Good morning, Blacksburg.

Mount Tabor Ruritan Club will hold its May Fish Fry on Saturday, May 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Slusser's Chapel Picnic Shelter at 1543 Mount Tabor Rd in Blacksburg - the event will serve fish, fries, slaw, homemade desserts and beverages with DJ Earl Brown playing music and tickets priced at adults $12, children under 12 $6, children under 3 free, and carry-out orders $12.

José Bautista, a 19-year-old first-year student in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, died Saturday, April 19 in Beckley, West Virginia after an automobile accident.

Students at the Steger Center in Switzerland gathered in Riva San Vitale to honor 32 students and faculty who lost their lives in Blacksburg on April 16th—reflecting on their shared history and strength.

The event underscored the unity of the Virginia Tech community as participants paused to remember those taken in the tragic loss.

Chucho Valdés will lead a tribute — marking 50 years of his band Irakere — at the Moss Arts Center on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. His event will include a pre-show discussion at 6:30 p.m. and a post-performance dance party with tickets from $40 to $85.

Virginia Tech has been named Engineering News-Record’s 2025 MidAtlantic Owner of the Year for its smart use of campus projects that let students learn while buildings are built.

The university works closely with academic units to give students hands-on work that builds real skills — a model that may help shape future construction professionals.

Virginia Tech’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center is researching indoor methods to grow nutrient-rich produce — with first-year Ph.D. student Brandan Shur studying micro-dwarf tomatoes and watercress — to boost crop yield and flavor for future urban farming.

The New River Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization is amending its Transportation Improvement Program to remove funding for the NS Virginian rail line upgrade and add grant funding for renovating the Cambria station—review the amendment at offices in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Montgomery and Pulaski counties or online. Comments will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on May 13 and the public may speak at the MPO Policy Board meeting on August 7 at 2:00 p.m. at the Montgomery County Government Center.

Paint Nite: Perfect Spring Lookout

6-8 p.m. — Rising Silo Brewery — $45 per person, supplies included — Unleash your creativity in a fun painting party hosted by The Heartworks Co.