Local Government, Civic Affairs and Education
According to the latest numbers released this morning from the Virginia Department of Health there are 27 new probable or confirmed coronavirus cases being attributed to the Roanoke Valley. State health officials report 20 cases in Roanoke City, 3 cases in Roanoke County, and 4 new cases in Salem.
Kimberly Whiter (L) – Margaret Sue Turner Wright
August is “Breast Month” and a local organization formed last year to empower and educate young mothers is holding an on-line auction this weekend – while also paying tribute to the female form, and breastfeeding. The story from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
A unanimous vote from Roanoke City Council last night ensures that the broken Robert E. Lee memorial won’t return to Lee Plaza in downtown Roanoke. WFIR’s Ian Price has details:
By a 7-0 vote, Roanoke City Council voted tonight to remove the monument to General Robert E Lee – erected in 1960 – from Lee Plaza downtown. Under a new state law that gave municipalities the right to decide the fate of monuments and statures honoring the Confederacy, museums, battlefields and other historical venues can petition to take the Lee Monument over the next 30days. All that remains in the plaza is the base; the rest of it was hauled away and placed in storage after a resident knocked it down. “We did it the right way,” said Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea about the process, which happened after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Roanoke City Public Schools will be online only for the majority of students through the first nine weeks of the school year after a vote last night – there was one no vote from the school board as WFIR’s Ian Price reports:
Photo: David Bowers Facebook
Former Roanoke Mayor David Bowers — now running again for the office — says the city squandered a major economic opportunity when it turned away a proposal to develop land across I-581 from Valley View Mall. A Charlotte developer proposed a large mixed-use development at what is known as Evans Spring, promising 1,000 permanent jobs and millions of dollars in new tax revenue for the city. But Pavilion Development withdrew the proposal earlier this year after encountering pushback from city planning staff, which cited neighbors’ concerns. Bowers promises that if elected, he will restart the process the next day, and unlike the urban redevelopment of several decades ago, this is economic development that the northwest community can share in. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Whether or not the Roanoke City School Board follows superintendent Verleta White’s recommendation tomorrow – to go all-virtual for most students, at least for the first 9 weeks of the academic year – feeding programs will feel the strain, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports: