Hello Blacksburg! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Friday Evening at Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: Why did the cookie go to the hospital? 🤔 (Answer below!)
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1. Blacksburg Flood Resilience Plan Survey (nrvnews.com) — Blacksburg is creating a Flood Resilience Plan and wants residents' firsthand reports of flooding at homes, businesses, and along travel routes to guide future projects. You can complete an online survey and mark trouble spots on a flood map through November 6, then hear results and share more feedback at a public meeting October 29 at the Blacksburg Community Center.
2. Virginia Gas Prices: Cheapest and most expensive places to fill up - Oct. 8, 2026 (wsls.com) — Drivers in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are paying about $4.13 per gallon for regular gas today, slightly below the statewide average of $4.21. AAA data show diesel and premium are even higher, so checking prices before you fill up could save a few dollars as regional fuel costs continue to climb.
3. Oxendine, Billy Anson (nrvnews.com) — Blacksburg readers are remembering Billy "Bill" Anson Oxendine, a Lumbee tribal member who settled with his wife Annie at her homeplace in town and raised a large, close-knit family. Known for his love of the mountain, horses, dogs, and bluegrass, he leaves behind children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who will honor him at a private memorial on the mountain.
4. Lifeboat Foundation Bios: Professor Feras A. Batarseh (lifeboat.com) — Virginia Tech researcher Feras Batarseh leads an AI and cyberbiosecurity lab that recently opened a first-of-its-kind automated water-security facility on the Blacksburg campus. His work links Virginia Tech to global projects protecting water and agriculture from cyber threats, while also drawing major grants, publications, and international visiting appointments that raise the university's profile.
5. 9th District candidates tour New River Valley farms amid drought, hay shortage, rising diesel costs (wsls.com) — From Blacksburg, both 9th District congressional candidates are spotlighting how drought, hay shortages, and high diesel prices are straining New River Valley farms. Incumbent Morgan Griffith and challenger Joy Powers each toured local operations and backed the governor's emergency declaration, saying smaller farms especially need relief as they scramble to secure enough feed for winter.
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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: "Why did the cookie go to the hospital?" — Because he felt crummy. (Thank you Sanda J. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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