now at seven ... bedford county employees can now carry guns at work. protection. plus ... the manhunt continues for two escaped inmates in california. the latest in the search. and ... the montgomery county board of supervisors clarifies its role in the controversy surrounding circuit court clerk erica williams. good evening, and thanks for

and i'm dawn jefferies. bedford county employees can now bring guns to work if they have a concealed carry permit. the board of supervisors voted unanimously to take the restriction out of the employee handbook. wsls 10's ananda rochita has more from employees who tell us why they say they need the extra protection. ananda rochita/bedford - "employees say before the vote last night, if someone were to come in here and harm them ... they wouldn't have a way to protect themselves." as a treasurer for bedford county ... rebecca jones deals with a lot of people and their money and if someone snapped .... she says there wasn't a way to fight back. however after a board of supervisor's meeting monday... jones has a way to protect herself. the board voted to allow employees to carry concealed weapons if they have a valid virginia permit. county attorney patrick skelley says it was previously a restriction in the employee handbook that's now taken out. patrick skelley/county attorney

and it would be illegal for the county to prohibit exercising their second amendment rights on county property. in addition, the county attorney took a look at possible issues before the meeting monday night. he said the county's insurance premiums will not be affected and liability issues could happen with or without a restriction. ananda rochita/bedford - "the sheriff's office is also helping out by offering safety classes. in bedford ananda rochita wsls 10." happening now .... people in botetourt county have a final chance to offer their opinion on a contested wind farm project. a public hearing is underway right now on the proposed windmills. supervisors are expected to make their decision tonight, but another locality is trying to hold off the vote. rockbridge supervisors claim people haven't had enough time to learn about the details. for that reason ... they sent a

to stall tonight's decision for 90 days. we'll bring you the latest tonight on wsls ten at 11. meanwhile ... botetourt county has joined several other localities around the state opposing the proposed closure of catawba hospital. the mental health hospital currently houses more than 80 patients with the capacity for 110. wsls 10's rob manch explains. botetourt joins roanoke county and delegate joseph yost in opposing catawba's closure. the mental health hospital currently houses more than 80 patients with the capacity for 110. and supervisors say the demand for those beds is on the rise. supervisors pointed out, in 20-15, catawba saw a 41 percent increase in patients. now, on the other hand, the hospital has an expensive 21 million dollar annual budget. but the county is arguing its budget will be affected if the hospital closes because of how far away patients will need to be transported to receive help. ronald sprinkle,

00:02:05 "we're transporting mental people all over the state of virginia at this point. as far away as northern virginia down in the norfolk area, which cuts into our manpower with catawba hospital being open. i can only see that being greater if we close catawba hospital." the state has not offered to compensate those transportation costs. supervisors say if catawba closes, the nearest similar facility would be western state hospital in staunton, around 100 miles away. this issue is going to be argued in the general assembly. as i mentioned earlier, delegate joseph yost opposes the move and has a bill in place to keep the hospital open. that's expected to be heard early next month. in botetourt county, rob manch, wsls 10. the controversy continues in montgomery county tonight as continues in montgomery county tonight as the future of circuit clerk erica william remains in question. a petition to have her recalled

two weeks ago after she didn't reappoint four deputy clerks following her re-election. wsls 10's bethany teague explains how the board of supervisors could get involved. the montgomery county board of supervisors was briefed at its meeting monday night by the county attorney about what its role can or should be in the controversy surrounding circuit court clerk erica williams. the county attorney explained to the board that it has no liability or responsibility for a constitutional officer's actions. a petition is currently circulating to have williams recalled after she didn't reappoint four deputy clerks. board members say they have no part in that petition. many residents have questioned whether those who sign the petition could be subjected to perjury charges. the county attorney says that is not the case. chris tuck, board of supervisors chair - "there was a lot of misinformation. we were receiving emails from our citizens saying that the board was actually a part of the recall process, and we're not."

