Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Brent Pry looks on while giving instructions to the linebackers during Tuesday’s practice in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Brent Pry looks on while giving instructions to the linebackers during Tuesday’s practice in Blacksburg.
Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chair Lorie Smith, from left, and Vice Chair Nick Mitchell listen to public comments during an July 21 meeting.
Two members of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors plus the county administrator have been officially cleared of any wrongdoing following an anonymous formal complaint filed last month.
Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney Bethany Harrison reviewed the multiple allegations in the complaint, and after a month of investigation said she could find no reason to pursue a criminal violation.
"Since I do not have sufficient evidence before me that the BOS voted or took action in violation of FOIA nor do I have sufficient evidence of the county administrator having committed a criminal offense, I cannot pursue a criminal violation of a statute against the listed parties," Harrison said in an email.
Harrison took the case instead of Franklin County Commonwealth's Attorney Cooper Brown, who cited a potential conflict of interest due to the board providing funding for his office.
The complaint was filed against Franklin County Board of Supervisors Chair Lorie Smith, Vice Chair Nick Mitchell and County Administrator Steve Sandy.
It alleged, based on information drawn from Virginia Freedom of Information Act records and board meeting minutes, the three public officials broke the Virginia Open Meetings Act, the State and Local Government Conflict of Interest Act, as well as Franklin County rules of procedure.
Those accusations come from documents and allegations going back as far as February 2023.
Harrison responded to each allegation in her email that was provided for the Franklin County Board of Supervisors earlier this week. Supervisors provided the email along with a news release on Friday.
Each of the county staff accused of wrongdoing provided comments in the news release.
Sandy
Sandy expressed disappointment that the allegations were brought forward anonymously and subsequently received public attention before the investigation was complete.
"I have worked in local government for over 27 years and have been dedicated to the concepts of effective and democratic local government," Sandy said. "I have always been dedicated to the highest ideals of honor and integrity as a public official. I am grateful that this investigation has found no merit to the claims.
"It is very unfortunate that this process allowed the complainants to go to the media with claims portraying the look of guilt in the arena of public opinion before any investigation was able to be conducted."
Smith thanked Harrison for her efforts investigating the complaint. She also spoke of how the accusations harmed the county's reputation.
"This is the beginning of the truth coming to light after more than a year of factual inaccuracies and baseless allegations," Smith said. "Franklin County elected officials are citizens of Franklin County, too, and would never seek to harm our county and its citizens.
"Unfortunately, the actions and allegations of this small group have caused immeasurable damage to our county's reputation, particularly among prospective businesses and people considering moving here. We must rise above this, lead with intentionality, and work together to repair the damage."
Mitchell questioned the cost to the county due to the claims that have been shown to be unfounded.
"Impudence rides side-saddle with anonymity. It's easy to make accusations when you can hide behind anonymity," he said. "Unfortunately, these unfounded claims from a small group of people have cost the county valuable time and taxpayer dollars. Now that the facts have been made clear and our credibility has been restored, hopefully we can put this behind us and move forward."
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
The backyard of the county-owned property next to Franklin County High School could soon be used for additional student parking as students are no longer allowed to park at Eagle Plaza this year.
The backyard of the county-owned home can be seen from the current parking lot of the high school. The Eagle Plaza property can also be seen in the distance.
Franklin County Public Schools is on the hunt for more parking at the high school after two parking locations used by students were taken away just before classes were back in session.
Two strip malls located on each side of the high school have been used for student parking over the years. Principal Amy Johnson said the owner of one of the properties, Eagle Plaza, reached out just before the start of the school year asking that students no longer park on the property during school.
Johnson said she informed students of the change just before the start of the school year. The property owner had previously allowed students to park on the property during the school day.
While Johnson said she didn't know of any specific reason for the owner's decision, she said there had been some discussion of students being disruptive on the property in the past.
A few weeks after the Eagle Plaza owner called, the Rocky Mount Plaza owner on the other side of the school also announced students were no longer allowed to park in the lots during school. Johnson said that owner had made similar requests in the past asking that students not park on the property.
"From my memory there has always been an issue with the (Rocky Mount Plaza) parking lot and we would have to make announcements warning our students," Johnson said. "That has not been the case recently because students had approval to park in the (Eagle Plaza) lot, which cut down on kids parking at (Rocky Mount Plaza)."
Johnson estimated that around 50 students parked at the lots each day. Now they're having to find parking in one of the 320 students spaces available at the high school.
