🌱 'Beauty And The Beast' At VCT + Funding Awarded To Fix Older Homes

Happy Friday, everybody! Here's a fresh edition of the Roanoke Daily with all the things you need to know about, including:

• An update on a new Brandon Avenue development
• All about new special needs webinars for parents
• Additional funding awarded for extended school years

Onward!

But first, today's weather:

Pleasant with periods of sun.

High: 70 Low: 58.

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I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our Roanoke Daily readers to local businesses they need to know about. If that’s you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. A townhouse project in the Wasena area of Brandon Avenue that has sought City Council approval several times in the past is back on the agenda for the next council meeting. The original plan called for 50 apartments and as many as 30 townhomes but has now been scaled back to just 29 townhomes. Developer R.P. Fralin Inc.’s operations facilitator Wynne Phillips said, "Throughout this process we’ve heard their feedback and their input, and in order to provide affordable housing in the Roanoke City area, we have come up with this latest version of the plan." City Council will vote on the new plan Dec 12. (WDBJ)
2. Virginia Children's Theatre has announced that they will be producing a "Beauty and the Beast" musical for the holiday season. The production will be directed and choreographed by VCT Affiliate Artist Trey Coates-Mitchell, and four performances are scheduled between Dec 2 - 4. "We are thrilled to produce the iconic tale as old as time this holiday season,” says VCT Producing Artistic Director, Brett J. Roden. “This show is one for the entire family across all generations! It is a story of love, magic, enchantment, hope, and a celebration of our differences!" Tickets are on sale now at VCT's website. (Roanoker)
3. Family Wellness Roanoke and Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare are partnering up to offer eight stand-alone webinars from the Nurturing Parenting program for the parents of special needs children across the Roanoke Valley. The webinars will be free to attendees and will be hosted through a virtual platform with sessions that include nurturing philosophy, sibling support, and praise, encouragement, and family rules. The webinars are designed to "target the complexities of parenting from a special needs perspective," according to the FWR website where you can also learn more about how to sign up for the webinars. (WSET)
4. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded Healthy Homes Roanoke $2 million with which to fix up older homes in the Roanoke Valley at no cost to the homeowner. Healthy Homes representative Katie Kennedy said there is an application process for homeowners and that "the funds will not be directly managed by the city. We are going to be working with some nonprofit partners to manage those funds. So, our applicants will apply directly with those funded partners, and they will be working with us to access the funds." The application and eligibility information can be found here. (WSLS)
5. Thirteen Roanoke and Salem area schools will be divvying up $1.2 million awarded to them through the Extended School Year Grant Program created by the Virginia General Assembly. The funds are to be used to develop and implement year-round and extended-year instructional programs targeted at underperforming students. "In awarding these grants, I echo Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s call for school divisions to use their nearly $2 billion in still-unspent federal pandemic relief funds to expand learning opportunities for students by extending the school day or year, or by providing intensive tutoring for students who are the farthest behind,” said Jillian Balow, Virginia's Secretary of Public Instruction. (WDBJ)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Gallery Exhibition by the Hand Weavers Guild of the New River Valley at Left of Center Art Space (5 p.m.)
• CyberArts at the Taubman Museum of Art (5 p.m.)
• The Music of Maurice Dufule presented by Music on the Corner at St. John’s Episcopal Church (6 p.m.)
• Disney Junior, Live on Tour at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre (6 p.m.)
• Godwin Louis Quintet at the Jefferson Center’s Fostek Performance Hall (7 p.m.)
• Blackout Night presented by Terror Manor (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke Sheriff's Office: "The Roanoke City Sheriff's Office would like to thank the City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority (Morningside Manor) for extending the invitation and hosting lunch for us on last Tuesday. We appreciate the good food!" (Roanoke Sheriff's Office via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Market Building: "Congratulations to The Hatch for picking up two gold dining awards in The Roanoker Magazine for Best Fried Chicken and Best New Restaurant. So happy to have had them join our building this past year!" (Roanoke City Market Building via Facebook)
• Roanoke Ballet Theatre: "Happy World Ballet Day! It’s Nutcracker season! Celebrate World Ballet Day by planning to come see Nutcracker this year! Buy your tickets here —-> https://www.jeffcenter.org/events/nutcracker" (Roanoke Ballet Theatre via Facebook)
• Solomon's Mission: "The Thrift store will be open a few extra days this month for fall Thursday, Nov. 3, 12-5; Thursday, Nov. 10, 12-5. * Reminder we will not be taking donations until Friday the 4th. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for waiting." (Solomon's Mission via Facebook)
• The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke: "The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke would like to say THANK YOU to our friends at Fellowship Community Church for their donation of 1,371 pounds of food during our recent FOOD DRIVE! We couldn't do what we do without partners like you!" 🥰" (The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke via Facebook)

There you go! Now you're in the loop and ready to go. 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