🌱 BIT Chapter Sought In Roanoke + Area Attorney's Veterans' Day Poem

Good morning, everybody! It's me, Ian, your host of the Roanoke Daily. I know it's Monday, but try to stay with me here. The coffee's on it's way. Today we'll talk about:

• The Sheriff's Office Gives Back
• Details on 10th Street crash
• The WWE returns to Roanoke

Ready?

But first, today's weather:

Warmer with plenty of sun.

High: 54 Low: 30.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. The Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council has announced that they have formed a new committee dedicated to including more black tech workers in the region’s network and that they are actively seeking people interested in becoming founding members of a Blacks in Technology (BIT) chapter in Roanoke. According to their website, BIT is a global platform serving black women and men in technology through community, media, and mentorship and dedicated to "stomping the divide." To register, contact Lisa Garcia at lisa.garcia@rbtc.tech. (Roanoke Times, Blacks in Technology)
2. Roanoke City Police have said that it appears speed was the chief factor in a fatal crash that happened overnight on Sunday along 10th Street in NW Roanoke. The crash occurred shortly after 1 a.m. on the 1300 block of 10th Street NW and when officers responded to the scene they found a single vehicle flipped onto its side and two ejected occupants. One occupants was determined to be dead at the scene and another was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with critical injuries. Neither individual has been identified pending notification of their families. (WDBJ)
3. Roanoke area attorney Alton "Al" Prillaman said he didn't have any expectations when he emailed a poem he'd written with his son many years ago to Roanoke Times columnist Dan Casey ahead of Veterans' Day. "Surprisingly," Casey said, "I loved its brevity, the imagery, its lack of wasted syllables, the clever rhyming scheme and most of all, the theme." He published "War No More" in the paper on Nov 9 and since then many readers have embraced it as well. The poem is 132 words and takes readers through the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam and "ends on the idea that mankind has trapped itself in a maddening cycle of death that never ends," according to Casey. (Roanoke Times, Original Nov. 9 article w/ full poem)
4. The Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office helped fight back against food insecurity this year with their first-ever Thanksgiving Give Back. Representatives of the organization and community volunteers packed 300 bags with a turkey dinner and sides Friday evening and handed them out to families who had pre-registered at the Melrose Branch Library on Saturday morning. Sheriff Antonio Hash said, "To me, it’s important that we continue to serve our community at large. Because again, it’s not about some of the adults, because they can take care of themselves. It’s about the kids that they have in their homes that need our support. So that’s where our heart is always driven, to create a family value." (WSLS)
5. The Berglund Center has announced that it will be hosting WWE's Saturday Night’s Main Event on Jan 14 and that fan favorites including Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, Matt Riddle, and RAW Women champion, Bianca Belair, are expected to take the stage during the event. The show will start at 7:30 p.m., tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 18, and can be purchased at the Berglund Center Box Office or online here. When asked for comment about the upcoming event a representative of the Berglund Center (or in retrospect someone who may have just been hanging out in the vicinity of it) said, "Heck yeah! We gon' see some wraslin'!" (WFXR and, well, I made that last part up so there's no link.)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Free Yoga for the People at the main Roanoke Public Library (5:30 p.m.)
• Roanoke City Council public hearings meeting at the Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke County Public Schools: "STATE CHAMPIONS AGAIN!!! The Glenvar Highlanders repeat as VHSL Class 2 volleyball state champions! Way to go Glenvar!!!" (Roanoke County Public Schools via Facebook)
• Solomon's Mission: "To all of of you who donated Christmas items this past year-A huge Thank you! To all of the shoppers today Thank you! To Melanie and her team who organized and set up- you all are amazing and thank you!" (Solomon's Mission via Facebook)
• Virginia Children's Theatre: "Today was our photoshoot for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! Check it out! Get a sneak peek of our NEW spin on this classic tale as old as time! 📸 A huge thank you to photographer extraordinaire Richard Maddox!! Get your tickets today!" (Virginia Children's Theatre via Facebook)

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Events:

• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Fresh Perks Every Week (November 22)
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And there you have it, the dreaded Monday edition. Thanks for following along. I'll see you tomorrow morning with another update!

— 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