🌱 New Police Funding For Crime Center + Old Fire Station No. Update

Good morning, everybody! It's time for the Roanoke Daily! Here's the Tuesday edition with what's happening in town today including these stories and more...

• Botetourt County updates comprehensive plan
• Franklin County teacher pay update
• 'Valentines For Veterans' launch

Let's motor!

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny.

High: 53 Low: 32.

Shoutout to the awesome local business that keeps this newsletter running:

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. Roanoke City Police Chief Sam Roman announced recently that his department has received funding that will allow them to open a real time crime center in 2023. The center would help field officers get instant information that could stop an imminent crime. "To be able not only to predict crime, but to get in front of crime in a real-time way, to interrupt crime," Roman said. Another way the new funding, which was made possible by a grant from the state, will help is by allowing the department to purchase new license plate readers that will be able to tell police what vehicles were in the area where a crime occurred. This will help in situations where there are no witnesses or witnesses, and victims are being uncooperative. Roman said the readers would only be used for criminal investigations and no date for implementation of either new resource was given. (WDBJ)
2. The old Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Roanoke is almost done with the cosmetic redo that has been going on for a few years now and is only weeks away from being open to the public. A store that manufactures furniture right here in the Star City, TxTur, opened last September, but the restaurant and boutique hotel also located on the property remained under construction. A partner in the company responsible for the new projects, Dale Wilkinson, said, "I’m excited for people who have really not seen the fire station in upwards of 50 years, that are now able to come back through and actually see how the firemen lived and interacted." The hotel will have seven guest rooms and feature a space for large events. (WSLS)
3. The Bedford County Public Library has announced it's time to kick off the annual Valentines For Vets program. The program will see all Bedford County library locations offering a station where patrons can create a valentine card or drop off one of their own to be collected on Feb. 8 and distributed to the Veterans Administration Hospital and care facilities in Roanoke and other veterans care facilities around the area. The library system is also partnering with the National d-Day Memorial who will have a station on hand and be collecting. (WDBJ)
4. Botetourt County has been working on an update to their comprehensive plan called "Envision Botetourt 2040" and the public was asked to participate via survey. The categories officials asked residents for opinions on were recreation, community facilities, transportation, housing, and future land use and the survey answers will be taken into consideration as the plan develops. Botetourt County Planner John McCoy said, "I think [the surveys] revealed a community that's very excited, very passionate, wants to see [Botetourt] remain this beautiful area that people choose to live in. One of the things I was really excited about was the interest in greenways and trails." A number of community meetings to gather further responses from area residents will be scheduled before the updated plan is approved. The current plan and some of the proposed updates can be found here. (WFIR)
5. Franklin County Public School officials held an informational meeting to explain a new pay structure proposal for county teachers to the board of supervisors recently. While no votes occurred and no decisions were made, the meeting made some upcoming financial issues with the school division more clear. The new pay structure proposal will require an additional $15 million to be spent and is part of a compensation study commissioned by the division in 2020 that called for the county to address salary compression, inconsistent grade progression, and to make the county's pay more competitive with other area school systems. "Our most important task is retaining and recruiting high quality staff,” Assistant Superintendent Sue Rogers said. There was no word on when the proposal might be voted on. (Roanoke Times)

Today in Roanoke:

• Fleet Feet Pub Run & Walk at Big Lick Brewing Co. (6 p.m.)
• Roanoke School District School Board Meeting at Patrick Henry High School (6:30 p.m.)
• Twisted Trivia at Twisted Track Brewpub (6:30 p.m.)
• GOTE at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Ivan has found himself back in our care through no fault of his own and he's looking for a new home! He's a sweet young boy and despite being blind, he gets around very well! He's got his halo harness to wear in new environments. This helps to keep him from bumping his head against furniture and other items. But it's likely that once he gets into a home and learns the layout, he won't need to wear it all the time." (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Many of you requested an update on the Northern Flicker we posted about a few days ago and we are happy to report he is doing well! From not being able to walk or right himself when falling over, this bird has made quick progress and is starting to be able to climb and evades capture for his daily medication well!" (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Outside: "Hit the trails this month! Roanoke Mountain Adventures has a shuttle to Snowshoe Mountain this Wednesday and another on the 25th! Sign up now with the link in our profile!" (Roanoke Outside via Instagram)

There you have it! Now you're in the loop and ready to start Tuesday off right. I will see you all bright and early tomorrow 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