🌱 Panera Bread At Valley View Closes + Transit Equity Day Celebrated

Hello, fellow Roanokers! It's time for the dreaded Monday edition of the Roanoke Patch newsletter. 😱😱😱

Here's what's happening in town including these stories and more:

• More on NW teen shooting
• Housing authority to host cookouts
• Diversity director's job eliminated

Let's motor! 🚗💨

But first, today's weather:

Breezy in the morning.

High: 55 Low: 33.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. More information has been released on the Friday night shooting that initial reports said sent two teenage boys to the hospital. It turns out it was three teenage boys — two of them were being transported to the hospital in a person vehicle while police were en route to the scene. All three injuries were non-life threatening and appeared to have happened at a residence on the 1000 block of 22nd Avenue NW. Police say they found evidence of a shooting at the residence, but that they have little else to go on and are still asking for the public's help in figuring out exactly what transpired. Phone calls and texts to police can be made anonymously. (WDBJ)
2. Panera Bread has closed it's Valley View Mall location, but don't fret, city records reveal the chain plans to build a brand new location with drive through service nearby. The new location will be next to the DSW Shoe Warehouse located in the same plaza as Michael's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Gabe's. According to the documents filed with the city the building will be over 4,000 square feet. The move is part of a new look for Panera, which began being rolled out across the nation in November of 2021. Diners can expect a new logo and baking ovens in full view of the public in addition to a fresh new interior. (Roanoke Times, Delish)
3. The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority is the latest local government agency to try to address the gun violence issue. The agency has announced it will be hosting a series of cookouts throughout the year with the goal of connecting people with each other and with the various resources available in the city. "There’s economic issues. There’s opportunity issues where you may not have transportation. There’s a lot of just different factors that are going into why we’re having gun violence. What we’re doing is literally bringing resources to eliminate all of those barriers," said Greg Goodman, director of Community Support Services for the housing authority. The cookouts are open to anyone and will be held quarterly in the newly remodeled Envision Center on Salem Turnpike. (WSLS)
4. Ride Solutions and Valley Metro partnered with the Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy Group on Saturday to celebrate Rosa Parks' birthday, now officially known as Transit Equity Day. For the celebration, they handed out free bus tickets as well as light refreshments and information about Parks and the work of the advocacy group. Each bus that departed left one seat vacant in honor of Parks and her actions taken for equality in 1955. "If you think about it, in order to live a good life, you need to be able to get where you want to go and for many people, they rely on the bus to make that happen. So, what we do as a group is we advocate for the buses to become better and better and better," said BRRAG Co-Founder Dr. Laura Hartman. The group meets on the first Thursday of the month at the Gainsboro library if you're interested in learning more. (WHSV, WDBJ)
5. Roanoke County Public Schools has decided to do away with the position of the director of equity and engagement, which was added two years ago after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The administrative position was created with the support of the Virginia Department of Education with the intent of diversifying the employee pool at the county's schools, which did not reflect the diversity within the county. The duties of the director will still be fulfilled on an ongoing basis after being spread out among the other holders of other administrative positions, but the position itself will cease. The decision was made in part because of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin's fulfilling of a campaign promise to cancel support of such programs at the state level, which he has done. (Roanoke Times)

From our sponsor:

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Today in Roanoke:

• Golden Cactus Pub Run starting at Golden Cactus Brewing (6 p.m.)
• Irish Jam Band at Big Lick Brewing Co. (6 p.m.)
• Night Ranger at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Winter weather got you cold, dry, and cracked? Take a nice hydrating bath! Our 41 overwintering Eastern Box Turtles love soaking in their water dishes for hours at a time. This year we have taken care of more reptiles than ever before!" (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport: "🏀 Who would like to see Virginia Tech Hokies play the Boston College Eagles on Wednesday, February 8th at Cassell Coliseum? 🏀 We're giving away 4 tickets to one lucky winner! Click the link to learn how to enter!" (Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Our Community Cat Crew took advantage of the warm weather last week to kick off their 2023 TNR season! We trapped, neutered/vaccinated, and returned 12 cats. Believe it or not, one of the females was in heat!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• City of Roanoke Government: "Attention Roanoke Youth! Come join the Roanoke Youth Services Citizens Board for some fun and food on March 4 at the Annual Roanoke Youth Summit! This event is FREE and open to middle and high school students." (City of Roanoke Government via Facebook)
• Solomon's Mission: "Want to help some elderly in our area, Kroger in Daleville is collecting items in the picture below for us to distribute. Thank you !" (Solomon's Mission via Facebook)
• Local Colors: "Wow! What a turnout! Thank you so much to all who joined us for the Lunar New Year Celebration. We were so glad to share the culture and traditions of Asian neighbors in the region. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit!" (Local Colors via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today. Not too bad for a dreaded Monday, huh? I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning for another Roanoke PATCH.

— 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