was devastated, he was such a nice guy. He loved his Virginia Tech sports and he was a very caring person and a very giving person,” said neighbor Pete Prosser.

Chesterfield Fire crews say the blaze started on the first floor of the house and spread quickly up to the second floor. The man’s body was found on the first floor of the home.

“You don’t think that something like this could happen on your street,” said Prosser.

This is the fourth major fire in Chesterfield this week, but unlike the other three, this fire is not being considered suspicious.

The fire marshal will determine the cause of the fire. The identity of the deceased man has not been released.

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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a man who has been missing since Feb.12.

Robert A. Clinton, 63, was last seen in the 3400 block of Chamberlayne Avenue.

He is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 170 pounds, with blue eyes, gray hair and a full beard. He was last seen wearing a tan leather jacket, a white shirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes.

He suffers from a medical condition and is in need of medication, police said.

Anyone who sees Clinton or has information on his whereabouts is asked to call Major Crimes Detective G. Brissette at (804) 646-3867 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

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RICHMOND – Construction likely will begin this summer on the state Capitol grounds for a monument honoring Virginia women.

The executive committee of the Women of Virginia Commemorative Commission was briefed Wednesday on the timetable for the project, which will feature bronze statues of a dozen historically significant women of various races and backgrounds.

Holly Eve, an administrator in the Virginia Department of General Services, and her assistant, Charles Bennett, told the panel that the construction phase is drawing near.

“I am pleased to report that we have received the permits. The general contractor can now start procuring materials and start the shop drawing phase,” Bennett said. “We should start seeing materials arrive on-site early in the summer.”

The Virginia Women’s Monument, titled “Voices from the Garden,” will be built on the western side of Capitol Square at the top of the western sloping dell.

The commission broke ground on the first phase of the project – the memorial plaza – on Dec. 4. The monument is expected to be completed by October 2019.

State officials said the monument will cost about $3.5 million and will be paid for with private funds. So far, the Virginia Capitol Foundation has raised more than $2.1 million in contributions and pledges, according to figures circulated at Wednesday’s meeting.

According to the commission’s website, the monument “will acknowledge the genius and creativity of Virginia women and their presence and contributions to the Commonwealth. The monument is a metaphor for the often unrecognized voices that have been responsible for shaping our culture, country, and state for over 400 years.”

The commission says the monument would be the first of its kind in the nation recognizing the full range of women’s achievements. The project will feature an oval-shaped garden with statues of:

• Ann Burras Laydon, who arrived in Jamestown in 1608 – one of the first female settlers in the colony.
• Cockacoeske, a Pamunkey chief who signed a treaty in 1677 establishing the tribe’s reservation.
• Mary Draper Ingles, who was taken captive by Shawnee Indians during the French and Indian War in 1755, escaped and traveled 600 miles back to her home in Southwest Virginia.
• Martha Washington, George Washington’s wife. In the monument, she will represent the wives of all eight Virginia-born presidents.
• Clementina Bird Rind, editor of the Virginia Gazette, an influential newspaper and the official printer for the Colony of Virginia, in the 1770s.
• Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a slave who bought her freedom, became Mary Todd Lincoln’s confidant and established the Contraband Relief Association, which provided support for freed slaves and soldiers wounded in the Civil War.
• Sally Louisa Tompkins, who, as a captain in the Confederate army, established a hospital to treat injured soldiers.
• Maggie Walker, an African-American teacher and businesswoman who became the nation’s first female bank president.
• Sarah Garland Boyd Jones, the first woman to pass the exam to practice medicine in Virginia. She and her husband, also a physician, established a medical association for African-American doctors and opened a hospital and nursing school in 1903.
• Laura Lu Copenhaver, who, as director of information for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, expanded southwestern Virginia’s agricultural economy.
• Virginia Estelle Randolph, an African-American teacher who developed a national and international reputation as a leader in education.
• Adele Goodman Clark, a suffragist who became president of the League of Women Voters in 1921. She is considered to be one of the founders of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

During its meeting Wednesday, the commission discussed Senate Joint Resolution 85, which has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House. The proposal would make the Capitol Square Preservation Council’s architectural historian a member of the Virginia Women’s Monument Commission.

