Evan Jones
A long-time Republican activist questions whether Al Bedrosian can win in November, now that he has won his party’s nomination for Roanoke County Supervisor in the Hollins District. Ed Lynch is a former county Republican Party Chairman and a political science professor at Hollins University. He says even if many voters agree with Bedrosian’s strongly-held positions, it may not be enough to win in a district with a relatively high percentage of Independents. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
The weekend tie came down to a random draw today, and Al Bedrosian is the Republican nominee for Roanoke County Supervisor in the Hollins District. He and Mike Bailey each received 389 votes in Saturday’s firehouse primary, and party rules required the winner to be selected from a random draw.WFIR’s Evan Jones spoke with both candidates.
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger has announced plans to step down. The university says its Board of Visitors will assemble a search committee to find his successor, and Steger will remain as president until the next university president begins work. Steger holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech. He has served as university President since 2000, and he turns 66 in June.
(Continue reading for the full Virginia Tech news release.)
Updated: Al Bedrosian won the random drawing this morning.
Roanoke County Republicans will conduct a random draw Tuesday morning to determine a party nominee for County Supervisor. It’s set for 9:30 am at the county administration building. Mike Bailey and Al Bedrosian both got 389 votes in Saturday’s Hollins District firehouse primary, and party rules call for a random draw to break the tie. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
(Continue reading for the full Roanoke County Republican Party statement)
Roanoke City Council will wait until June 3rd to vote on substantial pay increases proposed for the mayor and council members. The three councilmen who oppose the proposal say the matter needs more study and is hurting the body’s image. Some among the four-person majority expressing support bristle at criticism that the raises would be an “abuse of power”. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Roanoke City Council voted unanimously this afternoon to postpone action on a proposed pay increase for themselves, effective July of 2014. The matter is now scheduled for a vote on June 3rd. The proposal calls for Council members’ pay to increase by 28.5%, from $15,560 a year to $20,000, and the mayor’s salary to rise from $20,000 to $23,000, a 15% increase.
Roanoke City Council is set to adopt a budget today for the 12 months that begin July 1st — and consider substantial increases to their own future pay. As proposed last week, council members’ pay would jump more than 28% a year to $20,000, and the mayor’s pay would increase 15% to $23,000. But as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, council members are sharply divided on the proposal.
Roanoke County Police say one car crashed into two homes just outside Salem this morning, and a medical condition may have led to the accident. It happened around the intersection of Kingsmill and Queensmill Drives. Police say the vehicle crashed into the corner of one home and into the basement of another. The driver’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. No one in either home was hurt. (Continue reading for the full Roanoke County Police news release.)
A Roanoke man was found shot to death early Thursday morning at a Richmond area motel. Henrico County Police identify the shooting victim as 32-year-old Thomas Randall. He was found with a single gunshot wound in a room at the Legacy Inn, which is near Richmond’s airport. Anyone with information is asked to contact Henrico County Police at (804) 501-5000 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
Crews are closing Williamson Road at night for the next few weeks around Elmwood Park to install a landscaped median. It is part of the overall park renovation project scheduled for completion in late August. Officials say the work is on time and on budget, and it won’t be long before Elmwood Park begins to show signs of its finished look. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.