UPDATE FROM JAMES CITY COUNTY POLICE: "Angel Graves was located and confirmed safe by the James City County Police Department on Saturday morning at approximately 7 a.m Graves was located near her home and confirmed safe The Department extends gratitude to the local community and general public for raising awareness and assisting in the successful location of Ms Date last seen: Early morning hours of May 2 Last known location: was located Saturday morning but then left unexpectedly from home in 8600 block of Diascund Road Physical description: approximately 5’7” tall More details: Due to existing health concerns she may be in need of medical assistance and is considered missing and endangered Anyone with information is asked to call 911 Executives for James City County and Williamsburg say the funding agreement for WJCC Schools is likely to expire before the localities reach a consensus But the county administrator and city manager don’t expect it to impact school operations next year “They will have money from us for operating and they will have money from the city for operating,” said Scott Stevens The city and county formed the division in 1955. The two periodically renegotiate the agreement governing the operation and funding of WJCC Schools. The agreement was last updated in 2022 and ends before July both have different ideas for the next agreement Williamsburg wants to address achievement gaps for city students which were highlighted in a feasibility study the city conducted when it looked into becoming independent The approval of the study sparked talk of a break-up who are more likely to be Black or Hispanic English language learners and economically disadvantaged graduate at a lower rate and perform worse than James City County students in every testing category “The City Council entered into this discussion of the school system open-minded to having to put more money into the education system but it would be in return for performance gains “The two are linked and can't be separated.” Funding is a key concern for James City County A funding formula determines how much each pays; James City County pays roughly 89% of local dollars to fund the division Stevens’ proposal would also have the localities pay for capital improvements for buildings within their borders split costs for shared facilities and pay more for special education or English language programs had been paying a little more than we should have been toward the school division’s local cost,” Stevens said “Our board believes we ought to pay our share and Trivette said Williamsburg City Council is interested in amending the formula as well He wants to budget for school operations based on a percentage of government revenue Trivette believes that will make funding increases more predictable The city manager also thinks it’s time to include the school division in the joint agreement so that requests for new funds can be explicitly tied to desired performance gains for its students—currently That has put the city in a holding pattern until the School Board selects the new WJCC superintendent leaves out probably the most important partner – the one responsible for performance,” Trivette said If the localities do not reach a new agreement before the 2027 budget cycle the city and county would make funding decisions without a formula both executives believe they can reach a fair agreement and make positive changes Stevens said top of mind is “the best interest of our community and our students.” “I know they have an interest in making sure their students are doing well,” he said Get local news every weekday in your inbox Sign-up here. 70 Improvements in James City project will have several lane and road closures in place from Saturday Officials urge drivers to pay close attention to posted signs for directions and be cautious as you drive through this active construction zone The following is information on the closures from the project's public information: 70 Eastbound and Westbound between Airport Road and Taberna Way will be closed for paving until 6 a.m East Grantham Road will be closed between U.S 70 Westbound and the roundabout for paving until 6 p.m 70 onto East Grantham Road will be prohibited There will be a signed detour in place for travelers on Grantham Road to use the U.S 70 Westbound service road (SR 1155) to Garner Road to avoid the closure 70 travelers should use Garner Road or Airport Road to avoid the closure A map of the road closure and detour route can be found here: https://publicinput.com/Customer/File/Full/13f1563c-b035-48aa-92b3-e8f4e4a4b934 West Grantham Road will be closed between U.S 70 Eastbound and the roundabout for paving until 6 p.m 70 onto West Grantham Road will be prohibited 70 Eastbound service road (SR 1153) to Garner Road to avoid the closure A map of the road closure and detour route can be found here: https://publicinput.com/Customer/File/Full/83ce07aa-3a4a-41dc-9dc9-8285ca37cdf2 UPDATE: Police say Antonio Ziyon Harold was taken into custody on Wednesday ORIGINAL ARTICLE:The James City County Police Department is searching for a 24-year-old man Harold is charged with a forcible sex offense involving a juvenile the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony The incident occurred on Monday morning at the Rolling Meadows apartment