Virginia
Major broadband funding to benefit rural Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) – July has been a big month for the effort to deliver universal broadband in Virginia.
Recent announcements from the state and federal governments promise major funding to complete the job.
Last week, the state awarded more than $40 million from the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative for 10 different projects serving 20 localities.
And the Biden administration approved Virginia’s initial proposal for more than $1.4 billion under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.
“We are getting very close,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin told WDBJ7 in an interview Monday morning.
With the latest BEAD funding, Youngkin said the goal of bringing reliable high-speed internet to all Virginians is within reach.
“This is part of ‘the Virginia way,’ which is to make sure that everybody has full access to educational opportunities, to job opportunities and of course to life,” Youngkin said. “And the internet is incredibly important.”
Several localities in western Virginia applied for the latest VATI grants. And at least three in our area, Botetourt, Franklin and Rockbridge counties, received awards.
“We’ve got a lot of hand-climb poles, a lot of rock, a lot of terrain challenges, so yes we were very, very happy,” said Rockbridge County Administrator Spencer Suter Monday afternoon.
Suter said the VATI awards were especially sweet after unsuccessful applications in 2022 and 2023.
And he said the county hopes to benefit from the BEAD funding in the future.
“I would like for folks to know that we have never quit, and we won’t quit and we’re going to keep pushing until everybody has access to quality broadband,” Suter said.
The latest round of federal funding flows from the Biden administration’s infrastructure law that passed with bipartisan support almost three years ago.
The next step is to identify all of the remaining locations that lack access and are not part of any other broadband project.
The state hopes to begin accepting applications from service providers later this year.
Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
Virginia
West Virginia lands in-state OL transfer Martin
The West Virginia football program has added a former in-state native to help bolster the future offensive line with a commitment from North Carolina State transfer offensive lineman Robby Martin.
Martin, 6-foot-3, 302-pounds, spent only one season with the Wolfpack where he did not see the field.
The former Huntington High School product was a key target for the Mountaineers during his initial recruitment under the previous staff and they made a strong effort to flip his pledge leading up to the early signing period in 2024.
Ultimately Martin would sign with North Carolina State, but after entering the transfer portal Jan. 3 immediately became a target for the Mountaineers. He set up an official visit for Jan. 9 and saw enough during that experience to cast his lost with his home state football program.
Martin was a standout with the Highlanders recording 190 pancakes over the course of his career.
Martin will have all four years of eligibility remaining in his career.
Martin is the third offensive lineman to commit to the football program this off-season joining Tulsa transfer Walter Young Bear and LSU offensive guard Kimo Makane’ole as the Mountaineers look to rebuild that unit.
WVSports.com will have more on Martin.
Virginia
2026 RB Kory Amachree discusses offer from West Virginia
Haslett (Mi.) 2026 running back Kory Amachree hadn’t spoken with West Virginia prior to making contact with running backs coach Chad Scott.
And that conversation led to a scholarship offer.
Amachree, 6-foot-0, 205-pounds, added the offer from the Mountaineers following a good discussion with Scott who let him know that his skill set was impressive on the field.
“He liked how explosive I am, and he liked how I am a dual threat,” he said.
Amachree was naturally excited to add West Virginia to an offer list that includes Michigan State, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Cincinnati, among others.
“I am happy they offered me since they are a great school,” he said.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect is coming off a season here he had 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns and is being targeted at the running back position due to his athleticism and versatility.
The plan is for Amachree to take a visit to Morgantown in order to get a more up close look at what the football program has to offer, and he also plans to visit UCLA, USC, Indiana and Northwestern.
There is no timeline for when a potential decision could come but he is looking for a school that’s going to provide the right environment.
“What’s important to me in a school is a family-like bond,” he said.
Virginia
Snowstorm bears down on Virginia, will hit Petersburg, Tri-Cities hardest late Friday
Nashville snow time lapse: Watch as snow falls in downtown
In this time lapse, snow showers pass through downtown Nashville as a winter storm blows through Middle Tennessee Friday, Jan. 10, 2025
PETERSBURG – Winter is coming. Again.
A massive winter storm encompassing a large swath of the central and southern U.S. should be arriving here sometime after 7 p.m. Friday. Precipitation is expected to be light but steady until around 11 p.m. That is when the snowfall will pick up, and we will see most of the anticipated 4-6 inches that the National Weather Service office in Wakefield expects for us.
Snow will start to taper off after dawn Saturday and should be out of here completely by Saturday afternoon.
NWS said snow began falling around 5 p.m. in far southwestern Virginia.
Getting ready
Around the area, state and local officials prepped for the storm’s arrival. In Petersburg, a city statement said the main roads through town were treated in advance Friday. Petersburg’s first-responders and public-works department will be on duty all through the storm to keep the scene as safe as possible.
The city also issued the typical advisory for citizens to stay off the roads as much as possible, and travel only if necessary.
“With less traffic, road crews can better cover the streets,” the statement read. “Residents are also asked to use off-street parking when available.”
Central, southern Virginia expected to feel brunt
Unlike last weekend’s storm that dumped as much as a foot of snow on northern Virginia, this weekend’s storm appears to be targeting central and southern Virginia.
The dividing line between 3-4 inches of snow and 4-6 inches of snow is between Richmond and Petersburg, maps from NWS indicate. The further north you go, the less accumulation you can expect.
Snow bands stretch from Louisa County to the Virginia-North Carolina line. The largest of those bands extends from Farmville through Petersburg and on up to Accomac on the Eastern Shore.
Projected totals fall off a bit as you move toward Tidewater and down into North Carolina.
If you must drive, the Virginia Department of Transportation recommends checking 511Virginia first, either online or through the app.
This is a developing story.
-
Politics1 week ago
New Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics1 week ago
Carter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics1 week ago
Who Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health6 days ago
Ozempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
World1 week ago
South Korea extends Boeing 737-800 inspections as Jeju Air wreckage lifted
-
Technology2 days ago
Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
World1 week ago
Weather warnings as freezing temperatures hit United Kingdom
-
News1 week ago
Seeking to heal the country, Jimmy Carter pardoned men who evaded the Vietnam War draft