Roxy Todd

In April 1977, a part of Appalachia that’s about the size of Connecticut was flooded. Congress authorized a major rebuilding project and the town of Grundy in Buchanan County was moved.

Scientists estimate we recycle only nine percent of the plastic that’s produced around the world. A chemistry professor at Virginia Tech has discovered a way to use waste plastic to produce an ingredient that could be used to make soap.

In Bluefield, West Virginia, a bar called the Shamrock was once a beacon of safety and community for many gay people in the coalfields. The bar closed in 2001, and last year the building where it stood was torn down. But stories about the Shamrock, and the woman who owned it, are being preserved in a museum.

Republicans have signaled opposition to the new safety rules in the past and now the party has control of Congress and, soon, the White House.

The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine provides free pet exams for dogs, and spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats at no cost to the owner.

A Biden administration rule lowered the amount of toxic dust workers in mines and quarries can be exposed to, but a lawsuit and new Congress could upend it.

A person’s access to resources like housing, food, employment, and childcare, can have more impact on a person’s health than genetic factors, according to the centers for disease control and prevention. Community health workers help connect people with more resources, and some legislators are looking at whether these workers could bill to Medicaid.

Virginia Tech's Rodney Brown Jr., right, handles the ball as Duke's Tyrese Proctor (5) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

Roads, bridges and dams are designed to keep people safe, and they’re often put to the test during disasters. A Virginia Tech researcher has been looking into how war and political unrest affects infrastructure around the globe.

Vice President JD Vance visited Damascus in 2024 during the campaign. He visited areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, along with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.