Category: News

By Alex Guerra, Crime, Safety, and Justice Reporter

The Blacksburg Police Department is located on Patrick Henry Drive in Blacksburg, Virginia. Photo by Alex Guerra, Sep. 14, 2026

When people think about police work, they often picture officers patrolling the streets, responding to calls or helping people in moments of crisis. But some of the work that keeps Blacksburg safe happens away from the public eye, where employees help analyze information, oversee operations, and support the department’s response to problems.

While officers working in the field are often the people the public sees, other employees spend their time gathering information, identifying patterns, and helping the department prepare for issues that may arise. These roles may receive less attention, but they are an important part of how a police department operates.

Women in the Blacksburg Police Department are taking on roles both in the field and behind the scenes, contributing to safety through leadership, data analysis and daily police work. For women like Courtney Corriere, a crime analyst within the department, keeping the community safe means doing work that people may not always see.

Courtney Corriere, Blacksburg Police Crime Analyst. Photo courtesy of Blacksburg Police.

Corriere was recently recognized on the Chambers 40 Under 40 list, highlighting her contributions to the community and her career. While her job doesn’t typically put her in the middle of fieldwork, the information she provides helps the department better understand what is happening in times of need.

”I knew when I was going through my undergrad at Radford that I did not, nor have I ever wanted to be an officer, but I wanted to be close by. And that’s what I found in crime analysis in Blacksburg. So there are opportunities out there that support the bigger picture,” Corriere explained.

Much of Corriere’s work involves reviewing information and turning it into something the department can use. Data can help police identify patterns, understand where problems occur, and make more informed decisions about how to respond. Her work can also involve finding information that may benefit different investigations.

“I think how easy it is to find information through open-source, unpaid resources. I think that would surprise people,” Corriere said. For her, crime analysis provides a way to contribute to police work without being an officer in the field. Her role requires her to work with information that helps the department understand what is happening and gives officers another resource when responding to problems.

Her position also shows the range of responsibilities, including working with other departments, creating bulletins in her free time, and ensuring everyone is thoroughly prepared for any situation. While officers may be the most visible part of the department, employees working with information and analysis can provide support that helps guide the department’s work.

Jessica Moye, a captain with the Blacksburg Police Department, has built her career in a field historically associated with men. As a woman in a leadership position, she has experienced the changing role of women in law enforcement while advancing through the department. “For Blacksburg especially, everyone from the time I was hired here,through all of my promotions, all of my mentors and supervisors were always so supportive of me.”

Captain Moye of the Blacksburg Police Department is one of the many women working to keep Blacksburg safe. Photo by Alex Guerra, Sep. 14, 2026

Police work is not limited to what happens during a call. Leadership, communication, and understanding the town are also keys to safety. “If we see an issue that is growing, we’re very in tune to recognizing that. So we kind of take charge of those potential bigger issues before they become bigger,” Moye said.

Moye’s role involves helping oversee the department and making big decisions as issues develop. That can mean recognizing problems early and making sure the department is prepared to respond. Her experience also shows how women can take on leadership roles within law enforcement while working with the rest of the department.

The contrast between Corriere’s work with data and Moye’s leadership demonstrates how many different people are involved in public safety. One works with information that can help explain what is happening, while the other helps guide the people responsible for responding. Both roles require skills that may not be obvious to the public.

Women in law enforcement can take on a variety of responsibilities, from analyzing information to managing officers and responding to residents. Their careers can look different depending on their position, experience, and role within a department.

For women considering a career in law enforcement, Moye’s career shows how women can advance through the field and take on leadership roles. She began her career with the department in a lower-ranking position and worked her way up to become a captain. “I hope it helps draw other females into police work.” 

Corriere’s recognition highlights the importance of roles that may not always receive the same attention as those working in the field. Her work shows how people can contribute to public safety through research, analysis, and information rather than responding directly to calls. 

“It’s nice to be recognized, but I’m definitely someone who more so likes to fly under the radar for sure,” Corriere said.

By Ella Winterling, science, technology, environment and climate reporter

In June 2026, there was a large increase in cases of Cyclospora, a parasite that is spread through contaminated food or water. While other unrelated outbreaks also occurred, the main outbreak was traced back to iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico by Taylor Farms.

Cyclospora is a parasite thought to be connected to the food environment through human fecal contamination. How exactly the produce becomes contaminated is still being researched, with scientific theories including water sources, sanitation infrastructure and other environmental factors.

News of the outbreak led to a variety of reactions across social media and raised questions about produce safety. As researchers worked on locating the cause of the outbreak, consumers questioned what was and was not safe to eat.

Cyclospora cayetanensis oocyst under a microscope. (Photo Courtesy of the CDC via Associated Press)

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that if one type of food is recalled, every product in that category is unsafe,” said Laura Strawn, a Virginia Tech professor with a focus in food microbiology and safety. “A recall usually applies to specific products, suppliers, production dates or lot codes, so consumers should look at the actual recall notice rather than assuming, for example, that all lettuce is unsafe.”

Instead of receiving information directly from social media, a common news source for college students, Stawn advises those seeking more information on recalls and outbreaks to go directly to the source to avoid misinformation.

“My advice is to go one step upstream,” Strawn said. “If a social media post says, “CDC says this” or “FDA found that,” go to CDC or FDA and see what they actually said.”

During the cyclospora outbreak this past summer, local farmer Kat Johnson noticed an increase in new customers coming to her produce stand at the Blacksburg Farmers Market.

“There’s been a lot of new faces at the market; people that didn’t come before are maybe coming to the market to feel safer about their food,” Johnson said.

While purchasing safe foods is not necessarily a matter of buying local produce versus grocery store produce, buying food from local farmers gives consumers closer access to where their food comes from.

Vendors sell their products at the Blacksburg Farmers Market on Sept. 16. (Ella Winterling, The News Feed NRV)

“Buying directly from a local grower can give consumers an opportunity to ask questions about their growing and food-safety practices, and supporting local agriculture has many benefits, but ‘local’ itself isn’t a food-safety intervention,” Strawn said. “Lots of big grocery stores do a fantastic job and provide food at consumer-friendly prices.”

Johnson, who specializes in growing “salad-centric” produce, goes through routine safety training and follows a specific procedure to ensure that her products are safe for consumers, including annual water tests and consistent sanitization of surfaces that come in contact with harvested crops.

“When the Cyclospora thing was just coming to light in the news, I put out a newsletter to my customers,” Johnson said. “I did reiterate what we were doing and what we can guarantee and what we can’t guarantee.”

According to Johnson, local farms, while small, take their jobs “really seriously”. From routine safety trainings to taking care of the land, Johnson emphasizes the energy and thought that goes into farming.

“The large, trucked-in food system is really fragile, and I think that in times like this, or times like COVID or big natural disasters, you realize that having food grown close to home is really a matter of food security for our community,” Johnson said. “Supporting the farmers that are doing that before something bad happens is really important.”

Whether purchasing produce from a chain grocery store or a local farm stand, consumers can still practice healthy habits when it comes to produce safety, from rewashing lettuce to staying aware of cross-contamination. While Strawn recommends washing produce, she also warns of its limitations.

“Rinsing produce can reduce contamination, but it cannot guarantee that all pathogens are removed,” Strawn said. “That’s particularly true for Cyclospora, which is difficult to remove and is resistant to many common sanitizers. If a product has been recalled with instructions to discard it, washing it doesn’t make that recalled product safe to eat.”

In general, for college students looking for safe and affordable produce, it’s all about personal preference. Whether it’s organic local produce or canned vegetables, there are options for every need.

“My advice to students is to buy fruits and vegetables that fit your budget, your schedule and what you’ll actually eat,” Strawn said. “Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables can be great, affordable options too, and choosing store brands, buying produce in season and selecting foods with a longer shelf life can help reduce cost and food waste.”

While the Cyclospora outbreak caused fear in relation to buying and eating certain produce, Strawn explains that with safe practices, produce should not be something to be avoided.

“I don’t want an outbreak or recall to make people afraid of eating fruits and vegetables,” Strawn said. “The goal of food safety isn’t to make people afraid of food, it’s to understand where risks occur and figure out how we can prevent them.”