The resolution would also allow the governor, the speaker of the House of Delegates, the secretary of administration and the librarian of Virginia to appoint designees to serve in their place and grant ex-officio members voting privileges. Finally, it would ensure that the dedication of the monument be coordinated by the clerk of the Senate, the clerk of the House of Delegates and the secretary of administration.

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CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Chesterfield County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Chesterfield Police Department have made an arrest in four recent fires in the county.

Daniel J. Adkins, 18, of Midlothian, was charged with two counts of arson related to the Millcrest Terrace house fire and brush fire located in the same area. Adkins was also charged with two counts of arson relating to two fires that occurred late Sunday night and early Monday morning at the Wilton Square Shopping Center on Genito Road.

Lt. Jason Elmore of Chesterfield Fire and EMS says that investigators noticed patterns between the fires.

“Obviously the location was the biggest pattern,” Elmore said. “He lived in the area as well as the two separate incidents were fairly close to one another.”

The first fire started on the second floor of Wilton Square at around 10:30 p.m. Sunday. The second fire was reported around 2:15 a.m. Monday on a back deck of the building.

Then on Wednesday morning, a massive fire broke out at a home on Millcrest Terrace.

“Some of the things that we did notice is that both of them were unoccupied,” adds Elmore. “They would have been places where people wouldn’t have been to notice anything.”

Authorities were initially called to the area for reports of a person breaking into vehicles. When police arrived, a trash can was on fire on a nearby trail. They then noticed the home burning and diverted their attention to containing the fire.

The house suffered significant damage and was considered a total loss.

No injuries were reported in any of the fires.

Joy Cleaners was destroyed in a separate fire that broke out at Wilton Square Shopping Center in November of last year. Chesterfield Fire said no connection has been made from the November fire to the recent fires.

Stay with 8News for updates on this developing story.

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The White House budget director waded into Virginia’s ongoing debate over whether to expand Medicaid on Thursday, saying the Trump administration is “committed to addressing the unsustainable growth” of the program.

The Office of Management and Budget issued director Mick Mulvaney’s brief statement “on the Obamacare Medicaid Expansion in Virginia” on Twitter.

“The program has resulted in an explosion of state and federal spending, and abundant evidence suggests new enrollees are not experiencing health improvements to justify this dramatic increase in cost,” the statement said. It went on to say President Donald Trump’s budget “supports increased flexibility for states to design solutions that best meet the needs of their low-income and most vulnerable populations.”

The comments come at a critical time in Virginia’s effort to expand Medicaid under former President Barack Obama’s health care law to provide health coverage for 300,000 low-income Virginians, a top priority for Democrats that Republicans have fought off for years.

The state House has passed a budget that accepts federal funding for expansion; the Senate budget has no such provision. A conference committee will meet to hash out that and other differences.

Sen. Ryan McDougle, chairman of the Senate Republican caucus, said Mulvaney’s statement confirms his chamber’s position is the correct one.

“That message seemed to be unequivocally direct in that we need to pursue directions that do not include expansion because the dollars are not going to be coming with it,” McDougle said.

Trump’s recent budget proposal called for repealing Medicaid expansion and overhauling the program to limit future federal financing. But it’s highly unlikely that Congress will move ahead with that plan.

Congressional Republicans tried to do just that last year and failed, drawing widespread opposition that included a number of GOP governors whose states expanded Medicaid.

Polls show strong public approval of Medicaid and its expansion so serve more low-income working people. The expansion remains the law of the land, and the Trump administration would find itself in federal court if tried to turn down a new request from Virginia or any other state.

The Office of Management and Budget is not the agency that approves or denies Medicaid waivers. That agency is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the Health and Human Services department.

Lawmakers in the House said the statement was unclear and didn’t think it would affect the debate.

House Appropriations Chairman Del. Chris Jones said the statement was a mixed message at best.

“Some people read it one way, some people read it another,” said Del. Terry Kilgore, a Republican from southwest Virginia who recently endorsed expansion after years of opposition.

Asked for further comment, an OMB official said the tweet speaks for itself.

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, a pediatric neurologist, has said expansion is one of his top priorities. Northam and his team met with several federal health care officials last weekend in Washington, his spokesman, Brian Coy, said.

“They were assured that the Trump administration will continue to evaluate applications for expanded coverage, and would look favorably on waivers to connect Virginians with work and incentivize healthy choices,” Coy said.