complex Authorities are still searching for Harold who is believed to reside in the 4900 block of Grand Strand Drive in James City County He should be considered armed and dangerous Police urge the public not to approach or attempt to capture Harold Williamsburg-James City County Schools is exploring what it would take to rename James Blair Middle School the board’s discussion was a step in the right direction She was a 1969 graduate of Blair when the all-white former high school finally integrated a Scotland-born Anglican minister who died in 1743 was an influential figure in Colonial Virginia and the co-founder of William & Mary He also used his position to argue for the institutionalization of slavery and owned enslaved people “It’s a fact to say that James Blair is responsible for generations of Black children being born into slavery,” said Joe Caterine who has advocated alongside Lassiter for a name change since 2023 The two submitted a request to the School Board in September The board on Tuesday discussed what could come next If the board wanted to consider a name change administrators recommended it form a committee of current students staff and residents of its attendance zone said the idea was to give the community a say in the process “When you change the name of a school or a building or a program there are going to be people that have feelings about that one way or another,” Keever said The final renaming authority rests with the board WJCC policy does not require a specific makeup for a committee Renaming the school is estimated to cost more than $92,000 to resurface the gym floor and replace signs More than $41,000 would pay for new uniforms for the school’s eight athletic teams The estimates were derived from when the division considered renaming the school in 2017-2018 and could cost more than that in 2025 Multiple board members were interested in a public committee Vice Chair Andrea Donnor said unspent funds from the year could cover the costs of a name change She expects Williamsburg City Council would not oppose the move “I would be surprised if the city had a concern about removing the name of an enslaver from the building,” Donnor said Board Member Randy Riffle said he would support the committee considering other WJCC school names too “This can be pretty time-consuming for a community to go through,” he said “I want to use government time effectively here.” Seeing Blair’s name emblazoned on the school to this day “infuriates” Lassiter She recalls a large mural in the school depicting Blair standing with Indigenous people European laborers and shirtless enslaved African men working “It was just a reminder that white people are in charge.” Lassiter didn’t know much about Blair when she was a student but gained a broader understanding of his history in 2020 after reading a Virginian-Pilot article The article motivated her and her brothers Carl and Curtis to advocate for changing the name and the name of Magruder Elementary School in York County commander of the Army of the Peninsula garrisoned in Yorktown during the Civil War It remains a goal of the Lassiters and Caterine WJCC policy encourages schools to be named after community attributes rather than people It reads that an individual must be dead for at least 10 years to be a namesake pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist and Rising Sun Baptist churches Tabb was president of the Williamsburg NAACP during the time of school desegregation He enrolled his daughter as the first Black student at Blair under WJCC’s freedom-of-choice plan the plan allowed Black students to petition to attend previously all-white schools before the Supreme Court ordered immediate desegregation in 1968 “We had a lot of racial problems and disturbances and he was one of the people that came in and tried to settle things down,” Lassiter said Tabb is the person that you would go to or that you could count to help with any type of racial problem.” Tabb brought running water to the Lackey community and created Charles E He was honored with a joint resolution by the General Assembly in 1996 School Board members did not vote on forming a committee Tuesday Board Chair Sarah Ortego said she would get input from the board and possibly set the matter for a vote as soon as Feb WAVY.com was last seen Monday night and has been reported missing If you drive across the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expected to be a game changer for transportation in the region and especially there where traffic snarls remain a quality of life issue for the region's drivers Hampton Police are searching for a suspect in connection with a fatal shooting at the Karma Restaurant and Lounge on Lincoln Street in early April https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/hampton/hampton-police-searching-for-suspect-in-connection-with-fatal-lincoln-st-shooting/ A trial date for a former Churchland High School teacher accused of sexually assaulting a minor was continued to mid-June during a hearing Monday https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/portsmouth/trial-for-former-churchland-hs-teacher-delayed-after-issues-with-commonwealths-attorneys-office/ Super Doppler 10 Meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler has the latest weather forecast for the