ABINGDON, Va. (WDBJ) – More than a dozen college laboratory schools are now under development in Virginia. And the first ones in our area are opening with the new school year.

Tuesday was the first day of classes for the SWVA HEALS program, or Healthcare Excellence Academy Lab School.

44 students from Smyth, Wythe, and Washington Counties and the City of Bristol are receiving instruction that will help prepare them for careers in healthcare.

Dante Lee is the director of the program.

“So we’ve got a lot of partners who got together and made this happen,” Lee told WDBJ7. “This has been about a two-year ordeal to get to this point today, but today is like the opening of a new school so we’re excited. Our kids were excited to be here.”

Meanwhile the new lab school at Roanoke College will start classes on August 28.

Explore@RC will give high school students the opportunity to take college courses and start earning a four-year degree.

Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.

Virginia authorities are searching for a man who they suspect burglarized a Trump for President 2024 campaign office over the weekend.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said an unidentified man is connected to the burglary that occurred on Sunday at the campaign office in Ashburn, Virginia, according to a department news release. The office is being leased by former president Donald Trump’s campaign and also serves as the headquarters of the Virginia 10th District Republican Committee, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office received a call about the burglary around 9 p.m. and deputies responded, according to the department. The sheriff’s office has surveillance footage of the suspect who appears to be wearing dark clothing, a dark cap and a backpack when he entered the campaign office.

Trump says Iran hacked his campaign: FBI investigating, Harris team says it was also targeted in failed attempt

“It is rare to have the office of any political campaign or party broken into,” Sheriff Mike Chapman said in the release. “We are determined to identify the suspect, investigate why it happened, and determine what may have been taken as well as what may have been left behind.”

The news comes as the FBI investigates allegations that Iranian cyber agents breached Trump’s campaign in another case of foreign intelligence services targeting U.S. elections.

Donald Trump’s campaign did not comment on burglary

A spokesperson for the Republican Party of Virginia and the Trump campaign did not provide a comment when asked by the Staunton News Leader − part of the USA TODAY Network − regarding the incident, citing the fact that the sheriff’s office’s investigation is ongoing.

“We don’t usually comment on any investigations,” Ken Nunnenkamp, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, said.

The sheriff’s office nor Trump’s campaign have identified what the man may have stolen from the office.

Contributing: Elizabeth Beyer, Staunton News Leader; Dan Morrison, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump campaign office burglarized in Ashburn, Virginia; suspect sought

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – The Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport has received $253,626 in federal funding for maintenance and repairs, Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced Tuesday.

According to the senators, the funding will be used to fix the 33,333 square yards of tarmac and 2,500 feet of the taxiway, focusing on maintaining the structural integrity of the pavement.

“Nearly 14,000 flights travel through the Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport every year—helping Virginians get where they need to go and local businesses thrive,” said the senators. “This funding will improve the airport’s tarmac and help support its operations for years to come. We look forward to continuing to strengthen infrastructure and support economic growth throughout the New River Valley.”

The funding is awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program which falls under the $76 million in airport funding for 45 Virginia airports through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.