Virginia Tech center Kyle Altuner points to a defensive player as he communicates with the rest of the offensive line during a practice last week in Blacksburg.
Virginia Tech center Kyle Altuner points to a defensive player as he communicates with the rest of the offensive line during a practice last week in Blacksburg.
Residents crowded into the Franklin County Government Center on Tuesday for a public hearing on the county's proposed budget, which includes a 7-cent increase to the real estate tax and 2% increase to the meals tax.
A public hearing on the proposed Franklin County budget, including a potential 7-cent real estate tax increase, garnered several responses from residents Tuesday evening.
The board room of the Franklin County Government Center was filled to capacity with constituents. More than a dozen speakers expressed concern for the increased real estate tax and a 2% meals tax that would provide an additional $4 million in revenue for the county.
Franklin County advertised raising the real estate tax rate from 43 cents per $100 of assessed value to 50 cents. Supervisors can reduce the tax rate below what was advertised and have gone below what has been advertised in previous years.
In addition to taxes, residents also shared concerns with proposed changes to county zoning. A meeting of the Franklin County Planning Commission was held in the same building at the same time with some speakers attending both meetings. The commission is currently updating the county budget, which has upset some residents due to perceived changes that could impact residents who keep chickens and bees.
Corcoran Tyson of Boones Mill said he lives on a farm and that zoning changes would take away some of his freedoms. He added that the work he does on his farm generates income which generates tax revenue for the county and the county should not increase taxes to burden residents.
"I don't think, by and large, we should be considering raising taxes again after we just did this two years ago," Tyson said.
Some speakers also expressed concern with the proposed meals tax increase from 4% to 6%. Robert Iuppa of Rocky Mount said the tax increase would hurt Franklin County residents who are experiencing increased costs. He suggested decreasing the tax rate.
"To raise the tax right now, and I'm saying this with all the charity in my heart, would be totally stupid," Iuppa said.
There were some at the meeting in favor of the tax increase. Shannon Brooks of Union Hall, who works for Franklin County Public Schools, said the tax increase would benefit the community. She suggested that increase going to keep good teachers in the county and prevent them from leaving, as well as paying for necessary services in the county.
"I have a very unpopular opinion, I think we need to invest in our county," Brooks said. "I believe we need to raise that tax rate. Nobody likes higher taxes. I sure don't. But I sure like what they pay for and I think a lot of people do."
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3324
ANNANDALE — Former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax shot and killed his wife and then himself in their Annandale home shortly after midnight Thursday, according to Fairfax County Police.
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax smiles at members of the state Senate as they give him a standing ovation for his service to the body in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol on Jan. 14, 2022.
Police responded to the home on the 8100 block of Guinevere Drive shortly after midnight to find Justin Fairfax and his wife, Cerina Fairfax, both dead.
The incident began when Justin Fairfax was served court papers related to the couple’s ongoing divorce proceedings, police said. It culminated with Justin Fairfax shooting his wife in their basement several times before running upstairs to shoot himself with the same gun, police said.
Their teenage children were present when it happened, and their son placed the 911 call, according to police.
Guinevere Drive was blocked off with yellow crime scene tape early Thursday morning as officers investigated the scene in the typically quiet Annandale neighborhood. School buses continued arriving at the nearby elementary school while Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis briefed reporters outside the home.
Justin Fairfax “was a rising star politically — not just in Northern Virginia, but in Virginia,” Chief Davis said. “So it's high profile in nature. It's tragic in nature, certainly a fall from grace for a relatively high-profile family that seemingly had had a lot of things going in their favor.”
Fairfax served as lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022, a position traditionally seen as a stepping stone to a run for governor at the next election.
When a scandal erupted around photos that seemed to show then-Gov. Ralph Northam as a medical student wearing blackface, Fairfax seemed poised to step in as the state’s chief executive.
But within days, allegations that Fairfax had sexually assaulted two women years ago deepened one of the state’s most dramatic political crises, while Northam quickly moved to dampen outrage over the photo.
Fairfax said the allegations were prompted by political opponents who were angling to run for governor in 2021, and spent most of the rest of his time as lieutenant governor and the years that followed defending himself against the assault charges.
Northam said in a statement: "Pam and I are devastated by this heartbreaking news. I had the privilege of getting to know the Fairfaxes while our families served together. We are praying for Cameron, Carys, and the entire Fairfax family during this incredibly difficult time."
Times-Dispatch reporter Michael Martz contributed to this story
Anna Bryson (804) 649-6922
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The main cast of the upcoming performance of Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical includes Megan Livingston (from left), Coulter Camp, Lilly Archual, Michael Marziliano, Miranda Gordon and Matthew Ilumin.
The Tony Award-winning production of "Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical" will be hosted by the Smith Mountain Lake Center later this month featuring award-winning performers along with several local artists.
