The Roanoke Weekly

A botched rollout cracked open a bigger debate. After Roanoke approved 75 Flock "Raven" gunshot-detection devices, a data-entry error left a batch installed at the wrong locations — including on a resident's property she found out about only when a mystery pole appeared in her yard. The misplaced sensors are coming down, but the conversation has shifted to surveillance itself: the gr...

Early voting is already underway. Ahead of an August 4th primary, nine candidates are running for three open seats on Roanoke City Council — including incumbents Peter Volosin and Vivian Sanchez-Jones, a five-way Democratic primary, and familiar names like former mayor David Bowers running as independents in November. The same ballot carries the U.S. Senate and U.S. House primaries, pushed back ab...

The biggest jobs news the valley has seen in 30 years: Austrian skincare and supplement maker RINGANA is bringing its first U.S. headquarters, production, and distribution operation to Roanoke — an $85 million investment and 435 jobs over five years, moving into the old Johnson & Johnson building in Blue Ridge Commerce Park. Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced it Friday. Plus a week shaped by ti...

On Saturday, the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford marked two anniversaries at once: 82 years since the Normandy landings, and 25 years since the memorial itself opened. Fourteen names were added to its wall of the dead — men confirmed, after decades of uncertainty, to have died on June 6, 1944. We get into why the national memorial sits in Bedford in the first place (the Bedford Boys), and why a...

Roanoke City Council adopted a $421.5M FY27 budget in a 5–2 vote, closing a $19M shortfall without raising taxes by cutting roughly 30 positions and pulling $50M from the capital improvement plan. The real estate tax rate stays at $1.22 per $100 of assessed value. Days later, the Roanoke School Board unanimously approved its own slate of reductions: the PLATO gifted program gets trimmed, activity...

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4–3 on Friday to strike down the April redistricting referendum, voiding the new 10–1 map voters had narrowly approved. The 2024 congressional maps stay in effect for November. The local impact is direct: Rep. Ben Cline (R-Botetourt) is back in his current Republican-leaning 6th District, where author Beth Macy is still challenging him. Tom Perriello is pivoting fr...

The Virginia Supreme Court could rule any day on whether to throw out the redistricting referendum. Reps. Ben Cline of Botetourt and Morgan Griffith of Salem are among the plaintiffs trying to overturn the result, and former Roanoke delegate William Fralin is leading the opposition group. Last week, the court declined to lift a lower-court order blocking certification, and the State Board of Elect...

Virginia voters narrowly approved a mid-decade redistricting referendum, redrawing Roanoke's 6th Congressional District from heavily red to slightly blue — and the local field is already shifting. Sam Rasoul announced he won't run, while former Congressman Tom Perriello pivoted from the 5th to the 6th. The Virginia Supreme Court hears arguments Monday on whether the amendment itself stands...

The 2026 Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon brought thousands of runners downtown Saturday, with an estimated $2 million economic impact. Plus: Roanoke and Carilion Clinic launch RoVa Labs, a biotech incubator projected to create 250 jobs. The City of Roanoke closes most of a $19 million budget gap without raising taxes — cutting 100+ vacant positions and pulling $50M from the five-year capital pla...

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands announces he's stepping down after 12 years — and questions swirl about whether the timing is political. Plus: the Rail Yard Dawgs sweep Birmingham 13-1 to advance in the President's Cup Playoffs. The 611 locomotive is running summer excursions. Salem Valley 8 closes after 50 years. Elbit Systems brings 288 jobs to Roanoke County. Star Trail parking closes...

The community responds to Google's $3 billion data center in Botetourt County — supporters see a generational investment, critics want answers on water. Plus: Vinton's new War Memorial Park opens with a playground, skatepark, and pickleball courts. Smith Mountain Lake faces drought, rising cyanobacteria, and an invasive species debate. Rising costs squeeze Southwest Virginia farmers. Caril...

Our first episode — Google officially announces a $3 billion data center in Botetourt County, the city and schools face budget cuts, thousands rally for No Kings, Blacksburg preps for legal marijuana, UVA women make March Madness history, plus the week's events and a therapy dog named Maggie.