Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: How a small Blacksburg donation helps feed hundreds of local kids
Also check out Guest Event | Little Leapers: "The Nutcracker" on the Blacksburg Patch calendar
Greetings Blacksburg! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- How a small Blacksburg donation helps feed hundreds of local kids
- Which Blacksburg councilman was convicted, and what happens next?
- How saving a tiny millipede could protect Blacksburg’s drinking water
Also on today's calendar: Winter Solstice Celebration — Santosha Massage and 1 more event.
Find out what's happening in Blacksburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Today's riddle: What did one astronaut stranded on the moon say to another? 🤔 (Answer below!)
From our Partner
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Find out what's happening in Blacksburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Friday: Mostly sunny and windy, with a high of 48 and low of 23 degrees.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 51, low: 34.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny and breezy, with a high of 48 and low of 22 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. YMCA at Virginia Tech celebrates nearly $900 donation to support Meals on Main program (wsls.com) — A Blacksburg-based YMCA program that feeds local kids just received an $887.50 boost from the original University Club of VPI & SU. The Meals on Main initiative has already served more than 200,000 free, USDA-approved meals and snacks to youth in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and nearby areas, and residents are invited to support the effort through online or mailed donations. 
2. Headlines from across the state: Legislation to add emergency route connecting Wintergreen, Blue Ridge Parkway advances; more … (cardinalnews.org) — A statewide news roundup includes a brief but important note that a Blacksburg town council member has been found guilty of fraud, a development residents may want to follow through local coverage. The digest also links to other Virginia stories on legislation, environmental rules, and regional school and city decisions, but only the councilman item directly involves Blacksburg.
3. Lawsuit Seeks Protection for Critically Imperiled Virginia Millipede (biologicaldiversity.org) — Blacksburg residents are rallying behind a lawsuit pushing federal protection for the Ellett Valley millipede, arguing it would also safeguard the town’s water quality as development expands. The suit challenges the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s delay on Endangered Species Act review, while locals organize events and a petition to protect the rare cave-dwelling species threatened by growth and the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
4. ‘Elite cohort' of biz school scholars and editors scratch each others' backs, study finds (retractionwatch.com) — A Virginia Tech researcher based in Blacksburg coauthored a study suggesting that an elite group of business scholars and journal editors frequently publish each other’s work, raising conflict-of-interest concerns. The analysis of top business journals found dense editor-author ties, mostly among North American men, and has prompted calls for stronger transparency and ethics in academic publishing.
5. Genetic teamwork may be the secret to climate-resilient plants, researchers find (psu.edu) — Some of the latest climate-resilience plant research is happening partly in Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech scientists helped grow hundreds of hybrid poplar trees for a Penn State-led genetics study. The work suggests that how nuclear and chloroplast genomes “team up” can affect tree health in warmer environments like Virginia, potentially guiding future breeding of hardier plants.
📸 Around Blacksburg
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Blacksburg
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Guest Event | Little Leapers: "The Nutcracker"
Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg
6:00 pm
Saturday December 20
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Winter Solstice Celebration — Santosha Massage
Santosha Massage , 100 Ardmore St Suite 101 , Blacksburg
10:00 am - Pop-Up Workshop with Lane, TANGO in your WCS! — Dance With Lane
Open Space Studios , 1711 N Main St , Blacksburg
2:00 pm - Blacksburg Farmers Market
Blacksburg Farmers Market & Market Square Park , 108 W Roanoke St , Blacksburg
9:00 am
Sunday December 21
Saturday December 27
📣 Blacksburg Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
- MC 2025 December Eggs & Issues: Legislative Update
Warm Hearth Village , 2387 Warm Hearth Dr. , Blacksburg
8:30 am - Date Night Wheel Class – Please READ ENTIRE Description
Paint 'n Fun Ceramics , 782 New River Rd NW , Christiansburg
5:00 pm - AAU Tournament-Track and Courts closed
Town of Christiansburg Calendar Christiansburg, VA 24073 - Elon Phoenix at Virginia Tech Hokies Basketball
Cassell Coliseum , 675 Washington St SW , Blacksburg
1:00 pm - VMI Keydets at Radford Highlanders Mens Basketball
Donald N. Dedmon Center , 101 University Dr , Radford
2:30 pm - 9:30 AM Monday Inner Radiance Yoga
644 W Main St , Radford
2:30 pm - Family Paint Night – Heaven and Nature Sing
Paint 'n Fun Ceramics , 782 New River Rd NW , Christiansburg
6:00 pm - CANCELLED: Street Committee Meeting
Town of Christiansburg Calendar , Town Hall 100 E. Main St. , Christiansburg
6:00 pm
Friday December 19
Saturday December 20
Sunday December 21
Monday December 22
Tuesday December 23
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- My Siberian Husky is loose.
Her name is Nova and my phone number is on her collar. Please help me get her. 540-581-4247 She is my emotional support dog. Please help me (Nextdoor Huckleberry - Merrimac)
- Virginia Tech University posted a job opening for 2nd Shift Custodial Services Worker in Blacksburg. Apply here.
- Virginia Tech posted a job opening for Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean of CALS Global in Blacksburg. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Blacksburg here.
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: I don’t think you know the gravity of this situation.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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