Gene Marrano
Here’s something you may not have know – Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Nick Foles – the Super Bowl MVP on Sunday – is a Liberty University divinity student online. Foles talked about his faith before the Big Game:
February is Black History Month and the Grandin Theatre is using that designation to stage its first-ever African-American Film Festival – every Tuesday during the month starting tonight, at WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
Bob Cowell
He didn’t exactly take City Council to the woodshed, but after five months on the job Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell weighed in with an assessment at today’s meeting. Cowell told council members that not all residents are benefiting from Roanoke’s growth; he also said existing plans need to be better defined. Cowell said improved lines of communication with citizens should be a focus and he called for updates to existing older city assets like the Berglund Center. Stagnant tax revenues over the past 7 to 8 years have been an impediment said Cowell:
The new Town Manager in Boones Mill has a familiar name – Beverly Thomas “B.T.” Fitzpatrick the third. He’s the son of former Roanoke City Council member Bev Fitzpatrick, who just retired as executive director at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. BT Fitzpatrick is a Virginia Tech graduate; he succeeds Matt Lawless in Boones Mill on February 20th. BT Fitzpatrick has been a member of the design team for the Boones Mill Depot project; he has also worked for Roanoke City and Hill Studio in the past.
The number of police department calls for service went up by about 5000 between 2016 and 2017 – Roanoke City heard that and more during a Public Safety update this morning as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
The Roanoke Regional Chamber and Junior Achievement are teaming up to give some local 7th graders a glimpse of their possible employment future. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Del. Chris Head
(In cade you missed it this morning) 17th District Republican Delegate Chris Head represents a portion of the Roanoke Valley. He’s in Richmond for the General Assembly, now in its third week. Head spoke to WFIR’s Gene Marrano yesterday about the proceedings – starting with the partisan tone struck by the new Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, during his opening address to the General Assembly earlier this month. Here is a “Longer Listen”:
The weather forecast for tomorrow looks a little chilly – so its a good time for Roanoke County’s annual remedy for “cabin fever.” More on “Tons of Fun” from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
5 of the next 7 games for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs take place on home ice at the Berglund Center. And Steve Robinson once played basketball for William Fleming High School and Radford University before going on to a college coaching career that now finds him as an assistant to Roy Williams at North Carolina.