City Hall

From Tiny Homes to Solar Panels, Changes to Roanoke's Zoning Code Could Have Wide Impact

Whether you’re looking to build a tiny house or install solar panels on your roof, Roanoke City just made it a little easier.

Addiction

Millions of Dollars To Fight Opioid Epidemic Are Heading To Roanoke. Will It Be Enough?

For decades, painkillers flooded the Roanoke Valley as part of a push by pharmaceutical companies that helped fuel a nationwide opioid epidemic.

Environment

Map of Air Pollution Data Shows Higher Cancer Risk Around Radford Army Ammunition Plant

People living near the Radford Army Ammunition Plant have an increased lifetime cancer risk, according to a new report of air pollution data.

Coronavirus

From Healthcare To Government, Roanoke's Top Employers Refrain From Vaccine Mandates, For Now

Without mandates, several local governments and businesses simply don’t know — or won’t say — how many workers are protected from the virus.

Gun violence

Roanoke Seeks Community Help As City Tackles Crisis Worsened By Pandemic: Gun Violence.

Roanoke has seen an uptick in shootings over the last year, even higher than in 2020, when effects from the pandemic fueled a nationwide rise in violence.

Politics

Voter Turnout Increased in Roanoke. But the City Lags Behind the Rest of Virginia.

Last week’s election prompted a record number of Roanokers to cast ballots for governor. But the city's turnout rates lags behind most localities in Virginia.

Politics

Scandals swirling around current, former Democratic candidates shake reliable Roanoke voters

“I almost voted for him, but I didn’t,” a voter said about Melvin Hill, the Democratic nominee for Commonwealth's Attorney, who owes federal tax debts.

Neighborhoods

A Tale of Two Roanokes? Some Neighborhoods See Explosive Growth, Others A Declining Population, Data Show

Last year, Roanoke inched above 100,000 in population for the first time in forty years. But not all that growth is spread evenly across the city.

Development

Roanoke Council To Hear Latest Fralin Apartment Plan that Panel Approved but Residents Decry

Roanoke's planning commission endorsed a controversial development proposal in southwest Roanoke that will now head to City Council Monday.

Business

'What You See Is Not Always What It Is': Empty Storefronts Belie Downtown Roanoke's Record-Low Retail Vacancy

While stretches of unused space still remain, vacancy rates for downtown retail are now actually the lowest in more than a decade, according to real estate data.

Investigation

New Charges Against Roanoke Councilman Point To CARES Act Grants to Businesses, One Led By Aide Convicted of Embezzlement

Just after his election to Roanoke City Council, Robert Jeffrey Jr. sought $15,000 in city-issued coronavirus relief funds.

Environment

Radford Arsenal Slow-Walks From Open Burning. Now Its Incineration Plan Is Raising Alarms.

The federal government has consistently ranked the facility as one of the top polluters in Virginia.

Mystery

Mystery of Gravestones Found on Vacant Roanoke Property Has Been Solved — Mostly

The property, it turns out, was the site of the Marsteller Corporation, which specialized in monument and tombstone engraving.

Mystery

Two Gravestones, One Linked to an Ohio Cemetery, Lie on a Vacant Roanoke Property. Why?

Along the banks of the Roanoke River, two gravestones lie nestled in the poke berry bushes on a property for sale along Franklin Road.

Investigation

Roanoke City Councilman Owes City Business Taxes. It’s Only His Company’s Latest Delinquency.

The magazine company founded by Robert Jeffrey Jr. owes unpaid business taxes and only settled a state debt after being asked about it.

Neighborhoods

On the Future of Gainsboro

Tensions over whether and how the neighborhood should change, cross generational, racial and class lines.

Food Access

Could a Grocery Store Come to Northwest Roanoke? Residents Have Been Waiting 25 Years.

Establishing a grocery store in Northwest Roanoke has emerged as a top contender for some of the $64.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds allocated to the city.

Climate Crisis

Roanoke To Take ‘Aggressive’ Climate Action After Report Urges City To Halve Emissions

Since 2009, the city has had goals to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent citywide every five years.