🌱 Area Hospitals Experiencing 'Tridemic' + Roanoke's Ultimate Baker?

Good Saturday morning, everybody! Here's the first of the weekend editions of the Roanoke Daily to keep you informed before you head out to enjoy the many holiday offerings of our fair city. Here is what's happening in town, including updates on...

• Long time area religious leader passes away
• Area school boards vote in new state guidelines
• Goodview shooters to stand trial

Let's motor!

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny and breezy.

High: 46 Low: 29.

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. School boards across the Roanoke Valley have voted in their most recent meetings to adopt policies that adhere to new state-mandated guidelines regarding material deemed "sexually explicit." Four area school districts — Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem, and Franklin County — voted to notify parents of all such material and to require reviews per the state guidelines that were signed into law this past spring. The guidelines state that parents must be notified 30 days prior to the use of any such material in the classroom and that schools must keep copies on hand for parental review and challenge. (Roanoke Times)
2. A long-time religious leader in the Roanoke Valley, Monsignor Joe Lehman, unexpectedly passed away earlier this week from complications related to COVID-19. The monsignor was on his way back from a vacation when he became ill and was hospitalized in Atlanta. Church staff reported he had been on the mend with his fever having gone down, but then his oxygen levels dropped, and he passed away Tuesday. The monsignor was the pastor of Our Lady of Nazareth Catholic Church in Roanoke County for over 20 years and offered a comforting presence to many, Catholic or otherwise. Roanoke Catholic School posted on Instagram saying, "his impact was both massive and lasting." (WDBJ)
3. Area hospitals and pharmacies are seeing shortages of certain medicines, especially antibiotics, amid the combination of RSV, flu, and COVID-19 cases in what's being called a "tridemic" by some. Doctors are stressing that families should take whatever precautions they can against becoming ill with the impact of the shortages being felt the hardest in pediatrics. Carilion Children’s Interim Chair Dr. Christopher Pierce said, "We’re really seeing the impact. It’s filling up the hospital beds over at Roanoke Memorial, in the adult world it's been running at capacity and the pediatric world, we are over capacity." Pierce went on to recommend getting a flu shot saying the shot was a really good match for the strain of flu this season. (WSLS)
4. A Roanoke area baker, Laura Krell, owner of Sugarheart Baking Company, is in competition to be named The Ultimate Baker in the Ultimate Baker Contest, hosted by and benefitting the Christmas Is Not Cancelled Toy Drive in its goal to bring 25,000 toys to children in need. The grand prize, in addition to being named Ultimate Baker, is $5,000 and being featured on the cover of Christmas INC. Magazine. The winners will be announced on Christmas Day, and you can vote by visiting the competition's website here. Krell said in her entry "for me, baking is about making memories. There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time in the kitchen baking, especially with my family." (WDBJ)
5. Two Goodview area men charged in the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old Goodview resident, named Omarkthyark English-Bey, have been found competent to stand trial. Keenan Irvin Perdue, 20, and Ricky Lynn Perdue Jr., 29, both of Goodview, following a Feb. 4 shots-fired incident were ordered into psychiatric evaluation after requests were made by their defense attorneys. Bedford County Commonwealth's Attorney Wes Nance confirmed that the men had been found competent to stand trial and that a hearing was scheduled for Jan. 6, 2023. (WSET)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Fantasyland at the History Museum of Western Virginia (10 a.m.)
• Home Alive in ’45: a WWII Christmas Celebration at the Salem Museum (10 a.m.)
• Miracle on 9th Street: A Blue Ridge Christmas at the Center on 9th (1 p.m.)
• “Home for the Holidays” with David Stuart Wiley and Friends at South Roanoke United Methodist Church (2:30 p.m.)
• The Hustler Ball Anniversary Celebration presented by Humble Hustle at the Corinthian Ballroom (6 p.m.)
• PWR Poetry Jam presented by D. Reynolds at The Spot on Kirk (8 p.m.)
• Half Moon Christmas Jam at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (10 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "Last month, we held a ceremony to commemorate the individuals promoted or appointed to new positions within the Fire Marshal's Office. Please join us in congratulating them on their achievements! 👏(Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke Sheriff's Office: "The Roanoke City Sheriff's Office would like to welcome our December 2022 new hires including Deputy Zenya Wright, Deputy Shakil Wright, and Deputy Gavano Bolden." (Roanoke Sheriff's Office via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Ryan Loose, principal of John P. Fishwick Middle School, was at Central Office yesterday and stopped by to say hello to Superintendent White. Our principals are hard at work finishing up the second nine weeks and preparing for the new semester!" (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "If you're looking to adopt, but haven't checked out our rehoming gallery lately, you should! We've added several pets who really need to find new homes. By using the rehoming gallery, we keep these pets out of the shelter." (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• The Rescue Mission of Roanoke: "A number of our families had a blast earlier this week decorating cookies, sharing food, and spending quality time together. One of our goals here is to provide a safe, family friendly environment that all of our residents can enjoy." (The Rescue Mission of Roanoke via Facebook)

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There we go. All set for today. I'll see you tomorrow morning!

— Ian

About me: Ian Graham is a novelist, screenwriter, and freelance contributing writer. He is a firm believer in being yourself… unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman. To connect with Ian you can visit him on Facebook and Instagram. He doesn't bite. Except on full moons.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roanoke Daily? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com