Good morning, Blacksburg.

A portion of Huckleberry Trail from Fire Station #2 to Linwood Lane will close Tuesday, May 5 through Wednesday, May 6 for utility work — the trail will reopen Thursday, May 7.

Chip Frazier, a professor at Virginia Tech, has been leading a student project to create a renewable adhesive from lignin (a natural polymer from wood) in the new Discovery Lab in Blacksburg; the research began May 1 and is advancing green materials development.

Virginia Tech will use $983,749 in HHS grants to study parent-infant interactions and the hypothalamus starting May 2.

Congressman Morgan Griffith said the funds support new health research.

Virginia Tech officials said a talk scheduled for Friday featuring a former Columbia professor fired for anti-Israel remarks is not connected to the school.

Campus leadership emphasized the event is independent.

Fruit growers in Virginia reported severe spring freeze damage to apple, peach, and wine grape crops as Virginia Tech works with Extension offices to assess losses and explore frost protection.

Growers are urged to report damage to local offices to support relief funding and research.

Persistent drought affects spring planting in Virginia as rain forecasts remain low, causing farmers to delay sowing crops like soybeans and cotton.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality expanded a drought advisory to 83 counties & 31 cities, leaving growers to rely on irrigation and tough choices.

Charles B. Bott (Ph.D. ’00), chief technology officer at Hampton Roads Sanitation District and adjunct professor at Virginia Tech, was named chair of EPA’s Science Advisory Board after a rigorous merit-based selection process.

He has advanced wastewater treatment and sustainable water management in our region.

Underground Springhouse Live Performance

9 PM – 12 AM — The Milk Parlor — Ticket prices vary — Experience a fusion of reggae, country, and funk with Underground Springhouse's unique rock sound.