Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a former assistant principal in Virginia accused of ignoring warnings that a 6-year-old student brought a loaded gun to school that was later used to shoot his first grade teacher.

The combination will create the world’s largest regulated electric utility business, with operations in Virginia, the Carolinas and Florida.

35,007 people from Southwest Virginia received a letter recently, informing them that their medical debt had been erased, after a nonprofit in the New River Valley paid off their bills.

“And all this artistic brilliance was inseparable from imperial power at a court that positioned itself right at the center of this cosmopolitan and interconnected world," Hannam said.

About 1,500 people recorded themselves — and their Appalachian accents — in an effort to create a snapshot of how the region’s name is pronounced.

A dispute over the cost of replacing utility poles remains unsettled as Virginia looks to continue expanding broadband internet access. Comcast and Appalachian Power share the cost of replacing poles that can't support broadband infrastructure. In February, the FCC said APCO was charging Comcast too much for pole replacement. Now, Comcast says it's still being overcharged.Cardinal News reporter Tad Dickens is covering this story and he spoke with Fred Echols.

The court order Friday leaves in place a 4-3 ruling by the Virginia Supreme Court, striking down a constitutional amendment redrawing districts that voters narrowly approved in April.

The University of Virginia held the first of its graduation events today, with the keynote speaker – former president Jim Ryan — who was forced to resign under pressure from the Trump Administration and its allies on the Board of Visitors. Sandy Hausman listened-in and filed this report.

Governor Abigail Spanberger spoke at Virginia Tech’s graduation ceremonies Friday. Since 1990, it’s been a Virginia Tech tradition that the new, incoming governor is invited to speak at commencement.

The town of Blacksburg has spent the past few years building over 60 miles of biking trails, including a new section that opened this month.