Category: News

It’s Electric! Or, It might be

by Carolina Nunez-

School bus stopping to pick up elementary students. Picture taken on March 23, 2023 by Carolina Nunez in Blacksburg Virginia

Many schools in Virginia have been granted the opportunity to have electric buses in their communities in April and September of 2022 as a part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Electric School Bus Rebates and the annual 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebates. Some of these areas include Newport News, Loudoun County, Culpeper County, Petersburg City, and Carroll County public schools. Each of these zones were granted upwards of $100,000, the highest fund awarded being $900,000, going towards acquiring electric school buses according to WXFR with New River Valley news. 

 When it comes to Blacksburg public schools,  Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith states that “[Blacksburg] will hopefully have about half our fleet in electric buses.” What exactly does this mean for schools in the New River Valley?  

Dr. Bernard Bragen, superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools, said, “In the Montgomery County Public Schools, as of right now, we have 4 electric school buses.”

“It all comes down to economics. If the state of Virginia incentivizes the buses where the costs are the same in gas- we would do it in a heartbeat,” Bragen continued.

Montgomery County Public School Administration office entrance. Picture taken on March 24, 2023 by Carolina Nunez in Christiansburg, Virginia

Bragen explained that electric school buses are not cheap in price. The 2021 American Rescue Plan Electric School Bus Rebates had planned to offer approximately $10 million to public and private fleet owners for the replacement of old diesel school buses with new buses certified to EPA’s cleanest emission standards. This plan mostly applied to schools in more “densely populated areas” because these are the areas that are developing a more “clean” environment. 

The idea to replace regular school buses with newer electric ones has been circulating throughout the nation. But why is it necessary? Dominion Energy reports that replacing one diesel bus can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54,000 pounds each year. This means the air quality inside a diesel bus is 5x worse than outside the bus. Replacing a diesel bus with an electric bus improves air quality for students inside the bus and for the communities outside of them. 

Diesel powered school buses produce more than 5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. According to the NYBCA, There are more than 480,000 yellow school buses across the United States that transport an estimated 26 million students to and from school. This alone saves close to 2.3 billion gallons of fuel and saves families more than $7.3 billion in fuel costs each year. This is great for our economy, but terrible for the environment and the children who are constantly being exposed to their buses exhaust fumes. 

Despite the benefits of having an electric school bus, it is not so easy to acclimate them to certain areas. Bragen explained that, “The issue with the electric buses is that some things like temperature matter. Typically you would be able to get 200 miles with one charge on a bus, which would normally be okay, but the temperature we experience affects that rate.”  Because the New River Valley does experience temperatures that vary from cold to warm in one day, this is an issue worth considering before converting to electric buses. 

With school buses being one of the most common vehicles on the road, the carbon footprint they leave behind has a big impact on the air we breathe every day. The nation as a whole has slowly inched towards replacing the regular diesel powered buses with the more efficient electrical school buses, but the question remains of whether the New River Valley will be a part of this change.

Taxes explained

by Nicole Tutino and Emaryi Williams —

Taxes are a complicated thing that millions of working Americans deal with every year. In this video, we explain how taxes came to be in the United States, why citizens need them and why the current filing system remains complicated.

Locals and experts weigh in on bank security

by Emaryi Williams-

22 Mar. – Everyday banking involves ATM machines similar to this Truist one, located on the Virginia Tech campus. (Photo: Emaryi Williams)

The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank on Friday, March 10, and the closure of Signature Bank that following Sunday have raised new questions about banking in the United States.

People in the New River Valley (NRV) are sharing their thoughts as well.

“It’s kind of worrying, I hope they [banks] are keeping our money secure,” said Margaret Greene.

“Personally, I’m not worried about it,” said Will Coleman, “I’m insured to get paid back.”

According to the Federal Deposit of Insurance Corporation (FDIC), numerous bank failures have occurred throughout the Commonwealth, dating back to 1935. Some banks within the NRV have come close to failing and needed assistance, with the latest happening in Blacksburg at the First of Montgomery County Bank and in Wytheville at the Mountain Security SB in 1986. 

21 Mar. – The Atlantic Union bank building is located on Arbor Dr. in Christiansburg, and it hosts two other businesses on its second and third floors. (Photo: Emaryi Williams)

Assistant Branch Manager of the Atlantic Union Bank in Christiansburg, Tiffany Shepherd said while people are worried about their coverage, recognizing the difference between types of banks is key to soothing fears.

“They were rapid growth banks. They had a lot of dealings with start-up companies, cryptocurrency, and investing in those types of things”  Shepherd said.

Shepherd explained that problems with Silicon Valley and Signature Bank occurred when their investments went downhill and people began pulling money out. She said people who bank with more traditional banks will most likely not experience that problem.

