Gene Marrano
Update 5;15PM from Roanoke PD: One of the men involved in this incident has passed away from his injuries. This is now being investigated as a homicide.
(from Roanoke PD) On August 19, 2020 just before 2:30pm, Roanoke Police were dispatched to a report of shots fired with possible injuries at a business in the 700 block of Williamson Road NE. Responding officers located two adult males with gunshot wounds. Roanoke Fire-EMS transported both men to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Details on what lead up to the incident are limited at this time. No arrests have been made at this time. This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (540)344-8500 and share what you know. You can also text us at 274637; please begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous.
The Roanoke Outside Foundation has announced a $100,000 campaign to raise money to support and develop outdoor assets and businesses in the Roanoke Region. “Project Outside” is a described as a community fund to support outdoor capital improvement projects, maintain key outdoor assets, and to help launch and support businesses in the outdoor sector. Pete Eshelman is the Foundation’s director; he says Project Outside will be an ongoing fundraising and grant campaign – targeted towards the larger outdoor parks and amenities in the Roanoke Region:
(release from Roanoke Outside Foundation) the Roanoke Outside Foundation, a program of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, announces a $100,000 campaign to raise money to support, develop, and foster outdoor assets and businesses in the Roanoke Region. Project Outside is a community fund created by businesses, governments, and individuals to support outdoor capital improvement projects, maintain key outdoor assets, and help launch and support businesses in the outdoor sector. It is a partnership between the Roanoke Outside Foundation and land managers (i.e. local governments, ATC, NPS, etc.) of identified regional outdoor assets. Project Outside funds will be used to fill maintenance funding gaps in projects or initiatives and pool resources to tackle new outdoor infrastructure projects.
“We have to ensure that we don’t love our outdoor assets to death,” said Pete Eshelman of the Roanoke Outside Foundation. “The COVID-19 pandemic has made that even more apparent with local recreation areas seeing an upwards of 200% increase in usage. “While it seems that we should be celebrating the fact that more people in our region are getting outside and enjoying all the natural assets we’ve worked so hard to promote, it’s actually generating even more wear and tear. Parks, rivers, greenways, and public spaces don’t bounce back on their own and unfortunately, our region isn’t currently investing in these areas at a rate that will allow us to capitalize on our community strength.”
The goal is to raise $100,000 this year, and then keep it going. This is our time to invest in our community strength – the outdoors – to continue positioning the Roanoke Region as a preferred place to live, work, play, and visit. A 2018 study by Roanoke Outside, “Roanoke Region Outdoor Impact, Infrastructure, and Investment Study” identified opportunities for improvement, enhancement, and trouble spots. The key area of concern, echoed by local land managers, was adequate funding for maintenance of key regional outdoor assets. Corporate supporters are leading the charge with $50,000 already pledged from Anthem, Carilion Clinic, Freedom First Credit Union, Haley Toyota, Hydro Flask, Member One Federal Credit Union, and Orvis.
For two weeks all of those involved in a musical that will be staged and recorded for online release at Mill Mountain Theatre were quarantined separately in downtown Roanoke. After a second negative COVID-19 test they are now rehearsing together. How “Polkadots – The Cool Kids Musical” is taking shape from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Its happened before and now the Texas Tavern in downtown Roanoke has been recognized nationally again. A Wall Street Journal story this weekend hailed the Texas Tavern’s “cheesy western” in a story on America’s Best Burgers – focused on “portable, reliably good food at a fair price.” The Cheesy Western is a cheeseburger with a scrambled egg on top. Matt Bullington is the tavern’s fourth generation operator. As the world keeps changing, Bullington calls the Texas Tavern a “cultural mooring” for the city of Roanoke. He’s just released a book on the Tavern’s 90 year history as well.
The ACC remains one of three “Power Five” conferences planning to move forward with its football season, and three of the league’s teams have scheduled Liberty as their sole out-of-conference opponent. But Flames head coach Hugh Freeze’s statement at Friday’s virtual press conference that no LU player has been tested in more than two weeks is causing two of those opponents to raise public concerns: