Senator Mark Warner hopes that tech jobs will be coming to Southwest Virginia. The Virginia Senator spoke in Bristol on Friday with local leaders about the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, that Congress has recently passed. The act would allow the U.S. to invest $250 billion in technology to compete with China. Warner says that one proposal will be to have 18 technology hubs, with six being in rural communities, and he hopes that one of them will be in Southwest Virginia. The senator says that there is a great workforce in the region, with smart people. According to Warner, the goal is to also have facilities that manufacture chips used in electronics after the recent shortage in car and other industries. 

A Scott County man has been arrested for exposing himself to a girl he helped coach. The Scott County Sheriff's Office reports that 65-year-old James "Jimbo" Everette Stidham, of Dungannon, has been charged with eight counts of using an electronic device with lascivious content to contact someone under the age of 18. An investigation began on June 21 after parents contacted the SCSO about Stidham exposing himself to their daughter, who he helped coach. The authorities were given permission to monitor their daughter's account and an undercover officer began conversations with Stidham over social media. The conversation lasted a week, and Stidham solicited nude photos from the minor on multiple occasions and sent an explicit photo of himself. He later agreed to an arranged meeting at a church parking lot in the Yuma community on June 28. Stidham arrived and was arrested by the sheriff's office. He also brought items that were specified in the conversation. If any other parents are concerned, they should contact the Scott County Sheriff's Office at 276-386-7679.

39 people were arrested on Thursday following a sting operation in Dickenson County. The Dickenson County Sheriff's Office reports that several law enforcement agencies arrested the large group, which led to 106 charges. The charges range from selling narcotics to felony child abuse and neglect, according to the DCSO. The 29th Circuit Narcotics Task Force, Virginia State Police, the Buchanan and Wise County Sheriff's Offices, and the Clintwood, Clinchco, and Haysi Police Departments were involved in the sting. Peer recovery specialists were brought in to discuss available treatment options and other resources for those who were interested. 

More than 750,000 adult Medicaid members will receive dental benefits in Virginia. Governor Ralph Northam announced on Thursday that Virginia is expanding comprehensive dental benefits to more than 750,000 adult Medicaid members effective immediately. Children and pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid, Family Access to Medical Insurance Security, and FAMIS MOMS were previously eligible to receive dental care. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that it is part of a two-year state budget that includes $35 million in state and federal funds to provide a range of dental care to adults for the first time. The new benefits cover up to three regular cleanings a year as well as preventive care, x-rays, fillings, dentures, and oral surgeries. Medicaid members can contact a DentaQuest representative at 1-888-912-3456 to find a dentist and learn more about the new dental benefit. 

One person was rescued in Laurel County, Kentucky after being swept away by flood water. The London-Laurel Rescue Squad reports that crews were called to American Greeting Card Road Thursday evening on a report of a missing woman. Upon arrival, crews found articles of clothing on the bank of Horse Creek. Swift water teams were deployed and were able to find the woman about 1/4 of a mile downstream on the creek bank. She reportedly told officials that she just wanted to get her feet wet when the water carried her away.

A woman was fatally shot in an officer-involved shooting in Kingsport Thursday morning. The Kingsport Police Department reports that they were called to the West Side Inn in the 1000 block of West Stone Drive due to reports of a woman knocking on a door with a gun at around 5:20 a.m. Thursday. Upon arrival, officers found 54-year-old Lisa Short with a pistol. Short was told multiple times to drop the gun, but did not. One officer reportedly fired his weapon and hit the suspect. Short was transported to a nearby hospital, where she later died. Nobody else was injured in the shooting. The officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. 

A Lebanon man pleads guilty to distributing porn through a messaging app. The Department of Justice reports that 40-year-old Matthew Thompson used the "KIK" app to talk to people he believed were interested in trading images of child pornography. In June 2020, Thompson was identified by law enforcement in Wisconsin as the person responsible for the distribution of child porn after allegedly posting explicit material on the app's message board. Last July, Texas authorities found that the same account was an active member of two known child pornography chatgroups and an administrator of one. An investigation found that he distributed at least nine images between July 24-31, and had received child pornography, as well. Thompson plead guilty on Wednesday to one count of "knowingly distributing one or more visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct that has been mailed or transported in interstate or foreign commerce." His sentencing is scheduled for September 29 and he faces 60 to 72 months as part of his plea agreement. 

The Lee County Community Hospital reopened Thursday, eight years after being closed. Ballad Health announced that the hospital will restore medical services to Pennington Gap and surrounding areas. Hospital officials say that they expect the emergency department will be busy immediately. The hospital will have ten emergency rooms, ten in-patient rooms, and roughly 50 team members. It is not operating at full capacity, but all services are available. Ballad is calling the hospital "America's newest rural hospital." 

A motorcyclist is dead following a crash in Kingsport Wednesday evening. The Kingsport Police Department reports that the crash occurred in the 2600 block of North John B. Dennis Highway at around 6 p.m. Wednesday. 29-year-old John W. Williams was on a Yamaha motorcycle going south when it struck the side of a Chevrolet work van exiting a parking lot. Williams died in the crash, but the two people in the van were not injured. Evidence shows that the motorcycle was traveling at an excessive speed. The crash remains under investigation. 

The victim has been identified in a shooting on Highway 80 in Laurel County, Kentucky Wednesday afternoon. The Laurel County Sheriff's Department reports that 59-year-old Timothy P. Miller was shot multiple times by 46-year-old Brian Eldridge. An off-duty nurse was passing at the time and performed CPR on Miller until Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County arrived. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by the Laurel County Coroner's Office. Eldridge was arrested and charged in connection to the shooting. He told officers that he did not why he shot Miller. The shooting is still under investigation.