“We’re [Atlantic Union] more of a traditional bank, like the bigger banks you see around – like Wells Fargo and Tuist,” Shepherd said. “The way we invest and do our assets is a little different than the way that they do.”

22 Mar. – Student in the NRV withdrawing money from a traditional bank ATM machine. (Photo: Emaryi Williams)

If a bank does fail, Shepherd said due to insurance provided by the FDIC, people are covered up to $250,000. 

“Assuming that these banks had something in place because they are required to by law, they had customers come and close out their accounts and move it to another bank,” she said.

The assistant bank manager said that banks and even credit unions are insured by either the FDIC or the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). The rule of coverage is one of the ways people can protect their monetary assets.

“Say you have an account that you’re on by yourself, you are covered up to $250,000. Say you add someone on the account as a joint, then they also are insured up to $250,000…so the more people you have on that account, the better it is,” Shepherd explained.

Shepherd said while traditional banks are solid and it has been 121 years since Atlantic Union has experienced even a quarterly loss, she understood that people might still want extra assurance. Shepherd advised worried individuals to use the FDIC’s EDIE calculator.

“You can go in and put in all of your accounts, how they’re set up – with you, or joint owners, or payable on death – and it’ll show you if you’re covered or not. That way, you’ll know if you need to do something to make sure you’re fully covered,” Shepherd said.

Business developer blocked from leasing at Kent Square

by Ben Walls-

Delaware business developer Joseph Boss continues to fight on his behalf for opening two restaurants at 202 South Main Street and 204 South Main Street in Blacksburg.

“I’m committed to bringing change,” Boss said. “I want to invest more into the community of Blacksburg, not less.

“I want to be involved in the culture down at Virginia Tech and to improve it and make it better.”

204 South Main Street, Blacksburg is one of two restaurant location spaces that developer Joesph Boss wants to lease. It currently has no tenants. March 20, 2023.

Boss wishes to open one bar named “The Sandman” and one pizza restaurant named “Weirdoughs.” Meanwhile, the Town of Blacksburg’s Planning and Building Department has denied his building permit application twice in 16 months.

Boss added he has “scratched his head” and does not know what criteria he is missing for Blacksburg to approve his applications. Boss admitted in the past year the town has made criticisms to the restaurants’ access to the bathrooms and the patios outside, however.

The two restaurant locations would occupy spaces that a Subway and a Starbucks location formerly leased in the Kent Square development. The development itself spreads across nearly 100,000 square feet in Blacksburg’s original 16 squares, and it includes a parking garage, an art gallery, a dental office, a jewelry store and condominiums currently.

According to Boss, acceptable liquor licenses have been approved, and restaurant employees who will have starting hourly rates at $15/hour have already been selected for work.

Frustrated with the town’s response to his proposals, Boss turned to creating a change.org petition to create grassroots support and inform the Blacksburg public about his cause. 

Boss says bartenders and servers have been chosen for work at The Sandman and Weirdoughs. March 20, 2023.

The petition titled “Save Weirdoughs and The Sandman from The Town of Blacksburg’s abuse of power” has dozens of supporters wishing for answers why a building permit has not been approved.

“Weirdoughs and The Sandman are two new businesses (restaurants) that invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the community of Blacksburg,” Boss said as the petition’s writer. “These businesses are projected to hire over 100 employees in the community and pay 30% higher wages than the local average.

“They [were] both already approved as restaurants for Starbucks and a Subway. So we ask why is there an issue now?”

Explained: Attending an out-of-state college/university

by Deanna Driver and Emily Logue —

In-state universities are often cheaper and closer to home, but out-of-state institutions have the ability to provide more opportunities.

Out-of-state students choose their university for a variety of reasons, but once they arrive on campus, their experiences and community reassure their decision. This is displayed on both a national level as well as with Virginia Tech students.  

ADHD med shortage requires patients to seek alternatives

by Cyna Mirzai-

The nationwide shortage of the common ADHD medication Adderall is leading patients to test new forms of medication.

A shortage of the immediate-release formulation of amphetamine mixed salts, commonly referred to by the brand name Adderall, has been ongoing since October 12, 2022. A direct stimulant on the central nervous system, Adderall is a medication prescribed to people diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to the FDA, one of the manufacturers of amphetamine mixed salts, Teva, is experiencing ongoing intermittent manufacturing delays. While there are other manufacturers producing amphetamine, there is not enough supply to continue meeting U.S. market demand through those producers. 

A rise in demand for Adderall is a large contributor to the shortage, with an increase of almost 20% in 2021 over 2020. Chad Alvarez, System Pharmacy Director of Carilion Clinic Roanoke, said he noticed an increase in demand from patients in the past few years.

