Crews have been steadily working through power outages due to stormy weather that came through. Appalachian Power Staff told us that outages have occurred, but they haven’t affected a large number of customers and hope it stays that way through the evening.

A seventh-grade student at Covington Middle School has been accepted into the Appalachian STEM Academy in Tennessee, Appalachian Highlands Public Schools announced on Tuesday.

Virginia State Parks announced their 2026 Adventure Series will begin on Feb. 15.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has announced $11 million in funding for 32 projects aimed at helping individuals in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) enter or re-enter the workforce.

The winter storm sweeping through has left 34,322 Appalachian Power customers in our region without power, with numbers rising.

The iconic Mabry Mill could be lost forever.

Blue Ridge Holler raises $9,000 to aid storm recovery efforts

Music and the arts returns to Floyd this weekend.

High temperatures reach the 60s under a gloomy, misty sky through Wednesday

Vote for your favorite towns to win Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s Top Adventure Towns Contest here.

The State Corporation Commission is giving the public a chance to weigh in on a proposed Appalachian Power rate increase.

Your next Appalachian Power bill will likely be higher than it was this time last year or even last month. For the second time, the local utility company has introduced a second rate hike citing inflation as the reason.

The Floyd Country Store isn't the only venue at the heart of the Appalachian music scene.

Tree down in DanvilleROANOKE, Va. – Saturday’s winter weather continues to cause thousands to lose power. As of 10:15 p.m. Monday, Appalachian Power is reporting 9,011 customers without power in Virginia. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:2,895 customers in Halifax County1,541 customers in Charlotte County1,138 customers in Pittsylvania County665 customers in Campbell County420 customers in Appomattox CountyAs of 10:20 p.m. Monday, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative is reporting 5,388 customers without power in our region. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:2,751 members in Halifax County2,441 members in Pittsylvania County196 members in Charlotte CountyAs of 10:20 p.m. Monday, Southside Electric Cooperative is reporting ‬8,994 customers without power in our region. Here’s a county-by-county breakdown:3,405 members in Charlotte County3,039 members in Campbell County1,469 members in Bedford County866 members in Pittsylvania County215 members in Appomattox CountyAs of 10:24 p.m. Monday, Danville Utilities reports 1,556 customers are without power.

PULASKI, Va. – Calfee Park is debuting a new team name called the Pulaski River Turtles. The rebranding is all a part of the restructured Appalachian league. It includes wood-bat play and is no longer directly affiliated with major league baseball. During Friday’s virtual briefing, organizers also explained how the local community impacted their decision. Season tickets for the River Turtles are on sale now while individual tickets will go on sale in the spring.

State regulators have approved a service fee of $1.80 a month for most customers of Appalachian Power Co. in western Virginia. The Roanoke Times reported Wednesday that the fee will be used to protect lower-income customers from the increased costs of switching to renewable energy. Virginia’s Clean Economy Act requires Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy to use carbon-free sources by 2050. The program requires Appalachian and Dominion to cap the bills of their low-income customers. There are 500,000-some Appalachian customers in the western part of the state.

Appalachian Power outage map as of 6:10 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2020. With wintry weather conditions affect our region, there are some areas in Southwest Virginia that are experiencing power outages Wednesday. [Snow, ice to cause slippery roads, scattered power outages Wednesday]As of 4:28, more than 5,000 customers were without power. According to Appalachian Power, as of 5:58 p.m. here are the top five localities by outage number. County/City Customer Outages Henry County 1,732 Albemarle County 354 Patrick County 288 Grayson County 178 Floyd County 129The outages started at 12:05 p.m.

I need to either come in at the moment they open or just wait,” said Susan Shullman, a customer. USPS Appalachian District Communications Programs Specialist Tad Kelley said at this time, they are seeing about a 10 to 15 percent increase in mail volume compared to last year. “You have the regular holiday volumes, you have the impacts from the pandemic and now you have the potential for a storm.”To beat the storm, postal workers started delivering mail early Tuesday and will make extra deliveries this evening. Tuesday was the last day to send packages through ground shipping to assure it will arrive by Christmas Day. The next USPS shipping deadline is Dec. 18 for first-class mail to arrive in time for Christmas.

RICHMOND, Va. – A health system serving a swath of the central Appalachian mountains says it will halt non-emergency elective procedures due to surging cases of COVID-19 and capacity concerns at its Virginia and Tennessee hospitals. Ballad Health officials announced the change Wednesday at a news conference. It will take effect Monday and last for at least 30 days. Ballad CEO Alan Levine also announced that the system has one refrigerated morgue truck at a Tennessee hospital and has ordered a second one for a different hospital. Ballad has been pleading with community members for months to follow basic public health measures to stop the spread of the virus.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – UPDATEPower has been restored Sunday afternoon, according to Appalachian Power. ORIGINAL STORYDue to a power outage, more than 1,400 Appalachian Power customers are impacted in Lynchburg Sunday afternoon. As of 1:44 p.m., Appalachian Power reports that 1,420 customers are without power. The Lynchburg Department of Emergency Services tweeted about a power outage in the Forest Ave and Graves Mill Rd. Any traffic intersections treat as a 4 way stop.

BEDFORD, Va. - Hikers called the Bedford County fire responders after they saw a fire on the mountain near the Appalachian trail. Officials with the U.S. Forest Service are calling it the Cliff Fire' because of the steep terrain. Many people couldn't help, but to stop and look as they saw thick smoke fill the sky in Bedford County Friday. "This is actually early in what we consider the fall wildfire season in Virginia," Peter Irvine, information officer with U.S. Forest Service, said. Given the hot and dry weather we've been having, fighting the fire has not been easy for U.S. Forest Service crews.