Kidnapping in Albemarle, Youngkin Approval Rating, Vinton Waitress Finds Well-Wishers
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In the news:
Albemarle County man charged with kidnapping woman from home at gunpoint
An Albemarle County man has been arrested after allegedly kidnapping a woman from her southern Albemarle residence at gunpoint early Wednesday morning.
Dillon S. Matney, 25, has been charged with felony abduction, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Albemarle police said they responded to a reported abduction in the 4100 block of Blenheim Road around 6 a.m. Wednesday.
"During the investigation, it was determined that 25-year-old Dillon S. Matney of Albemarle County, Va., brandished a firearm and forced a female victim out of her residence before fleeing the area," police said in a statement issued later in the day.
Youngkin's approval rating still high despite election losses
Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a higher job approval rating in December — despite his legislative election defeats — than he did in January 2023, according to a new survey.
Youngkin had a job approval rating of 58% in a survey of 625 registered Virginia voters that Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy conducted by phone from Dec. 15 to Dec. 19. The polling firm said 37% disapproved of his performance and 5% were not sure.
In its January 2023 survey, Youngkin’s job approval rating was 56%, with 31% disapproving and 13% not sure.
CASEY: Vinton waitress ‘overwhelmed’ with donations from well-wishers
A couple of weeks ago, I told you the story of Gail Dehaeseleer, the 64-year-old waitress who’s been working since age 11. For 30 of those years she served at The Roanoker, the best job she’s ever had.
That venerable restaurant succumbed to the pandemic and subsequent inflation. It closed its doors for good in May 2022. So Dehaeseleer got a job as a cafeteria worker in Roanoke schools.
She and colleagues were temporarily laid off from that employment early last June, so Dehaeseleer applied for unemployment through the Virginia Employment Commission. She avoided getting another job immediately because she was afraid that would screw up her claim.
But the VEC screwed it up anyway. For six months the agency declined to pay benefits — and at one point in the process it issued a denial letter. An agency spokeswoman later called that “an oversight.”
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