Local Government, Civic Affairs and Education
Liberty University has announced that graduates will now have the opportunity to attend a degree presentation ceremony on campus. Individual ceremonies for each school will be held at outdoor locations from May 11th through May 15th – and will also be available online for those unable to attend in person. The main 2021 Commencement Ceremony will remain a virtual event on May 15th.(from Liberty.edu) With the news from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday that some COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted for graduations across the state, Liberty University has announced that graduates will now have the opportunity to attend a degree presentation ceremony for their school or college on campus. The individual ceremonies will be held at outdoor locations from Tuesday, May 11, through Saturday, May 15, and will also be available online for those unable to attend in person. The main Commencement 2021 Ceremony will remain a virtual event on May 15.
While the Registrar’s Office continues to work with university leadership to make this year’s celebration a memorable event for graduates and their families, public health measures will still be in place for all campus events. The university will monitor any changes to guidelines and restrictions in the coming weeks, and graduates will be notified of updates via email, on Liberty.edu/Commencement, and on the Commencement social media channels (Facebook: Liberty University Commencement; Instagram: LU Commencement).
Ian Price photo
Several grass roots groups including Mothers Out Front and the Star Women’s Club were protesting outside the Roanoke Gas Company office on Kimball Avenue this morning. They say RGC Resources is passing along investment costs in the Mountain Valley Pipeline to its customers. A news release from Mothers Out Front Roanoke also claims a coalition of 30 organizations is appealing to MVP investors to cancel the project – which has been delayed and is over budget. Reverend David Denham spoke on behalf of the Southwest Virginia Poor People’s Campaign:
Roanoke Gas says in a news release it neither can nor would use MVP to scam its customers, and such allegations are “patently false and misleading.” The utility calls those claims “misinformation and mischaracterizations” about RGC, the MVP and state and federal regulatory agencies.
Roanoke City Council has approved a measure that will see firearms banned from municipal buildings and other city property. Under the new rules passed during last night’s Roanoke City council meeting, firearms will be prohibited at parks, recreation and community centers and the Berglund Center. WFIR’s Clark Palmer has the story.
Ian Price photos
Volunteers with the first-time “Do Good Days” that involves the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, Wisler Plumbing and Air, and Wheeler Media are lending a hand this weekend. At the Oliver Hill House in Northwest Roanoke they were cleaning, moving furniture, and making much needed repairs this morning. About 25 volunteers will “Do Good” today and tomorrow at 12 local non-profits chosen from a list of nominees. Lateefah Trent is a mentor coordinator for the TAP youth program at the Hill House:
Ahead of the March 15 deadline he set last month, every public school system in the Commonwealth has now submitted a reopening plan to the Board of Education, detailing how they will keep students and staff safe. Governor Northam addressed that issue on a visit to Salem yesterday. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
Photo: Haley Deeds Twitter
The Roanoke County School Board has selected Haley Deeds as the new principal for Cave Spring High School effective July 1st. Deeds will take over for current CSHS principal Steve Spangler, who will retire at the end of the school year. Deeds, who currently serves as an assistant principal at CSHS, joined the district in 2004 as a physical education teacher at Glen Cove Elementary School.
NEWS RELEASE: ROANOKE – The Roanoke County School Board has selected Haley Deeds as the new principal for Cave Spring High School (CSHS), effective July 1. Deeds replaces long time CSHS principal, Steve Spangler, who will retire at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.
Deeds, who currently serves as an assistant principal at CSHS, holds a bachelor’s degree from Roanoke College and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. She first joined Roanoke County Public Schools in 2004 as a physical education teacher at Glen Cove Elementary School. In 2005, she moved to Northside Middle School and then taught at Oak Grove and Fort Lewis elementary schools beginning in 2011, where she also served as a testing coordinator for Fort Lewis Elementary starting in 2013.
In 2015, Deeds became the assistant principal at the Burton Center for Arts & Technology and was named the assistant principal at CSHS in 2017.
“Haley played a major role in helping the staff through the recent major renovation and expansion of Cave Spring High School. She has a wealth of expertise and experience and I’m pleased she will continue the tradition of excellence at Cave Spring as the new principal,” said Dr. Ken Nicely, superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools.
The 6th annual “Roanoke Valley Gives” goes on until 11:59 tonight at rvgives.org – your chance to support more than 140 local non-profits, large and small. Carly Oliver, the Chief Operating Officer for the Community Foundation serving Western Virginia – the organization behind Roanoke Valley Gives – joined us live by phone this morning. Hear the complete conversation below:
An 8-year former US Navy Veteran near Rocky Mount is getting a new roof on his house today – for free – in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of Franklin County and Vinton Roofing. The Navy vet, who did not want his name used, said he spent part of his two tours in the mountains of Afghanistan fighting the Taliban. Vinton Roofing and Owens Corning’s “Deployment Project” picked up the $12,000 tab for his new roof:
