Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy and the Hokies will meet Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Austin, Texas.
Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy and the Hokies will meet Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Austin, Texas.
Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chair Lorie Smith and Vice Chair Nick Mitchell listen to discussion at Tuesday's meeting.
Residents in Franklin County could be hit with a 3-cent real estate tax increase based on a budget proposal presented to supervisors Tuesday evening.
County Administrator Steve Sandy led the budget presentation which proposed increasing the real estate tax rate from 43 cents per $100 of assessed value to 46 cents per $100 of assessed value. Also proposed was an increase of the county's meals tax from 4% to 6%.
The proposed county budget with the new tax rates was presented as $192,842,321. That would be a 5.12% increase over the previous year.
Sandy
"It is modest new revenue that we are talking about to help us with those capital and operating expenses," Sandy said.
Sandy said the increase in the real estate and meals taxes would provide $4 million in additional revenue to the county annually. Those additional funds would help in addressing increasing budget pressures as well as reductions in revenue from the state.
Sandy added that Franklin County's real estate tax rate remains lower than surrounding localities. Henry County's real estate tax rate is 55 cents and Pittsylvania County's is 56 cents, while Roanoke County is at $1.03. Rates are lower only in Bedford County at 41 cents.
If the new tax rates are approved, the additional cost in real estate taxes for a $250,000 home would be around $75 annually. The cost of a $30 meal would increase by 60 cents with the meals tax increase.
The proposed budget includes $3.1 million increase in school funding. Sandy did not state how that additional funding would be used, though he did mention that state funding for the schools is forecast to be cut by more than $2 million in the upcoming budget year.
Franklin County Public Schools is requesting $8.9 million in additional funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Superintendent Kevin Siers presented the school district's budget proposal Tuesday evening as well.
A large portion of that additional funding request is for phase three of their compensation plan that started in 2022 to bring the pay structure of school employees more in line and more competitive with surrounding school divisions. Phase two of the plan was implemented in 2024. Plans for phase three have stalled due to a lack of funding.
Siers
"That has been our top priority for the past three years," Siers said of implementing the compensation plan.
Siers urged supervisors to move forward with the plan as costs continue to rise each year. He said the cost to implement the plan was $3.7 million last year and has increased to $3.9 million this year.
"If we don't get it done soon, it will be out of reach I'm afraid," Siers said.
Supervisors did not provide any input on the budget at Tuesday's presentation. Blue Ridge District representative Tim Tatum said he would wait to provide comments at an upcoming budget work session on Thursday.
That work session is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Franklin County Government Center. Another work session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, at 3 p.m. at the center.
A public hearing on the proposed tax rates is tentatively scheduled for April 14 at 6 p.m.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
Nonprofits met with donors at the SML Gives Nonprofit Fair held at Resurrection Catholic Church in Moneta on Wednesday.
SML Gives had another record-breaking day of generosity on Wednesday, raising $387,643 in donations between 50 nonprofit organizations.
The 24-hour day of giving, now in its fifth year, far exceeded its original goal of $300,000. Donations were made online at smlgives.org starting at 12 a.m., benefiting participating nonprofits in Franklin and Bedford counties.
"SML Gives Day shows what is possible when a community comes together around the idea that local nonprofits matter," said Lisa Lietz, executive director of SML Good Neighbors, the organization that hosts the giving day.
"Every donation, large or small, helps sustain programs that support children, families, animals, veterans and neighbors throughout Bedford and Franklin counties."
SML Gives has become a major fundraiser for many of the participating nonprofits surrounding Smith Mountain Lake, which is where the fundraiser gets its name. Lietz modeled the day of giving after Roanoke Valley Gives, a similar one-day campaign created by the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia.
For Lake Christian Ministries in Moneta, it is one of only two major fundraisers the nonprofit participates in throughout the year. LCM, which provides food and financial assistance to families in Franklin and Bedford counties, finished the day with the most donations by far: just over $100,000.
"The generosity of the people in this area is amazing," said Malanie Spisak, a volunteer with LCM, on Wednesday.
Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center raised $23,798 during SML Gives. The total is a significant amount for the wildlife veterinary hospital and rehabilitation facility.
Megan Coffman, a wildlife rehabilitator with the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, shows off Captain Jack Sparrow-Hawk, an American Kestrel that was rehabilitated by the nonprofit. The tiny falcon was one of many that guests could see at Wednesday's nonprofit fair as part of SML Gives Day.
"This is one of our largest fundraisers of the year," said Megan Coffman, a wildlife rehabilitator with the nonprofit.
The SML Gives Nonprofit Fair took over the basement of Resurrection Catholic Church in Moneta on Wednesday, providing an opportunity to meet with donors, other nonprofits and anyone interested in learning more about their organization. Nonprofits also accepted in-person donations from individuals who didn't want to donate online.
"It's been a really great networking event," said Philip Banton, board member with the Central Virginia Regional Rescue, which finds homes for stray animals. The nonprofit removes animals from overcrowded shelters and finds foster homes for pets until they can find a family to adopt them.
Kim Banton, his wife and board member with Bedford Cares, also praised Wednesday's in-person event. The organization provides humane management of feral cat populations with medical care, shelter and food.
It was the first year for both nonprofits in SML Gives.
Central Virginia Regional Rescue finished the day with $260 in donations, and Bedford Cares had $160. Even though those totals are small, many of the nonprofits on Wednesday said even the tiniest amount can make a big impact.
The Smith Mountain Lake Lions Club Scholarship Trust collected $820 in donations Wednesday for their first year in the campaign. Rod Savage, SML Lions Club president, said those donations would go directly into their trust that provides scholarships to graduating Franklin County High School seniors.
"Each dollar we get today, we will invest," Savage said.
