🌱 Lady Hokies Reach Final Four + Virginia Tech's Welcoming Weekend

Hey, everybody! It's me, Michelle Paul, your host of the Blacksburg Patch newsletter — here to tell you all the most important things happening in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Partly to mostly sunny. High: 57 Low: 34.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: 61 Low: 42.

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Here are the top three stories today in Blacksburg:

1. The Lady Hokies defeated the Buckeyes for their first Final Four appearance in program history. Elizabeth Kitley scored 25 points and snagged 12 rebounds, while Georgia Amoore added another 24, including some big shots down the stretch ahead of the 84-74 victory. The Virginia Tech woman's team is one game away from a National Championship appearance, the best season in program history. The Hokies (30-4) will be facing LSU in the national semi-finals on Friday in Dallas. (WSET)
2. The trial of Andrew Byrd, who is accused of killing a 2-year-old child, began on Monday. Byrd, a resident of nearby Radford, faces charges of aggravated and first-degree murder in the case surrounding the death of Harper Mitchell. New jurors have been selected, removing the ones who know Byrd or his family. (WSLS 10)
3. This coming weekend, Virginia Tech's annual Hokie Focus and Gateway will welcome more than 6,000 visitors. The program is exclusively offered to first-year students offered admission to the university, and will guide prospective students and their families if VT is the place for them. The events don't stop there — after this weekend is two weeks of High School Spring Break, for high school juniors and younger to learn more about the university. (Virginia Tech Daily)

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Today and tomorrow in Blacksburg:

Wednesday, March 29

• Clothesline Project Workshops - Women’s Center at Virginia Tech (10:00 AM)
• Art Exhibit: The Underwater Wonders Of Toms Creek - Perspective Gallery Squires (1:00 PM)

Thursday, March 30

• Tabali Tasting With Terrence Shiple - Blacksburg Wine Lab (6:30 PM)
• Take Back The Night Rally and March - Henderson Lawn Outdoor Stage (8:00 PM)
• Rissi Palmer - Cube (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Frances Keene has been officially named the Vice President for Student Affairs after holding an interim position since July 2022. Keene has been committed to the role for almost a year now and will continue to support students and their success moving forward. (Virginia Tech via Facebook)
• Over the past weekend, a few new members of the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad completed the two-day Technical Rescue Technical Qualified training. The training is a requirement for any member to run rescue calls or get cleared for technical disciplines. (Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad via Facebook)
• Stick around Blacksburg this summer and start training to work with Blacksburg Transit, for $17.52 an hour and a $2,000 hiring bonus. Even if you are not interested in driving a bus, there are plenty of other options you can consider. (Blacksburg Transit via Facebook)

Alrighty, you're all good for today. See you all soon for another update!

— Michelle Paul

About me: Michelle Paul is a Utah-based writer and photographer with a professional background in content management and registered nursing. When not working on projects ranging from photo editing to copywriting, they enjoy traveling, video games, and expanding their skills.