Hampton Roads viewing area More weather: https://www.wavy.com/weather/ Subscribe to the WAVY YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3AL4Dnp Get updates on weather impacting Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina Follow WAVY TV 10 on our website and social channels Suspects have been detained following a shooting at a Food Lion in Edenton North Carolina that injured two people Sunday evening https://www.wavy.com/news/north-carolina/two-people-hospitalized-in-edenton-food-lion-shooting/ Super Doppler 10 Chief Meteorologist Emeritus Don Slater has the latest weather forecast for the Hampton Roads viewing area More weather: https://www.wavy.com/weather/ Two people have been injured following a shooting at a Food Lion in Edenton One lane of US 70 Eastbound will be closed between Taberna Way and Garner Road on Tuesday The closure is in effect for barrier placement — Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting that occurred in the parking lot of a Food Lion where a man reportedly shot at two police officers before being fatally shot by them The incident began Sunday when James City County police received a call about a fight in a residence on Dehaven Court a man assaulted a woman and fled the scene He was later spotted on police FLOCK cameras in the Food Lion parking lot on Richmond Road Virginia State Police identified the man killed in the shootout as 57-year-old James Andrew Evans of Williamsburg expressed concern about the shooting in such a public place “It’s obviously concerning anytime there is a shooting anywhere especially in a place like a parking lot of a shopping center one that I’m about to frequent,” Jackson said Despite attempts by the officers to save Evans' life a former probation parole officer from Portsmouth emphasized the difficult decisions that law enforcement officers face Watch: Man dies in shootout with officers in James City County “The officers are entitled to defend themselves and the public so you’re always sad there is a loss of life but you have to understand the officer was doing their job,” Jackson noted Virginia State Police is now conducting the investigation and will hand its findings over to commonwealth's attorney The two officers involved in the shooting are currently on a light workload More stories from Williamburg/Jamestown/Yorktown The following information was provided by James City County Police Department: Last known location: Pineapple Inn Housing Center and Hostel Physical description: Eliza is described as a white female of Hispanic ethnicity She was last seen wearing black pants and a green tank top More details: Yax Soch was last seen leaving her unit at the Pineapple Inn Housing Center and Hostel at approximately 6:30 p.m and police have not received any confirmed reports of her contacting family Anyone with information is asked to call police at at 757-566-0112 Multiple lanes on Hwy 70 in James City were closed Tuesday afternoon due to a traffic accident involving a tractor-trailer Craven County officials tell us that the tractor-trailer caught fire and that the trailer was transporting Amonnium Sulfate Solutions for agricultural use but all product remained in the tank and there was no leak Township 7 Fire Department extinguished the fire per officials and Cherry Point Haz Mat team responded to confirm this was a non-hazardous situation once fire was extinguished Craven County Sheriff's Office and Craven County Emergency Services responded This story will be updated as more information is made available and another person is injured following a crash in James City County last week Police announced on Monday that the crash occurred at 11:05 p.m According to the James City County Police Department was traveling westbound on Merrimac Trail when he collided with an Audi A4 sedan Police say the driver of the Audi was attempting to make a left turn onto Government Road from the eastbound lanes of Merrimac Trail A juvenile passenger in the Audi was transported to Riverside Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries Faison III was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and died on Monday and the police department is working with the Williamsburg/James City County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office Williamsburg-James City County Schools superintendent Olwen Herron will retire at the end of this month on Jan She made the announcement last October after a 43-year education career WHRO spoke with Herron about her nearly eight years as superintendent and what she sees is next for the division This interview was edited for time and clarity.  