Will Thomas
Multimedia Journalist
Roanoke, Virginia
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Following his graduation from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2018, Will Thomas began his reporting career at Wyoming News Now. After two years of covering Casper and Cheyenne, he joined the WDBJ7 newsroom in August 2021.
Education
Awards
Updated: 4 hours ago
|By Will Thomas
On Monday night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration in Richmond.
Updated: 4 hours ago
|By Will Thomas
On Monday, Atlantic Power Constructors made a pit stop in Roanoke on their way to Georgia to help with the hurricane’s aftermath.
Updated: 4 hours ago
|By Will Thomas
On Tuesday, Amber Benson and Ruby Voss were recognized for their work by the Association for Middle Level Education. They received the National Educator of the Year Award.
Updated: Sep. 23, 2022 at 9:53 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Many of us get out to enjoy what River’s Edge Park has to offer, but have you ever wondered how the fresh paint jobs on each field got there?
Updated: Sep. 23, 2022 at 9:31 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The fourth annual Roanoke Roots and Reggae Festival returns to Wasena Park on Saturday
Updated: Sep. 22, 2022 at 10:48 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
No matter who they were rooting for, the fans were just happy that this rivalry continued.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2022 at 12:16 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
On September 21, 1893, Thomas Smith was lynched by a mob on the corner of Franklin Road and Mountain Avenue.
Updated: Sep. 21, 2022 at 11:47 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
William Fleming and Patrick Henry High School’s were on lockdown Wednesday after threats were made to the safety of students and staff.
Updated: Sep. 20, 2022 at 11:20 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
It all started when Tyler Thomas and Elliot Orwick met three years ago, both having long experiences in the butcher industry, and the same dream of wanting to open their own space.
Updated: Sep. 20, 2022 at 10:38 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The Montgomery County School Board voted 6-1 in favor of naming Dr. Bernard Bragen as MCPS's new superintendent Tuesday night.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2022 at 11:37 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
A disturbing phone call from an out of state number to the Lynchburg Police Department about a machine gun inside E.C. Glass High School led to a three hour lockdown as LPD investigated.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2022 at 11:23 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Bart Roy is an Army veteran who has continued his tradition for the third year in a row of participating in the Great Cycle Challenge.
Updated: Sep. 16, 2022 at 11:27 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The Lynchburg Hillcats won 3-0 to head to the championship, just two hours later, fans filled City Stadium for the annual Jug Bowl.
Updated: Sep. 15, 2022 at 11:21 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Narrows residents, leaders, students and parents gathered Thursday night to ask the Giles County School Board for information about a potential project that they’ve heard would close Narrows High School.
Updated: Sep. 15, 2022 at 12:13 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Wednesday night, the Lynchburg Planning Commission unanimously voted to move the project forward.
Updated: Sep. 14, 2022 at 11:47 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Mark Courtright came to Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism in 1995. 27-years later, he's had a hand in many of the projects residents see today.
Updated: Sep. 13, 2022 at 10:37 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
All year, The Salvation Army has been highlighting community challenges through its Love Beyond campaign.
Updated: Sep. 13, 2022 at 10:24 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Salem and Hidden Valley High School volleyball players dedicated Tuesday's game to a bigger message.
Updated: Sep. 13, 2022 at 1:14 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
A. Duie Pyle's newest supply chain and logistics service center opened in Roanoke in April.
Updated: Sep. 13, 2022 at 12:42 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Montgomery County’s merchants’ capital tax is nothing new, it’s a tax on inventory that businesses are required to pay each year.
Updated: Sep. 9, 2022 at 11:27 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
In 2007, Virginia Governor at the time, Tim Kaine, and First Lady Anne Holton, welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Virginia for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown.
Updated: Sep. 9, 2022 at 10:54 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The death of Queen Elizabeth II sent shockwaves around the world and also in southwest Virginia.
Updated: Sep. 9, 2022 at 12:09 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The Roanoke Equal Justice Initiative Community Remembrance Projects Coalition hosted the discussion.
Updated: Sep. 8, 2022 at 10:41 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
This Sunday marks 21 years since 9/11, a day our country will never forget.