“During the pandemic, people were working at home or helping their children with their schoolwork and many began noticing symptoms of ADHD,” Alvarez said. “With the increased use of telemedicine during the pandemic, we saw an increase in demand for those types of prescriptions.”

Many patients are currently prohibited from calling ahead to pharmacies asking about Adderall, since the treatment is a labeled controlled substance by the DEA, according to HCPLive.  A legally controlled substance cannot be transferred from one pharmacy to another, leading many patients to look for temporary alternatives to Adderall.

The shortage has forced many pharmacies in the U.S. to turn away customers in need of Adderall since late last year.

Alternatives work differently for patients depending on their particular case, Alvarez said. Whether it is an adult who used Adderall for years or a child who was prescribed last month, the benefits of each alternative provide varying results. 

“I always encourage patients to have a conversation with their provider on alternatives,” Alvarez said. “Other ADHD medications like Focalin, Vyvanse, Concerta and Ritalin are currently available in higher quantities and can treat attention deficit issues. It is definitely worth the conversation with your provider to figure out what will work best for you.”

An alternative for patients who currently have Adderall pills is to begin dose-skipping. Patients can skip a dose on days when attentiveness is not critical to accumulate a reserve that will last them longer through the shortage, if advised by a doctor.

If patients do not want to try alternatives, they can choose to stay off medication until the shortage ends, but Dr. Jeremy Courts, owner of Main Street Pharmacy in Blacksburg, warns patients to be prepared for shifts in behavioral changes.

“You probably won’t have intense withdrawal symptoms but you’re going to be irritable and have trouble focusing,” Courts said. “When you don’t have Adderall but need Adderall, your quality of life goes down.”

As of now, the shortage is expected to continue through April 2023.

NRV programs combat rising opioid overdose fatality rates

by Savannah Webb-

Feb. 17, 2023 — Blacksburg, Va. — An bottle of hydrocodone that was prescribed by a Montgomery County hospital sits empty in a trashcan. The overprescription of opioids has been connected to the birth of the opioid epidemic.

The National Center for Health Statistics released 2022 data that shows a spike in fatal opioid overdoses in the US over the months of February and March.

“It’s devastating,” said Glenn Matthews, director of substance abuse and diversion services for New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS). “It’s just awful. It’s devastating economically, and it’s devastating to families. Fentanyl is at the center of a lot of those overdoses.”

The most recent drug overdose data from 2021 shows that Pulaski County — one of the five counties NRVCS serves — had the highest death rate in the NRV with 50.1 per 100,000 residents. Synthetic opioids, under which fentanyl is classified, were the cause of a majority of those deaths.

To combat these rising overdose rates, NRVCS offers a full continuum of care. According to Matthews, their services have a systemic and personalized nature that larger providers cannot accommodate for, ranging from an hourlong weekly therapy session to residential 24/7 care.

While this is extremely beneficial to the community, he explained that they cannot provide enough services for the demand necessary to treat the large number of individuals who need it.

Feb. 17, 2023 — Radford, Va. — The sign for Radford’s New River Valley Community Services center stands as the only thing to distinguish a nondescript brick building in a strip mall.

“It’s a drop in the bucket,” Matthews said. “The large majority of individuals need to repeat that treatment six or seven times or more. It’s a long, long process.”

In addition to the intervention services — support groups, therapy and rehabilitation — NRVCS provides, preventative education and emergency training are also critical to ending the opioid epidemic, according to Ashley LeDuc, associate director of substance misuse prevention and intervention with Hokie Wellness.

One of the most prevalent emergency training programs is REVIVE! Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education. The program teaches community members how to recognize and respond to a potentially fatal overdose.

“It’s the easiest way to save someone’s life,” LeDuc said. “To use Naloxone it really is just using nasal spray. Even if you aren’t trained, you can still use it — it’s one of the legal protections out there.”

Online REVIVE! training is available through NRVCS, and Hokie Wellness offers multiple in-person sessions as well. Hokie Wellness training sessions provide historical context about the opioid epidemic, as well as a sample of Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, for trainees to take with them, according to LeDuc.

“It really is anybody that could experience an overdose,” LeDuc said. “You learn a lot about where opioid use disorder starts, which is with prescriptions that are given from doctors, and it works to destigmatize it.”

In addition to addiction itself, NRVCS hopes to use its services to address stigma in the community surrounding addiction.

“Addiction is not a choice,” Matthews said. “The only choice that’s involved in addiction is the first time someone picks up the substance. Once the brain gets addicted, choice is out the window. It is a serious illness.”

NRV schools implement policy filtering teaching materials

by Caden Dean-Sauter-

Montgomery County Public Schools have implemented their version of a Virginia Department of Education mandate forcing teachers to fill out a form regarding any explicit sexual content used in class.

The policy went into effect in January and requires all K-12 teachers to fill out a form documenting every usage of materials that include nudity, and then defend why the materials are necessary to the lesson. 

The form that teachers must fill out for every material used that contains sexually explicit content. (Dean-Sauter/2023)

According to the Code of Virginia, § 18.2-390, “ “Nudity” means a state of undress so as to expose the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered or uncovered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.”

“Images of the natural human body (nudity) can be found on just about every page of our textbook and are referenced daily,” said Beth Patterson, an anatomy teacher at Auburn High School.

But while it may seem like just a life sciences issue, the policy affects all teachers. History teachers must document uses of classic art, such as the Statue of David, and English teachers must scour through books they teach looking for anything that fits into the description of nudity or sexual conduct.

“The problem is, the strength of literature is its context, its theme, its characterization, its art, not if the word breast or buttocks appears in a sentence,” said Ariel Hylton, a 12th-grade English teacher also at Auburn.

In some schools, there are books that contain references to sexually explicit content and have to be documented.

Both teachers also noted the irony of having to defend what they are teaching, as parents are often just focused on one instance of something that might fall under the VDOE’s umbrella of sexual content, not the lesson as a whole. 

“No English teacher is peddling pornography to their students,” said Hylton. “We traffic in literature that deals with the human condition- messy, ugly, beautiful, and complex. In doing so, we challenge our students, the readers, to look beyond their own experiences, to have empathy, to be tolerant, to be more than their own experiences might expect of them.”

Ms. Patterson also mentioned how a current list of instructional materials with sexually explicit content by grade and subject will be maintained on the school’s website for the public to access.  As materials are added to the list, teachers provide written notice to parents at least thirty days prior to their use in the classroom. If parents have issues with the material being taught, they can challenge the material, forcing teachers to assign alternate work. 

“The textbook as a whole is presented to parents who will have the right to determine whether or not they want their child exposed to the images it contains – I fear for a generation of medical students who have not seen the human body other than in the mirror,” said Patterson. 

So far, no teacher at Auburn has had material challenged.

Gen Z preference: Cocktails or Mocktails

By Kayla Frank–

Photo by Kayla Frank Jan. 24, 2023, Top of the Stairs bartenders awaiting customers.

(BLACKSBURG, V.a)- The rise of alcohol-free bars can be attributed to the increasing mindfulness of drinking habits, with Gen Zers leading this new transformation of a fun night out. 

Third Place Bar offers bar pop-ups, without the booze. Located in Brooklyn, New York, the zero-proof bar caters to a new culture of sober-curious lifestyles. But what would offering only mocktails and non-alcoholic beer look like in a college town? 

While sober curious lifestyles and mindful drinking is a trend among Generation Z, those attending university are more likely to experiment with alcohol along with their newfound independence and availability of social events.

Through research from the Alcohol Rehab Guide, it was estimated that 80% of college students- four out of every five- consume alcohol to some degree, and roughly 50% of those students engage in binge drinking, or consume too much alcohol in too little time.

Although the pandemic may have stalled downtown activity, Blacksburg is buzzing again with bars and billiards for college students attending Virginia Tech. 

Blacksburg bouncer and barback at Top of the Stairs, Jake Hart, noted that if anything, more students have been coming to the bars since the decline of COVID-19. 

“When the football team played Miami University in the fall, we were so packed that we literally ran out of vodka and Bud Lite,” said Hart, “We broke nearly every record we could.” 

Gen Z’s refined awareness of the consequences of alcohol consumption is shown in sales research from Drizly. The largest online marketplace for alcohol in North America issued a 2022 consumer report that conveyed that 38% of Gen Z respondents are drinking more non-alcoholic beverages than in the previous year. A high percentage when compared to that of Millennials (25%), Gen X (15%) and Boomers (8%). 

A bartender at Sharkey’s in Blacksburg, Bobby Johnson, get’s the occasional order for a mocktail and has a couple of regulars who just ask for Diet Coke. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen a trend of drinking less, but I do see people being more mindful of what they consume with their alcohol,” said Johnson, “For example, more people have mixed hard liquor with water than I’ve seen in previous years, and the shift to spiked seltzer from beer has also been tremendous.” 

Photo by Kayla Frank Jan. 20, 2023, Sharkey’s Bar front in Blacksburg, Virginia.

One factor promoting mindfulness is the availability of information at Gen Z’s fingertips. Hashtags like #Sobertok have gone viral on social media platforms such as Tik Tok.

Striving for unique experiences, Gen Z has forced bars to be creative and provide special events such as trivia, bingo, axe throwing, and even paint and sip nights. 

“I think a non-alcoholic bar could make it in Blacksburg, only if it offered some sort of gimmick to draw people in,” said Johnson, “On bingo and trivia night, people come in just to play and eat, so it could definitely work.”