Local Government, Civic Affairs and Education
A brand new major at Roanoke College this year will have students studying more than the screen. WFIR’s Ian Price has more.
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Chris’s Coffee & Custard goes mobile. The business hires young adults with special abilities and serves frozen treats and coffee out of their eatery at the 9th street Southeast Industrial Park. Thanks to donations from local organizations, the company was able to purchase a food truck that will be able to serve their products on the go. The renovated Chris’s Custard truck, was just revealed today and it’s first stop is Taco Fest September 9 at Elmwood Park. The Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival in Buchanan next month follows on Special Needs Day September 14. Chris’s mom and co-owner is Beth Woodrum.
Photo: Sherman Lea Facebook
Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. gave his annual state of the city address at a breakfast sponsored by the Roanoke Regional Chamber this morning – where he again called Roanoke a 7-time All-America City – while acknowledging there are challenges to address, like affordable housing, gun violence, the opioid epidemic and the need to rebuild infrastructure. Lea also touched on greenway expansion, the local homeless population and economic development issues, among other topics.
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Since 1986 Habitat for Humanity in Roanoke has built over 280 affordable homes for first-time owners who must pay the mortgage after contributing their own “sweat equity,” along with other volunteers. Now for the first time low-carbon homes utilizing insulating concrete forms to construct the walls is going up on 14th Street Southeast. Brian Clark is the construction director for Habitat-Roanoke; he says Habitat concrete wall houses aren’t necessarily lower cost than all stick-built houses – but long term those who move in will save on utilities and insurance costs. Nationwide since 2021 Habitat for Humanity has built almost 70 homes that feature concrete walls.
Thomas McCracken
CommUNITY Church pastor Thomas McCracken says his decision to drop an independent campaign for the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors seat in the Catawba district has to do with the “old guard” Republican party closing ranks around incumbent Martha Hooker. In June McCracken dropped his GOP primary bid for Hooker’s seat, then announced the independent campaign he is now ending. McCracken says some local Republicans were hesitant to support his independent run publicly; he also tells WFIR some opponents reported issues with his campaign signs to the Board of Elections – and less-than-flattering personal family photos were posted online by others.
As schools reopen across Virginia, one of the greatest challenges still facing them is trying to recover from the learning loss experienced during the COVID-related classroom closures. An area superintendent says one big help often begins right at home, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
VCCS_David Dore
Its time to break down the silos when it comes to preparing a skilled workforce for future economic growth. That’s the vision for Virginia’s recently hired new Chancellor of the Community College system, who spoke during a retreat earlier this week. WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports: