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BLUEFIELD (NEWS RELEASE) – This Thursday, June 20, Cherry Street will be closed from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to all but emergency vehicle traffic from Bluefield Regional Medical Center to Highlawn Avenue.More >> BLUEFIELD (NEWS RELEASE) – This Thursday, June 20, Cherry Street will be closed from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to all but emergency vehicle traffic from Bluefield Regional Medical Center to Highlawn Avenue.More >> ANSTED (WVVA) - Two individuals were taken into custody in Fayette County after placing a false 911 call. A call was received through the Fayette County 911 Center at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday stating a pairMore >> ANSTED (WVVA) - Two individuals were taken into custody in Fayette County after placing a false 911 call. A call was received through the Fayette County 911 Center at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday stating a pairMore >> BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- A former Massey Energy official who is cooperating in the investigation of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster is asking a judge for leniency when he's sentenced Aug. 1. DefenseMore >> BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- A former Massey Energy official who is cooperating in the investigation of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster is asking a judge for leniency when he's sentenced Aug. 1. DefenseMore >> PRINCETON (NEWS RELEASE) - In July 2008, The Del McCoury Band took the stage for the inaugural show of the community's first performing arts center of its kind. One hundred and seven regular season performancesMore >> PRINCETON (NEWS RELEASE) - In July 2008, The Del McCoury Band took the stage for the inaugural show of the community's first performing arts center of its kind. One hundred and seven regular season performancesMore >> ATHENS (WVVA) - Crews responded to I-77 northbound near mile marker 17 Tuesday morning after a vehicle crashed through a guard rail and over the embankment. Only one vehicle was involved. There's no wordMore >> ATHENS (WVVA) - A woman was transported to a nearby hospital after a vehicle went off Interstate 77 and over an embankment Tuesday. The crash occurred at approximately 10 a.m. around mile marker 17 --More >> Mercer County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating an armed robbery in Green Valley Tuesday. It happened at Pop's Sports Bar on Maple Acres Road around 3:15a.m. According to dispatchers, detectivesMore >> Mercer County Sheriff's Deputies are investigating an armed robbery in Glenwood Tuesday. The Mercer County Sheriff's Office says a male entered Pop's Sports Bar on Maple Acres Road around 3 a.m. by smashingMore >> BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- A Fayette County man faces charges of sexually assaulting a female patient in the psychiatric ward at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital. Beckley police tell media outlets thatMore >> BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- A Fayette County man faces charges of sexually assaulting a female patient in the psychiatric ward at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital. Beckley police tell media outlets thatMore >> Bluefield (WVVA) -- A very small, isolated thunderstorm brought intense rainfall to the Beckley area Monday night. This slow-moving storm dumped upwards of 2-3 inches in just an hour to MacArthur, Daniels,More >> Bluefield (WVVA) -- A very small, isolated thunderstorm brought intense rainfall to the Beckley area Monday night. This slow-moving storm dumped upwards of 2-3 inches in just an hour to MacArthur, Daniels,More >> Buchanan County authorities arrest a man after finding a meth lab in his home. A narcotics task force team arrested Eddie Dwayne Green, 38, of Puncheon Camp Road Saturday afternoon. The team was executingMore >> Buchanan County authorities arrest a man after finding a meth lab in his home. A narcotics task force team arrested Eddie Dwayne Green, 38, of Puncheon Camp Road Saturday afternoon. The team was executingMore >>
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) -- Fewer visitors toured the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2012.
The News and Advance of Lynchburg reports that visits dropped 1 percent from the previous year to the parkway's second-lowest level in nearly three decades.
That 1 percent decline translates to about 177,000 less travelers along the 469-mile scenic route.
The parkway that stretches through Virginia and North Carolina was seeing fewer visits for several years until 2011, when visits picked up. That year the highway had 15.3 million recreational visits.
Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis said he blames much of the 2012 decline on Superstorm Sandy. The storm hit at the parkway's busiest month, October.
High gas prices may have also played a role.
