🌱 Fincastle Man Found Guilty In Jan. 6 Riot + Old Givens Books Fire

Hey, everybody! It's me again. Let's get this Thursday started off right, with a fresh edition of the Roanoke Daily and a quick dive into what's happening around town. Today's issue includes:

• The Roanoke Airport is updating its Master Plan
• Historic Church in Downtown Roanoke sold
• Parks & Rec looking for citizen input on red center

Let's go!

But first, today's weather:

Cloudy and mild.

High: 61 Low: 43.

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. The old Givens Books building on the corner of Electric Road and East Main Street in Salem was destroyed by a fire late Tuesday night. Calls to emergency crews went out shortly after 8 p.m. and crews worked for several hours to contain the main blaze as well as hotspots around the structure. Salem Fire Deputy Chief Rickman said the investigation into the fire had only just begun and it was not known whether or not anyone was inside, though the store had been closed for years and was on the list for demolition, according to Salem officials. (WSLS)
2. The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) is working on updating its Master Plan and studying a number of improvements that could be made to the current property. One of the biggest potential projects is a runway extension that could cross I-581 just south of the Peters Creek Road exits. The extension would help the airport meet FAA safety standards to support larger aircraft, which could add additional services to consumers and other clients such as shipping and receiving operations. Officials stress that no plans have been finalized and that the process is just beginning with an expected completion well into 2023. (WDBJ)
3. A Fincastle resident, Markus Maly, being investigated for alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol building, has been found guilty of a number of charges. The charges include assaulting, resisting, and impeding police officers, disorderly conduct, entering a restricted building, and others. Court records show that Maly allegedly pointed and sprayed a chemical irritant at a line of police officers attempting to secure a part of the Capitol grounds and that he later texted his girlfriend about the incident. A sentencing date has not been announced. (WSLS)
4. Calvary Baptist Church, a historic 1925 building on Campbell Avenue in Downtown Roanoke and the steps of which you probably recognize more than anything else, has been sold to a third-party developer, according to real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. Records show the 55,000 square foot building and associated property was purchased by a DoCalvary, LLC. linked to Macado's founder and local entrepreneur Richard "Spanky" Macher for $1.15 million. Realtors for both the buyer and seller said redevelopment plans had not been specified as of yet, but that the building is a likely candidate for a historic tax credit project. (WSET)
5. Roanoke City Parks and Recreation is asking for citizen input on the future of the Eureka Recreation Center in Northwest Roanoke. A series of community engagement meetings is to be held, the first of which happened Tuesday night to discuss the redevelopment of the center and to share the possible amenities that could be added to it. Katie Slusher, Roanoke City Parks & Rec's planning and development coordinator, said, "We haven’t designed anything. It’s totally open-ended at this point in terms of what people want to see in this facility. So, in terms of the takeaways, we really want to hear from folks on what the programs they want to see and what the spaces they need for those programs are." (WSLS)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Community Conversations: Women and Alzheimer's at Melrose Branch Library (10:30 a.m.)
• Hardywood Christmas Beer Party at Town Center Tap House (5 p.m.)
• Bridging the Community Gap Walk at The Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge (6 p.m.)
• Hometown Stories Storytelling Event at The Grandin Theatre (7 p.m.)
• Southern Fried Yuletide Comedy “Christmas Belles” at Attic Productions (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Checkup day for our overwintering Yellow-breasted Chat who was caught by a cat! Yellow-breasted Chats are supposed to be in Central America right now so this tropical bird cannot be released until the springtime when they migrate back." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Thank you to everyone who adopted pets this past week, Nov. 28 - Dec. 3. Happy Tails to all of the adopters and their new best friends! Pictured are a few of the pets who went home! 💜" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Santa visited Superintendent White yesterday to work on this weekend’s plans for Breakfast with Santa! Be sure to come on out to Breakfast with Santa this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at William Fleming High School!" (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)

There you have it. You're all caught up for today! I'll see you tomorrow 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