What's News Today: January 26, 2017

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(WSLS 10) - Salem City Council and the School Board will hold a joint meeting today. They will hold a reception to honor the football team after winning the state title in December. The reception takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Salem High School.

Governor Terry McAuliffe will travel to Danville today. He will talk about Danville Community College's cybersecurity program. The news conference begins at 1 p.m.

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A workshop takes place today in the Roanoke Valley for small businesses. "Selling to the Commonwealth" shows how businesses can get connected to the $8 billion government marketplace by learning how to access reports to identify agency targets and register for small, women-owned and minority owned business certification.

The Town of Appomattox will present its plan to revitalize the town's Central Business District. A grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development funded the planning process which included a survey from the public and businesses. At a community meeting tonight, leaders will talk about how the town can enhance economic activity, and proposed enhancements to public space and streetscape.

Communities across the Commonwealth have spent the night counting the homeless population. The Point in Time count is required by communities receiving money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Today, a community resource fail takes place in Lynchburg for those facing homelessness or housing insecurity. Nearly two dozen service agencies will be at the City Armory this afternoon offering their services, including health screenings, haircuts and ID services from DMV Connect. Governor McAuliffe will appear at this event and speak about homelessness and veterans.

Drive Smart Virginia holds its annual Advocacy Day at the General Assembly. They will join lawmakers, advocating for stricter distracted driving laws. One bill will make it illegal for drivers to hold a phone while driving. Another bans the use of social media and apps. Current law bans texting and sending emails while behind the wheel.

A dedication ceremony takes place today for VMI's new indoor training facility. The $80 million, 205,000 square foot facility offer state of the art equipment, like an indoor climbing wall, curved hydraulic Olympic track and ropes course. The new facility is part of VMI's Vision 2039 improvement plan.

Angels of Assisi holds a foster and adoption information meeting today. The rescue group is looking for homes for dozens of dog it picked up from a rural community in West Virginia. The dogs will still need to come back in for veterinary care, but are making progress. The meeting begins tonight at 7 p.m. at Angels.

The Roanoke County School Board meets tonight to consider the school calendar for the next two years. After surveying the community, people were in favor of an earlier start date, ending the first semester before Winter Break, but wanted more notice before a change takes place. The recommendation to the board is to start school this fall on August 23rd and switch to an earlier start date of August 13th the next school year.