Virginia
Residents across Southwest Virginia begin long process of recovery after Helene
Emergency officials are still assessing the full extent of the damage to southwest Virginia from tropical storm Helene. Many communities are without water and power, and residents evacuated across seven counties.
83-year-old Elizabeth King has lived along the New River in Wythe County most of her life, one of the areas most impacted by last week’s flooding.
Her husband is buried in a water-proof casket beside the home they shared on the bank of the river for decades. She says she didn’t want to leave, but her daughters made her.
She sits on her daughter Kathy’s couch, holding her small brown dog, Bandit, with tears in her eyes.
“Everything’s gone,” King said.
“What I tell you? It’s just memories,” said her daughter Kathy King. “Our main concern was you.”
“I know,” said King, nodding.
A few miles away, her home stands surrounded by mud. High water pushed her wooden front porch away from the house. A peach tree her husband planted is broken. Inside the house, everything is damaged.
Her husband’s grave, however, is still intact, and her daughter Kathy says she’s grateful the water didn’t take him away. Plastic flowers still stick in the mud surrounding his grave.
“We promised our daddy on his dying bed we’d take care of her, and that’s what we intend to do,” King said.
“Yes. That was his biggest fear,” said her sister, Susan Lane.
“Her being took care of,” King said.
“Them two were like two peas in a pod,” Lane said.
They’re working to find out if their mother’s home insurance will help her rebuild. For now, she is staying with them.
Downriver a few miles in Pulaski County, dozens of people are starting the long process of clearing out mud and trash from their homes.
Many here in the community of Allisonia couldn’t drive down this road to their homes until Sunday, when the water began to recede.
Motorcycles, boats, clothes, even a mobile home were scattered in the road and yards when the water went down.
A friend hugs Brian Sale, as they stand in muck boots, overlooking the damage to Sale’s home.
Friends and family have come out to help Sale and his wife clean.
“I think I’m still in shock,” Sale said. “We watched all our stuff wash out of the house.” He added that he’s grateful that this community didn’t lose any lives, like in other areas further south.
“This is material stuff. It can be fixed,” Sale said.
Many of the people who were displaced have been staying these past few days with friends and family. Others have been sleeping wherever they can find a place to rest.
“A couple out of one of the houses, they actually slept in their van over here outside the fire department a couple of nights,” said Jamie Arnold, the volunteer fire chief in the Allisonia community.
Some temporary shelters have been set up in communities across southwest Virginia.
Local organizations are setting up donation centers to collect for flood victims here in the Commonwealth, and further south in the Carolinas. One drop off location is in Dublin, at the Pulaski County Free Store, where Heather Short is a volunteer.
“I know I’ve heard multiple times, people have just lost everything. We currently are accepting things like blankets, tents, sleeping bags, tarps,” Short said.
Water is another need across all of the impacted communities throughout the southeast.
Volunteers are also collecting donations in Giles County at the Newport Community Center and in Blacksburg.
State officials are still assessing the damage and trying to determine how many people in Virginia are in need of housing, as a result of last week’s storms.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
BRISTOL, Va. (WCYB) — Crews put out a house fire in Bristol, Virginia, on Wednesday morning, according to officials.
The Bristol, Virginia Fire Department was dispatched at 3:09 a.m. for the fire in the 900 block of Vermont Avenue. The house was unoccupied at the time fire crews arrived on the scene.
Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames in the front of the house. They were able to quickly extinguish the fire under challenging conditions. The fire scene remains active and an investigation is underway. No injuries have been reported.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 2, 2026, results for each game:
Mega Millions
Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
15-26-43-48-60, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 4-5-7, FB: 9
Day: 8-7-6, FB: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 7-0-6-5, FB: 8
Day: 1-1-9-0, FB: 1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 2-9-1-0-4, FB: 0
Day: 5-9-4-1-7, FB: 0
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash Pop
Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.
Coffee Break: 10
After Hours: 14
Prime Time: 04
Rush Hour: 13
Lunch Break: 06
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
Drawing everyday at 11:15 p.m.
16-33-41-50-52, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Virginia
First boat to Bermuda wins — Virginia man prepares for 753-mile voyage from Annapolis – WTOP News
Kevin Sherwood’s boat is one of 21 in this year’s Annapolis to Bermuda Oceans Race, or A2B, which dates back to 1979.
This page contains a video which is being blocked by your ad blocker.
In order to view the video you must disable your ad blocker.