By: Stephanie Ramos Vargas, Crime, Justice and Safety Reporter 

BLACKSBURG, Va. – There has been an increase in pedestrians in the downtown area of Blacksburg where people walk around the city from one place to another including business places, restaurants and the Virginia Tech Campus area. People are walking more and thus pedestrains share the road with vehicles.  

Businesses and organizations downtown see these interactions each day. While there are crosswalks, signals and with the recent lower speed limit to help manage traffic, some businesses owners say they still see conflict between drivers and pedestrians.  

Tracie, with Blacksburg Inc., said she has seen an increase in the number of people walking downtown.  

“Main Street was never built for this many cars,” Tracie said. 

She explained that more individuals are opting for walking over driving, which she believes is a good thing. With more pedestrians being involved, both drivers and pedestrians are still sharing the same road. Most of the cars passing through the town center travel through Main Street. Meaning there are many opportunities where drivers and pedestrians come into contact.  

The number of pedestrians also changes throughout the year. With Virginia Tech football games and other events bringing more people downtown, Tracie said large groups sometimes cross the road before the signal tells them to do so. 

Jessica Jones, owner of New River Art & Fiber, sees pedestrian traffic outside her business throughout the week.  

Jones describes the pedestrian traffic around her business as “heavy” and said people are in the area throughout the day and night. She said Saturday mornings during the farmer market and the weekend nights after 8 p.m. are often busy. 

Jones said pedestrian signals have been added near her business, but she still sees conflicts at crosswalks.  

“People almost get hit in those crosswalks all the time, even with the addition of the new walk sign,” Jones said. 

One issue Jones notices is the drivers turning while pedestrians have the walk signal. She said drivers making the right turn on red will turn into a crosswalk while pedestrians are crossing.  

She also mentioned drivers in the flashing yellow turning lane.  

“A lot of drivers just go, even though pedestrians have to walk sign and the right of way,” Jones said.  

Intersection crosswalk right outside New River Art & Fiber. Blacksburg, Va on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (photo by Stephanie Ramos Vargas, TheNewsFeedNRV.com) 

Jones said she would like the traffic signals to separate pedestrian and vehicle movement. Under the system, she described traffic in every direction, would stop while pedestrians crossed. Vehicles traffic will continue after the pedestrian crossing period is done.  

“I would like to see pedestrians have full access to the intersections at one time, and no cars are allowed to go,” Jones said. 

Businesses can also help identify problems around downtown, according to Tracie. Owners and employees spend time in the area and may notice when a signal or crosswalk is not working.  

“We can rely on them sometimes to let us know that something is not working properly,” Tracie said. 

She said businesses may contact officials when they notice a problem, which allows the issue to be reported.  

Some locations present more challenges than others.  

Tracie pointed out the area from the post office and the UPS Store. That there is no crosswalk directly connecting the two sides of the street; she shared that people do not always want to walk to the nearest intersection and just cross there.  

A view from the front of the post office showing how far the crosswalk is. Blacksburg, Va on Friday, Sept 18, 2026. (photo by Stephanie Ramos Vargas, TheNewsFeedNRV.com) 

She also mentioned the area around Draper Road and Jackson Street, where pedestrian space meets vehicle traffic.  

Tracie said changes have been made downtown as pedestrian and vehicle traffic increases. One of those changes was lowering the downtown speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph. 

“I love that they change it from 25 to 20,” Tracie said.  

She said the lower speed limit can encourage drivers to slow down and watch for pedestrians.  

More people walking can also affect downtown businesses. Instead of driving through Main Street, pedestrians have more opportunities to see stores, restaurants, and other places downtown. 

Still, Jones’ experience shows that having a crosswalk or pedestrian signal does not prevent all conflict. Drivers may be turning while pedestrians are crossing, and both groups must pay attention to signals and traffic around them.   

Jones believes changing the timing of traffic signals could reduce some other interactions. Tracie also said pedestrian safety can continue to improve as downtown grows.  

“We can always improve things that we’re doing safely,” Tracie said. “I think making the community aware is part of that.” 

As more people walk downtown Blacksburg, pedestrians and drivers will continue to use the same streets. Crosswalks, traffic signals and speed limits can guide them, but Jones’s and Tracie’s observations show that pedestrian safety also depend on how people respond to those measures.  

