Budget Approved!
The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Wednesday to approve a Fiscal 2011 budget of more than 35 million dollars. The budget will leave the School Board about 473-thousand dollars shy of the money it had requested from the Supervisors.
The real estate tax rate will be at 59 cents and the personal property tax will remain at $4.25 per $100 assessed value.
The Rockbridge County School Board will meet next Monday and will have to decide how to cover its deficit, which could result in the closing of Effinger Elementary School.
Clinton to be Rescheduled!
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s appearance at VMI has been postponed until the fall, since Hillary Clinton will be taking part in a memorial service for civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height in Washington, D.C.
Clinton was scheduled to receive VMI’s Distinguished Diplomat Award on Wednesday. VMI says its event honoring Clinton will probably be held in October.
RARO Cal Ripken Games 4/26
RARO Cal Ripken games scheduled for today have been postponed due to wet grounds and will be made up on Wednesday at the same times.
Goodlatte at VMI
Congressman Bob Goodlatte will address approximately 255 graduates at Virginia Military Institute’s commencement exercise on May 16, at 11 a.m. in VMI’s Cameron Hall.
A resident of Roanoke, Goodlatte represents Virginia’s 6th Congressional District in Congress.
Southern Virginia University’s commencement ceremony will be held this Saturday, May 1.
Commencement exercises for the Washington and Lee Law School will be taking place the following Saturday, May 8.
Hillary at VMI April 28
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be honored April 28 by Virginia Military Institute for her work in advancing U.S. interests through diplomacy.
Clinton will receive VMI’s Distinguished Diplomat Award and will also deliver remarks on April 28 in Cameron Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Red Flag Warning!
RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM SATURDAY MORNING TO 9 PM.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING… FOR AREAS ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE… ESPECIALLY THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES OF NEAR 20 PERCENT ARE ANTICIPATED ALONG AND JUST EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS VERY DRY AIR COMBINED WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH AND WIND GUSTS OF 25 TO 30 MPH WILL LEAD TO DANGEROUS FIRE SPREAD CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. THE HIGHEST WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW… OR ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS… LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY… AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE LARGE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL IF A FIRE WERE TO OCCUR.
Fire Danger Threat!
THERE IS AN ENHANCED THREAT FOR THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRES THIS AFTERNOON.
WESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON, COINCIDING WITH UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY. SUSTAINED WINDS FROM THE WEST OF 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH ARE LIKELY DURING THE TIME OF PEAK HEATING THIS AFTERNOON, WITH THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY FALLING TO BETWEEN 20 AND 30 PERCENT.
THE COMBINATION OF WARM, DRY, AND BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL HEIGHTEN THE RISK OF RAPID FIRE SPREAD, PARTICULARLY WITH FINE FUELS SUCH AS DEAD LEAVES, GRASSES, AND TREE DEBRIS WHICH HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRY DUE TO LACK OF RAINFALL OVER THE LAST WEEK. THE FIRE DANGER IS CONSIDERED TO BE HIGH TO VERY HIGH, AND A FIRE IGNITION UNDER THE EXPECTED WEATHER CONDITIONS COULD RESULT IN RAPID FIRE GROWTH.
BREEZY AND DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN ON SATURDAY, ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER, BUT WITH ONLY SPOTTY AND LIGHT RAINFALL EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT TONIGHT, THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE SPREAD WILL AGAIN BE HIGH ON SATURDAY DUE TO STRONG POST FRONTAL WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY, AND HIGH FIRE DANGER.
PLEASE EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN HANDLING ANY POTENTIAL IGNITION SOURCE, INCLUDING MACHINERY, CIGARETTES, AND MATCHES. BE SURE TO PROPERLY DISCARD ALL SMOKING MATERIALS.
OPEN BURNING OF ANY TYPE IS CONSIDERED VERY HAZARDOUS THIS TIME OF YEAR. ACCIDENTAL ESCAPED DEBRIS BURNS ARE THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WILDFIRES.
Fire Danger Today!
UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL PRODUCE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 25 PERCENT OR LESS AT TIMES. IN ADDITION… WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 MPH… WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH. THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS, COMBINED WITH DRY FUELS BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF RAIN THE PAST FEW DAYS, WILL PRESENT AN INCREASED FIRE DANGER ACROSS NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA INTO AREAS EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE IN VIRGINIA.
A STRONG BUT MAINLY DRY COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION BY SATURDAY MORNING. THIS WILL KEEP STRONG GUSTY WINDS ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER… AND THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL NOT BE AS LOW, BUT THERE WILL STILL BE AN INCREASED FIRE DANGER DURING THE DAY SATURDAY DUE TO DRY FUELS.
EXTRA CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED WHEN CONDUCTING ANY OPEN BURNING OPERATION FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS SINCE FINE FUELS WILL EASILY IGNITE IF EXPOSED TO FLAME. ACCIDENTAL ESCAPED DEBRIS BURNS ARE THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WILDFIRES.
Fire Danger
FIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGH TO VERY HIGH IN SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. SMALL WILDFIRES POPPED UP TUESDAY EVENING… MAINLY IN THE ALLEGHANY HIGHLANDS REGION… AS A RESULT OF GOOD DRYING DURING THE DAY TUESDAY AFTER LIGHTNING STRIKES MONDAY NIGHT. MORE REKINDLING IS POSSIBLE TODAY AS DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST.
RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERY HAS BEEN POOR INTO EARLY THIS MORNING… ESPECIALLY IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS. RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL LIKELY DROP TO 25 PERCENT OR LOWER FOR SEVERAL HOURS THIS AFTERNOON. THE DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER… IN CONJUNCTION WITH GUSTY SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL FURTHER ENHANCE THE ONGOING FIRE DANGER.
OPEN BURNING OF ANY TYPE IS CONSIDERED VERY HAZARDOUS AT THIS TIME. ACCIDENTAL ESCAPED DEBRIS BURNS ARE THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WILDFIRES. ALSO… BE CAREFUL WITH HEAT AND SPARKS WHILE OPERATING ANY EQUIPMENT… OR SMOKING IN WILDLAND AREAS.
FROM FEBRUARY 15 THROUGH APRIL 30… VIRGINIA STATE LAW PROHIBITS OPEN AIR BURNING BEFORE 4 PM WITHIN 300 FEET OF WOODS… OR DRY GRASS WHICH CAN CARRY THE FIRE INTO THE WOODS.
Use Caution!
Officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry have raised the wildfire threat level to Class 4 (Very High) for the western 1/3 of the state. Conditions (above-average temperatures, low humidity and elevated winds) were already ripe for wildfires during the past four days – and a number of fires burned several hundred acres over the weekend – but with temperatures expected to approach 90 degrees today, the threat level increased from Class 3 High on Monday to Class 4 Very High today.
Under Class 4 conditions, fires start easily from all causes (including cigarettes tossed out car windows) and spread rapidly and with great intensity. Fires that burn in light fuels, such as grass, pine needles, leaves and twigs, may quickly develop high-intensity characteristics, including long-distance spot fires and fire whirlwinds, normally associated with fires in heavier fuels. Outdoor burning of any kind is not recommended during Class 4 conditions. And the state’s 4 p.m. Burning Law remains in effect.
Wildfires are dangerous and should be fought only by trained professionals. Call 911 as soon as a fire is beyond your control. The life you save might be your own.