DC-area man hopes to race from Annapolis to Bermuda by boat
The boat that Kevin Sherwood of Springfield, Virginia, bought is still in dry dock as he makes final repairs and preparations ahead of the whole reason he bought the “Bay Retriever” in the first place.
If all goes as planned, he’ll get it in the water Wednesday, and starting at noon on Friday, he’ll be heading south down the Chesapeake Bay on a 753-mile voyage to Bermuda.
Sherwood’s boat is one of 21 in this year’s Annapolis to Bermuda Oceans Race, or A2B, which dates back to 1979. He’ll be joined by a crew of four others in a race he said is among the most challenging on the East Coast.
“I bought this boat in 2022 specifically for the Bermuda race,” Sherwood said. “Since I bought this, everything we’ve done has been prepping for it.
“Plenty of sailors never leave the Chesapeake. It’s very different when we’re dealing with ocean waves, ocean weather, all kinds of different conditions. So, the boat really needs to be set up for it.”
The bay, being both relatively shallow and surrounded by land, can make for ideal sailing; if something still goes wrong, help isn’t far away.
Heading out in the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean to an island more than 600 miles off the coast can present more difficult circumstances. Yet, if you go on the race’s website, you’ll see a long list of people hoping to get picked up by a boat to help take part.
“We’re out of rescue range for a portion of the trip. They’ll ask a passing freighter to come help you if you have a problem,” Sherwood said. “We are on our own out there.”
Some boats will have full galleys available to help cook meals for the crew. But Sherwood’s vessel, being smaller, has been stocking up on food and water from the grocery store.
He and the crew will take turns sailing and resting in the cabin down below. A “leak loss” — imagine a hammock, more or less — will catch anyone if the boat leans one way while they’re sleeping, lest they fall to the floor.
Of course, that assumes they’ll have strong winds and waves. Sherwood, who has done this race twice before, said that’s not always the case.
“My first Bermuda race, we had plenty of nothing going on,” he said. For two days, the winds were so calm Sherwood’s team was “barely making two knots.”
Two years ago, he saw more clouds than stars and sun, and waves were running 12-15 feet high.
“The last couple of races we haven’t seen many sunsets because of clouds, fog, rain, that sort of thing,” Sherwood said. “But when you are out there all alone and just the stars, it’s incredibly detached. There’s really nowhere left in the country to get this isolated.”
Of course, having access to Starlink means there is some connection out on the water — though, if you’re on duty, you’re too focused to care. If you’re not, you’re probably resting.
“There’s definitely parts I’m going to hate,” he said. “There’s parts I’m going to be asking myself, ‘Why am I doing this? Why am I here?’ But it’s just such an awesome team sport. When I go off watch, I’m trusting the other guys to keep sailing, keep racing, to keep us safe, to keep the boat moving fast. We get to detach from the world.”
(WTOP/John Domen)
WTOP/John Domen
(WTOP/John Domen)
WTOP/John Domen
For how long is anyone’s guess. Weather and winds will determine the time it takes to get there.
“If conditions are amazing, we’ll get in on Tuesday,” he said. “If conditions are great, Wednesday. If they’re average, Thursday, and if they’re terrible, Friday.”
Those following from home can track Sherwood and everyone else in the race online. Whenever he arrives, he said workers on the docks will have a “Dark n’ Stormy” — one of Bermuda’s national drinks — waiting for them.
He’ll also be hoping to be handed a trophy he can sail back with, but that’s not the most important thing right now.
“There’s a point of pride just for completing this; 753 miles of ocean sailing is a big deal,” he said.
“So, yeah, I mean, I want to do well, but my first goal is just to make it back here safely in two and a half weeks. My next goal is to make it to Bermuda safely. Then my third goal is to finish well and get a podium finish again.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
-
Lifestyle14 minutes agoFirings at CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ reflect the fight for media control in the age of Trump
-
Technology22 minutes agoMicrosoft Is Pulling the Plug on Publisher This Fall. These 8 Alternatives Prove You Don't Need It
-
World29 minutes agoTrump expands Cuba sanctions beyond US companies in major crackdown on foreign enablers
-
Politics32 minutes agoBessent flips script on Dem senator with reminder about his son’s past ties to Epstein
-
Health44 minutes agoNew ways to prevent flu revealed in ‘accidental’ lab breakthrough, study finds
-
Sports47 minutes agoRussell Wilson announces retirement from NFL after 14 seasons
-
Technology52 minutes agoDark web monitoring: does it put your data at risk?
-
Business59 minutes agoIn a first for the country, voters in Monterey Park ban data centers
