🌱 New Lead in Old Murder Case + Friendship Nursing School Graduation

Hey, everybody! It's Tuesday or Second Monday as it's sometimes known. Here's a look at what's happening around town.

First, today's weather:

Showers and thunderstorms possible; humid.

High: 83 Low: 73.

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Here are the top five stories in Roanoke today:

1. A brand new statewide, searchable database of cold cases has been the source of a new lead in an investigation being handled out of the Salem State Police headquarters. Richard Anthony “Dickie” Palmer, 52, of Floyd County, and his dog, Rufus, were found dead in Palmer’s truck in Roanoke on April 22, 2003 and the case has been under investigation ever since. Virginia State Police Special Agent Douglas Hubert said, "I just got a tip on the Dickie Palmer case, from the website. They’ve given their information. They knew somebody who’s connected to it and is a potential suspect in the case. The legislation that created the database passed in 2020 and the website went live in June. (Roanoke Times)
2. The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke is warning area residents who have put out bird boxes to keep a careful eye on them during the recent heat wave. SVWC rescued 30 birds last week from overheating, but unfortunately half of them were beyond saving and died shortly after being admitted. "We had a day where in which we were admitting bird after bird after bird that were hanging out of the bird boxes. They were coming in in really poor condition. They were really dehydrated, they had heat stroke problems," said SVWC Operations Manager Haley Olsen-Hodges. She went on to say that this is due to unvented bird boxes and that if you have a bird box you should take care to be sure it's properly vented. (WDBJ)
3. Friendship Retirement Community, a local senior living and rehabilitation facility, has recently held its first in-person graduation class of Student Nursing Assistants (SNAs) since the COVID-19 pandemic closed everything down. Twelve students graduated from the in-house class that is offered in an effort to help employees with continuing education. The program is beneficial to those in the community looking for a career in health care. Students are paid and employed by Friendship while going through the class. "It was nice to hold an in-person graduation for my students. I enjoy being a part of the process to teach and educate our employees to better themselves," said teacher Melissa Dillard. (Salem Times Register)
4. Roanoke City's E-911 Center was notified of a “suspicious situation” at Belmont Park in the early morning hours of Friday, July 22. When officers responded to the scene, they found an unresponsive and injured woman, who was later pronounced dead by Roanoke Fire-EMS. The victim's identity was not released pending notification of next of kin, but the case was being treated and investigated as a homicide. "It’s certainly something that’s really sad. I think we are all very foolish to think [gun violence] can’t happen in our backyard, and this was just more proof of that this morning," said Michelle Davis, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club located on 9th Street, located close to Belmont Park. (WFXR)

Today in Roanoke:

• The Famous Tuesday Night Beer Ride, starting at Twin Creeks Brewing Co. (5:45 p.m.)
• Fleet Feet Pub Run & Walk at Big Lick Brewing Co. (6 p.m.)
• Line Dancing with Angela & Kamronn at Corned Beef and Co. Bar and Grill (7 p.m.)
• Live music: Seph Custer & The Flatbreaks at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Students from Morningside Elementary School and Garden City Elementary School are enjoying library time during RCPS+! Special thanks to Ms. Delgado for submitting these photos." (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority: "COMING SOON! We are looking forward to spending the evening with families in our community next Tuesday. Family fun and food will be provided thanks to our partners Innovage Pace, Wicked Lemonade and Goodwill Industries of the Valleys." (City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority via Facebook)
• Roanoke Public Libraries: "Are you ready?!?! All Summer Reading Program winners will be announced tomorrow!" (Roanoke Public Libraries via Facebook)

Alrighty, kind of a slow news day, but you're all caught up for today. 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