Good day Blacksburg! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Third Thursday, West Coast Swing Social (Sep) and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: When geese fly, one side is longer than the other. do you know why that is ? 🤔 (Answer below!)
From our Partner
Today's Blacksburg Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Blacksburg Patch AM possible.
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1. Virginia Tech Football's Opponents for 2027 are on the Board, Let's See (gobblercountry.com) — Virginia Tech's 2027 football slate includes seven home games in Blacksburg, giving local fans plenty to look forward to and promising a boost for nearby businesses. Key confirmed dates include home openers against The Citadel and Liberty, plus marquee Lane Stadium matchups with Clemson, Miami, NC State, and more.
2. Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards nearly $80,000 to Virginia schools, non-profits (wavy.com) — Blacksburg Middle School has been awarded a $4,000 youth literacy grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, part of nearly $80,000 going to Virginia programs. The funding can support books, technology, or materials that strengthen reading opportunities for local K–12 students and complements similar awards to schools and nonprofits across the state.
3. Robots handling inventory at local grocery stores (montcova.com) — Shoppers at Kroger in Blacksburg and Christiansburg will now see tall, pillar-shaped robots quietly roaming the aisles, scanning shelves for missing items and price errors. These AI-powered helpers don't handle products but free up staff for customer service while politely yielding to people and humming to announce their presence.
4. NASA Tests an AI Robotic Fleet That Could Transform How Humans Explore the Solar System (undercodenews.com) — NASA recently brought a trio of experimental robots to Blacksburg's Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to test how an AI-guided fleet could make its own scientific decisions. The project, called ASTRA, explores whether drones and rovers can weigh risk, value, and mission goals on their own—potentially shaping how future missions explore Mars and the outer planets.
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Ok Blacksburg! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: because there are more geese on that side (Thank you jo L. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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