Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Roanoke College, Virginia Western launch joint biotech program
A collaboration between Roanoke College and Virginia Western Community College aims to contribute to Southwest Virginia’s biotechnology workforce.
The colleges announced last week that they are launching a four-year biotech degree program. It begins this fall and will give students advanced skills and lab experience, according to a Roanoke College news release.
Their partnership is a response to growth in the region’s biomedical research sector, which includes two Roanoke-based facilities: the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion and about 30,000 square feet of incubator lab space under construction in a former Carilion Clinic building.
[Disclosure: Carilion is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
“Biotechnology is one of the most promising and transformative fields of the 21st century — advancing discovery, improving lives, and driving economic growth,” Roanoke College President Frank Shushok Jr. said in the news release.
Virginia Western students in the program will get a transfer path to Roanoke College, and Roanoke students will take classes at the community college.
The collaboration comes two years after Virginia Western created an associate degree program in biotech.
The new program will offer intensive lab courses along with a comprehensive understanding of biotechnology as a field, and opportunities for internships and research. Roanoke will begin accepting students into the bachelor’s degree program this fall. Roanoke College professor Len Pysh is the contact for interested students.
“By combining hands-on laboratory training with Roanoke College’s bachelor-level coursework, our biotechnology students will graduate well-prepared, whether they choose to join the region’s growing biotech workforce or pursue advanced studies with confidence in their strong academic foundation,” Virginia Western President Laura Treanor said in the release.
— Tad Dickens
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Amtrak ridership in Virginia is up; Roanoke route grows fastest
Amtrak’s Virginia routes set ridership records for the fiscal year that ended in June, with the route to Roanoke growing ridership faster than any other route, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
In the fiscal year that ended in June, 1,451,276 passengers traveled on Amtrak Virginia. This was an increase of 4.8% compared to the previous fiscal year and was the highest ridership recorded since the state-supported service launched in 2009, the authority said. Increases were seen on all four corridors, with Roanoke leading the way with an increase of 6.9%. The Norfolk corridor carried the most passengers, with 542,743 people traveling in fiscal year 2025. The Roanoke route had 338,125 passengers.
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Giles County sets river cleanup for Sept. 6
Gile County’s annual end-of-summer river cleanup of the New River is scheduled for Sept. 6. Volunteers and participants will gather by 8:30 a.m. at Whitt-Riverbend Park just outside Pearisburg.
The morning of the event, after participants are registered and groups are formed with captains, buses will leave for the cleanup sites on the river where participants will be provided with canoes, trash bags and gloves. Volunteers can bring their own water vessels (kayaks, canoes or rafts) but must indicate that on their registration. There will be an on-land option as well. Boaters will begin their floats with their captains after the safety meeting.
Participants should wear sunblock and river shoes and be ready to work and get wet. Lunch and a t-shirt will be provided to all volunteers by Giles County around noon.
For more information, visit the ReNew the New website at http://www.renewthenew.org/.
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Youngkin announces state board appointments
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has announced a round of appointments to state boards and commissions, including these residents of Southwest and Southside:
Opioid Abatement Authority: Ingrid Wallace Barber of Clifton Forge, executive director, Alleghany Highlands Community Services.
Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission: Zachary Agee of Salem, attorney, Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black PLC; Sandra Frederick of Abingdon, associate professor of education, Emory & Henry University, and member, Washington County School Board, Madison District.
Board of Psychology: Timothy Barclay of Bedford, licensed clinical psychologist, Advanced Psychotherapeutics and Center for Neuroplastic Research, and professor of clinical psychology, Liberty University
Employment Service Organization Steering Committee: David Gusler of Danville, director of community services, The Arc of Southside.
Criminal Justice Services Board: Adam Blevins of Marion, operations director, Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program; Chip Shuler of Smyth County, sheriff, Smyth County Sheriff’s Office.
Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Program Professional Standards Committee: Kelly McCoy of Radford, executive director, Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley Inc.
