Government and Politics - The Roanoke Rambler (Page 9)

Roanoke Bus Drivers Ratify Union Contract with Valley Metro After Rare Picket

Union members and management at Valley Metro hope the new contract, with a starting salary of $18.15 an hour, will attract new drivers.

City Hall

Roanoke Has A New Way For Residents and Businesses To Pay Taxes Online. Here's What You Need To Know.

You have questions. We have answers.

City Hall

Roanoke To Name Kennedy Park After Late Neighborhood Icon Estelle McCadden

McCadden founded the Melrose-Rugby Neighborhood Forum in the early 1990s as a way for residents to address problems plaguing the neighborhood.

City Hall

Dozens Serving on Roanoke City Citizen Boards Don't Live in Roanoke City, Data Show

While Black residents are well represented, Roanoke's citizen panels have few Hispanic and Asian members.

City Hall

'Friends of Mountain View' Seeks To Restore Roanoke's Historic Fishburn Mansion

A nonprofit is raising funds for the city-owned Fishburn Mansion, which needs as much as $2 million in repairs.

Legal

City Did Not Defame Roanoke Police Officer In Describing 'End Racism Now' Mural, Judge Rules

Sgt. Jason Hicks alleged the city's description of a mural implied he was fueled by racism when he fatally shot a Black man in 2009.

City Hall

A Roanoke Boxing Gym Wants To Renew Its Lease in An Old Fire Station. So Why Has the City Put Its Building Up For Bid?

“There’s been a lot of misinformation going around concerning our program,” said the president of the Melrose Athletic Club.

Arts

Henrietta Lacks Statue Concept Unveiled at Roanoke Plaza Named in Her Honor

The Black woman’s statue is to be erected where an obelisk dedicated to Confederate general Robert E. Lee used to stand across from city hall.

Development

After 5 Years and 3 Proposals, Roanoke City Council Approves Fralin Development on Brandon

Council members said the need for more housing trumped neighbors' concerns about traffic and the environment.

City Hall

City Agrees To Sell Fishburn Park Cottage, Land To Roanoke Couple Proposing Coffee Shop

The fate of the dilapidated caretaker's cottage has been a point of contention over the years.

Education

‘We Are Happy To Fire Durham’: Roanoke School Leaders Vexed Over Late Buses As Board Nixes School Time Changes This Year

The school board rejected a proposal that would change schools' schedules to accommodate late buses.

Development

Contentious Fralin Development To Go Before Roanoke City Council With Panel's Approval

Roanoke’s planning commission said the city should rezone the Brandon Avenue property for 29 townhomes.

Transportation

Roanoke Airport Officials Talk of Extending Runway Over I-581

An extended runway would be critical to the Roanoke airport’s long-term survival, according to the agency's executive director.

Criminal justice

Confusion Clouds Roanoke City Council's Removal of No-Knock Warrant Request As It Endorses Other Police Reform Rollbacks

Mayor Sherman Lea said he would have kept the provision to revive no-knock warrants had he known state law forbade a judge from authorizing them.

Criminal justice

Roanoke City Council Urges Virginia Lawmakers To Roll Back Criminal Justice Reforms

Reforms enacted after the 2020 police murder of George Floyd include bans on no-knock warrants and certain traffic stops.

Labor

Roanoke Bus Drivers Picket As Union Negotiations Stall With Valley Metro

Members of Amalgamated Transit, Local 1493 say Valley Metro has been dragging its feet since a contract expired in July.

City Hall

After Hearing Pros and Cons, City Council Delays Vote on Selling Fishburn Cottage to Couple Proposing Coffee Shop

Many neighbors support the plan, while others have long resisted efforts to sell the building, one of the oldest in Roanoke.

Politics

These 3 Maps Show Where Roanoke's City Council Candidates Were Most Popular

Thanks to a new law, voters, politicians and others can pinpoint how well candidates fared across Roanoke’s diverse neighborhoods.