Section
The valley, in order. Highways, water, hospitals, and whatever the official pages put on the record today.
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.
Christiansburg Town Council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to terminate the town's contract with Flock Safety and take the license-plate cameras down. Councilwoman Kim Bowman made the motion; Johana Hicks seconded and said the issue is the data system, not the police department. WSLS reports the town has not said which cameras come down first or when — some in town are privately owned.
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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VDOT told WSLS the multi-vehicle crash near the ramp to Business U.S. 220 has been cleared. Earlier Wednesday, northbound lanes were closed with about a mile of backup as of 11:15 a.m.
The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a $15,000-a-year cut in the in-state tuition rate at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke — 23.4 percent below the nonresident rate — starting this fall. The university says $6.5 million a year in new state operating money is what makes a resident rate possible. The school wants about half of each class to be Virginians.
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Roanoke County says blasting on the I-81 widening in Roanoke and Botetourt counties is on for Wednesday and Thursday this week, 9 to 11 a.m., inside an eight-week window through late October. Northbound slow rolls start at the 146 on-ramp; southbound at 156 in Troutville. Each pause can run about 15 minutes. Pack patience, not a new route through someone's driveway.
WSLS reports Carolina Drilling told Daleville and Troutville residents that controlled blasting for Project GVO starts in mid-September, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is expected to last at least a year. Neighbors next to the site say they did not get the letter; wells are the worry. The contractors did not comment on camera.
The Roanoke Rambler reports a spring Canvas attack attributed to ShinyHunters hit Roanoke City and Roanoke County schools, exposing names, emails, student IDs, and message histories. RCPS told the School Board this week it has layered email filters, endpoint software, and an audit of cameras and other devices on the network. Virginia Western's cybersecurity center says most of the holes still start with people, not magic.
The Roanoke Rambler reports Carvins Cove sat about 17.5 feet below full pond in mid-August, down four feet in two months. The state's Roanoke drought region has been in emergency status since July 7 even as the national map looks milder. Spring Hollow is holding better; household cuts are still voluntary.
The Board of Visitors is discussing a university loan of more than $15 million to Hokie Ventures, a nonprofit tied to athletics. WDBJ reports the Athletics Committee took it up in Blacksburg this week; the Hokie Ventures board meets in September.
Carilion told the Roanoke Rambler the West Pavilion brick repair at Roanoke Memorial will run through summer 2027, and Belleview Avenue stays shut until the street is safe to reopen. The detour off Jefferson has been in place since June 2025. If you are going to the Level I, budget the extra turn.
The Western Virginia Water Authority invited City of Roanoke and nearby county customers to a Tuesday open house at its Hollins Road field operations building. WFXR says staff planned to talk supply, treatment, and the longer options for keeping the valley's taps honest. Carvins Cove is still the reservoir in that sentence.
The city is milling and paving Williamson Road from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. between Orange Avenue and the city limit near Malvern Road, WFXR reports. It is part of Envision Williamson Road and is listed through early October. If you use that stretch after supper, leave earlier or don't.
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