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Starting in two weeks, drivers heading down parts of Millbank Road ((Route 639) can expect some delays. VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) will be handling a culvert replacement, shutting down portions of Route 639 from 658 to Route 660 while that takes place.

That portion of road will be shut down on Monday, April 7 and should reopen on June 13. In the meantime, there will be a detour set up. 

Drivers can head down Route 658 (Five Forks Road) to Route 659 (Buffalo Church Road), then take Route 664 (Singleton Road) to Route 665 (Darlington Heights Road) to Route 660 (Heights School Road) and follow that back to Route 639, to avoid the closed portions. 

Farmville Parks & Rec start sign-ups

Sign-ups have started for the Town of Farmville’s Co-Ed Adult Softball League. Registration is running through April 25, with league play starting on May 5. You can register as an individual player, to be placed on a team or with a group of friends as a full team. The season runs from May 5 through June 25 with games on Monday and Wednesday nights at the Fireman’s Sports Field. That’s located at 1328 Zion Hill Road in Farmville. The fee is $375 per team and you can sign up at parksrec.egov.basgov.com/farmvilleva

Former governor will moderate debate

Earlier this month, we reported on plans to hold a debate between Republican candidates for lieutenant governor and governor in Cumberland. Now we know who the moderator will be. Former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore will handle those duties at the April 29 event. 

Gilmore served as Virginia’s Attorney from 1994 to 1997 and as Governor from 1998 to 2002. He also chaired the Republican National Committee in 2001 and served President Trump during his first administration as the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

All candidates who satisfy the Virginia Department of Elections’ requirements for placement on the ballot for the June 17 Republican primary will be invited to participate. The debate will take place at Spruceberry Farm Event Center and will start at 7 p.m. The debate will be open to the public, with doors opening for general admission at 6:30 p.m. A $5 donation is requested but not required.

Farmville resident makes Honor Society 

Farmville resident Dustyn Hall has made the list for inclusion in Longwood University’s Honor Society chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, the school announced this week. Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. 

Hall is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Its mission is to “cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.”