In Washington, Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine chided the Trump administration for “trying to limit the number of people who have access to life-saving health care.” Kaine said he believes Virginia leaders are committed to “doing the right thing” by expanding Medicaid.

Associated Press health care writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

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RICHMOND – The Supreme Court of Virginia heard arguments Thursday in a case alleging that state lawmakers valued partisan politics over constitutional requirements in drawing 11 of the 100 districts for the House of Delegates.

Brian Cannon of OneVirginia2021 – the state’s leading redistricting reform group – is heading the charge to end gerrymandering in Virginia both at the General Assembly and in the courtroom. Cannon said the districts in question distort natural political boundaries and ignore state-mandated size and shape regulations.

“Our compactness requirement should be a high priority since it’s in our state constitution,” Cannon said. “Clearly it wasn’t. Clearly partisan politics and discretionary criteria were valued over it.”

Cannon said his camp hopes for a decision to come down within the next two months.

Courts have long been wary of ruling on redistricting matters for fear of the political ramifications of their decisions. Republican lawmakers from Pennsylvania last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the “intentional seizure of the redistricting process” by a state court there.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last month ruled the Republican-controlled legislature had drawn the state’s congressional districts with partisan intent. A remedial plan adopted by the court could swing three or four congressional districts the Democrats’ way. Republicans currently hold 13 of Pennsylvania’s 18 seats in Congress.

Bill Oglesby, an associate professor in the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University, said courts around the country are having difficulty adjudicating redistricting reform because it is a naturally political process. As in Pennsylvania, Virginia courts are caught in the political crossfires inherent in gerrymandering.

“The parties to this case are dealing with a classic Catch-22,” said Oglesby, who helped produce “GerryRIGGED: Turning Democracy on its Head,” a documentary advocating for an overhaul of Virginia’s redistricting system.

“The state constitution requires the General Assembly to draw compact districts, but lower courts have said the politicians can decide what is compact, and they are the very ones who have a political incentive to stretch the meaning of that term.”

With court proceedings slowed by political ramifications, redistricting reform proponents have been focused on legislation in hopes of establishing immediate criteria for redrawing Virginia’s legislative districts after the U.S. census in 2020:

• Senate Bill 106 establishes criteria for districts to be redrawn after the 2020 census, including equal population, racial and ethnic fairness, respect for existing political boundaries, compactness and communities of interest. The House of Delegates approved the legislation, 90-9, on Wednesday. HB 1598, a companion bill, was passed by the Senate on Monday, 23-17.
• House Bill 312 sought to establish a commission to hold public hearings on the redistricting process. It died in a House Rules subcommittee on Feb. 13.
• HB 205 would have required legislative districts to be redrawn should any state or federal court declare them unlawful or unconstitutional. The bill was left in a House Privileges and Elections subcommittee on Feb. 13.

Cannon said redistricting reform concerns a “fundamental question of fairness” he believes most Virginians agree upon.

“Voters should be able to choose their legislators, not the other way around,” Cannon said.

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RICHMOND – Under the shadow of the Bell Tower on Capitol Square, hundreds of people from across Virginia rallied on a rainy Thursday in support of a state budget that would expand Medicaid to about 400,000 low-income residents.

Medicaid expansion is included in the budget approved by the House of Delegates. It also would add a work requirement for those seeking coverage. The budget passed by the Senate would not expand Medicaid. The two chambers must work out their differences and pass a budget before the legislative session ends March 10.

Speaking at the rally, Gov. Ralph Northam said, “Health care is a right. Morally the right thing to do is to expand coverage.”

Northam and other Democrats note that the federal Affordable Care Act encouraged states to expand Medicaid with the promise that the federal government would pick up most of the cost. Neighboring states such as Kentucky, West Virginia and Maryland have expanded Medicaid. Northam said Virginia is losing more than $5 million a day by failing to follow suit.

Northam was joined at the rally by a number of fellow Democrats including Attorney General Mark Herring and Sens. Jennifer Wexton of Loudoun, David Marsden of Fairfax, Lionell Spruill Sr. of Chesapeake, John Edwards of Roanoke and Jeremy McPike of Prince William.

More than 100 groups were represented at the rally, including the Healthcare for All Virginians Coalition, Planned Parenthood, the Young Invincibles and Progress Virginia.