to digest the information and then take the issue up again at a later date. they have not yet determined when that will be. in christiansburg bethany teague wsls 10. erica williams responded this evening.. saying in part.. "i respect the process that a select group of citizens who are unhappy with my personnel decisions are pursuing." turning now to your forecast ... showers continue to pop up around the region. storm team ten meteorologist alan auglis joins us now. alan ... should this be a concern as temperatures fall tonight? tonight: scattered showers with a few wet snowflakes possible in the new river valley late as colder air moves in behind a cold front. lows drop into the upper 20s n&w to upper 30s for southside. wednesday: morning clouds give way to some sunny breaks by the afternoon. highs around 40. wednesday night: partly cloudy and cold with temperatures back into the low to mid 20s. black ice is once again likely. thursday: sunshine and clouds,

friday: mostly sunny and comfortable. the high 44. saturday: a warm up begins as high pressure slides off the coast. look for sunshine with highs in the mid 50s. sunday: partly sunny and very warm with a high around 60. monday: a cold front to our north and west brings the chance for a few showers. warm with highs in the low 60s. tuesday: a mix of sun and clouds and still mild with a high of 56. at least 48 people... including 12 in the commonwealth died following last weekend's massive snowstorm. as we've reported former virginia tech professor jerry scheeler died while shoveling at his home. he was known for his cinematography and popularity among students. scheeler's step daughter says he was a humble man who had the opportunity to travel the world and shoot video for national geographic. sarah woodruff, scheeler's step daughter: "he loved to share that knowledge to anybody that would listen. he had books and books and he has movies

share that show everybody else how cool it could be." scheeler worked at virginia tech for more than 45-years.. teaching cinematography for nearly 20. family members say they've received kind words from people around the world. a woman deputies say was accidentally shot in halifax county over the weekend is expected to recover. wsls 10's colter anstaett explains the message the sheriff's office is now sending as a result of this shooting. stand up the shooting that happened here on hudson road on sunday is still under investigation, but the sheriff's office says all of the evidence so far points to this being purely an accident. regardless, it now has them reminding people about gun safety. maj. tommy spencer/halifax co. sheriff's office "we emphasize safety with firearms, especially in this day and time with everything that's going on." halifax county sheriff's office major tommy spencer says the sheriff's office believes a juvenile who lives on a

randomly firing a .22 caliber rifle on sunday on his property when one of his rounds struck his neighbor in the abdomen. the neighbor, a woman who the sheriff's office would not identify today, was taken to duke univeristy hospital for treatment. she is expected to survive. maj. spencer says this is a perfect example of why it's not okay to shoot guns at random. "that's certainly something we would encourage people not to do. that's not the way we would like anyone handling firearms." if you are going to shot guns on your property, even if the homes near by are fairly spread out maj. spencer says you should always take precautions. in halifax county, colter anstaett, wsls 10. in news making national headlines... a 7-year-old boy was killed after police say he was accidentally shot by another child. tennessee police say four children were left alone in a car while their parents went into a verizon store. one child found a loaded semi- automatic pistol in the mother's purse and tried to unload it. the gun went off hitting the 7-year

the shooting remains under investigation. there's no sign of a shooting at the naval medical center san diego. a navy spokesman says ... military police checked building 26 after a person reportedly heard three shots in the basement. as a precaution, the base was put under lockdown while police searched the campus. a manhunt continues for three inmates who escaped a maximum security prison in california. an orange county prosecutor says ... one of the inmates was about to go on trial. heather brown / assistant district attorney, orange co."he's incredibly violent, incredibly dangerous. he... the acts that he committed in our case are nothing more than diabolical." the three inmates escaped early friday morning after sawing through a metal gate and crawling through plumbing tunnels. the orange county sheriff's department says the inmates were only checked on twice that day. water donations continue to pour in to flint michigan to

celebrities, businesses and service organizations donated hundreds of thousands of water bottles. meanwhile, outrage over the water crisis is building. melissa mays / protester "we're still paying for tainted water. that's ridiculous. not only are we receiving bills, our bills have gone up. tests found high lead levels in some children after flint switched from detroit water to the flint river in 20-14. michigan's governor has now suspended two state employees. the state's attorney general appointed a former prosecutor to lead an investigation into the process. honoring those who helped catch a man wanted for murder. the special recognition a father and son received for tipping deputies off to the

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county sheriff's department recognizes more than a dozen people who helped safely capture a double homicide suspect in november. sheriff kevin hall presented deputies, dispatchers, covington city and virginia state police officers with a special award. but the real recognition goes to kevin wolfe and his father .. who spotted the suspects and called 9-1-1. kevin wolfe / called 911 - "i just saw the vehicle and i remembered the license plate so that was the first thing i wanted to look at so when i saw it was the vehicle and the license plate i knew that it was him my heart kind of started racing and i thought oh my god this is him." coming up tonight on wsls ten at 11 .. we'll show you dash cam video of the moment .. deputies took down the suspect after hours of negotiating. now a look ahead to stories that will be making headlines later tonight... brie fire and rescue crews are clearing snow around

you can do to help keep your neighborhood safe. (singing) i just can't wait to meet you, sweet child you're on the way, i'm filled with expectation, and you're growing everyday...

