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Faulty Equipment Causes Two Lockdowns at Virginia College

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ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - Virginia Western Community College officials say faulty equipment may be to blame for two lockdowns in quick succession at the school in Roanoke.

The school said in a statement Monday that officials believe the lockdown was automatically triggered by a potentially faulty emergency pull station. Officials say the campus is safe and has returned to normal operations after an investigation by campus police.

Spokesman Josh Meyer says this semester's classes and exams are finished. The school has nearly 13,000 students at its main campus.

The campus went into lockdown just before noon and was it lifted about a half hour later. A second lockdown triggered minutes later was cleared in 6 minutes.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.