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What’s News Today: return to class plans, real estate values

Here’s a look at some of the stories we’ll be following today as they make headlines across the country and Southwest Virginia.

What's News Today (WSLS 10)

The Franklin County Broadband Authority will meet in closed session today. It will discuss the Snow Creek Tower. Upon returning to open session, it could approve a lease assignment.

The Montgomery County School Board will meet tonight to talk about returning students to the classroom. The superintendent allowing all students to return to in-person learning, four days a week starting March 8th. The results of a questionnaire, issued to parents about their thought on the plan, will be presented. The plan was unveiled last week, but the school board decided it needed more time to decide.

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The Franklin County School Board will hold a budget workshop tonight. The meeting was rescheduled from last week due to weather.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will hold a hearing today about the SolarWinds hack. The hack targeted several federal agencies, including Treasury, Commerce and Justice Departments. Government officials suspect Russian hackers carried out the attack. Virginia Senator Mark Warner is chair of the committee.

The Henry County Board of Supervisors and School Board will hold a joint meeting today to discuss the budget for schools for the next fiscal year. The two board will also discuss refinancing $1.1 million in school debt to reduce future costs.

The Roanoke City School Board will hold a budget workshop today. The current proposed budget is $190 million, with much of the $9 million increase coming from state sources. The board will also get an update on school re-opening plans. Earlier this month, Governor Northam governor announced that schools need to have in-person options in place by March 15th.

Lynchburg City Council will get an update on proposed real estate values, based on the latest assessments. Residential values are proposed to increase 9.3 percent, with commercial values increasing 2.19 percent and industrial 7.2 percent. The increase in value could bring nearly $5 million more in taxes to the city.

The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors could pass a resolution, encouraging the school system to provide in-person learning options by March 15th. The board sites Governor Northam’s announcement earlier this month and learning loss over the past year. The resolution encourages students in grades K-12 be given the option to attend in-person at least four days a week.

Martinsville City Council will discuss redevelopment of the former BB & T on Ellsworth Street. The property would be used for both commercial and residential. Some city offices could relocate to the first floor of the facility. At the July city council meeting, the developer said construction is expected to take around a year to complete.