Nick McNamara: How did you decide you wanted to retire Olwen Herron: Certainly a decision made with a lot of mixed emotions But I think when you start to make a decision like this I always wanted to make the decision when I still loved what I do every day and when I felt things were going very well and it was a good time to exit we've got a very strong senior leadership team We've just launched a new update to our strategic plan so that's all set for the next four years – just launched in October We've seen pretty significant increases across the board in student achievement Every single school has had increases and done well All schools this year (are) fully accredited but due to the incredible work of our teachers and staff and leaders But it just seemed like it was a good time to say “I'll think about doing something else.” Obviously so it's time maybe to dial back a little bit from the stressful job of the superintendent and maybe look at something else in the future Williamsburg and James City County are working on a new joint service agreement – but did the questions around the division decoupling play any role in your decision because what I decided when this all started is to focus on the school division and student achievement and keeping everything going and let all of that happen as a separate entity over on the side I would have loved to navigate us through that change But I'm quite encouraged by the fact that conversations are going on But certainly didn't impact my decision at all (Strategic Communications Officer Kara Wall) helped us communicate on a regular basis and let’s focus on our main job of serving students and the community.’ and I think students from both localities benefit from that And so I do think there's a lot to be said for keeping us together it’d be very difficult to replicate that for a small division if Williamsburg were a separate division a first class fine arts program (and) performing arts program and that is hard to replicate And so every single student in our joint community has access to all of that – AP classes And so I think we're better together and I'm encouraged by the fact that conversations are happening what was the biggest change or challenge during your tenure I stepped in as acting superintendent with a few weeks notice and was able to serve in that role through February of 2017 and then was appointed as superintendent And probably the biggest challenge was COVID and I think it took us all to a place that we just had to think differently and respond quickly and keep things going to the best of our ability It's a challenge that's behind us to some extent but I think we've been pushing our way back to some kind of normality ever since solve those things as well as start to rebuild our academic program and really help students be successful and I'm very pleased with the way it's going what are some of the other changes – operationally or even curriculum-wise – that you didn’t expect back in 2016 OH: There's a couple of things that I'm quite proud of that we've done as a school division when I first became superintendent One of the things I set up was a teacher forum which was a way for me to have the direct voice of teachers talking to me about their needs and how I could make their lives as teachers better and help them focus on the classroom So I have a group of teachers of the year from every school become part of that forum every single year so we have the previous year and the current year So I have 32 teachers who I meet with regularly and we talk about things that will make their lives better And that's been really powerful because there's nothing between me as superintendent and teachers in the classroom because I'm able to have a leadership group and then the whole group and we talk about everything they want to talk about I actually set up a support employee forum We have representative support employees of the year And I bring together that collective group to talk about how we can make things better in the school division So having the direct voice of people in different departments (having) that direct access to me as superintendent with nobody navigating or giving me a different perspective in the middle has been very I think it's really helped us build a positive culture and great relationships within our school division The other thing we've been able to navigate recently is setting up a form of alternative education which we didn't have when I first started as superintendent and then a (restorative center) and then we’re about to start the Reset program (It’s) really just a way to intervene with students who are not being successful so they would be in a different program rather than being suspended And the first couple of years without have been very successful We're about to launch the second part of that this year NM: Was there something you hoped to accomplish that you couldn’t Or an initiative you hoped to see that was never able to manifest OH: I do think we've started to navigate artificial intelligence to a greater depth We're part of a cohort established by the Virginia Department of Education and the (Virginia Association of School Superintendents) And so we are one of many school divisions that are going through this cohort experience this year to really develop guidelines and policy and navigate how to move forward in the best possible way with that And I've actually been in that cohort and hopefully that will set us on a course to really use artificial intelligence in a positive way while still having guidelines and guardrails to not have it abused And so I think that use of technology is really exciting and I would have loved to have seen some of that come to play in the future as well and the ability to use it to be more efficient central office-wise as well as in the classroom I think once we really get our arms around it because the normal human mind needs to be part of it because that's what you need to make sure it's real And I