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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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List of localities declared under a major disaster grows to nine in Southwest Virginia
October 05, 2024
Montgomery and Pulaski have been added to the list of localities under the federal major disaster declaration issued in the wake of flooding and wind damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene in late September.
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Hurricane Helene takes out power in much of Southwest Virginia; New River expected to crest higher than anytime since 1940
September 27, 2024
Southwest and Southside Virginia are a ring or two outside Helene’s inland bull’s-eye but have experienced significant and potentially damaging water and wind effects.
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Early voting opened Friday. Local registrars have been working for weeks to make sure that their voting machines are ready.
September 20, 2024
State law requires local officials to test all voting equipment ahead of each election. Ben Swenson.
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Attorney general warns Radford store owner about selling products containing THC
September 14, 2024
In a letter to the Good Vibes Shop, the AG said selling products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, without the proper childproof packaging and warning labels violates the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
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How a drug bust in Wythe County pushed Charley Crockett into a country music career
August 23, 2024
Today, he’s a breakout country music star. He credits an arrest on I-81 with forcing him to focus on music, not running marijuana.
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Harris takes slim lead over Trump in Virginia but within margin of error
August 20, 2024
The Roanoke College Poll also finds that Tim Kaine holds an 11% lead over Hung Cao while Glenn Youngkin’s approval ratings have hit their highest point ever.
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Virginia’s pregnant women must travel farther as the maternity care crisis grows. Doulas are stepping in to fill gaps.
August 13, 2024
In the last six years, five maternity units have closed down across rural Virginia, impacting access to prenatal care. However, with the closures have come new models of care. Growing availability of doula services aims to ease maternal morbidity, particularly among Black mothers.
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Blacksburg runner qualifies for Olympic finals
August 04, 2024
The former University of Oregon star has been training under Virginia Tech’s track and field coach.
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What the Republican and Democratic platforms say (indirectly) about Southwest and Southside Virginia
July 23, 2024
Here’s what the two parties say about economic issues that relate directly to rural Virginia.
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At GOP campaign rally in Radford, Vance takes aim at Harris
July 22, 2024
For some Democrats in Virginia’s New River Valley – where Radford is located – the focus was on Vance’s stories about his Appalachian roots that have drawn widespread criticism among people from the region over the years.
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An art show at an Augusta County school prompts an emergency school board meeting
May 24, 2024
Art has often been controversial. Across the country, schools are finding student art to be a place where values come into conflict.
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‘A dying art’: New moonshine trail to offer an intoxicating taste of the region’s storied history
May 07, 2024
Franklin, Patrick and Floyd counties are embracing their ties to bootlegging with the Mountain Spirit Trail, which will feature stops at museums, distilleries and old still sites.
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Here are the numbers that show why Russell County is looking at closing schools
May 02, 2024
Russell County’s demographic challenges are similar to many other rural counties — a declining and aging population that doesn’t produce many children.
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Parents, teachers beg Russell County not to close 2 elementary schools during emotional public hearing
April 26, 2024
In addition to declining enrollment, Russell County’s teacher salaries are the lowest in the state’s Region Seven, which includes 19 counties and cities in Southwest Virginia, and next to the bottom statewide, the superintendent said.
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A lack of child care can be a barrier for community college students. Virginia is looking for answers.
March 28, 2024
Among the solutions: A handful of colleges offer on-campus child care, and a statewide pilot program is providing child care stipends for single parents. But the need remains great.
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