The Progress-Index

5 days ago | progress-index.com | Bill Atkinson

Noel David Smith, 54, was arrested in Colonial Heights, Virginia on child pornography charges. Smith was out on bond for similar charges in Texas and wanted in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Police received a cyber tip about a potential child-exploitation attempt leading to Smith's arrest. Smith faces three felony counts of possession of child pornography with intent to distribute.

5 days ago | progress-index.com | Bill Atkinson

Hopewell's interim city manager, Michael Rogers, will earn almost $21,000 per month. Rogers' contract will last until a permanent city manager is hired to replace the recently terminated Dr. Concetta Manker. The Robert Bobb Group, which recently revamped Hopewell's fiscal management system, is Rogers' employer. Rogers' first city council meeting will be May 14, following a volatile prior meeting where citizens were not allowed to comment before the former city manager and clerk were fired.

5 days ago | progress-index.com | Bill Atkinson

The Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge in Prince George County is back open after an overnight crash damaged part of the span and made for some scary moments when part of the truck wound up over the edge. A Facebook post from Prince George Fire & EMS on May 9 said a pick-up truck crashed into the side of the drawbridge around 2 a.m. and wound up running into a guardrail between its two towers.

6 days ago | progress-index.com | Bill Atkinson

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, an American, has been elected as the new pope, now Pope Leo XIV. Bishop Barry Knestout of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond expressed hope and called for peace following the pope's election. Pope Leo XIV, formerly a missionary, is the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church. The new pope was elected on the fourth ballot, succeeding Pope Francis who died in April.

6 days ago | progress-index.com | Saman Shafiq

Over 10,000 people in North Carolina were without power earlier this week due to an unlikely suspect: a snake, according to reports. North Carolina's Durham area faced a power outage that lasted several hours around 11 p.m. May 5 with a Duke Energy spokesperson telling local media outlets WBTV , WSOC-TV, and WNCN that it may have actually been caused by a snake.