Heavenly Manna, a food pantry in Rocky Mount, received $520 in donations on Wednesday, also their first time participating in SML Gives. Director Frances Davis said any amount helps them greatly.
Davis said they are able to buy food for family in need at 19 cents a pound from Feeding Southwest Virginia. That allows them to stretch $520 into a lot of meals for families.
With increased needs in the community, Davis said they are always in need of more donations. They serve more than 100 people each week with the amount of food available becoming scarce.
"For the last three months we've been praying for food, because we didn't have any," Davis said.
Lietz said one of the goals in creating SML Gives was to give a spotlight to some of the smaller nonprofits in the community. Since its inception in 2021, SML Gives has raised more than $1 million for participating nonprofits in Bedford and Franklin counties. Those donations, big and small, can make a big impact.
"We are incredibly grateful to the donors, sponsors, volunteers and nonprofits who made this year's event possible," Lietz said. "Their generosity is helping ensure that vital programs continue to serve our community year-round."
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
Robert Tracci’s term as acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia ended Wednesday, but he will continue to head the federal prosecutor’s office.
Tracci
Tracci is now serving as first assistant U.S. attorney, according to Brian McGinn, a spokesman for the Roanoke-based U.S. Attorney’s Office. As such, Tracci will “continue in the operational leadership role for the district,” McGinn wrote in an email late Tuesday afternoon.
It was the latest step down a complicated path of appointing federal prosecutors under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Trump has been reluctant to follow the conventional method of nominating U.S. attorneys to be approved by the Senate, and has frequently clashed with federal judges over whether his alternative methods are lawful.
Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who has monitored the process closely, said it’s hard to say what will happen next.
“It may be that it could pass muster, but it may be that it does not,” Tobias said.
Things began normally in the Western District. After taking office last January, Trump nominated former state lawmaker Todd Gilbert for the job. Gilbert was sworn in on July 14 as interim U.S. attorney, to await confirmation by the Senate.
But after a falling out with the administration, Gilbert suddenly resigned the following month without a public explanation.
Tracci by then had been appointed first assistant U.S. attorney by Trump officials — reportedly because they disapproved of Gilbert’s decision to keep as his second-in-command a holdover from former President Joe Biden’s administration. With Gilbert gone, Tracci became acting U.S. attorney by default under federal law.
Acting U.S. attorneys can serve for no more than 210 days, a term that ended Wednesday for Tracci. After that, District Court judges can choose to either extend their term or appoint someone else.
The judges for the Western District chose to do neither last week, saying they preferred to wait for Trump to nominate someone to be vetted by the Senate.
Trump has been loath to do that across the country, Tobias said, because he fears political pushback against some of his nominees, who critics say are loyalists beholden to advancing the president’s agenda and prosecuting his foes, rather than acting independently.
Some of the president’s picks have been named interim prosecutors, only to run into legal conflicts in which judges ruled they were appointed unlawfully. And the Trump administration has fired some of the U.S. attorneys who have been appointed by judges.
The result has been a national hodgepodge of U.S attorneys who are Senate-confirmed, acting, interim and others who assumed their leadership by other means, such as Tracci’s return to his previous position as first assistant U.S. attorney.
That means that for the first time in recent history, there is no head U.S. attorney of any kind for Virginia’s Western District. And it raises questions about how much power Tracci will have in his new role, which is essentially second-in-command to someone who does not exist.
Emailed questions to the Department of Justice and the White House were not returned Tuesday.
Virginia U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, had recommended both Gilbert and Tracci to Trump, who first nominated Gilbert before putting Tracci in a position to replace him when he resigned under fire.
Asked about the most recent turn of events, the senators said in a statement that “these actions raise serious questions about the White House’s willingness to allow qualified nominees to serve in these important posts.”
Laurence Hammack (540) 981-3239
This tree on Fairy Street Extension was damaged by what has been determined as a tornado that touched down earlier this week.
A tornado touched down in Martinsville early Monday, causing concentrated damage along Fairy Street as a severe thunderstorm moved across the region.
The storm formed in Patrick County before tracking into Henry County and the city of Martinsville during the morning hours. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning as radar indicated strong, rotating winds, and a brief touchdown was later confirmed within the city.
Damage was most significant along Fairy Street, where several homes showed clear signs of impact. Portions of roofing were torn away, siding was stripped from structures and insulation and other debris was scattered across yards and into the roadway. In some cases, shingles and building materials were found strewn across neighboring properties.
Trees in the area also took a hit, with several snapped or uprooted entirely. Large limbs were left blocking sections of Fairy Street and nearby areas in the immediate aftermath, making travel difficult until crews could respond.
This is the first of two utility poles that had to be replaced on Fairy Street Extension as the result of a tornado that touched down during a severe storm.
Residents described a sudden and intense burst of wind, with conditions quickly deteriorating as the storm passed through. The tornado appears to have been short-lived, but strong enough to cause noticeable structural damage in a relatively narrow path.
No injuries had been reported as of Wednesday, according to initial information from local officials, though some residents were displaced temporarily while damage to their homes was assessed.
Emergency responders and city crews were dispatched shortly after the storm moved through, working to clear debris from roadways and check on residents in the affected neighborhood. Utility crews also responded to restore power outages, and service was restored to most customers within hours.
A second utility pole, further north on Fairy Street Extension, also had to be replaced after severe storms, including a tornado, passed through.
Preliminary assessments suggest the damage is consistent with a lower-end tornado. However, the National Weather Service is expected to conduct a formal survey to determine the tornado’s rating, estimated wind speeds, and path length.
The same storm system continued east after leaving Martinsville, producing additional reports of damage in Henry and Pittsylvania counties. Much of that damage is believed to have been caused by straight-line winds rather than additional tornadoes.
While tornadoes are not unheard of in the region, they remain relatively uncommon.