Health Brigade Executive Director Karen Legato pointed to the bipartisan support for Medicaid expansion in the House. She said the state’s charitable clinics are no substitute for Medicaid expansion. Collectively, the clinics can serve only “152,000 of the 505,000 uninsured eligible for our services,” she said.

“We need our government to stand with us – to work with us side by side,” Legato said. “The time is now to ensure that the commonwealth is pro-health and pro-people.”

Christopher Rashad Green of New Virginia Majority, an advocacy group for working-class communities of color, discussed his experience being “trapped in the gap” between access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. He also said he was encouraged to see people at the rally working for “equity and justice and access to affordable health care.”

“I didn’t believe any of this would happen, but now I actually see it happening, and you are proof of that,” Green said. “We have to remain hopeful and vigilant and do uncomfortable things like speaking truth to power. Keep fighting the fight.”

The Rev. Jeanne Pupke spoke on behalf of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and “thousands of faith leaders.” She called for an increase in activism from communities and individuals in the days to follow.

“We can do it if we all go home today and work hard to make our voices heard,” Pupke said. “Our interfaith voices, our unfaith voices, for the commonwealth that is our voice.”

After the rally, members of the crowd walked to legislators’ offices in the nearby Pocahontas Building to urge lawmakers to support Medicaid expansion.

“Keep your energy up, keep your enthusiasm up,” Northam told the people at the rally. “And let’s make sure that in the next week, we expand coverage and make sure that all Virginians have access to affordable and quality health care.”

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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — On Thursday, Virginia House Democrats renewed their call for gun reform.

At a news conference at the State Capitol, they challenged Republican leadership to revive gun safety bills that were killed earlier in the General Assembly session.

They included measures like banning bump stocks and prohibiting people under 21 years of age from purchasing semi-automatic rifles.

The push comes just about two weeks after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen people died after a teenager opened fire.

“We have real world solutions at our fingertips,” said Del. Karrie Delany (D-Fairfax). “And we should implement them now.”

Del. Rip Sullivan (D-Fairfax) highlighted his HB198. It would have let law enforcement temporarily take guns away from people posing substantial risk to themselves or others.

But it never got a hearing.

“What haunts you about HB198 is that a bill like this in Florida just might have stopped Parkland. And a bill like this in Virginia just might stop the next one,” said Sullivan.

Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) said that bill — and dozens of others — never had a hearing because of its significant financial impact. The House majority leader said one of his own bills was killed for the same reason.

HB198 was listed as having a fiscal impact of $521,489 in fiscal year 2019.

Aside from that, Gilbert said it is too late in session for the House to revive any bill.

House rules state the deadline was at cross over, which was mid-February.

“There is no mechanism to bring up a House bill after cross over,” said Gilbert.

Del. David Toscano (D-Charlottesville), who is the House minority leader, argues there’s more Republicans could be doing this late into session.

“They control the rules. If they want to bring a bill to the floor, they can tell us which ones they want, and we can pass them. This decision is totally in their hands,” said Toscano.

Gilbert said, even if their were a way to bring a bill back, these issues would take more than the nine days lawmakers have left in Richmond to sort through.

“Hopefully in the time that we’re going to have after session we can be thoughtful about trying to address ways that we can prevent violence in our communities in all forms. And we welcome having those discussions,” he said.

Gov. Ralph Northam, on the other hand, could still send down a bill, if he felt it would get enough support.

It is not yet clear whether that is in the works.

“Governor Northam will continue to do everything he can to advocate for commonsense gun safety reform and is encouraging legislators from both sides of the aisle to revisit the solutions outlined at the beginning of the legislative session,” said Northam spokesperson Ofirah Yheskel. “He and his team have reached out to Republicans in the General Assembly on the issue and continue to hope they will come to the table.”

The last day of session is March 10.

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MIDDLESEX COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A 23-year-old man told police he strangled a woman who was found murdered in the woods two days after she went missing from her Middlesex County home.

Terrilyn St. John, 23, was reported missing Tuesday morning after not showing up for work.

Detectives located her body at around 9 a.m. Thursday morning, roughly one mile away from her home on Mill Wharf Road in Wake. Shortly after, a homicide investigation was underway and a 23-year-old suspect, Alvin B. Keyser, was in custody.

