🌱 Art Matters Grants Recipients Announced + Huge NW City Vehicle Fire

And just like that it's Hump Day! Good morning fellow Roanokers! Here's the Roanoke Daily with a look at the local news while you get your harnesses, ascenders, and carabiners all set for the day's climb up and over. In today's issue, you'll read about these stories and more:

• A man was found shot dead in Northwest Roanoke
• Update on man who threatened to blow up Roanoke
• Grant for urban garden awarded to area nonprofits

Let's go!

But first, today's weather:

Occasional rain and drizzle.

High: 41 Low: 30.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. Police were called to the 700 block of Hunt Avenue NW around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon and arrived to find a male subject with an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was found inside a home and was pronounced dead at the scene. No suspects were located at the scenes and no arrests were made. Authorities said the victim's identity will be shared once his next of kin are notified and ask anyone with any information to please come forward. (WSLS, WFIR)
2. The Roanoke Arts Commission is calling 2023 the "Year of the Artist" in the Star City and has awarded 30 different area artists $3,000 grants to let their creativity run free. The grants are called Art Matters Grants and are funded by the National Endowment of the Arts and the City of Roanoke through funds made available by the American Rescue Plan Act. Roanoke Art and Culture Coordinator Douglas Jackson said, "We called them art matters grants and we ask artists what they would do if they wanted to advance justice, wellness, and inclusion in the community." One of the projects is "a collection of Roanoke-themed songs and tunes that embraces the Celtic motif of place — exploring our city, its history, its people, and its stories through traditional music," said recipient Josh Kinn of Celtic music duo Kinnfolk in a social media post earlier in the month. (WDBJ, Kinnfolk Facebook Page)
3. Roanoke Fire EMS was called to 11th Street and Loudon Avenue NW shortly before 8 a.m. to extinguish a large vehicle fire that was threatening nearby buildings. Firefighters quickly got the flames under control, but pictures from the scene looked like something out of the movie "Backdraft" as the fire inside a four-door pickup truck reached rooftop heights and a firefighter appeared to wrestle with a hose being aimed at the vehicle. Several businesses are listed at the address including an electric company and a towing outfit, but it was not immediately clear which one owned the vehicle and exactly how it caught fire. (WSET)
4. A northern Virginia man arrested in August after threatening to blow up Roanoke's Poff Federal Building in the heart of downtown has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial. Brandon Stirling Hayward of Gainesville, Virginia allegedly threatened a federal credit union manager with sexual assault and death in addition to the bomb threat in a phone call that was recorded and used by federal agents to bring charges. A psychiatric evaluation was ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Ballou who, after reviewing the results, said, "[Hayward] is incompetent to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings in this court and is unable to assist properly in his defense." Hayward was ordered into psychiatric treatment and will be held at a secure facility until such time as he is deemed fit for the case to proceed. (Roanoke Times)
5. Through funding made possible by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s Healthy Communities Action Teams, The Roanoke Foodshed Network has announced they will be awarding $18,000 to area nonprofits. The funding will go to Feeding Southwest Virginia, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, and Lick Run Community Development Corporation among others to help build urban gardening infrastructure. "We are grateful for this funding, which allows our youth to develop garden business plans, grow produce at community gardens, and sell their products. The business skills learned through this experience will be beneficial for a lifetime," said Chloe Johnson, youth employment coordinator at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia. (Roanoke Star)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Yoga at the Taubman Museum of Art (5:15 p.m.)
• 2022 Ride Solutions Holiday Lights Tour at Cardinal Bicycle’s Grandin Village location (5:30 p.m.)
• Views and Brews presented by Roanoke Mountain Adventures (6 p.m.)
• Phat Anchovies at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Over a month ago we admitted this Great Blue Heron from Smith Mountain Lake who was badly tangled in netting, arriving bruised, bloodied, and exhausted. Watch the video of his return to the wild here!" (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Police Department: "May we never forget Patrolman William R. Carter End Of Watch: Friday, Dec. 12, 1930." (Roanoke Police Department via Facebook)
• Downtown Roanoke, Inc.: "This Friday, Dec. 16, is the final night of The Roanoke Times Dickens of a Christmas! 🎄 The beloved Roanoke Valley SPCA Pet Costume Contest returns, taking place on the Radford University Carilion Main Stage!" (Downtown Roanoke, Inc. via Instagram)
• Virginia Children's Theatre: "We loved having FCHS Theatre Co. with us last week for 'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST'! Thank you for your continued support! 🎭" (Virginia Children's Theatre via Facebook)

That's it for today! I'll see you bright and early 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