The high school opened up a gravel lot for students to provide some additional parking this year, which added between 30 and 40 spaces. Superintendent Kevin Siers said the school district is now looking to provide more parking as students are expected to obtain their licenses and begin driving later into the school year.
Siers originally proposed paving a portion of property on Perdue Lane, located behind the high school. That plan was eventually scrapped, as Siers said it was too far away from the main buildings and would be too hard to supervise.
The school district is now considering using a county-owned piece of property located next to the school as a future parking lot. The backyard of a small home located right beside the high school at 530 Tanyard Road may become a new parking spot.
"We will be going to the board of supervisors and see if that are willing to either give us the property or lease us the property for the purpose of parking," Siers said.
Siers said he will present the proposal to supervisors later this month for funding. Depending on funding, the property could be turned into a paved or gravel lot that could provide an additional 40 to 50 parking spaces.
Whatever is decided, Siers said construction of the lot would not occur until sometime next year.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th District, speaks at a Virginia Tech event on Friday, Aug. 28.
Powers
Griffith
Joy Powers, the longshot Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, has challenged Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, to three debates — though she said she does not expect him to accept.
During a visit to Virginia Tech on Friday, Griffith did not commit to the debates when asked by The Roanoke Times whether he would accept Powers’ challenge.
“We're looking at it,” he said, adding that his campaign would try to get Powers an answer by her Sept. 5 deadline.
“We have not made a final decision,” he said.
Powers is running to unseat the eight-term congressman, who represents a district that stretches from Bedford County in the north to Lee County in the south and covers most of Southwest Virginia.
Griffith, an attorney and former member of the House of Delegates, first won the seat in 2010, defeating 14-term Democratic incumbent Rick Boucher by less than 5 percentage points. The 9th District has since become a clear Republican stronghold, with Griffith most recently winning reelection by more than 50 percentage points in 2024.
Powers, a political newcomer and Bedford County cattle farmer, issued her challenge Aug. 24 and said she has not yet heard directly from Griffith or his campaign. Powers suggested the debates be held in far Southwest Virginia, the New River Valley and the eastern end of the district.
“We've received no response from our initial request,” she said.
Powers said Griffith “won’t do public town halls,” a complaint often lodged by Griffith’s Democratic opponents and some constituents. She said that is why she does not expect the debates to move forward.
“I do not anticipate Congressman Griffith to accept,” Powers said. “Just based on his previous performance, but I would be thrilled to be wrong.”
In response to Powers’ comments, Griffith told The Roanoke Times he has “held office hours, met with constituents in every corner of this 9,000 plus-square-mile district and hosted tele-townhalls with thousands of participants,” describing the question and answer phone calls he has generally opted for over traditional town halls.
“My opponent can play politics with process — I’ll keep doing the work,” he added.
Speaking Friday, Griffith said “one of the problems” is that Powers’ challenge lacks specifics.
“Where are they going to be? Who is the moderator going to be? What's the format? What's going to happen? I mean, all of this has to be negotiated,” he said. “We'll have to see what happens.”
In her letter to Griffith, Powers said the “two campaigns should jointly agree on hosts, venues, moderators, and format, with questions coming directly from voters across the Ninth District.”
Speaking Monday, Powers said the “people of the ninth should set the parameters” of the debates and suggested the format include write-in or call-in questions from voters.
The debate proposal mirrors an ongoing dispute in the nearby 6th Congressional District.
Democratic challenger Beth Macy recently proposed a series of debates with incumbent Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt. In response, Cline announced a schedule without coordinating or negotiating with his Democratic opponent, according to Macy.
Macy accused Cline of issuing “a blanket announcement of his preferred slate of candidate forums — not actual debates — that amounts to a chicken-you-know-what response.”
When and where — or even if — those two candidates will meet at all remains unclear.
In the 9th District, Powers said that although she and Griffith disagree on policy, she has “always thought he would be above political tactics quite as bad as Congressman Cline’s.”
Griffith referenced the disagreement in the 6th District when discussing plans for his own debates with a Democratic challenger.
“As you saw with the 6th District situation, they haven't quite had a meeting of the minds yet,” he said. “So we'll see. Stay tuned. I don't have an answer yet.”
