Hello again Roanoke! We're bringing you the latest town highlights. Don't miss out, keep going! ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: New Rescue Pup Meet & Greet - Free with Admission and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: Why do some birds fly south for the winter? 🤔 (Answer below!)
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1. City council candidates talk future of Evans Spring at Saturday forum (roanoke.com) — Roanoke City Council candidates are weighing in on the long-debated future of 150 acres of undeveloped land in northwest Roanoke known as Evans Spring. At a recent forum hosted by Friends of Evans Spring, six candidates shared their priorities on infrastructure and land use as seven contenders compete for three council seats this November. The discussion will help shape how this large tract may eventually be developed or preserved.
2. Thousands across Southwest Virginia waking up without power Sunday (wdbj7.com) — Roanoke residents in neighborhoods off Highway 460 are facing significant Sunday morning power outages, with more than 1,500 customers in the city currently without electricity after storms from Hurricane Isaias. Hundreds more in nearby Bedford and Franklin counties are also affected, and Appalachian Power expects to restore some earlier outages by this afternoon while continuing to assess new weather-related failures.
3. City awarded $1M equipment grant for rapidly expanding RoVa Labs (theroanoketribune.org) — Roanoke City Council has accepted a $1 million federal grant to buy advanced lab equipment for RoVa Labs, the biotech startup hub on South Jefferson Street. City leaders say the investment will help grow high-paying life sciences jobs, attract entrepreneurs, and strengthen the Roanoke Innovation Corridor linking RoVa Labs with nearby medical and research institutions. Local partners see it as a key step in positioning Roanoke as a regional biotechnology center.
4. WDBJ7 Archive: Roanoke's Rockledge Inn (wdbj7.com) — A look back at Roanoke's Rockledge Inn revisits the 1976 fire that destroyed the former Mill Mountain Playhouse home and longtime local landmark. Archival WDBJ7 footage recalls how New York producers and local backers transformed the old inn into an intimate theater space in the 1960s. The story traces how Mill Mountain Playhouse survived the loss, moving to the Grandin Theatre before settling at Center in the Square.
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Ok Roanoke! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why do some birds fly south for the winter?" — Because it's too far to walk..! (Thank you Theresia F. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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