Almost 300 households dotted in rural and remote areas of Roanoke County are gaining access to high-speed internet service while construction nears completion on $880,000 of infrastructure improvements.
Federal coronavirus relief funding paid for the Roanoke County broadband expansion projects in its Vinton, Catawba, Cave Spring and Windsor Hills districts.
Under a county contract, Cox Communications expanded its fiber-optic and coaxial cable networks, connecting internet to as many as 90 homes in the Cave Spring and Windsor Hills districts.
Residents along Ridgelea Estates Drive, Lost View Lane and Lost Drive are now connected, along with people on unserved parts of Merriman, Franklin and Webb roads, said Bill Hunter, director of communications and information technology for Roanoke County.
Mitigating the effects of the pandemic, bringing passenger rail to the New River Valley, expanding rural broadband service and protecting economic development money for far Southwest Virginia are on the
Gov. Ralph Northam unveiled his proposed changes to the stateâs two-year budget, which include funding for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and other pandemic assistance and $50 million to advance a goal to extend Amtrak passenger rail service to the New River Valley.
New River Valley government and community leaders have been eager to restore passenger rail to the region to boost economic development and provide long-distance transportation for students enrolled at Virginia Tech and Radford University.
âIâm really excited about this, and I know people in the New River Valley are, too,â said Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, a longtime advocate of bringing a passenger train to the New River Valley. âThis is the shot in the arm we needed to get passenger rail to that area.â
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Northam wants $6.1M more for VSU, says Petersburg could benefit from health funding upgrade
For the college, Northam said it s a matter of fixing historical underfunding. For cash-strapped places like Petersburg, he said it s a matter of updating the way health departments are supported.
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Virginia State University would see some funds restored, and public-health departments in fiscally strapped localities such as Petersburg could benefit from new funding formulas under Gov. Ralph S. Northam s budget amendments that he presented to the General Assembly s money committees Wednesday.
In his remarks, Northam cited VSU as one of four state public colleges that would receive a share of $30 million un previously unallotted funds. The proposal calls for VSU to receive $6.1 million, Norfolk State University to receive $8,4 million, and George Mason and Old Dominion universities to each receiv
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