News Maker Todd Jones and Joe Petty on Warren County Tourism

Scott Bradley speaks with News Maker Todd Jones and Joe Petty discuss the various happenings in Warren County Tourism.

Joe describes the benefits of the new tourism department established by the County.

They also discuss the increase of tourism in the area during this time of year.

To listen to the News Maker with Todd and Joe, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

GIANT announces $150,000 donation to BRAFB

Martins and The GIANT Company announced they will volunteer and donate $150,000 to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s Partner Impact & Innovation Grants program.

The program supports agency partners with equipment and supplies to ensure safe food distribution.

This includes purchasing energy efficient, large capacity coolers and freezers, shelving carts, generators, and supporting mobile food distribution.

This donation is part of GIANT Company’s 100th anniversary celebration which honors team members, customers, and the communities they serve.

GIANT has donated more than $500,000 and 2.3 million pounds of food to support Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s food security initiatives since 2021.

Michael McKee, CEO of the Food Bank said, “Together, we set a place at the table for everyone, every day, so more guests throughout our service area have access to the food they need. This investment will help the entire community as rising costs create more demand for hunger relief services.”

You can help fight food insecurity during The River 95.3’s 15th Camping For Hunger which begins November 13th.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Virginia sales tax holiday begins Friday

Governor Glenn Youngkin is reminding Virginians that this weekend is a sales tax holiday.

Beginning at 12:01 am on Friday, October 20th through 11:59 pm on Sunday, October 22nd.

During this time, residents can purchase items in stores, online, by mail order, and by phone without sales tax.

Some of the items that are eligible for the tax holiday include:

  • Qualified school supplies, clothing and footwear
  • Energy Star and WaterSense products purchased for personal use
  • Hurricane and emergency preparedness products like generators, chainsaws, and other emergency items will also be eligible

Governor Youngkin said, “As Virginians continue to face inflation and high prices, Virginians will receive some needed tax relief this weekend. This sales tax holiday is an important measure to help Virginians keep more of their hard earned-money when purchasing essential school supplies, hurricane preparedness items, and clothing.”

A link to the full lists of qualified items and more details on the tax holiday are available here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Front Royal issues Trick or Treating safety reminders

The Town of Front Royal issued a notice regarding the observation of Halloween Trick or Treating.

The Town will observe Trick or Treating on Halloween, Tuesday October 31st beginning at 6:30 pm and ending at 9 pm.

Parents are encouraged to accompany their children during the festivities and to increase visibility by carrying flashlights or wearing reflective clothing.

Trick or Treaters should only approach houses with their porch lights on and be off the streets by 9 pm.

Motorists are advised to use caution and visibility may be limited due to early forecasts calling for precipitation.

The notice also points out that the Spooky Saturday celebration planned for October 28th is a separate event and does not replace Halloween.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

REC receives $38 million grant for infrastructure improvements

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative announced yesterday that they will receive a $38 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The grant was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and was part of 58 projects announced across 44 states totaling $3.8 billion.

Member-owners of the co-op will see energy savings, improved reliability, and increased value as a result.

Some of the improvements made over the next five years of this project will include:

  • Advanced metering infrastructure which will help members increase their home or businesses energy efficiency
  • Energy audits to help building owners identify opportunities to conserve energy and save money
  • The continued buildout of REC’s fiber network
  • Upgrades to improve resilience of the electric grid to restore power more quickly following an outage

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.