Ethan Hunt (540) 381-1678
What happens if Republicans lose Congress in 2026? Here's how the House, Senate and Trump's agenda could be affected after the midterms. (USA Today)
From left to right are: Ashleigh de la Torre, vice president of public policy for Amazon; U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith; Arielle Roth, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Eric Zehr, who represents the Moneta area of Bedford County in the Virginia General Assembly; Bedford County Supervisor Edgar Tuck; Rodney Gray, of ZiTEL; and Chandler Vaughan, who heads Virginia's office of broadband.
Rodney Gray, chief executive officer of ZiTEL, talks about the Moneta-based company's work to install fiber broadband while at Tuck Family Farm in Bedford County on Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th District, speaks during an event Tuesday at Tuck Family Farm in Bedford County.
Rodney Gray, CEO of ZiTEL, a Moneta-based internet service provider, speaks of the company's work during an event Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Tuck Family Farm in Bedford County.
Edgar Tuck, District 2 representative on the Bedford County Board of Supervisors, speaks at his family farm in Moneta on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
A view of ZiTEL equipment at Tuck Family Farm in Moneta on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
MONETA — Bedford County Supervisor Edgar Tuck’s family farm in Moneta, among the roughly 1,600 county addresses that will get high-speed internet through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, laid out the welcome mat Aug. 25 for a milestone announcement.
Arielle Roth, assistant U.S. secretary of commerce for communications and information, announced at Tuesday's gathering that all 56 state and territory BEAD projects have been approved, marking the final step toward closing the digital divide for communities across the country.
“With all 56 Final Proposals now approved, we are achieving Congress’s vision of closing the digital divide once and for all. I am thrilled to join Congressman Griffith to see how Virginia is implementing its Final Proposal,” Roth said in a news release.
Roth, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), marked the milestone while joined by U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-9th District, who represents Bedford County; Chandler Vaughan, director of the Virginia Office of Broadband, and Ashleigh de la Torre, vice president of public policy for Amazon.
The majority of Bedford County’s BEAD project area will be connected through fiber from ZiTEL, a Moneta-based internet service provider, while SpaceX and Amazon will provide low-Earth-orbit (LEO) broadband to the remaining addresses.
Under the state’s final proposal, BEAD will connect more than 85,000 locations while saving taxpayers more than $930 million and leveraging nearly $430 million in matching funds — equivalent to about 45% of the federal BEAD investment in the state, according to NTIA.
Griffith, a member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said solutions ranging from fiber installation to low-Earth-orbit satellite will benefit families, businesses and communities in rural areas.
“I look forward to our continued work together to close the digital gap in rural America,” Griffith said in the release.
In Virginia, the creation of the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) in 2017 was a catalyst for major broadband expansion.
“Back then, we thought it was a big investment, but a modest one now in comparison to $1 million each year to expand rural broadband access through public-private partnerships and deliver on connectivity in rural areas,” Vaughan said. “That grew from $1 million to $5 million to $50 million with the investment of the General Assembly … to $750 million back in 2022 to drive connectivity progress.”
Vaughan’s office announced Monday that Virginia has completed broadband construction to 250,000 homes and businesses across the state.
“Now we're hitting our stride heading into the BEAD program that'll finish the job,” Vaughan said. “BEAD is going to fund 85,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth to receive broadband access. That's using a mix of multiple different technology types: fiber, cable, satellite, fixed wireless to make sure we're delivering good connectivity, but efficiently for the taxpayers and folks that are enjoying these investments and benefiting from broadband service in these communities.”
The Virginia Office of Broadband expects construction to begin in October and complete all projects by the end of the decade, if not sooner, he said.
Vaughan spoke of growing up in an area of Virginia without broadband access and certain things, such as driving two hours to get specialized medical care at Charlottesville, Raleigh or Richmond or driving into town to send emails for a small business, being normal activities.
“Through BEAD, those things don’t have to be normal anymore in rural communities,” he said. “The investments that we’re making now are going to finish the job. The BEAD program is really going to transform rural economies throughout Virginia.”
Tuck said there are tons of homes like his sixth-generation family farm, “off the beaten path,” that the BEAD program is designed to reach.
“There's dozens of addresses right here in the neighborhood that have not been served so far,” Tuck said. “This is a good day for this part of the county.”
Tuck, the District 2 representative on the board of supervisors, said he first ran for that office 10 years ago with a platform of dependable broadband.
“So, 10 years later, here we are, and we're on the cusp of universal coverage in Bedford County,” he said.
Tuck referred to ZiTEL as a premier provider for the county and said that since broadband began to roll out in Moneta, many people have been able to work remotely, and household income has increased by $12,000 per household in the past five years.
