On this Wednesday edition of the WFIR News Express:

• 🗳 Beth Macy makes it official, launching her campaign for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District with a pledge to represent working families.

• 🏈 James Franklin introduced at Virginia Tech, offering new insight into the coaching search and his move to Blacksburg.

• 🏛 Roanoke City Schools funding shift proposed, with draft formulas that could reduce the city’s contribution in future budgets.

• 📉 Economists eye unexpected signals—from cardboard boxes to Hamburger Helper—as indicators of consumer confidence.

• 🦒 Two missing baby giraffes spark national attention, with PETA and Alicia Silverstone offering a $50,000 reward.

• 🏥 Substance-use treatment proposal at Valley View rejected, as council weighs concerns about location and patient wellbeing.

• 🎓 Radford University scholarships under federal review, following a Title VI complaint.

• 🌿 Local businesses push back against new hemp restrictions, warning the ban could hurt patients, veterans, and families.

• 🚌 Valley Metro turns 50, celebrating decades of service and honoring long-term employees.

• 🗳 Blacksburg mayoral candidate seeks recount, with the race decided by just 18 votes.

🎧 WFIR News Express — Fast, local, and focused on what matters across the Roanoke Valley.