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Virginia Tech students take initiative to address mental health crisis

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Virginia Tech students take initiative to address mental health crisis


BLACKSBURG, Va. – A crisis on college campuses around the country.

A new Wiley research study published this year shows more than 80% of college students say they’re struggling emotionally.

When Jilly Riccio was in high school, she lost her close friend Jamison Novello in a way she never imagined.

“One of my friends died by suicide. That’s why it struck a chord and stuck with me, and that’s why I’ve been so passionate about it.”

During that time, Riccio was a part of her school’s SAFE Club — a way to talk openly about suicide, and mental health. But when she got to Virginia Tech, she quickly realized there was nothing close to that on campus.

Spring of last year, she decided to take matter’s into her own hands, creating the SAFE Club at Virginia Tech.

“It’s been really successful, and almost like therapy for me,” Riccio said.

10 News sat down with students at Virginia Tech to see how the mental health crisis impacts them.

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Junior Jackie Mitchell said she wasn’t aware of the extent of her mental health problems until college.

“My mom was just like, ‘Oh you just have the jitters,’ but I came to Virginia Tech and was like, ‘I’m going to try therapy since it’s a free option,’ and they said, ‘You have anxiety,’” Mitchell said.

As Jackie told 10 News, anxiety for her wasn’t just ‘the jitters.’

“My body would physically shut down,” she said.

Abby Conner is the Communications Chair for the Clear Minds Project at Virginia Tech.

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She said she hears students say time and time again, they feel alone.

“Some people are like, ‘Oh my issue isn’t that big,’ but to you, it is. It’s the biggest thing going on in your life,” Conner said.

Conner, her friend Aiden Williams, along with other students on campus created the Clear Minds Project this semester to bring awareness to resources for mental health, as well as help students navigate them.

“Mental health stuff especially, the insurance is terrible in Virginia, so it’s really complicated. Any information we can provide about that, we’re trying to do,” Williams said.

The Clear Minds Project, along with the SAFE Club, are just some of the resources for struggling students.

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They appreciate and support the counseling efforts from Virginia Tech, but tell us they recognize how important community with other students is for healing.

“When you hear a student that has gone through something similar as you or can relate to you, because then you really do feel less alone. When you realize there’s a club, there’s a whole community where you can go to and you don’t even really have to say anything, you just have them there, I think that’s so important,” Riccio said.

Copyright 2024 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.





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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

Copyright 2026 Virginia Mercury. All rights reserved.



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