HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A 32-year-old Ohio man is dead and two others are fighting for their lives after a crash on Route 5 in Henrico County Monday morning.

According to police, officers with the Henrico County Police Division and crews with Henrico County Division of Fire were called to Route 5 near New Market Heights Lane at around 6:15 a.m. on Monday, May 4, for a reported two-vehicle crash.

When officers arrived, they found a red Mini Cooper that crashed into a Chevrolet Express van.

Two men in the van were taken to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Thirty-two-year-old Layten Perkins of Ohio, the driver and only person in the Mini Cooper, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicates that the Mini Cooper, driven by Perkins, was headed west on Route 5 when he crossed the center line and hit the Chevrolet heading eastbound head-on.

The road was closed for about four hours, before it reopened at 10:21 a.m., police said.

Alcohol is not considered a factor in the crash, but Crash Team Investigators continue to look into the circumstances surrounding this crash.

Anyone with further information regarding this incident is asked to contact Officer C. Bolinger at 804-501-5000. You may also submit tips anonymously via Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or by using P3tips.com.

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is encouraging Ohioans to take advantage of this year’s sales tax holiday, which will take place from midnight Friday, Aug. 7, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026.

The following items qualify for the sales tax exemption during the three-day holiday: clothing priced at $75 or less per item, school supplies priced at $20 or less per item, and school instructional materials priced at $20 or less per item.

According to the Ohio Department of Taxation, “clothing” includes but is not limited to, aprons, household and shop; athletic supporters; baby receiving blankets; bathing suits and caps; beach capes and coats; belts and suspenders; boots; coats and jackets; costumes; diapers, children and adult, including disposable diapers; earmuffs; footlets; formal wear; garters and garter belts; girdles; gloves and mittens for general use; hats and caps; hosiery; insoles for shoes; lab coats; neckties; overshoes; pantyhose; rainwear; rubber pants; sandals; scarves; shoes and shoe laces; slippers; sneakers; socks and stockings; steel-toed shoes; underwear; uniforms, athletic and nonathletic; and wedding apparel.

“School supplies” only includes binders; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; blackboard chalk; compasses; composition books; crayons; erasers; folders, expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila; glue, paste, and paste sticks; highlighters; index cards; index card boxes; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers; notebooks; paper, loose-leaf notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper; pencil boxes and other school supply boxes; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; protractors; rulers; scissors; and writing tablets.

“School instructional materials” only includes reference books, reference maps and globes, textbooks, and workbooks.

In 2026, the sales tax holiday only applies to the above back to school items. It does not apply to items that are $500 or less, food in restaurants, boats/watercrafts, titled outboard motors, motor vehicles, alcohol, tobacco, vape products, or items with marijuana. It also does not apply to taxable services and items purchased for use in business.

For more information about this year’s sales tax holiday in Ohio, you can visit the Ohio Department of Taxation’s website.

By Emily Nogay, VMD, MS, Ohio State University

We made it! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the Ohio temperatures are climbing. If you’re anything like me, then your skin loves the sun and the warmth it brings. Unfortunately, that also brings out those creepy eight-legged crawlies called ticks. These blood-sucking little monsters have already started to come out of the brush and become pests for humans, dogs, cats, wildlife, and our livestock species.

Ticks are ectoparasites (a parasite that lives on the skin) which have four different life stages – egg, larva, nymph, and the adult. Once hatched from the egg, the tick needs a bloodmeal in order to move to the next stage. Different tick species have different host preferences, but each life stage can also have different host preferences. With these bloodmeals, ticks can pick up an infectious agent in that blood and harbor it within their bodies to then later infect a new host when the tick feeds again, making the tick a vector for the disease. There are many different species of ticks out there, and each species is known for being a vector for different diseases (such as Lyme disease) to humans, animals, or both. However, keep in mind that just because a tick can harbor and transmit a disease does not mean every tick will, and it is not always possible to know if that tick does carry the disease, even with laboratory testing.

Over the past several years, we have seen a steady rise in temperatures, more humidity, and shorter winters. This climate change has created a more favorable environment for tick survival and transmission of the diseases they carry. Common ticks found in Ohio include the blacklegged (deer) tick, the American dog tick, and the lone star tick. These can potentially transmit diseases to humans and animals, such as Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Alpha-Gal syndrome (red meat allergy).

The Asian longhorned tick has been getting more attention recently as it is an emerging tick species. This species was first identified in the United States in 2017, originally native to East Asia, and is quickly spreading. This tick is special because it can clone itself. The females can lay eggs without needing to find a male to mate with, which is allowing this species to establish fast-growing populations. This is especially alarming for the cattle industry, as this tick is known to transmit theileriosis (Theileria orientalis). Theileriosis is a blood-borne parasite of cattle that is very similar to anaplasmosis, causing anemia, weakness, jaundice, and death. Some animals can become asymptomatic carriers,, meaning they show no symptoms but can act as a way for the disease to spread through possible blood transfers (needles, ticks, etc.). Unfortunately, there is currently no approved treatment in the U.S. for theileriosis, which means prevention is necessary.

Prevention of ticks and tick-borne diseases such as theileriosis requires integrated approaches of routine inspection, insecticide treatments and environmental management. Inspection of cattle for ticks can be difficult, but, if possible, pay special attention around the eyes, ears, neck, brisket, tail head, udder, and the inside of the legs. The most common insecticide treatments are products containing pyrethroids, which help kill ticks and prevent new ticks from attaching. Whole-animal sprays, pour-on products, ear tags, and oilers or backrubbers can be useful for protecting against flies and pinkeye as well. Pasture management, including keeping grass along wooded edges short, burning fields, limiting cattle access to wooded areas, and rotating pastures (great for endoparasites, too!) can help decrease tick populations on your herd. Producers should discuss with their veterinarian which methods are best for their operation, but keep in mind that one solution is not enough. Reducing the tick population requires an integrated management approach.

Ticks are nasty little pests that can really ruin our summer fun for humans, companion animals, and livestock. It is important to remember that ticks are everywhere, even if you cannot see them, and they can carry some nasty diseases along with them. Be sure to discuss prevention and treatment strategies for all your animals with your veterinarian and keep yourself and your family safe this summer. If you are spending time outside, be sure to consider an approved repellent and wear permethrin-treated, light-colored long sleeves and pants tucked into socks. Be sure to shower and do a tick check immediately after high-risk activities, and remove ticks promptly and appropriately if found. For more information, visit the Ohio State Bite Site at kx.osu.edu/bite.