After St. John’s body was positively identified roughly two hours later, Keyser was charged with first-degree murder and concealing a dead body — both felonies.

Police add there is no reason to believe that there was anyone else involved in the crime.

St. John was reported missing early Tuesday morning after she didn’t show up for work. When deputies with the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office arrived at her home, the front door was open and St. John’s two young children were alone in the house. They did not appear injured, according to authorities.

RELATED: Family and friends speak about missing mother in Middlesex

Her cellphone was found in the bushes outside her house and a broken necklace was found in the yard of the home.

While being questioned by detectives, Keyser said he confronted St. John at her residence regarding statements she allegedly made about him. Keyser stated that St. John then struck them, and that he struck her back and pushed her out of the van he was operating.

Keyser told deputies that he then went around to the other side of the van and hit St. John again before strangling her until she stopped breathing.

Keyser then loaded her body into the van and disposed of it in the woods, not far from her residence. He also admitted that various items found at  the crime scene were his.

Keyser is being held at Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, March 5.

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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia has made significant strides in its effort to test the state’s backlog of rape kits and find justice for rape survivors.

8News has learned that there were several DNA hits on rape kits out of Richmond.

“Each case gets a fresh look,” Attorney General Mark Herring said regarding the significant break that could bring closure to rape survivors in Richmond. “This is really the beginning of making sure that justice is done, identifying perpetrators that might still be out there.”

Of the 195 Richmond rape kits — or perk kits as they’re also called — that were sent onto a lab for DNA testing, 24 have been entered into the national databank known as codis, which contains the DNA profiles of millions of offenders.

Of those 24 entered, seven have already returned a match to a suspect in the database.

“In one particular instance, we have someone who was only known by a nickname, but we believe we got the individuals full name now,” Lt. Jason Hudson with Richmond Police explained.

Lt. Hudson added that one of those seven rape cases dates back to 2004. He said each case will now be reopened, reviewed, the suspects tracked down and the survivors notified.

“And we figure out a best way to make the notifications that are required in these circumstances,” he said.

Realizing this could stir up painful and terrifying memories for victims, Lt. Hudson said the notification process will be handled delicately with the help of victim’s advocates.

“One thing we don’t want to do is unnecessarily traumatize or re-traumatize any of the survivors,” Lt. Hudon said.

In 2014, a state count from police departments around the commonwealth uncovered nearly 3000 untested rape kits. Since then, Herring has secured more than $3 million in grants to make sure th\at every kit gets tested.

“Making sure that every kit gets tested and making sure that every survivor knows the results means so much to these survivors,” Herring said. “Every single one of these cases is important. We are turning a page in how these cases were treated.”

It’s important to note that while the survivors will be notified, some may choose not to press charges, which is their right.

• 8News Investigates: What Is The State Doing With Massive Backlog Of Untested Rape Kits?

To date, 1,360 of the state’s backlogged rape kits have been sent on to a private lab for testing. As 8News has reported before, there have been 48 hits Virginia Beach and 13 more in Fairfax.

Click here to view the latest testing data from around the state.

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HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Police have identified the driver of the vehicle who led officers on a chase that shut down much of Interstate 64 on Thursday afternoon.

Timothy M. Gray, 40, of Richmond, Va. was wanted by the Richmond Police for one felony count of strangulation, one felony of sexual battery and one misdemeanor count of domestic assault.

Gray refused to stop for the Fugitive Task Force and quickly led the officers on a chase with speeds reaching between 70 and 80 mph.

The pursuit continued eastbound until the vehicle crashed into the median near mile marker 198. That’s when police say Gray exited the vehicle armed with a machete and began approaching members of the task force as they surrounded his vehicle.

Gray was subsequently shot and died at the scene.

Two members of the Fugitive Task Force members — a Virginia State Police Special Agent and a U.S. Marshal — were involved in the shooting. In accordance with Virginia State Police policy, the Virginia State Police Special Agent involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.

Police cruisers lined the interstate near I-295 as their investigation shut down both the eastbound and westbound travel lanes for hours Thursday.

A law enforcement source told 8News that authorities from multiple jurisdictions were chasing a “violent suspect.”

Residents who live in a nearby neighborhood told 8News they had a clear view of the incident as it was unfolding.

