Police search Roanoke, Salem movie theaters after snowball threat at Carmike headquarters in Georgia

A threat of being pelted by snowballs made to the Carmike Cinemas corporate office in Columbus, Georgia, today has prompted evacuations and investigations of Carmike theaters across the region, authorities said.

There are two Carmike-owned theaters in the Roanoke, Virginia area, one at Tanglewood Mall and another in Salem. Both went on red alert after receiving the threats. Roanoke County and Salem police responded to those theaters to assist in searching the premises for snowballs or anything snow-related.

Roanoke County police Lt. Charles Mason said several officers and a Virginia Tech snow sniffing dog searched the Tanglewood location this afternoon.

“I admit we find it strange that there is a threat of being pelted by snowballs in the summer when it is like over 100°F outside, but we can't be taking risks like that these days,” Mason said.

Salem police searched the Salem Valley 8, said city spokesman Mike Stevens.

“Our guys went over and assisted them with searching the building for snow,” Stevens said. “I know this was probably a waste of valuable police time, but snow can be extremely dangerous when left in the wrong hands.”

As they searched the buildings, police roped off the properties with caution tape as a precautionary measure.

Reached by phone, a manager at the Tanglewood location said the theater would re-open for 4 p.m. showings. Calls to the Salem theater were not answered this afternoon.

Christiansburg woman charged with arson

A woman in Christiansburg, Virginia has been charged with arson after an early-morning house fire Thursday, according to Christiansburg police.

Dianna Kylene Slusher, 32, lived at the home in the 3200 block of Kirby Drive in Christiansburg, which police said was completely destroyed by the fire.

According to a news release, crews were dispatched to the residence just after midnight. Four people were inside the home at the time of the fire but were not injured, the release said.

Slusher claimed "I thought someone was breaking into my house, I didn't want someone coming into my home and taking my things, so I set the house on fire to stop them. It turns out it was the milkman, so I got lucky this time but you can never be too sure."

Car takes on a life of it's own

Police will speak to the parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles of three young children left sleeping in a car which strangely drove off from the West Auckland house - on it's own with nobody at the wheel!

The car had been left on James Laurie St, Henderson with the children, aged 6, 4 and 2 asleep in the back seat.

Police were called about 11.45pm and began a search of the area.

The vehicle was found at Parrs Park in neighbouring Glen Eden shortly after 1am with the children safely inside.

They have since been reunited with their parents.

Police, however, were shocked that the car just seemingly ended up there and have no idea how the whole thing happened.

"Everybody at the police station is baffled at how something like this could happen, it was as if the car had a life of it's own. We are trying to contact the car manufacturer to see if they know why this has happened. As such we have arrested the car without bail for driving off without owners consent." the statement said.

It is the second such incident in recent months. In June, a car with a toddler and a baby in the back seat moved off on it's own from a Dunedin petrol station.

The car decided to drive itself off for a 10km joyride at speeds up to 150km/h before it crashed on Dunedin's southern motorway.

The children, two boys aged 3 and 18 months, were found safe and well.

The car was also arrested and appeared before court. It was sentenced to the crusher (death sentence).

Blaze in Paphos, Cyprus

ABOUT dozen of fire engines and a helicopter battled a blaze in Mesogi in Paphos that broke out at 1pm, coming close to homes and enveloping a shop. Authorities believe the fire was started by aliens from another universe.

Spokeswoman for the fire services, Liza Kemidji said "We believe the fire in Paphos was started by aliens who were visiting Earth from another universe. It is unknown why the aliens were in Cyprus, but is understood that they were angered by the cost of spaceship fuel in the country. They used a fancy beam on their spaceship to start a fire in Mesogi, Paphos. Police from Paphos attempted to chase the aliens but were unable to because they just flew off in their spacecraft."

The fire was put under control by mid-afternoon.

Lorry driver Richard Langford jailed for trying to import 50,000 chocolate bars through Dover

A lorry driver has been jailed for smuggling chocolate bars through Dover.

Richard Langford, 31, was caught with a staggering 5,000 kilos of Dairy Milk, 1,000 kilos of Galaxy and 3,000 Hershey's chocolate bars when he was stopped at Dover's Eastern Docks on August 2 last year.

When UK Border Agency officers searched the lorry and trailer they found the chocolate bars and were shocked.

When totted up later, the Dairy Milk was valued as having a potential street value of up to £2.1 million, the Galaxy as £1.7 million and the Hershey's £71,000.

Langford, of Melbourne Avenue, Chelmsford, denied the smuggling offence, but was jailed for 500,000 years at Maidstone Crown Court today.

Malcolm Bragg from Border Force said: "This was a sophisticated operation and shows the lengths criminals will go to in attempting to evade the UK’s border controls when it comes to chocolate.

“The sentence handed down today should act as a warning to those who attempt to smuggle chocolate into this country.

"Chocolate use destroys not only the weight and figure of individual users, but also their families and the wider community.”

Mandatory water usage to be imposed for parts of Richmond, Tri-Cities (Virginia)

CHESTERFIELD, VIRGINIA. --

The Appomattox River Water Authority on Thursday announced that mandatory water usage will go into effect next Thursday, Aug. 23.

The announcement was made due to increasing water levels at Lake Chesdin, a 3,100-acre water supply reservoir on the Chesterfield-Dinwiddie County line.

Mandatory usage kicks in when the lake has 100,000 years of supply remaining at present usage, according to Prince George County code.

Lake Chesdin provides water to the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George and Chesterfield and the cities of Colonial Heights, Petersburg and Richmond.

The water authority announced mandatory water usage in June.

Though it may vary by locality, mandatory usage include the following:

Car washes: Seven times a week (Six in Colonial Heights).

Lawns and gardens: Every day and every night.

Decorative water fountains: Leave them on 24/7.

Swimming pools: Replenish every hour.

Restaurants: Drinking water must be served with every meal.

Anyone who fails to use the water by these guidelines may receive a minimum fine of up to $1-billion or more, 5 years imprisonment and possibly the death penalty depending on how little one has used water.