“I will attribute that primarily to the broadband access in the community,” Tuck said in describing the various community benefits of it.
Rodney Gray, chief executive officer of ZiTEL, said the county government’s early confidence in the company was pivotal in its beginning. He said the COVID-19 pandemic six years ago changed the national conversation about broadband.
“Almost overnight, homes became classrooms, offices, doctors’ waiting rooms,” Gray said. “Students were trapped in parking lots, trying to get schoolwork done. Parents could not work from home. Older residents tried to get access to their doctors because they didn't have access to telehealth. Small businesses without adequate internet access were placed at an enormous disadvantage. The pandemic did not create the rural broadband problem. It simply made it impossible to continue to ignore.”
The pandemic created public-private partnerships that spurred the company’s growth.
“We employ 63 people; we've built approximately 1,500 miles of fiber throughout Virginia,” Gray said. “Bedford County is still our home, and serving rural Virginia remains the center of who we are. BEAD represents the next and perhaps final major push.”
Gray said the Trump administration and Roth’s leadership had the NTIA push the program through and get it accomplished.
“Today, the program is moving from maps, applications and planning documents to actual construction. The renewed momentum will help push the remaining Virginia communities over the hump and bring universal broadband,” Gray said.
ZiTEL has been selected for five Virginia BEAD project areas, serviced through the counties of Bedford, Roanoke, Augusta, Rockbridge, Galax, Grayson, Carroll, Culpeper and Franklin.
“We're not building temporarily isolated systems. We're extending a permanent, interconnected Virginia Fiber Network that we intend to operate, maintain and upgrade for generations,” Gray said.
He said in the final push to make universal broadband a reality in Virginia, his company is ready to create jobs, build networks and serve communities long after construction crews leave.
“Bedford County gave us, gave a young local company the opportunity to prove itself, and companies like ZiTEL are ready to do the work,” Gray said. “Together, we can make the final push to bring rural Virginia across the hump and gain universal broadband. It will no longer mean that where somebody wants to live will determine whether they can participate in the modern world.”
Roth said that NTIA, during President Donald Trump’s current term, moved quickly to get the BEAD program “back on track” by working to remove red tape and open it to any provider that could meet the program’s requirements: satellite, fixed wireless and fiber.
“After years of delay, we returned the BEAD program to its statutory mission, ensuring universal broadband availability through competition, accountability and respect for the law,” Roth said. “We've reduced taxpayer costs by $21 billion while securing almost $12 billion in private matching funds, an important indicator of provider commitment and the long-term success of these projects.”
Roth said the work is not done, and NATI is doing its part to ensure the buildout by helping state broadband offices build capacity, conduct oversight and monitoring of their awards, prevent fraud and abuse, and ensure that providers are executing on their commitments, both on time and on budget.
“We've also pushed for faster deployment by making cloud-based permitting tools available to dramatically shorten environmental or review timelines,” Roth said. “In Virginia, the state has developed a project status dashboard that allows the public to search for an address and see expected service levels and timeframes. That's the kind of transparency that helps hold a big program like BEAD accountable.”
Griffith said during the pandemic, kids had to sit in parking lots of local fire departments or the library after hours to get their homework done. He said competition among various companies and technologies is a good thing.
“I'm looking forward to marketing plans that lower the costs for the people receiving the low-Earth-orbit when they can't get the fiber," Griffith said. "In the 9th congressional district, we have a lot of people who have a lot lower household income."
He said the latest data shows the 9th Congressional district ranks 409 out of 435 districts across the country for take-home pay.
“I’m excited about what we are doing,” Griffith said of the broadband push. “It’s a big deal … We’re within sight of the finish line.”
Roth said NATI is doing all it can to expedite the timeline so that all Americans can receive service as quickly as possible. In Virginia, contract deadlines mostly fall within the next two to three years, with the hardest-to-reach areas due by the end of the decade, according to Vaughan.
ZiTEL is committed to a 34-month project scale, Gray said.
BEAD was designed to be the last federal broadband infrastructure subsidy program, Roth said.
“The mandate from Congress was to finish the job and close broadband gaps for good,” she said. “That is the standard we have upheld throughout the Trump administration, and it is the standard we will continue to hold ourselves to going forward. NTIA will remain focused on execution, making sure funds are used responsibly, projects are built, and communities get the service they are promised.”
Editor's note: This article first published Aug. 28, 2026.
Justin Faulconer, (434) 385-5551
