🌱 Businesses React To New Minimum Wage + A Curfew In Roanoke City?

You all know what day it is! It's Hump Day! Welcome back, Roanokers. Here's the Roanoke Daily to get you all caught up on what's going on around town as you begin the arduous climb, including news on...

• Roanoke County has a new police chief
• State Hunger rises while local donations decline
• Son of a Tuskegee Airmen coming to Roanoke

Let's motor!

But first, today's weather:

Warm with periods of rain.

High: 66 Low: 48.

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. Roanoke City's mayor, Sherman Lea, has said in the wake of the weekend shootings of two teenagers along Melrose Avenue that one policy he would like to see put in place is a curfew for young people. "This is not a punishment move. It’s a move to save young people’s lives. I’d rather be proactive than acting just as a result of what has happened. Do you know where your child is at 11 or 12? If you can truthfully answer that, that will tell us what’s happening. But do you know?" He said he plans to speak with city council about the matter soon and asks that in the meantime people help themselves by helping the police with information, even if it's done anonymously. The last word on the teen victims' condition is that they were both taken to the hospital for treatment and that neither injury seemed to be life-threatening. (WSLS)
2. Roanoke County's new chief of police, Michael Poindexter, officially started his new job on New Years Day. Poindexter said his primary goal starting out is to increase recruitment in the department and also focus on retaining the officers they have. He spoke highly of predecessor Howard Hall who retired at the end of 2022. "Chief Hall has been a great mentor, he served us for 10 years. I look forward to attempting to fill those shoes, but I’m going to put my best foot forward and give it 100%." Poindexter was appointed chief after serving in the department for 28 years, including as assistant chief. (WDBJ)
3. Virginia's minimum wage jumped by $1 from $11 an hour to $12 beginning New Years Day and many of Roanoke's small businesses said it will eventually lead to higher prices for consumers. Jason Martin, general manager of Martin's Downtown and the Sidecar restaurant said, "It just drives the cost up because I have to pass that along. So where two years ago, hamburgers were 12..13..14, if they keep pushing it you’re going to have 18, 19, 20 dollar hamburgers. I hope they’ll pump the breaks on it a little bit and let the market correct itself and see if everyone can make a living, but I’m totally in favor of everyone making a fair living wage." Talk in Richmond is that lawmakers would like to see the state minimum raised to $15 by 2025. (WFXR)
4. A new report from Hunger Free America shows that the number of individuals and families dealing with not being able to put enough food on the table in Virginia rose 50% between October 2021 and October 2022. The news comes at a time when Roanoke-based Feeding Southwest Virginia says they have seen a decline in food donations. President and CEO Pamela Irvine said, "There’s a lot of empty shelves. We had food on shelves and in the aisles last year. So, we definitely have seen over an 8% decrease in food donations which is very troubling in a time we know we’re going to see an increase." You can donate to Feeding Southwest Virginia online here. (WSLS)
5. Learning about the history of one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, Luther Smith, inspired his son, Gordon Luther Smith, to become an expert on the group and on Jan 6 he is bringing his presentation, "Legend of the Tuskegee Airmen" to the Harrison Museum of African-american Heritage in Roanoke. "There are only three left today. There is just not a lot of opportunity for us to hear first hand exactly what they did, what their accomplishments were, what their legacy has been, so I always end my talks by saying this is part of our history, this is something we can be very proud of," said Smith. More information on the event including times and pricing can be found at the Harrison Museum's website. (Cardinal News)

Today in Roanoke:

• Yoga at the Taubman Museum of Art (5:15 p.m.)
• Trivia Night w/ Jess at Olde Salem Brewing Company (6:30 p.m.)
• My Hero Academia Tournament at Star City Comics & Games (7 p.m.)
• Wednesday's Themed Trivia at Twisted Track (7 p.m.)
• Ben Trout Band at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "A big thank you to the team at Big Lick Veterinary Services for helping our newest educational ambassador with a necessary partial tail amputation! This baby was an extremely late baby, found ice cold, naked, and alone inside a tire!" (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "Training time! Last week, crews from all three shifts participated in the monthly heavy technical rescue (HTR) drill. This month’s scenario involved a car that had gone under a bus and pinned the driver." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department 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 Instagram)
• Roanoke Valley Television: "This week's Year Of The Artist profile is April Yopp. Find out what inspired her to create her self portrait on canvas for Art in Roanoke, now on display in the City of Roanoke Government municipal building." (Roanoke Valley Television via Facebook)
• Roanoke Outside: "When the love of nature starts at an early age it becomes a lifelong passion and appreciation. Our friends at Play Roanoke are excited to offer the Nature Lab this winter, an SOL-based science program designed for homeschool and virtual learners!" (Roanoke Outside via Instagram)

Alrighty then ... you're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow morning for 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