Rubybor kale with its outstanding flavor and beauty is a 2026 All-America Selections Gold Medal Winner in both the flower and vegetable category.
Rubybor kale with its outstanding flavor and beauty is a 2026 All-America Selections Gold Medal Winner in both the flower and vegetable category.
Winter dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain on the region over the weekend.
Though Floyd got covered by a wintry mess over the weekend, residents here missed the worst part of the monster storm that dumped snow and ice from Texas to New York.
Floyd also largely missed out on power outages that freezing rain brought to many areas in Southwest Virginia. More than 1 million people nationwide lost power in the storm. According to Appalachian Power, upward of 45,000 customers in its 57-county service area were left in the dark. By Monday morning, there were no customers without power in the county, according to ApCo.
Schools and government offices were closed on Monday and Tuesday, with the Floyd County Board of Supervisors re-scheduling its Jan. 27 meeting for Thursday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m.
Floyd County Circuit Court was closed on Monday and opened at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The Combined Court opened Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
The snow, sleet and freezing rain also kept VDOT and State Police busy. Across the commonwealth, the Virginia Police reported 440 crashes as of Monday morning. Western Virginia reported 55 crash, five of them with injuries. There was also one weather-related fatal crash in Pittsylvania County.
On the good side, the storm brought about the end of the Floyd County burn ban, with the director of emergency management announces Monday that it had been lifted.
Ice clings to trees near Rural Retreat.
Ice clings to trees near Rural Retreat.
Supervisors voted to re-add the second half of Hope Road to the county’s six-year road plan, ensuring completion of previously paused work.
County officials discussed several needs on roadways, especially gravel roads, that had delayed grading and repair responses.
The public works department prioritizes urgent needs, officials said.
The board revisited the prioritization of road safety projects, including requests for guardrails, speed reductions, and intersection improvements at various locations such as Ridge View Road, Franklin Pike, Shooting Creek Road, and Allen Ridge Road. Officials emphasized the need for rumble strips, signage for blind curves and ditching work.
The Sheriff’s Office recently received a $165,000 grant to fund a download system that accelerates data recovery from mobile devices. The Celebrite forensic tool is used for investigations into child pornography and drug offense. The grant cover the $15,000 licensing fee for Celebrite for the next five years. The funding will also be used for advanced equipment for detecting trace evidence such as fingerprints and bodily fluids.
The School Board on Jan. 12 recognized several outstanding student athletes, celebrating the hard work and successes from the fall season.
The girls cross country team was honored for being back-to-back state champions.
The board also recognized Reagan Lynch for finishing third in the state cross country meet. Annika Beegle was honored for her fifth-place finish, and Natalie Dalton was recognized for her 10th-place finish.
Trace Lewis was recognized for a 14th-place finish in the boys cross country race, and Isaiah Cantrell was honored for being named to the All-State golf team.
In other news, School Board leadership remained unchanged with Little River representative James Ingram as chair and Burks Fork representative Laura Leroy service as vice chair.
The board approved its high school course guide, including proposed veterinary science and livestock production pathways. Changes in state nurse aid pathways now allow adding a patient care technician course, enabling students to earn additional certifications prior to graduation.
Enrollment was reported at 1,609, a slight increase from previous months.
A draft budget for the school system is expected by Feb. 9. The governor’s budget included a 2 percent salary raise and a 2 percent bonus for employees, effective in June.
The board is developing a capitol improvement plan to prioritize needs, particularly repairs and repaving.
