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Va. volunteer firefighter charged with setting fire to abandoned building

WOODSTOCK, Va. — Officials say a Virginia volunteer firefighter has been charged with setting fire to an abandoned building.

The Shenandoah County Fire and Rescue Department says firefighters from several departments responded to a report of a structure fire Friday night in Woodstock and found the building fully engulfed.

It took about four hours to control.

Officials say surveillance video showed a man wearing distinct clothes on the property before the fire was reported and investigators noted that a Woodstock Fire Department member was wearing matching clothes.

Shenandoah County Assistant Fire Marshal Joe Loving said investigators retrieved surveillance video of a man in front of the building about 30 minutes before the fire was reported and his “very distinct” clothing led them to a suspect.

Investigators noted that Ray Boyd Kerns, 36, of Toms Brook, a member of the Woodstock Fire Department, was wearing matching clothing, officials said.

Loving said Monday that Kerns was with the first crew to arrive on the scene, The Northern Virginia Daily reported.

Kerns was arrested and charged with burning or destroying any other building and intentionally destroying, defacing or damaging a building, both felonies.

The Woodstock Fire Department released a statement saying Kerns has been suspended.

Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal. In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. But of all the construction projects Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, the area’s primary international airport, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
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