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Roanoke County seeks proposals to expand broadband access

ROANOKE, Va. — Officials in Roanoke County, Virginia, are seeking proposals to expand broadband access to unserved residents and businesses.

The Roanoke Times reported Sunday that about 20% of the county does not have broadband access.

Internet providers have until July 16 to present their proposals to expand access to five areas that combined have more than 350 addresses in need of service.

Information Technology Director Bill Hunter says the issue is now a top priority for the county’s board of supervisors.

Providers can present proposals for an entire area or parts of it. Last year, local officials assessed the county’s internet needs by surveying residents.

School bus emergency? Fairfax County students have a plan to handle it

This story is part of WTOP’s 2026 Back to School coverage. The wheels on the bus will soon be going round and round again in Fairfax County, Virginia, and some of its young riders are learning what to do if there’s an emergency on the way to school. The annual Safety Patrol Training Camp, hosted by Fairfax County Public Schools' Office of Transportation Services, combined hands-on exercises with classroom lessons to teach students how to keep calm during emergencies on buses. The training can feel remarkably realistic, with overturned school buses on their side or completely upside down in the middle of the county bus depot. Other buses, right side up, fill with smoke that is water-based but mimics the intensity of a bus overheating.
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