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Major broadband funding to benefit rural Virginia

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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The state hopes to begin accepting applications from service providers later this year.



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Netflix casting Central Virginia singles for “Love on the Spectrum” after Danville man joins show

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Netflix casting Central Virginia singles for “Love on the Spectrum” after Danville man joins show


Netflix is searching for singles in Central Virginia to appear on its documentary-style dating series “Love on the Spectrum,” after a Danville man was cast for an upcoming season and producers are now looking to find his match.

The series follows adults on the autism spectrum as they navigate dating.

Monica Karavanic, executive director of The Arc of Southside in Danville, said the person cast has ties to her organization.

SEE ALSO: City leaders tour $100M Lynchburg CSO tunnel aimed at improving Lynchburg waterways

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“This show has been loved by millions internationally and so for it to come to Danville is pretty awesome and we’re just really excited and hoping to make it work,” Karavanic said.

Casting is focused on singles ages 25 to 40, of any gender, who live near Danville or Lynchburg and would be interested in going on a date with a man on the spectrum. Producers say the time commitment could be as little as half a day.

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For more information on how to apply, you’re asked to email: production@northernpictures.com.au

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Dry and seasonal weather expected in Virginia through the weekend

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Dry and seasonal weather expected in Virginia through the weekend


RICHMOND, Va. — Friday will be sunny and seasonably warm, with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s.

The pattern of cool nights and mild afternoons will continue through the weekend and through much of next week as upper-level flow continues to bring reinforcing mild and dry air out of eastern Canada.

Rain chances will be very limited over the next week, with only a slim chance with a frontal passage on Monday.

Stay With CBS 6, The Weather Authority.

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107-year-old Virginia woman credits faith, family after escaping fire that destroyed home

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107-year-old Virginia woman credits faith, family after escaping fire that destroyed home


Ressie Keen, a 107-year-old Pittsylvania County woman, is safe after escaping a house fire that destroyed her more than 100-year-old home, leaving behind a yard filled with charred debris and scattered belongings.

Keen said she has no special secret to her longevity.

“I ain’t got no secret, just thanking the Lord to let me stay here to see 107,” she said.

Keen said she moved to the home decades ago and built a life there.

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“I’ve moved there in 1969, our first crop was made in 1970, and I been living there ever since,” she said.

The fire broke out in Keen’s bedroom on Thursday afternoon. Keen said she and her sitter got out as the fire grew.

“I don’t know what happened, only thing I knew to do was to get out of there. So me and my sitter we got out. She tried to put it out but she couldn’t,” Keen said.

SEE ALSO: Valley Link posts new transmission line path, schedules new community meetings

Pittsylvania County Fire Marshal Scott Hutcherson said investigators believe the fire started with an electrical issue.

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“We think we had an electric outlet failure, more or less; an adaptor on the outlet probably failed,” Hutcherson said. He said the fire spread quickly once it ignited nearby items. “It set the bed on fire and the clothes that was on top of it, the material on top of it, what’s pretty much what got the fire going. And then it easily spread to the second story.”

Keen’s son, Ronnie Keen, said the loss has been painful for the family.

“It was devastating real devastating, lot of memories lost. But I know those memories and emotions the things that were sentimental were still right here,” he said.

A family photo album was among the few items recovered. Pointing to one image, Ronnie Keen said, “That’s a picture of the house.”

He added that the album was badly damaged. “It’s so charred it’s kinda hard to open,” he said.

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Keen also held onto her favorite cast-iron pan.

“I knew this wasn’t going to get burnt up,” she said.

The home was considered a total loss, but the family said the most important thing is that Ressie Keen survived. She is now living with her son.

“I’m overjoyed that she’s here with us and she’s safe,” Ronnie Keen said.

Hutcherson said to prevent this, make sure that there is a smoke alarm in your home. He says you can reach out to the Pittsylvania County Public Safety office for a free installation of a smoke alarm.

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