Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: What Roanoke council hopefuls want for Evans Spring’s 150 acres

Coming up: Fleming vs Martinsville on the Roanoke Patch calendar

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Hello again Roanoke! We're bringing you the latest town highlights. Don't miss out, keep going! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What Roanoke council hopefuls want for Evans Spring's 150 acres
  • Where Roanoke's storm-related power outages are hitting hardest this morning.
  • What RoVa Labs' $1M grant could mean for Roanoke jobs and startups

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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Weather forecast:

  • Monday: Warmer; morning mist, breezy, with a high of 76 and low of 54 degrees.
  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny and very warm, temps: high: 83, low: 64.
  • Wednesday: Very warm, with a high of 88 and low of 67 degrees. 🌶 Hot!

📰 News we're reading

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.
   

📸 Around Roanoke

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • It's almost Halloween, and we're ready for you!
    Our home is decked out for Halloween. #TreatMap (Nextdoor Cave Spring)
  • Just an fyi I do babysitting on weekday evenings after 5:30pm and weekends(when the kids have no tournaments) at my home or yours!
    CPR certified, excellent references and I follow schedules, read, do dance parties, learning, bath, dinner, etc. You tell me what you need. I also… (Nextdoor Greater Raleigh Court)
  • Olive Garden posted a job opening for Bartender in Roanoke. Apply here.
  • Sam's Club posted a job opening for Cafe Associate in Roanoke. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Roanoke here.

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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