think it'll be helpful to be involved in that to be ready for the future because the future is now and it's ahead of us already NM: What do you see is next to come for the division OH: Obviously there's continuous improvement in student achievement and there's a building of more supports around English language learners There's basic stuff like that is so important I don't think we’ve fully explored the use of student voice in our organization We've got a committee of student representatives but I do think there's room to explore and include that more in some of our decision making But I do think if we end up in two different school divisions that will be the biggest challenge for the next potential superintendent I've no doubt the board is working through the process to find someone more than capable of the job But I think that the system is in a good place and I think it will do even better in the future and I look forward to sitting on the sidelines and seeing what fresh ideas are brought in Because the exciting piece of change is that someone comes with fresh ideas and a fresh style of leadership And I think every so often that's good for a school division NM: Do you have any advice for whoever may be next in line Never forget what it's like to be in the classroom I hope whoever comes in this place has had significant time in the classroom and really appreciates one of our key roles where you're on the front line with students but always about the school division and keeping that central and the progress of the division at the center of everything Would love to find a way to give back to leaders wherever I can Would love the opportunity to mentor other leaders and I will do a little bit of that immediately after retiring when I go home to visit my family in Ireland I go for five days in between board meetings So I'll be able to spend a little bit more time working on my accent Herron serves on WHRO’s board of directors Williamsburg-James City County Schools is mulling raises for most staff after a recent study found it trails many nearby divisions Bringing the division’s pay in-line with competitors will cost more than $7.6 million and the School Board is weighing if and how quickly it can be done The board meets for another budget work session on Tuesday found that base non-teacher pay lagged behind the market by more than 13% and fewer than a third of those employees fell in the competitive range The analysis compared WJCC to seven local governments and six school divisions The division ranked fourth out of six next to neighboring school divisions in entry level pay for teachers with bachelor’s degrees It was fifth for teachers with master’s degrees In addition to creating a consistent and more competitive schema for teacher raises Bolton’s study recommends combining administrative and educational support pay ranges into one structure Administration in January said the relatively lower pay is one of several reasons staff leave their jobs One hundred seventy-two WJCC instructional staff members left in the 2023-2024 school year and 134 left in 2024-2025 resignations and retirements have outpaced hiring by three positions “This amount of turnover makes it challenging to maintain a culture of excellence,” said Tim Baker The School Board in January approved $3 per hour raises for bus drivers for similar reasons Administration said the division was short 37 drivers in January The increase brings WJCC from last to second among its neighboring divisions Board Member Andrea Donnor said that could help boost teacher and teacher assistant satisfaction with their jobs as well “We’ve heard a lot from the teachers about having to wait for the late buses which then throws off their lesson time,” she said WJCC administration floated phasing in the staff raises over three years amounting to $2.5 million in the first phase The approach would also hold down the extra funds the division would request from Williamsburg and James City County as it tries to address other needs A preliminary budget summary for the upcoming year minus an estimated $2.4 million in state dollars would need the localities splitting $13 million in funding it’s going to cost more money than it will do today,” said Olwen Herron “You’ll have to go back and get another analysis done to bring it up to speed each year.” Williamsburg paid more than $11 million and James City County more than $96 million in fiscal year 2025 That was up $5.5 million from the previous year and included a 4.5% raise for all staff School Board Chair Sarah Ortego in January expressed concern that phasing in the raises over years leaves open the possibility of a future board changing priorities and halting the Bolton recommendations Board Member Randy Riffle said the additional ask to fund the raises in one year could lead to smaller funding requests in the next high school English teacher and treasurer of the Williamsburg-James City Education Association called on the board in January to “take bold action” and fully implement the salary bumps middle school music teacher and WJCEA president is hoping the localities will fully fund the raises An association survey that reached 10% of its members indicated three quarters supported Bolton’s findings Sardi said the need has “likely been brewing for close to 10 