tonight: scattered showers with a few wet snowflakes possible in the new river valley late as colder air moves in behind a cold front. lows drop into the upper 20s n&w to upper 30s for southside. wednesday: morning clouds give way to some sunny breaks by the afternoon. highs around 40. wednesday night: partly cloudy and cold with temperatures back into the low to mid 20s. black ice is once again likely. thursday: sunshine and clouds, milder with highs in the mid 40s. friday: mostly sunny and comfortable. the high 44. saturday: a warm up begins as high pressure slides off the coast. look for sunshine with highs in the mid 50s. sunday: partly sunny and very warm with a high around 60.

north and west brings the chance for a few showers. warm with highs in the low 60s. tuesday: a mix of sun and clouds and still mild with a high of 56. now to a wsls 10 consumer watch. snowflakes possible in the new river valley late as colder air moves in behind a cold front. lows drop into the upper 20s n&w to upper 30s for southside. wednesday: morning clouds give way to some sunny breaks by the afternoon. highs around 40. wednesday night: partly cloudy and cold with temperatures back into the low to mid 20s. black ice is once again likely. thursday: sunshine and clouds, milder with highs in the mid 40s. friday: mostly sunny and comfortable. the high 44. saturday: a warm up begins as high pressure slides off the coast. look for sunshine with highs in the mid 50s. sunday: partly sunny and very warm with a high around 60. monday: a cold front to our north and west brings the chance for a few showers. warm with highs in the low 60s. tuesday: a mix of sun and clouds and still mild with a high of 56. now to a wsls 10 consumer watch. winter boots can protect you from

tread can prevent you from slipping on ice. now to a wsls 10 consumer watch. winter boots can protect you from the snow but no amount of rubber tread can prevent you from slipping on ice. but as wsls 10's erin brookshier explains... there are products that claim to give you better traction on the ice. sue schaevitz slipped on the ice and suffered a traumatic brain injury. she still has headaches, dizziness, and vision problems nearly a year later. sue schaevitz - "i never thought that a couple of inches of ice would change my life that day and that i'd be where i am nine months later." consumer reports tested four products designed to give you better traction on ice. prices range from 8 to 34 dollars.

personal skating rink and tried each pair on a flat surface and at various angles. then he went to a real rink to see how well each grips the ice while standing, walking, and even running. bernie deitrick - "all of these devices improve your traction on ice. but there were big differences in performance." the yaktrax pro traction cleats for 18 dollars performed the worst at the rink. despite the metal coils on the bottom, bernie slid all over the ice. the eight- dollar outerstar has 10-stud crampons on the bottom, but you can still slip fairly easily. the 27-dollar ice-trekkers gave more traction on the slippery surface with its diamond grip traction cleats. the best by far was the stabilicers maxx that cost about 34 dollars. walking, running, and even standing on ice at an angle didn't allow any slipping. erin brookshier wsls 10. we want to let you know... wsls

america southwest virginia and kroger to bring you our annual "10 cares food drive." on thursday february 4-th from 6 a-m to 7 p-m we'll be at the kroger in bonsack... cave spring... lynchburg... martinsville and blacksburg colleting food. for a list of specific locations... just visit our website

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abe vigoda's daughter says ... he died this morning in his sleep. vigoda was staying at his daugther's home in new jersey. he was 94. the co-founder of ben and jerry's creates an ice cream in honor of his favorite presidential candidate... bernie sanders. ben cohen made a small batch of a flavor he calls "bernie's yearning" in his own kitchen. it's a mint flavored ice cream with chocolate chips. he's giving away 25 pints in a contest run by sanders' campaign. the contest launched monday and ends at noon on february 3-rd. ben and jerry's was founded in vermont -- where sanders has served as senator since 2007. actor david duchovny receives top honors as he's awarded a star on the hollywood walk of fame. duchovny is best known for his role as agent fox mulder on "the x-files."

"californication" which ended its seven-year run last summer. the actor was born and raised in new york city. he attended princeton university and received his master's degree in english literature from yale before becoming an actor. here's a look at what you can expect to see tonight in primetime... starting at eight... its "hollywood game night." following that is an all new episode of "chicago med" at nine. after that you can catch a brand new episode of "chicago fire" at ten. then at 11 we'll be back with more local news weather and sports. thanks for joining us for wsls 10 at seven. don't forget to join us back