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Cassell Coliseum hosts Southwest Virginia Special Olympics regional basketball tournament

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Cassell Coliseum hosts Southwest Virginia Special Olympics regional basketball tournament


BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – In an uplifting celebration, teams from all over Southwest Virginia came together at Virginia Tech.

Fans packed Cassell Coliseum as they cheered for the Special Olympics Virginia Play Unify basketball teams.

Play Unify provides a platform for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to come together and play sports.

“The aim is to use sports as a vehicle to break down those barriers that might have initially kept people apart” explained Nancy Morehouse, Director of Southwest Virginia Special Olympics.

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Seventeen teams played in the tournament on Sunday in Blacksburg. Morehouse said the impact of the game goes beyond basketball.

“Over time, as our athletes do come together as teams and get to know each other, they begin to develop confidence, which falls over into their social opportunities, and it means everything.”

Athletes were celebrated during the tournament with a ceremonial torch lighting and the Olympic fanfare. Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Young and his team also made a special appearance.

“The basketball team has been amazing… all of the student athletes really give a lot and really sign up in great numbers and be a part of it,” said Morehouse. “So that makes us feel really good that they value our special Olympics just as much and want to be a part of it.”

The atmosphere was full of support, unity, and sportsmanship.

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“It really does build community, and it really is an important part for not only our athletes and their teammates, but also their families that love to come out and support them,” added Morehouse.

Athlete Martin Campbell had a bus of members from his hometown show up to support him.

There’s one thing he had to say about the tournament today… “It’s great!”

Campbell, along with his fellow athletes, are looking forward to hitting the courts again on February 20th at Roanoke College. Teams will be competing for a chance to play in state championships.

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Vance leasing part of multimillion-dollar Virginia farm as an additional residence | CNN Politics

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Vance leasing part of multimillion-dollar Virginia farm as an additional residence | CNN Politics


Vice President JD Vance is leasing part of a sprawling, multimillion-dollar property in rural Virginia to serve as an additional residence for his family, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

The new rental residence is part of the historic Wolver Hill Farm, which spans nearly 500 acres on the outskirts of Middleburg, Virginia, a wealthy enclave located a little more than an hour drive from Washington, DC.

Wolver Hill Farm is owned by a firm led by Charles Kuhn, the founder of a moving company that has moved several presidents into and out of the White House, including President Donald Trump. The company is also a longtime government contractor.

Kuhn in recent years has become one of the largest landholders in Virginia, as well as a major player in the development of data centers across the state. In one deal last November, Kuhn’s company reportedly sold a nearly 100-acre parcel of land to a data center investor for $615 million.

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Vance is renting part of the Middleburg property from Kuhn’s firm primarily for his wife and three kids, in what the people familiar described as an effort to provide them with a greater sense of normalcy away from the scrutiny of Washington. The vice president is expected to stay there on occasion, though he and his family are maintaining their official residence at the Naval Observatory.

In a statement, Vance’s personal attorney, Chris Ashby, said the vice president planned to pay market value for the property.

“The rent will be at fair market value, determined with reference to the rent for comparable properties in the area,” Ashby said.

Kuhn did not respond to a request for comment. The Washington Business Journal first reported that the vice president was leasing part of Kuhn’s Wolver Hill Farm.

Vance is the latest major political figure to establish a retreat near the small but well-heeled town of Middleburg, which has a population under 1,000 residents. Former President John F. Kennedy once owned an estate in the area, while former President Ronald Reagan once rented a home in the area to serve as a base of operations during his 1980 presidential campaign.

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Rabid cat, bat, raccoons and skunks reported in these 4 Virginia counties

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Rabid cat, bat, raccoons and skunks reported in these 4 Virginia counties


A rabid cat, bat, raccoons and skunks have been confirmed across four Virginia counties, according to the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District.

The rabid animals were found during the first quarter of 2026 in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison and Orange counties.

RELATED | Person exposed to rabid cat in Chantilly

They included one bat and one skunk in Culpeper, three raccoons and one skunk in Fauquier, one skunk in Madison and one cat and one skunk in Orange. Officials said no human exposures have been reported.

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The health district said rabies is commonly found in Virginia wildlife, particularly raccoons, skunks and bats. Statewide, 117 animals tested positive for rabies during the first quarter of the year.

SEE ALSO | Flying bats reported near crowd at Maryland fireworks show, officials warn of health risk

Health officials are urging people to stay away from wild animals and unfamiliar pets, make sure dogs and cats are up to date on their rabies vaccinations and report animals acting strangely to local animal control.



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Virginia cannabis budget language triggers legal confusion, political fallout

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Virginia cannabis budget language triggers legal confusion, political fallout


(VIRGINIA MERCURY) – Virginia’s decision to revive legal cannabis sales through the state budget instead of standalone legislation has triggered several days of confusion over the commonwealth’s marijuana laws, with lawmakers, local prosecutors, Virginia State Police and legislative officials offering differing interpretations of when key provisions take effect.

Much of the confusion focused on two issues: whether Virginia’s long-delayed retail cannabis market had accidentally been moved up by a year and whether existing criminal penalties for marijuana possession and distribution involving people younger than 21 were still enforceable.

For much of the week, the lawmakers who wrote the budget language, along with state officials, sought to settle the matter. They said licensed retail sales will not begin until July 1, 2027, and that Virginia’s current criminal laws remain in effect until then.

Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Jeff Katz also publicly reaffirmed the agency’s enforcement position after questions arose from an internal email circulated earlier this week.

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“VSP acknowledges that there have been rumors and questions pertaining to the agency’s posture on cannabis enforcement,” Katz said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “I would like to make it clear that the Virginia State Police will continue to enforce existing laws, in line with the Code of Virginia.”

Read more on virginiamercury.com

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