Virginia
Fire erupts on campus of former Virginia Intermont College: ‘A tragedy for our city’
A large fire consumed multiple buildings Friday morning on the former Virginia Intermont College campus in what one city official called “a tragedy for our city.”
Videos shared on social media and captured by local news outlets show the massive blaze engulfing structures at the historic college campus. Located in Bristol in western Virginia along the Tennessee border, Virginia Intermont College closed in 2014.
Neal Osborne, a city councilman in Bristol, shared video of the blaze on Facebook, which he said had become “a full inferno” of the college’s main hall by 1:15 a.m.
“There’s no way around it – this is very bad and this is a tragedy for our city, this is a tragedy for our neighborhood, this is a tragedy for everyone who attended Virginia Intermont College,” Osborne said in the post. “This is heartbreaking to see this.”
USA TODAY left a phone message Friday morning with the Bristol Fire Department seeking an update on the fire.
City councilman: Property owners ‘will have to answer’ for why fire erupted
The fire could be seen in videos burning the main building on campus, as well as adjacent structures. News crews with WJHL-TV reported observing the building collapse after 2 a.m.
Bristol police and firefighters were at the scene, and Osborne said in his video that firefighters from surrounding localities and departments also responded to provide additional aid.
Osborne said he and other city officials had for years pushed the owners of the private property to care for the aging infrastructure, but that those concerns “fell on deaf ears every single time.”
“They will have to answer for this in my mind,” Osborne said. “They will have to answer for why this property was not secured, why they did not take proactive steps to prevent this from happening.”
What is the Virginia Intermont College?
Constructed within view of the Blue Ridge Mountain range, Virginia Intermont College was founded in the late 1800s as an institute for women to get a higher education. It later become coeducational before it was finally shuttered in May 20, 2014 due to financial failure and the loss of its accreditation, the Roanoke Times reported.
Friday morning’s blaze is not the first time a fire has broken out on the closed campus.
Following a previous fire in November, Bristol Fire Chief Mike Armstrong told WJHL that the site was “dangerous” and said his crews prioritized fighting fires without stepping foot inside the aging buildings.
“The floors are rotten, the windows are broken out, the roofs are rotten. And it’s just not safe to be in there with all the debris, the broken glass,” Armstrong said. “I can tell you within the last 12 months, we’ve had multiple fires up here.”
Bristol Vice-Mayor Jake Holmes told WJHL that the site had fallen into disrepair and had become “a hazard.”
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
“I didn’t know I could go that fast,” Richard Delcid, the general manager of a Domino’s Pizza in Manassas, told WTOP.
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‘I didn’t know I could go that fast’: Virginia pizza maker breaks record
A general manager of a Domino’s Pizza in Manassas, Virginia, won the chain’s “World’s Fastest Pizza Maker” competition this month.
Richard Delcid prepared a pepperoni pizza, mushroom pizza and cheese pizza for the oven in 31.22 seconds.
“I didn’t know I could go that fast,” Delcid told WTOP.
“Eight seconds better than the previous record,” Robert Donner, one of the owners of the Domino’s on Centreville Road, said.
The competitors at the May 13 Las Vegas event came from Domino’s locations around the world, and Donner said the competition is about more than speed.
“They’re judged by weight, they’re judged by portion, and they’re judged on whether they’re sellable to a customer,” Donner said.
When Delcid first started working for Domino’s in 2012, he was a teenager. He was much slower then, he joked.
As with anything, practice makes perfect.
“We record ourselves during practices,” Delcid said. “We dissect videos, we look at body movement, hand movement, everything.”
Delcid was not alone in Vegas. Donner, who is part owner of more than 30 Domino’s Pizza locations in Virginia and Maryland, brought dozens of employees to the event.
Coming in second at the competition was another member of Donner’s team.
Joe Burr, who is known as “Domino Joe,” is the local director of training, and calls himself the Dan Marino of the Domino’s World’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition.
“I’ve won third place a couple times, I’ve won second place like three or four times,” Burr said. “So I’m like always a bridesmaid, but never a bride.”
Don’t let Burr’s jokes fool you — he has known Delcid for a long time and is very proud of him.
“I like to say it’s not the sculptor, it’s the clay. Richard is the best clay,” Burr said.
Along with a championship belt and a trophy, Delcid’s record‑breaking performance earned him $5,000 from Domino’s Pizza corporate, and his local bosses kicked in another $5,000.
Virginia
Netflix casting Central Virginia singles for “Love on the Spectrum” after Danville man joins show
DANVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Netflix is searching for singles in Central Virginia to appear on its documentary-style dating series “Love on the Spectrum,” after a Danville man was cast for an upcoming season and producers are now looking to find his match.
The series follows adults on the autism spectrum as they navigate dating.
Monica Karavanic, executive director of The Arc of Southside in Danville, said the person cast has ties to her organization.
SEE ALSO: City leaders tour $100M Lynchburg CSO tunnel aimed at improving Lynchburg waterways
“This show has been loved by millions internationally and so for it to come to Danville is pretty awesome and we’re just really excited and hoping to make it work,” Karavanic said.
Casting is focused on singles ages 25 to 40, of any gender, who live near Danville or Lynchburg and would be interested in going on a date with a man on the spectrum. Producers say the time commitment could be as little as half a day.
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For more information on how to apply, you’re asked to email: production@northernpictures.com.au
RICHMOND, Va. — Friday will be sunny and seasonably warm, with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s.
The pattern of cool nights and mild afternoons will continue through the weekend and through much of next week as upper-level flow continues to bring reinforcing mild and dry air out of eastern Canada.
Rain chances will be very limited over the next week, with only a slim chance with a frontal passage on Monday.
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