Good morning, Blacksburg.

School of Visual Arts students worked with Head Start on a photography project that turned into a mural celebrating local identity.

The project, led by Professor Michael Borowski in his Photography: Fact and Fiction course, began in the fall and concluded with an installation in May.

Gas prices have dropped for the fifth week, with the current average for regular gas at $3.67 per gallon and premium at $4.57, according to AAA; locals in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford may see savings as fuel costs continue to decline ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

Researchers at the Virginia Water Resources Research Center conducted fieldwork in the Appalachian coalfields to monitor water quality and aquatic insect populations for stream rehabilitation (June 26).

Their ongoing work addresses runoff from former coalfields.

Montgomery County will provide schools $3.5 million to cover a budget oversight and will put measures in place to stop future errors (according to Finance Director Angie).

Valentine Delon — a Virginia Tech student — won The 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield on Saturday by narrowly outplaying Andrea Revuelta amid gusty winds; she will join four major tournaments next summer.

Local high schools in Montgomery County and Radford have released their fall football schedules with benefit games starting Aug.

21 and regular season matchups set through November. Fans can look forward to a mix of home and away games that outline the season for each school.

Blacksburg senior midfielder Craig Huxtable earned Class 4 Player of the Year + head coach Shelley Blumenthal was named Coach of the Year after leading the Bruins to a flawless season with 25 wins, as the Virginia High School League announced its 2026 all-state boys soccer team.

Virginia Tech appointed Brian White as vice president and director of athletics last week to lead its 22-sport department amid a rapidly evolving college sports landscape.

He brings over 20 years of experience (including work at Florida Atlantic) and is set to drive new success on campus.

Virginia Tech Athletics Director Whit Babcock will become AD Emeritus and Special Advisor today after 12 years of leadership that raised the department’s financial support and performance, growing the Hokie Club from 9,000 to 25,000 members - his tenure saw record fundraising and conference wins.

Christiansburg head coach Adam Pickeral (named Class 3 Coach of the Year by the Virginia High School League) led the Blue Demons to a state championship with a 4-2 win over Brentsville District; players Mason King, Gavin Rose, and goalie Andrew Stuart also received first-team honors.