Gene Marrano
Some southeast Roanoke City residents got the first word last night about a proposed cell phone tower at Fallon Park. It would replace a 30 foot pole now used to light a ball field there with a 100 foot combination cell/light tower. Duane Howard with the Southeast Action Forum says more details are to come at a later meeting. He says City officials indicated last night that a portion of the revenue from any lease for the tower’s footprint could be earmarked for improvements at Fallon Park. Howard also thought Roanoke officials wanted the Fallon Park location kept secret before the meeting to keep the turnout low:
Barring a last-minute legal maneuver or unexpected permit denial it appears that construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline could begin as early as next month. Local residents can learn more about its impact tonight as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
The first “Peace and Hope” community meeting on Monday night won’t be the last says one of the organizers – who also said progress was made towards an “action plan” for northwest Roanoke. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
One person is dead and two others were injured after an incident last night at the Starlite Motel on Melrose Avenue in Roanoke. Police responded shortly before 8 pm and now say they found a man with a baseball bat standing over two injured females. Then they found a male victim, now identified as 60 year old Ishvarlal Patel – who was related to the two women. He was pronounced dead at the scene. After a short chase 26-year-old Timothy Church was taken into custody by officers. He’s being held at the Roanoke City jail on one count of murder.
Help Save the Next Girl founder Gil Harrington joined us live in studio this morning on WFIR to talk about Help Save the Next Girl – which she founded after her daughter Morgan Harrington was abducted and murdered in 2009. Harrington gave us an update on the organization and on the Docs for Morgan fundraising basketball game tomorrow night.
Here is our extended in-studio conversation:
Before the 419-Electric Road corridor gets “re-imagined” road safety improvements are in order. Tomorrow night VDOT will hold a meeting to get public input on construction that should start in 2020. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
With most of the approvals it needs in place, Roanoke County assistant administrator Richard Caywood had this heads-up for the Board of Supervisors today about the Mountain Valley Pipeline – its coming. Roanoke County is holding a public meeting at Cave Spring High School at 6-pm on Thursday to discuss the likely construction and its impact.
The changes needed in northwest Roanoke should start with the residents there – but an “outsider” who spoke at last night’s “Peace and Hope” community meeting says she wants to help – on creating job opportunities, investments and the like. Djuna Osborne is running for City Council. Facebook captured Osborne’s comments – no TV film crews were allowed to cover the meeting. The Peacemakers and the Hope Center co-hosted the event, where the goal was advertised as creating a “21st Century Action Plan.”