News

Hummingbird migration is underway, but local wildlife officials have strict recommendations about what to put in your feeders. WFIR’s Ian Price has more.

Some heavy-duty brainpower took part in a Research, Innovation and Economic Development in Biotechnology Roundtable at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute today, where US Senator Mark Warner was the guest of honor. Attracting more investment capital and more talent to the region were topics; Warner said afterward the Roanoke Valley needs to land one big fish – a company that’s also a major employer. FBRI executive director Michael Friedlander told Warner about other startups that began at the research institute’s Roanoke campus – only to be lured out of the valley to bigger locales like Boston or the West Coast.

 

 

US Senator Tim Kaine is not a novice when it comes to the Appalachian Trail – in fact he’s hiked the entire length of the A-T in segments through Virginia. Today, after riding the shuttle from Salem, Kaine stopped by the closed parking lot at the McAfee Knob trailhead, where a new pedestrian bridge is going up. In fact more than a half-dozen agencies, governments and non-profits are working to erect that pedestrian bridge over route 311 and then eventually to pave the parking lot. Kaine also discussed federal funding that is earmarked for national parks and forests, including infrastructure needs along the Appalachian Trail.

 

 

 

From the Virginia Tech Website

The architect of one of the most storied stretches in Virginia Tech women’s basketball history is set to depart after accepting the head coaching job at the University of Kentucky. Kenny Brooks was hired in 2016 at Virginia Tech. He guided the program to its first ACC tournament title in 2023 and its first ACC regular-season championship this year. Brooks compiled a 180-82 overall record in Blacksburg, which includes a school-record 31 wins in the 22-23 season that culminated in the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance.