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Council, the packet, the work session. Nearby Salem when it is the obvious desk.
Mayor Joseph Cobb delivers the 2026 State of the City at Hotel Roanoke this morning. The city's August recap puts the speech at 8 a.m.; the calendar lists 7:30, which is when the Roanoke Regional Chamber breakfast starts. The city is livestreaming on its YouTube channel. We will not recap a speech that has not been given.
Seven candidates for three Roanoke City Council seats are on the docket for a Greater Deyerle Neighborhood Association forum at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Thursday, Aug. 27. Meet-and-greet is at 6:30 p.m.; moderated Q&A starts at 7. The general election is Nov. 3.
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Salem City Council is taking applications through 5 p.m. Sept. 8 for an interim appointment. The seat is filled until voters elect a replacement at a special election on Nov. 2, 2027. Applicants must be registered Salem voters and submit a resume and letter of interest.
The City of Salem said Councilman John Saunders died Saturday afternoon. He was a Salem High School and Roanoke College graduate in his second council term. A celebration of life is Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Salem Civic Center, visitation 4 p.m. and service at 6 p.m.
Roanoke County says its next general election is Nov. 3, 2026, with early voting scheduled to begin Sept. 18. Ballots will include U.S. Senate, U.S. House in Districts 6 and 9, and two Vinton Town Council seats. Registration, precincts, and ID rules are on the county elections page.
The City of Roanoke says a CDL driver shortage has crews putting weekday trash and recycling first. Bulk and brush are being caught up on weekends. Leave piles at the curb; if you can haul it yourself, the Tinker Creek transfer station still takes 12 free visits a year.
A city entertainment-district focus group has finished months of meetings without a yes-or-no on a casino. Cardinal News reports Berglund Center staff told council some civic-center work — on the order of $10 million — should not wait, on a building with more than $30 million in identified repairs. No council vote is in this item.
First-time candidates Raekwon Moore and Danny Clawson finished at the top of the City Council Democratic primary, Cardinal News reports. Vivian Sanchez-Jones also advanced. The November ballot is the next count that matters.