🌱 Botetourt Manhunt Concluded + SWVA United Way's New Child Care Tool

Hey, everybody! It's me, Ian, your host of the Roanoke Patch newsletter. Here's what you need to know about what's happening in town. In today's newsletter, you'll find these stories and more...

• 2023 motor coach tours restarting.
• Two displaced in home fire.
• Youth Curfew meeting at William Fleming.

Let's motor!

But first, today's weather: Windy and colder. High: 40 Low: 28.

Shoutout to the awesome local business that keeps this newsletter running:

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. Finding a quality child care provider can be one of the top challenges faced by working parents and the United Way of Southwest Virginia, based in Roanoke, has invented a way to help — a new online tool. United Way President & CEO Travis Staton said the gap between need and availability in the Southwest Virginia region is 30 percent, which more than doubles the state average of just 12 percent. "When you think about that 30 percent, that’s almost 7,000 children throughout southwest Virginia that don’t have access to quality child care. If there’s not quality early childhood care and education providers available, people can’t retain a job, they can’t go to work, they can’t re-enter the workforce. Especially those individuals with families with young children," said Staton. The Birth To 5 Hub as it's being called can be found at the link above and allows parents to search based on age, location, and transportation needs. (WDBJ)
2. A manhunt in Botetourt County concluded over the weekend with the help of drones that were deployed with infrared cameras to detect heat signatures of hiding individuals. Botetourt County Sheriff's Deputies spent the better part of a week searching for Lucas Mosely, a resident of Buchanan who was believed to be hiding in the Springwood area of the county and whom was wanted on domestic violence charges. Mosely was not thought to be a danger to the public at large, but Sheriff Matt Ward dutifully updated the public numerous times via the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office Facebook page. Mosely was thought to be armed when he initially ran from deputies, but no weapons were found when he surrendered. (Roanoke Times)
3. The Roanoke City Parks & Recreation Department is gearing up for a new season of bus tours to various places, the first since the program was put on hold during the pandemic. A familiar face will be at the helm of many of the trips — Ernie Dale, a long time tour operator and planner. The journeys begin on April 15 and there are trips scheduled through July with more to come. Stops include Mountain Lake & The Covered Bridges with lunch at Anna’s, Rose Train to the Hill City, and Footloose and the Virginia Highlands Festival. For a full schedule and details such as cost and departure times click here. (Roanoke Star)

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Today in Roanoke:

• L’eroica, Roanoke’s Friendliest Ride at Cardinal Bicycle Grandin (5:45 p.m.)
• Roanoke City Council Special Meeting and Public Hearing on Enforcing Youth Curfew at William Fleming High School Cafeteria (6 p.m.)
• Fleet Feet Pub Walk and Run at Big Lick Brewing Company (6 p.m.)
• Harlem Globetrotters World Tour at Berglund Center Coliseum (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke County Police Department: "Training Day keeps the mistakes away! Our Honor Guard as well as Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office, and Roanoke Police Dept decided to do some training on this fine snow day!" (Roanoke County, VA Police Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Sweet Pea is showing off her gorgeous eyes and long whiskers. Did you know that whiskers are a very special type of hair called vibrissae? They are long and thick hairs that grow out of a bed of nerves that help your cat navigate." (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "🔥 This morning at 4:30 a.m., Roanoke Fire-EMS was dispatched to the 900 block of Hartsook Boulevard SE for reports of a structure fire with someone still inside. First-arriving personnel found smoke showing from a single-story residence." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Round Hill Elementary School students embraced the Olympic spirit last week with some friendly competition to celebrate learning about Ancient Greece." (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• CHIP of Roanoke Valley: "Our enrolled families had the opportunity to shop for FREE at Back on the Rack Resale Pop-Ups this weekend. A special thank you to the BOTR crew and consignors and for blessing our families." (CHIP of Roanoke Valley via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Delighted Every Week (March 14)
• Homebuyer Blueprint Live Webinar (March 16)
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You're all caught up for today! I'll see you tomorrow morning for the Hump Day edition!

— 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com