Updated: Sep. 7, 2022 at 10:28 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Whether it was the history, driving on the track, or one of the Martinsville dogs, the crowds came out to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Martinsville Speedway.
Updated: Sep. 7, 2022 at 10:03 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The focus is promoting community partnerships to work together to help those who are food insecure.
Updated: Sep. 7, 2022 at 12:10 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
For the fifth year, the City of Roanoke will be celebrating Welcoming Week. For the 2nd year in a row, it will kick off with the Roanoke Run for Refugees 5K.
Updated: Sep. 6, 2022 at 11:50 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The petition will now head to a second public hearing at the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors meeting on Sept. 28.
Updated: Sep. 2, 2022 at 10:05 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Virginia Tech’s first game of the season wasn’t going to stop fans from getting out to enjoy the start of the Brent Pry era locally.
Updated: Sep. 2, 2022 at 9:50 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
For three years the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia has worked to convict the more than two dozen members of what they call the largest supplier of narcotics in central Virginia.
Updated: Sep. 2, 2022 at 12:22 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
14 recruits graduated from the academy and will now serve in Franklin, Henry and Patrick Counties.
Updated: Sep. 1, 2022 at 11:58 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive directive, which he hopes will help address the future of education in Virginia
Updated: Aug. 30, 2022 at 10:02 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Janet Mitchell, Leland's wife, will fill the Snow Creek District seat until the Nov. 8 election.
Updated: Aug. 30, 2022 at 9:35 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and Montgomery County School Board met for an almost four-hour meeting to discuss topics from safety to the new superintendent search.
Updated: Aug. 30, 2022 at 1:06 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors and Montgomery County School Board held a joint meeting Monday night
Updated: Aug. 26, 2022 at 10:31 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
During the pandemic, SNAP benefits were increased. But the future of the increased benefits continues to be unclear as the program is on a month to month renewal process.
Updated: Aug. 26, 2022 at 10:11 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
On Friday night, Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy unveiled its new football field, while also honoring Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
Updated: Aug. 25, 2022 at 11:01 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Congressman Ben Cline was happy to be able to shine a spotlight into the partnerships that make all this work possible.
Updated: Aug. 25, 2022 at 10:35 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The Roanoke County School Board was presented with the 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey at its meeting Thursday night.
Updated: Aug. 24, 2022 at 10:31 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine got out to talk clean energy and the inflation reduction act.
Updated: Aug. 23, 2022 at 10:02 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue’s swift water rescue team was one of many from southwest Virginia that responded following the devastating flooding in Buchanan County in July.
Updated: Aug. 23, 2022 at 9:30 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The department shifted its focus following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Updated: Aug. 22, 2022 at 9:16 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Botetourt County Public Schools is into its third week of the new school year. But a concern they’ve recently had is on the roads.
Updated: Aug. 19, 2022 at 8:47 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Botetourt County Public Schools wrapped up its first full week of school on Friday. School leaders are excited for what the 2022-2023 year has in store.
Updated: Aug. 19, 2022 at 8:27 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Botetourt Fire and EMS was one of the agencies that assisted in the I-81 tanker crash on August 12.
Updated: Aug. 19, 2022 at 12:56 AM EDT
|By Will Thomas
The VDOE hosted a press conference Thursday diving deeper into the numbers. Leaders made it clear that though performance has slightly increased, there is a lot of room for improvement in rebounding from the pandemic.
Updated: Aug. 17, 2022 at 9:57 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Buena Vista resident, Daryl Green, had an unexpected visitor in his yard Wednesday morning.
Updated: Aug. 17, 2022 at 9:39 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Roanoke City Public Schools held a virtual town hall Tuesday night to hear from parents. Most of the early discussion at the meeting involved school safety.
Updated: Aug. 16, 2022 at 9:54 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
Each year, VDOT works to recruit contractors to help in snow removal efforts.
Updated: Aug. 15, 2022 at 9:08 PM EDT
|By Will Thomas
In June, the Roanoke County School Board approved appropriating $180,000 to bring in six new school resource officers.
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