🌱 New Emergency Room Open + More Hepatitis A Cases At Area Eateries

Happy Hump Day fellow Roanokers! Ian here with a new Roanoke Daily to take a look at what's happening locally.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and hot.

High: 93 Low: 75.

👀 Attention local businesses & marketers: Attract more customers in Roanoke by sponsoring this daily newsletter, which gets read by the same people you're trying to reach. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories in Roanoke today:

1. The lengthy construction process and numerous opening delays of a new emergency clinic next to Chik-Fil-A on Route 460 in the Bonsack area are finally over. Lewis Gale's Blue Hills ER opened its doors and plans to stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a a week, 365 days a year to increase access to emergency medicine for communities such as Vinton, eastern Roanoke, Botetourt and Bedford counties. "When you have an important medical condition, time matters. So having this access point for the community will make a significant difference and improve outcomes,” said Dr. Puneet Chopra, Medical Director of Emergency Services. (WSLS)
2. The Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Department said it plans to have several deferred maintenance projects completed or underway by the end of the year. The department said it received $2.3 million in 2019 that it’s been using to address needs at area parks and is now adding another $2 million to help continue making improvements. Some of the projects getting underway are replacing playgrounds, paving parking lots and resurfacing basketball and tennis courts. "We're talking about just fixing and maintaining what we have and so having the money to do that is really important, because it's a very long list," Molly Hagan, Marketing Director for the department said. (WSET)
3. The red Mazda driving suspect in a June 17 case of road rage along a stretch of I-81 in Roanoke is finally in custody after a nationwide search. Daniel C. Clausell fired a pistol at a fellow motorist and fled the scene leading to his being charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle and hit-and-run when Virginia State Police finally caught up with him in northern California. Police say he was driving the same red Mazda 3 with a Colorado license plate of BMU-L57 and that there was a pistol in the glove compartment of the same caliber used in the shooting. (WDBJ)
4. Hepatitis A cases continue to pop up in Roanoke and currently sit at 76 since the beginning of the year. Downtown Roanoke's Billy’s Restaurant is the site of the most recent outbreak, but the Virginia Department of Health ssid patrons aren't at risk because the infected employee did not handle food. "We are definitely in an epidemic. The term ‘outbreak’ is more specific when you can identify the specific time frames, locations and sub groups, so outbreaks are types of epidemics,” Dr. Cynthia Morrow at the VDH said. Morrow went on to say that the Roanoke area experiences only two to four Hep A cases per year in a normal year. The Roanoke Health Department will be offering free vaccines to the public out of an abundance of caution. (WDBJ)
5. Roanoke City Police are investigating a Monday afternoon death near a downtown parking garage as a possible suicide. Police and other first responders were called to an alley behind the multistory parking garage at the corner of Church Avenue and Second Street where a body was observed lying on the pavement. The body was soon covered by police and officers said there was no threat to the public. (Roanoke Times)

Today in Roanoke:

• Cabo Fish Taco - Percentage Night - Fundraiser (4 p.m.)
• Summer Pop Up Dinner at Crystal Spring Grocery Co. (5 p.m.)
• Cycling Skills Class: Set-up and Maintenance of Tubeless Tires at East Coasters Bike Shop (5:30 p.m.)
• Views and Brews presented by Roanoke Mountain Adventures (6 p.m.)
• SE Summer Social - REACH in Roanoke (6 p.m.)
• Blackberry Smoke at Dr. Pepper Park (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke College: "40 days until new students move in!" (Roanoke College - Salem, VA via Instagram)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Congratulations and Happy Tails to all of the pets who were adopted this past week! Thank you to all of the adopters who opened their hearts to new best friends! If you're ready to bring home a pet of your own, now is a great time!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Thank you to Novozymes for these incredible donations, as well as gift cards, to our students and families experiencing homelessness. We are so grateful for their support of our students!" (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• Virginia Children's Theatre: "At Virginia Children's Theatre, everyone is welcome! We strive every day for VCT to be a safe space for all. Mark your calendars and join us for BRAND NEW DAY: A CELEBRATION OF UNITY August 6 at 7 p.m. August 7 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m." (Virginia Children's Theatre via Facebook)
• Roanoke Outside: "Ride 20K For the Greenway is this weekend with Cardinal Bicycle! The event is $35 and includes a shirt or pint glass, après ride beer or NA drink, and a donation to Pathfinders for Greenways." (Roanoke Outside via Instagram)
• Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley: "Check out all the Habitat houses in progress in July!" (Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley via Facebook)
• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "Check your electrical cords. If they are cracked or damaged, replace them. Do not try to repair them." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)

That's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow!

— Ian

About me: Ian Graham is a novelist, screenwriter, and freelance contributing writer. His interests are in politics, history, and religion and the stories and characters he writes about are centered on the explosive conflicts created when the three intersect. He is a firm believer in being yourself… unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roanoke Daily? Contact me at roanoke@patch.com