“When he hit the car and knocked it over into the median strip, I thought it was just an accident, you know?” Marie Hoy said. “So all of a sudden I turn around and the police had jumped out and they was just shooting.”

Hoy, who was taking her trash out at the time, said she heard several gunshots.

“Oh, it was more than one honey,” she said. “More than three, I say three or four, bang bang, you know?”

No other information, including the suspect’s identity, has been released at this time. Stay with 8News for updates.

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RICHMOND – The abduction and slaying of a 19-year-old Norfolk woman prompted General Assembly approval of legislation to create an Amber Alert-like system for “critically missing” adults.

The “Ashanti Alert” called for in HB 260, sponsored by Del. Jerrauld Jones, D-Norfolk, was approved by the Senate on Thursday and now awaits the signature of Gov. Ralph Northam to become law.

Ashanti Billie was abducted in 2017 from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, where she worked at a sandwich shop, and later found dead in Charlotte, North Carolina. Because Billie was an adult, she didn’t meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.

“Once Ashanti went missing, we became more aware of other situations where something like this had happened but there was no mechanism in place,” said Jones, who represents the 89th House District, where Billie lived. “This is a public safety issue, not a partisan issue.”

Eric Brian Brown, described by authorities as a retired Navy veteran who worked at the base with Billie, has been charged with kidnapping in Virginia and in connection with her death in the Charlotte area.

Members of Billie’s family connected with Jones through their friend Kimberly Wimbish, who had worked with the delegate on his election campaign last year. They asked him to draft a bill to help those who currently don’t qualify for missing persons alerts.

Wimbish, who initially used Facebook to publicize the young woman’s disappearance, said the case raised awareness about missing adults, especially in the Norfolk area where people had connections to Billie.

“Everyone said she would give them her last. That she was always helpful and friendly,” said Wimbish, who serves as the family’s spokesperson. “We have to know and believe her kindness was taken for granted.”

Jones said the bill gives Virginia State Police the power to set criteria for the “critically missing adult alert.”

Currently, Virginia has three alerts for missing persons:

• Amber Alerts and Endangered Missing Child Media Alerts, for missing persons under age 18.
• Senior Alerts, sometimes called Silver Alerts, for persons 60 or older.

That leaves a gap for adults between 18 and 60 years old.

If approved by the governor, the Ashanti Alerts will be modeled on the Amber Alerts. An Amber Alert includes issuing emergency messages over public broadcasting networks, displaying electronic messages on highway signs and sending texts to all cellphones within range of the cellular carrier towers in the affected area.

Amber Alerts are also spread voluntarily by other state agencies, the news media and nonprofit organizations. For example, a program called A Child Is Missing can make 1,000 telephone calls with a recorded alert within a minute, according to Virginia’s Amber Alert Plan.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that Amber Alert systems nationwide have helped in the recovery of more than 540 children.

Last year, the General Assembly declared April 29 as “Missing Persons Day” to recognize the 600 Virginians missing at that time, and their families. Advocates are getting ready for the second annual Virginia Missing Persons Day.

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RICHMOND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A two-vehicle crash on Route 360 in Richmond County on Friday afternoon may have been caused by high winds.

A Richmond County Trooper’s preliminary investigation revealed that a tractor-trailer traveling on the westbound side of Downing Bridge struck a small SUV when a heavy wind gust blew the tractor-trailer into the eastbound lane into traffic.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver and passenger of the SUV were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

No charges have been placed at this time due to high winds being a possible factor in the collision.

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CULPEPER, Va. (WRIC) — Interstate 64 is now open in both directions at milepost 129 in eastern Albemarle County after a power line fell across all lanes on the interstate.

Traffic was being detoured onto Route 250. Eastbound traffic used Exit 129 and Westbound traffic used Exit 136 to Route 250.

A five-mile backup remains due to the congestion during the closure.

All motorists should take caution and can check www.511virginia.org for all road closures and traffic conditions.

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RICHMOND — Gov. Ralph Northam sat down with first-graders at Woodville Elementary School on Friday morning and read Dr. Seuss’ “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” in celebration of Read Across America Day.

The national event, created by the National Education Association in 1997, falls on the birthday of the late Theodor Geisel, best known for writing more than 60 children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.

Teachers, politicians, athletes and celebrities across the nation participate in Read Across America by taking part in activities to encourage children to read.