This will be the second major performance for the Smith Mountain Lake Center following the production of "The Addams Family Musical" last year. That performance was sold out during its four-day run.
Leading the cast in the title role as Bonnie Parker is Megan Livingston, a BroadwayWorld Awards nominee and winner of Endstation Theatre Company’s 2024 Homegrown Talent Competition. Originally from Richmond and now based in Lynchburg, Livingston’s credits include "Little Shop of Horrors," "Matilda the Musical," "And Then There Were None," "Once Upon a Mattress," "The Mousetrap" and "Damn Yankees."
Opposite her, New York City–based performer Colter Camp takes on the role of Clyde Barrow. Camp’s credits include "Tick, Tick…Boom!," "A Chorus Line," "The Lightning Thief," "Next to Normal" and "Puffs."
Michael Marziliano joins the cast as Buck Barrow, bringing extensive experience as an award-winning Shakespearean actor, singer and cabaret artist. His credits include "Les Misérables," "Into the Woods," "Parade" and "A Chorus Line," along with film work in "The Premiere."
He is the recipient of the BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for Best Debut Show.
Rounding out the quartet is Miranda Gordon as Blanche Barrow, a familiar and beloved presence at Smith Mountain Lake. Since joining The Lake Players in 2022, Gordon has become an audience favorite, appearing in "Monologues," "Scenes and Songs" and most recently in "The Addams Family Musical."
Adding an additional layer of storytelling, the production features two rising young performers portraying the early lives of these iconic figures: Lilly Archual appears as Young Bonnie, and Matthew Ilumin as Young Clyde.
The production also features a talented supporting cast and ensemble from across the region, including Adam Sanders, Tony Gray, Victoria Rogers, Jim McCormick, Campbell Duff, Matthew Thurman, Joe Kavanagh, Calista Wilson, Kathryn Bird, Ryan Kiernan and Amanda Holcomb.
It features music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black, a book by Ivan Menchell, and direction by Matt Karris.
"Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical" will run April 30 through May 10 at Westlake Cinema in Hardy. Tickets are on sale now and available for purchase online at lakeplayers.ludus.com/index.php.
Most of the localities in the Roanoke Valley, central and Southside Virginia are under severe drought conditions with 24 of them, including Franklin County, this week receiving drought disaster designations from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Farmers in Franklin County are now eligible for drought emergency assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency. The assistance includes emergency loans that must be applied for within eight months of the date of the disaster declaration.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, several area localities have experienced severe drought eight or more consecutive weeks. The lack of rain has impacted several area lakes and reservoirs that provide drinking water to residents.
The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map for Virginia shows the Roanoke Valley, and much of central Virginia and Southside Virginia in severe drought conditions.
Carvins Cove reservoir, which supplies water for the Western Virginia Water Authority, is currently down 9 feet below full pond with 78.1% remaining. The authority's other reservoir, Spring Hollow, is currently down 5.4 feet below full pond with 93% remaining.
Western Virginia Water Authority spokeswoman Sarah Baumgardner said Carvins Cove has been much lower in previous droughts. In 2008, the water level fell to 13.2 feet below full pond. In 2002, it reached 23.4 feet below full pond. The average level for April for the past 29 years is 1.9 feet below full pond.
This is how Carvins Cove, one of the Roanoke Valley's primary water sources, appeared around the peak of the 2002 drought, when the water level reached 23.4 feet below full pond. Currently, it's 9 feet below full pond, still well below the average of 1.9 feet below for April.
Baumgardner said the authority maintains a drought contingency plan which is triggered by declining reservoir levels. In mid-April, Carvins Cove would need to be close to 15 feet below full pond to trigger voluntary conservation, the first stage of the plan.
Smith Mountain Lake, which supplies water for the Bedford Regional Water Authority, is currently 2.5 feet below full pond. Levels have increased slightly since February when the lake was more than 4 feet below full pond.
Warmer than normal temperatures and little rain in the forecast will do nothing to help the drought conditions in the coming days. The National Weather Service in Blacksburg expects above normal temperatures exceeding 85 degrees in some areas to continue until the end of the work week.
Some rainfall is possible Friday, but the National Weather Service expects it to be confined to the mountains. The next notable chance for any widespread rainfall may come sometime after Sunday when a cold front arrives to the area.
Dry conditions will contribute to increased risk of fires in the area. The National Weather Service reports the heat and low humidity combined with daytime gusts will make fire containment increasingly difficult throughout the rest of the week.
Virginia's 4 p.m. burning law is currently in effect through April 30. The law bans open-air burning prior to 4 p.m. if the fire is within 300 feet of the woods or dry grass. The City of Lynchburg, Wythe County and Giles County have issued more restrictive burn bans due to the drought conditions.
NOAA this week confirmed March 2026 was the hottest March on record for the Lower 48 states by the largest single-month departure from histori…
