And it’s Monday! You all know what that means, right? 😱😱😱
yes! It’s time for the spooky monday edition of the Roanoke Daily – Awful because it’s Monday, the start of another week, and the end of the week is over. Anyway, here’s a rundown of what’s happening locally, including updates to:
- Docs for Morgan’s upcoming basketball game
- New Roanoke Greenway Scholarships
- A local chief takes care of the bill for Catawba Hospital
Let’s drive!
But first, today’s weather:
Partly sunny and not cold.
High: 58 Low: 42.
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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:
- Doctors from the Carilion Clinic will soon be facing Virginia Tech School of Medicine students at the annual Docs For Morgan basketball game, a tradition that raises money for the Morgan Dana Harrington Scholarship at VTCSOM. The scholarship was started to honor Morgan Harrington who was an intern at VTCSOM prior to her murder in 2009. Morgan’s mother, Jill Harrington, said, “The thing I particularly love about Docs For Morgan is that as a direct response to our injury we are trying to bring healers back into the community.” The scholarship helps make medical school more affordable and has so far raised over $500,000. The event will be held at the Patrick Henry High School Gym on February 1 at 7pm and more information can be found here. (WDBJ)
- The US Department of Transportation has awarded Roanoke County an $800,000 grant to expand portions of the Roanoke Valley greenway system for which the county is responsible. The money will go to complete a 1.8 mile section of greenway which when built will run from the junction of Highland Road and Rutrough Road to Explore Park. The county has approved a partial match for a grant of $217,529 and a VDOT of $70,114 to help complete a portion of the East Roanoke River greenway that crosses the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway. In total, the county will be approximately two miles toward the goal of a continuum of trails running through Roanoke City, Salem, Vinton, and Roanoke County. County officials said there is no set date for the project to start as many issues such as easements with land owners are still being worked on. A map of current green roads and planned future projects can be found here. (Roanoke Times)
- Angels of Assisi has announced the opening of a new pet food store in the former Saliba Grocery Building at the corner of Tazewell Street and 10th Street. “We have a lot of people coming to us, and we have a pet food pantry at our downtown location, but a lot of people are walking around and can’t get to us. So this is an opportunity to reach out to a different community,” said Dena Reynolds with AoA. The new store is also a food pantry for the residents of the area and is called the Hope Store in Saliba in honor of the previous tenants who have worked on the site since 1946. The store will only be open on certain days and times. More information can be found on the AoA website here. (WSLS, WFXR)
- Roanoke City Delegate Sam Rasool is sponsoring a bill before the General Assembly that would see Catawba Hospital transformed into a state-of-the-art treatment and recovery center for those struggling with addiction. The bills come on the heels of a state-sponsored study that identified extensive property in rural Roanoke County as a great location for expanding the number of mental health beds in the state and revealed that more than half of patients are seen at the state’s psychiatric hospitals. They, too, need drug treatment. The Messenger bill passed a House of Delegates subcommittee and will now go before appropriations as it would receive funding if passed. “Imagine that big Catawba campus of several hundred acres, why not have everything from acute care, residential treatment, outpatient services, and a true recovery campus,” Rasul said. (WSLS)
- A talent show hosted by the Gun Violence Prevention Committee that has drawn some recent fire (not getting you fired) from City Council over the running cost. About 30 kids from all over Star City showed up on Saturday to audition for the show and when asked who the organizers had been affected by gun violence, they raised their hands. In order to audition, the kids had to participate in a workshop hosted by Better Agreement, a Roanoke-based nonprofit “whose mission is to increase individual and community problem-solving skills through education and training,” according to its website. One of the children who attended the study, Salem Langowski, said she learned about “conflict resolution, how we feel about conflict. We learned how to deal with our emotions. And how conflict is not always difficult. There is good conflict and good outcomes. It could affect others.” The talent show is scheduled for March 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Center. (WDBJ)
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Today in Roanoke:
- Golden Cactus Pop Run Starting with fermentation of Golden Cactus (6 m)
- Irish jam band At Big Lick Brewing Co. (6 m)
From my notebook:
- Roanoke Fire EMS Department: “While congratulations due to hoses on tonight’s win, a round of applause also goes back to our community who gathered to sell hockey guns and hoses tonight and raise nearly $50,000 for Carillion Pediatric Hematology & Oncology to fight pediatric cancer!” (Roanoke Fire EMS department via Facebook)
- Roanoke, Virginia: “A reminder that the Mill Mountain StarCam is still under construction. We will provide future updates once our StarCam is up and running again! Even though the camera feed is off, the views from the Star are still amazing!” (Roanoke, Virginia via Instagram)
- Roanoke Regional Chamber: “It’s official! The Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award will bear the name of the first winner, Joyce Waugh. Joyce retires a legacy of 44 years of unwavering dedication to economic development and effective service to businesses in Star City!” (Roanoke Regional Chamber via Facebook)
- Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke: “Want to name our next Ambassador? You could name her after a family member or friend. Maybe she doesn’t like an opossum and that’s fine, but in this case, you can name her after someone you don’t like. (We won’t understand and say.)”(Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke via Facebook)
- Roanoke Valley SPCA: “Cruelty to animals is a serious crime and is totally unacceptable. Venus is a wonderful dog currently in our care who is unfortunately a victim of cruelty itself. We can’t begin to understand why this is happening, but there are ways to stop it if you witness or suspect animal cruelty or abuse.” As a resident and taxpayer, you have the right and responsibility to report it. (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
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Well, you all fell for this today! I’ll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with a new update.
– Ian Graham
About me: Ian Graham is a novelist, screenwriter and independent contributing writer. He firmly believes in being yourself… unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman. To connect with Ian, you can visit him on Facebook and Instagram. does not bite. Except when the moon is full.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roanoke Deli? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com