“These babies are the leaders of tomorrow. We want them to learn at an early age that it is important to read because you can’t function in a society if you can’t read or write,” said Shannon Washington, principal of Woodville Elementary.

At the school, staff members sported Dr. Seuss hats and costumes and volunteers welcomed parents and family members who joined the students. Visitors were handed Dr. Seuss books as they signed in.

Northam joined Tawnya Jones’ first-grade class. The children were excited to share their dreams and goals with Northam, who stressed the importance of reading before starting in on  “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.”

Washington said that at Woodville, reading is celebrated by students and teachers. “The kids come to my office as a principal for reading, and it’s not punishment– the kids are excited about reading, and they want people to hear them read,” she said.

“We celebrate reading, and we promote it and encourage students to share their love for reading and the adults to share their love for reading,” Washington said. “We want children to see the importance of literacy. As the adults, we have to show kids our love for reading.”

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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond firefighters were called to the 3200 block of Cliff Avenue for a house fire Friday afternoon.

Officials say a tree fell through the middle of the house. Wind is believed to have caused the tree to fall and pull down electrical wires, which sparked the fire.

The family living there had to leave their home, and the Red Cross has been notified to assist the family.

No injuries have been reported.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) — More than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, searched neighborhoods near Central Michigan University on Friday for a 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a dormitory and then running from campus.

The shooting at Campbell Hall happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break.

Police released a photo of James Eric Davis Jr., urging the public to call 911 if they see him but also warning that he shouldn’t be confronted. Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a “slow, methodical removal” of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings, Lt. Larry Klaus said.

“He should be considered armed and dangerous,” Klaus said of Davis.

The university identified the two dead as his mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood. The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) north of Lansing.

Klaus said video at the dorm suggests Davis fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.

“This has been a tragic day. … The hurting will go on for a while,” said university President George Ross.

The search was focused on Mount Pleasant neighborhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.

Klaus said Davis was taken to a hospital Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.

The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 38 miles (61 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Davis Jr. graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.

Bellwood Police Chief Jiminez Allen released a statement Friday night praising Davis Sr.’s work.

Davis’ “contributions to our community positively impacted everyone he served and served with,” Allen said.

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a weeklong break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.

A student, Tyler Whipple, was driving through campus when his route was blocked by police cars at the scene of the killings. He had to catch a flight to Florida.

“These roads are kind of spooky right now,” Whipple said.

The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message was sent to students.

Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from the dorm. She had planned to run errands before traveling home to southeastern Michigan.

“It’s scary thinking about how easy a shooter can come into a college campus anywhere — a classroom, a library. There’s so much easy access,” Byron said.

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White reported from Detroit. News researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York City.

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — An 18-year-old suffering from life-threatening injuries after a shooting on Richmond’s Southside Thursday night has died.

He has been identified as Jaleel S. Yates, of the 3500 block of Clydewood Drive.

Police responded to the area of Clydewood Avenue near Walmsley Boulevard around 11:45 p.m. Responding officers found Yates with serious injuries. Shortly thereafter, he was rushed to VCU Medical Center and was taken into surgery.

Yates was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police told 8News a house was hit by gunfire during the incident.

Police are still looking for the suspect. A homicide investigation is underway.

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This is a developing story. Stay with 8News online and on air for the latest updates.

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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — One person is dead after a Friday morning shooting in Gilpin Court.

Police told 8News that they responded to the 1100 block of St. Paul Street shortly after 10:45 for reports of a shooting. Officers arrived and found one victim, who was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police are investigating the shooting as a homicide.

It is unclear whether or not police have a suspect in custody. No other information has been released at this time.

8News has a crew on scene gathering additional details. Stay with us for updates.

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JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — One person is dead after officials say a tree fell on a truck in James City County.

Officials tell WAVY.com the incident happened on Newman Road at around 12:50 p.m. when high winds blew a tree over. The tree fell on a construction truck that was hauling a trailer.

Police spokesperson Steve Rubino said one person was killed and the driver was trapped in the truck.

Crews were able to pull the driver out after he was pinned in the truck for more than two hours. The driver reportedly has serious injuries, but is alert and talking, according to police. Crews were still working to free the deceased passenger.

Dominion Energy Virginia crews responded to the scene because the tree also took out a power line.

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