years.” Sardi acknowledged the price tag may exceed what WJCC’s funding localities are prepared to pay they will fully fund whatever is presented as the School Board’s plan to get us where we need to be,” Sardi said Olwen Herron serves on WHRO’s board of directors JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — Authorities in James City County are investigating after one person died in a crash involving an Amtrak train and SUV Monday afternoon. In a press release, Virginia State Police said it happened around 4:30 at the crossing on Peach Street. A white 2019 Toyota Highlander crossed the railroad tracks in front of an Amtrak train carrying 90 passengers. "Preliminary investigations reveal that the driver of the Toyota Highlander, crossed the railroad tracks on a private road crossing, failing to stop at the sign controlling the crossing, and failed to yield the right of way to the oncoming train," authorities said in the release. State Police said the driver of the SUV, identified as Sarah Jones Mazariegos, 32, of Williamsburg, died. No passengers aboard the train were hurt. Authorities did not immediately release the driver's identity as they work to notify family. On its website, Amtrak said as of 6:15 p.m., Train 186 remain stopped just north of Newport News. The Northeast Regional train began in Newport News, heading northbound and was scheduled to arrive in Williamsburg at 4:10 p.m. The train has several stops scheduled including Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark and Washington. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. 70 westbound service road in James City to close for improvements on March 9by Chloe Ettinger 70 Westbound service road (SR 1155) will be closed between Elder Street and Twin Rivers Baptist Church until starting at 6:00 a.m There will be a signed detour in place for travelers to use Old Cherry Point Road to avoid the closure Several lane closures will be in place on the U.S 70 Improvements in James City project this weekend from Saturday A high amount of congestion is expected in these areas Motorists are advised use alternative routes if possible and plan accordingly 70 Eastbound and Westbound will be closed between Garner Road and Taberna Way for paving Flagging operations will be in place at the intersection of Garner Road 70 Eastbound and Westbound will be closed between the Trent River Bridge and Williams Road for storm drain installation until midnight 70 Eastbound and Westbound will be closed between the Trent River Bridge and Williams Road for storm drain installation until 6:00 a.m 70 Westbound and Eastbound onto Williams Road will be prohibited Law enforcement officers will be present to help control traffic flow 70 Westbound going to Williams Road will take a left at Airport Road onto the U.S 70 Eastbound service road (SR 1153) to access Williams Road 70 Westbound service road (SR 1155) should use Airport Road to access the service road — James City County Police revealed more about what led up to officers shooting and killing a man Sunday afternoon in a grocery store parking lot Police said it all started around 4:40 p.m when officers were called to a fight involving a man who was potentially armed on Dehaven Court authorities used Flock cameras to locate the suspect's vehicle heading toward Olde Towne Road Two officers followed it into the Food Lion parking lot where the suspect stopped Watch: Man dies in shootout with James City County officers the suspect got out of the vehicle with a rifle and exchanged gunfire with officers No James City County officers or any other individuals were hurt the investigation into the officer-involved shooting which includes the identity of the deceased male has been transferred to the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation," the release from the police department said "The domestic-related incident that preceded this event remains under James City County Police Department jurisdiction." The police department said both officers involved "have been placed on a non-enforcement modified assignment pending the completion of the investigation." The Pine Island Eagle is grateful to a Good Samaritan from St the paper’s historic sign lost in Hurricane Ian after the Category 4 storm made landfall on Cayo Costa on Sept Jan Robertson said the storm had blown it into a neighbor’s yard and after her neighbor was finished cleaning up “I figured I’d take the sign back to the office I always look for the cat of the week and there’s always good stories,” Robertson said as well as a Little Lily’s deli sign had made their way about 2 miles down Stringfellow Road to Woodstock Road Robertson said she removed the two signs from her neighbor’s debris pile because she felt she should bring both signs back to The Center where the Pine Island Eagle office is located Robertson said she moved to Pine Island because it seems much like “Old Florida” in her opinion “It’s amazing that it traveled that far undamaged,” Robertson said of the saved sign “We’re so thankful to see our long lost sign was returned,” said Ray Eckenrode but to have it make its way back to us after three years seems like a nice piece of symbolism to remind us how the Pine Island community has been so resilient in dealing with the trauma of Ian and we hope the Eagle has been a