Good morning, Blacksburg.

The Toms Creek Basin Planning team will host a community meeting on Monday, May 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Blacksburg Community Center to discuss the planning study and its recommended next steps — children are welcome.

After closing in 2023 when its owner retired, Sub Station II will reopen at 220 Gilbert Street this fall under corporate ownership to honor founder Hamid LaPuasa's legacy — the chain will mark its 38th location.

Metallica ended their set at Lane Stadium with 'Enter Sandman'—the final song that shook the stadium so hard the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory’s helicorder picked up the shock—and a multi-camera video from the band closely captured the live energy for local fans.

The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts, supported by the Town of Blacksburg and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, will host Blacksburg’s biggest Summer Arts Festival starting May 23, offering indoor & outdoor concerts, movies, art exhibitions, children’s activities, live theatre, and other events throughout summer.

Virginia Tech graduate student Tolulope 'Tolu' Odimayomi was named Outstanding Graduate Student for the College of Engineering for her strong research on preventing waterborne diseases and effective work mentoring undergraduates.

Her four-year experiment, which concluded in August 2024, set a solid foundation for her current role and upcoming work as a Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar—underscoring her dedication to advancing engineering research.

Virginia Tech is celebrating more than 6,000 bachelor's degree candidates and 1,950 graduate degrees during a week of commencement ceremonies held from Wednesday through Sunday, with today's event honoring 43 Carilion School of Medicine graduates at Lane Stadium.

Among these, 3,043 Hokies earned honors by achieving a GPA of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale—more details will emerge during the week.

Virginia Tech civil and environmental engineering students won the Southern District Traffic Bowl in Memphis and claimed their program’s first title.

The team, including graduate students AJ Joseph and John Stern and senior Ashlyn O’Neill—who helped secure the win—earned a spot in the national championship in Orlando this August.

This spring, 163 students will earn degrees from Virginia Tech’s School of Education—more than half will be graduate students, including Saudamini Perinchery, Kendall Holloway and Jamal Jefferson-Ross who praised supportive faculty and plan to work in teaching and research.

Stephen Argauer, a Virginia Tech chemistry major with minors in mathematics and leadership and service, was named College of Science Outstanding Senior and will pursue a master’s degree in physical chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison this fall—his work on computational analyses of hydrogenation catalysts highlights his strong commitment to research.

The Town of Blacksburg and Parish and Partners LLC will hold a public input meeting on Monday, May 19 from 6-8 p.m. at the BCB Airport Terminal at 1601 Research Center Drive—this meeting will explain the progress of the ongoing Airport Master Plan Update and allow citizens to share their input.

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.

Summer Flora Candle Making Workshop

6-8 p.m. — Beliveau Farm Winery — $41 plus fees — Craft two custom candles with summer floral scents while enjoying a relaxing winery atmosphere.