Good morning, Blacksburg.

Delta Iron Works celebrated its expansion on June 11—new facility upgrades will boost production capacity and support local growth.

Maria Addikis and Clara Guo from Blacksburg High School both received a $1,000 scholarship from the Volunteer Montgomery Scholarship Committee on June 11, and Addikis will attend James Madison University to study Health Science & Pre-Occupational Therapy while Guo will study Neuroscience at Duke University.

Six Virginia Tech graduate students earned Ph.D. degrees in Engineering Education, including Margaret Webb, Yi Cao, Hamidreza Taimoory, Isil Anakok, Abdulrahman Alsharif, and Andrea Schuman.

They received top honors and now plan to join academic and industry roles (Webb will join Cornell University, Cao will join UNC Charlotte, Taimoory will pursue data science, Anakok will start teaching at University of Jamestown, Alsharif will work on AI projects linked to Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision, and Schuman will join Cal Poly San Luis Obispo).

Attorney General Jason Miyares filed a lawsuit against 23andMe over its plan to sell the genetic data of about 15 million consumers without their permission, which violates Virginia law.

He is joined by attorneys general from 27 other states & the action will protect sensitive genetic information.

Local health officials and hospital leaders formed a partnership to address the Southside healthcare worker shortage & launch a plan to recruit and train more staff.

Officials say the effort will improve patient care and meet growing service demands.

Local residents have rallied around an 11-year-old cancer patient who is undergoing treatment.

Several community groups organized donation drives (including food and supplies) and offered volunteer help to ease the family’s burden.

Lavender Fest Days

12-6 p.m. — Beliveau Farm Winery — $8.00 entry — Immerse yourself in the sights and scents of lavender while enjoying local vendors, live music, and specialty drinks.

Salsa Under The Stars

6:30-10:30 p.m. — Beliveau Farm Winery — $12 per person — Dance the night away with a salsa lesson and vibrant music under the stars.