part of that.” The Eagle office is at 10700 Stringfellow Road. For more about the newspaper, which is part of the Breeze Newspapers group, visit pineisland-eagle.com To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC, please email Copyright © Cape Coral Breeze | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy More than a year after Williamsburg said it would study splitting from the joint school district it runs with James City County Williamsburg wants to work things out with the county and keep the joint school district together, the city says in a statement released Friday The decision came in response to a request from James City Board of Supervisors, which said in September the county needed an answer Williamsburg first announced it would look at the possibility of ending the joint district in June 2023. James City County preemptively killedc the joint operating agreement though tones have softened significantly since then and the two localities have been talking to one another The two localities have run the shared school district together since 1955 A report released earlier this summer from the county saida separation would take at least four years The city says the studies it had done while exploring the break-away revealed problems with the way the joint district operates It wants to address those issues in a new contract joint operating contract should allow for the City to address these issues while also allowing both localities to maintain the benefits of a joint school division,” the city wrote in its statement In May, Williamsburg’s City Council pushed the district to close the performance gap between students from the city and county A feasibility study study of the split laid bare the divide: Williamsburg students are less likely to graduate than their county counterparts and lag behind in every testing category President Donald Trump delivers his 100th Day in Office achievement speech in Michigan. WATCHHighway 70 construction in James City and Havelock to bring visible changes for driversby Mary Grace Armistead Drivers will soon notice changes as major construction projects continue along Highway 70 in James City and Havelock It’s all part of the future Interstate 42 project that will eventually connect Raleigh to the coast crews with the North Carolina Department of Transportation have been working hard to expand Highway 70 While much of the initial work wasn’t visible above ground they’re now entering phases where drivers can see changes happening The NCDOT has been managing three projects across the James City and Havelock areas drivers should expect to see traffic shifts in the coming weeks as crews begin work on interchanges at key tie-in points traffic will soon be shifted to temporary off-ramps to allow for median work including the construction of new structures and interchanges We got to speak with a business in James City excited for the changes Jordan Scott with the NCDOT says they are trying to minimize impact on commuters with lane closures happening during the weekend NCDOT is also factoring in seasonal traffic as this highway is a major route for tourists traveling to the coast weather also plays a role in construction timelines with Scott mentioning that inclement weather could cause schedule changes Scott says that you can check lane closures and traffic impacts on their website DRIVERS WILL SOON NOTICE CHANGES AS MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CONTINUE ALONG HIGHWAY 70 IN JAMES CITY AND HAVELOCK IT’S ALL PART OF THE FUTURE INTERSTATE 42 PROJECT THAT WILL EVENTUALLY CONNECT RALEIGH TO THE COAST NEWS 12’S MARY GRACE ARMISTEAD IS LIVE TONIGHT WITH WHAT DRIVERS CAN EXPECT CREWS WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO EXPAND HIGHWAY 70 WHILE MUCH OF THE INITIAL WORK WASN’T VISIBLE ABOVE GROUND THEY’RE NOW ENTERING PHASES WHERE DRIVERS CAN SEE CHANGES HAPPENING THE NC DOT HAS BEEN MANAGING THREE PROJECTS ACROSS THE JAMES CITY AND HAVELOCK AREAS DRIVERS SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE TRAFFIC SHIFTS IN THE COMING WEEKS AS CREWS BEGIN WORK ON INTERCHANGES AT KEY TIE-IN POINTS TRAFFIC WILL SOON BE SHIFTED TO TEMPORARY OFF-RAMPS TO ALLOW FOR MEDIAN WORK INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW STRUCTURES AND INTERCHANGES I SPOKE WITH A BUSINESS IN JAMES CITY EXCITED FOR THE CHANGES "I'm excited for it to be done; it'll be a good thing but I'm excited for it to be done ‘cause it is hard trying to get in here A lot of people have came and said it was hard for them to find it because of the construction." JORDAN SCOTT WITH THE N-C-D-O-T SAYS THEY ARE TRYING TO MINIMIZE IMPACT ON COMMUTERS WITH LANE CLOSURES HAPPENING DURING THE WEEKEND NCDOT IS ALSO FACTORING IN SEASONAL TRAFFIC AS THIS HIGHWAY IS A MAJOR ROUTE FOR TOURISTS TRAVELING TO THE COAST "In the summer months where the travel and tourist season picks up you know it'll be all night work at that point and no weekend lane closures." WEATHER ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN CONSTRUCTION TIMELINES WITH SCOTT MENTIONING THAT INCLEMENT WEATHER COULD CAUSE SCHEDULE CHANGES "We were actually planning on doing some asphalt work Saturday and we're looking to have to adjust our schedule due to the winter weather." SCOTT SAYS THAT YOU CAN CHECK LANE CLOSURES AND