Good morning, Roanoke.

Floyd County high school students are building a new home for a local family as part of their building class, with work starting in August and continuing through October under a state grant for affordable housing.

It is the first student-involved rebuild among eight planned projects (county officials say).

Wood Haven Technology Park (off I-81 and owned by Roanoke City, Roanoke County and Salem) is being evaluated as a data center site by Clearview Dynamics, which will complete due diligence by March 2027 while Spring Hollow Reservoir is set to fuel the data center.

Roanoke County Public Schools secured $350,000 in grants for security upgrades and academic expansion, with new surveillance systems planned for three schools & a summer learning program designed to meet tougher state standards, while officials propose surveys to monitor teen online gambling risks.

Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, a former literature professor, is on a lecture tour on literature and politics this week.

She spoke Tuesday at Wytheville Community College and will discuss Appalachian folklore today at Radford University (11 a.m.) and examine Kingsolver and Dickens at Roanoke College Thursday (4:30 p.m.)

Bedford Water will pay an $11,392.50 charge for exceeding zinc limits and other permit violations at its Moneta Treatment Plant from October 2025 to May 2026.

The utility upgraded equipment and trained staff (with no reported harm to Hunting Creek) and must pay the penalty within 30 days.

Salem held its first State of the City address Tuesday morning (at Salem Civic Center) where Mayor Renée Ferris Turk outlined recent wins and future regional priorities.

City leaders plan to hold the event annually to build unity across the region.

Senate held its first hearing on the menopause care gap, with experts noting that fewer than 1% of federal research funds support treatments for over one million women.

Health leaders call for better education and expanded access to therapies (which may improve quality of life).

Carilion Children’s Safe Kids will offer free car seat safety checks for Child Passenger Safety Week; one event takes place in Christiansburg on Thursday, Sept.

24 from 4 to 6 p.m. while another is scheduled in Roanoke on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.