By Kiera McMahon, education reporter

With the Virginia Tech career fair season upon us, students have opportunities to meet employers, explore internships and jobs and begin building professional relationships before the semester gets further underway. The fairs provide a chance to bring employers and students together, offering opportunities and experience for students at different stages of their college careers. For the team working in Career and Professional Development, this is one of the busiest times of the semester. According to Dr. Matthew Cowley, associate vice provost for Career and Professional Development, students can benefit from attending even if they are not yet looking for a full-time position.

“If you have the time, it’s a great thing to just go and shake some hands and network. I know that that may sound intimidating, but introducing yourself to folks who have hiring authority and asking them, ‘Hey, what do you all look for in an intern so that I can spend the next year getting ready and maybe having some of the experiences that the employers would say are valuable?’–that can be incredibly beneficial to a student,” Cowley said.

For students considering attending, Cowley recommends researching employers beforehand and developing a plan for the event. Most career fairs provide a list of participating employers, allowing students to learn about companies and positions they are recruiting for before arriving. Rather than asking recruiters basic questions, doing preliminary research can give students the opportunity to have more substantial conversations about what employers are looking for in potential employees.

The Career and Professional Development team also prepares students for career fairs, among other events, by helping them explore their interests and guiding them in looking for jobs, practicing for interviews, and networking with employers.

The timing of the fall career fair season can also give students a multitude of opportunities to refine their job-searching strategies. Students seeking summer internships have the fall fairs as an early opportunity to meet with recruiters, while the spring career fairs provide another chance to search if the first round does not result in an offer.

For graduating students, starting early can be particularly useful. Cowley said the job search can take months, making the fall an important time to identify weaknesses in resumes and interviewing skills and improve them in time for the spring semester. But Cowley knows that attending a career fair can be nerve-wracking for some students.

“I would say, you know, go with a friend. I wouldn’t hang on their side the entire time you’re at the event, but go with a friend who can help you process what’s happening and relax as you’re going through that process, that could be a really big thing,” Cowley advised.

Career fairs also offer something that online applications cannot: face-to-face interaction.

This was especially true at the 2026 Engineering Expo, where students filled Squires Student Center, prepared with tailored suits and resumes, before the event had even opened. The Engineering Expo, which is the largest student-run career fair at Virginia Tech, sees about 7,000 students every year. Kallie Allen, the 2026 Engineering Expo chair for the Student Engineers’ Council (SEC), said the event saw lines down Alumni Mall.

“So, this career fair is open to all engineering disciplines, and we also invite non-engineering majors to participate too. That includes students who are interested in switching to engineering, or maybe are interested in jobs outside of their major, and so, we’re very proud of the work we do,” Allen said.

Allen, a sophomore biomedical engineering student, has spent the summer working with companies, handling recruitment, logistics and outreach for the expo. Fourteen executive members of the SEC helped organize the event, which ran from Sept. 14 to 17.

The scale of the expo became more apparent as students moved between booths and recruiters met with hundreds of potential applicants each day. Allen said that one company reported speaking with approximately 800 students on the first day of the event. For Allen, the crowds show more than just the size of the event. The expo is intended to help students connect their education to expectations they will encounter in the professional world.

“We talk all the time at Virginia Tech about building your technical foundations, whether that’s in your classes, with workplace experiences, or with clubs or design teams, but they need a way to bridge that gap between the experiences that they have and what the industry is looking for,” Allen said.

According to Cowley, employers continue to look for many of the same competencies they sought when he was a student.

“When we talk to employers, unfailingly, these are the things that they’re looking for: They’re looking for good communication skills, whether it be written or verbal. They’re looking for somebody who can work on a team. They’re looking for somebody who shows evidence of having been a leader or having the potential to have to be a leader. They’re looking for somebody who can think critically,” Cowley said.

The only big change has been employers’ ability to discern which applicants truly possess those skills in the age of AI. With increasingly polished resumes and cover letters, employers are now looking for something more to differentiate applicants from each other. Cowley believes that this development makes career fairs even more important, as in-person interactions can leave a lasting impression on recruiters in ways that paper applications cannot.

For the fall semester, a variety of career fairs will take place through Oct. 20.