🌱 Heart Wrenching News On Abducted Dogs + New Berglund Center Mural

Good morning, everybody! It's time for the Saturday edition of the Roanoke Patch newsletter with everything you need to know about what's happening around the Star City. Today's briefing includes updates on...

• Explore Park's disc golf course receives high honor
• Private wells to be tested for 'forever chemical'
• Plastic bag tax one year update

Let's gooooo!

But first, today's weather: Sunny to partly cloudy. High: 57 Low: 34.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. In an update on a story featured yesterday, one of the owners of Colby and Caleb — the two black labs abducted at Waid Park in Franklin County — has been arrested in connection with the deaths of the two animals. Terry Michel, husband of Rhonda Michel, has been charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty, one count of filing a false police report, and two summons for the improper disposal of a companion animal. The bodies of the dogs were taken to the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech to determine their cause of death, which was found to be gunshot wounds. (WSLS)
2. Mayflower Hills Disc Golf Course in Roanoke County's Explore Park received some high praise earlier this week from an app designed for disc golfers, UDisc. The app ranked Mayflower Hills as the 40th best disc golf course in the world, which is a jump from having ranked 80th in 2022. "The update in rankings is great, not only for publicity for the course, but for the disc golf community in the region, because it brings folks to play here and also gives some notoriety to our course. We’re really excited and proud of that ranking," said Alex North, marketing and administrative coordinator with Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism. More information on the course including maps of it can be found here. (WDBJ)
3. The Berglund Center, formerly known as the Roanoke Civic Center, stands where once a place known as Tank Town stood. Tank Town was a busy, thriving entertainment district for the Star City's African American residents throughout the 1960s until the construction of the civic center in 1971. Now a tree is all that remains of the town with homes and businesses having been destroyed due to redevelopment projects. To honor the area's history, the Berglund Center in partnership with the Roanoke Arts Commision hired local artist Bryce Cobbs to create a mural dedicated to Tank Town and to the Gainsboro Neighborhood. "We got to interview a lot of people from the Gainsboro Northeast community that were directly impacted by the urban renewal. Just hearing their stories and hearing their insight, and their perspective from them is what really drove me to really dive deeper with the project, and try to give them something that they could be proud of," said Cobbs. The mural was painted on a support wall at the end of Walker Avenue just beneath the civic center. (WRIC ABC 8News)
4. Over 70 private wells in Roanoke County and neighboring Montgomery County have been identified by the Virginia Department of Health for testing for a 'forever chemical' that was found in Spring Hollow reservoir. The chemical is known as GenX and was first discovered in the reservoir in early 2020. The release of the chemical was traced to ProChem, a facility in Elliston that services and cleans industrial equipment and is located about five miles upstream from Spring Hollow. The VDH is working with the state Environmental Emergency Response fund to get the money to cover the testing of the private wells and will contact the owners of those wells once funding is secured. (Roanoke Times)
5. Roanoke City's $0.05 bag tax has just turned one years old and to date the city says it has collected $182,000 from just over six million plastic bags. The tax went into effect in January 2022 and most residents say they have gotten used to it now. As to where the money collected from the tax goes, Leigh Ann Weitzenfeld, Roanoke City's sustainability outreach coordinatorsaid, "There are three things we can spend it on, environmental cleanup, environmental programs, education, outreach, engagement. And then buying reusable bags for our SNAP and WIC recipients." While the tax is a source of revenue for the city, officials are actually hoping to reduce the use of plastic bags and encourage the purchase of reusable bags. (WSLS)

From our sponsor:

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Today in Roanoke:

• Intro to Wild Caving at the Public Works Service Center (9 a.m.)
• Paint Your Pet at the Taubman Museum of Art (10:30 a.m.)
• Views and Brews E-Bike Tours at Roanoke Mountain Adventures (2 p.m.)
• Chad Nickell and The Loose Change at Big Lick Brewing Company (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke: "We are in need of beds for families in Roanoke! Our bed section has been empty for a little while now and we have families waiting! If you have a new or GENTLY USED bed, mattress, or box spring that’s taking up room in your house we will gladly take it off your hands! Stop by our Vinton-Roanoke location at 1568 Granby St. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. or the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. - NOON!" (The Agape Center Vinton-Roanoke via Facebook)
• Downtown Roanoke, Inc.: "We are now accepting parade applications for the Freedom First St. Patrick's Day Parade and Shamrock Festival, which returns to Downtown Roanoke on Saturday, March 11! Freedom First St. Patrick’s Day Parade - 11 a.m. Parade Route: Begins on Jefferson Street at Elm Avenue, continues to Campbell Avenue, and ends at Williamson Road. Parade applications are available at downtownroanoke.org!" (Downtown Roanoke, Inc. via Facebook)
• Twin Creeks Brewing Company: "Tomorrow our friend and resident brewery rocker That Guy Will opens his heart and mind on the dock 6:30-9:30. No food truck so think local! Eat in Vinton. Saturday The OddFellows return to rock the dock 6:30-9:30. No food truck but Our Daily Bread Bakery & Bistro - Vinton will deliver. We also have FarmBurguesa, Big Belly Pizza & Subs, and Dogwood Restaurant close by. Sunday we are open 1-6 and it’s time for Vinyl Sunday! Dust off those records and bring your favorites to be played for others to enjoy!" (Twin Creeks Brewing Company via Facebook)

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That's it for today! I'll see you tomorrow morning bright and early for another Roanoke Patch newsletter!

— 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