TRAFFIC OMPACTS ON THEIR WEBSITE IN JAMES CITY MARY GRACE ARMISTEAD NEWS 12 An underground fire was discovered on the morning of Saturday 23 behind Williamsburg Premium Outlets in James City County The plastic stormwater detention system beneath the Outlets’ back parking lot burned for more than 100 hours before being extinguished the following Wednesday night by the James City County Fire Department Virginia Department of Environmental Quality the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies were on site monitoring the situation and Williamsburg Premium Outlets opened for business as of Sunday WHRO spoke with James City County Fire Chief Ryan Ashe about the blaze This interview was edited for time and clarity Nick McNamara: Has anything new been learned about the cause of the fire our fire marshal's office is continuing to investigate.That will likely occur over the next couple more weeks They're continuing reaching out to any of the neighbors in the area continue to talk some of the business owners Because of the amount of damage we suspect some burn time prior to our arrival because part of the parking lot had already collapsed but they certainly want to do their due diligence to see if we can figure out something And part of their investigation also involves research: Has there any been any other of these types anywhere else in the country and a little different than a normal fire we may encounter where we can look at things like burn patterns and to help push us back to an origin and ultimately start to determine the possible causes in that area it was very difficult for us to see what may be the first items ignited because that's really all that there was to burn in the ground and that's why we said from the beginning it's likely we may never know the exact cause N.M: I know concern about runoff from the storm water system slowed down the extinguishing process a bit What changed on Wednesday that made crews more comfortable with doing it and our application of that was really on top of the concrete in most areas so it allowed some of that to flow through the actual concrete but we really couldn't get the water applied to what was burning because of being deep in the ground structurally and sort of an unknown thermal load underneath made it very difficult for equipment We weren't going to put excavators on there with an unknown stability for collapse and really unknown how much or what was burning underneath the times that we had allowed it to sort of free burn and burn on its own tended to be more complete combustion So that actually caused the smoke layer to lift some so it's sort of a balance between that and the concern about runoff The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality was there early on we had an opportunity to meet with them again on Sunday They did some initial water testing for what may be seen in that runoff what you would expect off of a parking lot So by the decision there on Tuesday was that we felt like it was safe to go ahead and apply more extinguishing agent And that's also the same day that the contractor that we had been coordinating with was willing based on nearly 100% collapse of the parking lot I would say greater than 90% by that point they were willing to put an excavator on to that parking lot and start removing that concrete we knew that our extinguishment efforts could actually get to what was burning Were there any lessons learned that will be carried forward at the department One of those is identifying where all these types of facilities are in our county being underground just makes access for us very difficult So coordinating with the contractor was certainly necessary for them They had the equipment but not the extinguishing; we had the extinguishment but not the equipment And I think we have an opportunity to do tabletop exercises and we do classes with outside agencies and state agencies And I think this was one of those examples where relationships are made before the incident For the representatives from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management were all people we had a relationship with before even the property owners Our fire marshal's office regularly working with them on routine business inspections that we do annually And I think while that necessarily isn’t a lesson learned it certainly reinforced the importance of having those relationships built prior to an event and I think that made the communication and the trust and the coordination much easier when we actually had the real event — A man and woman from James City County are now facing murder and abduction charges in the January death of a 67-year-old man Police say the new charges come from weeks of investigation after Jose Medellin died on January 31 officers arrived to a home on Diascund Reservoir Road for a report of an assault in progress They said they’d found an injured woman outside and Medellin unresponsive inside Prosecutors later charged 29-year-old Harley Hutchens and 28-year-old Amber Johnson in connection with that death and a robbery the day prior but the felony murder and abduction charges were not announced until Wednesday Both are currently bring held in the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail without bond and are scheduled to appear in court in May