🌱 Pictures With Santa Paws + Mountain Valley Pipeline Update

Hey, friends! Here's the Sunday edition of the Roanoke Daily with what's happening in town since our last little pow wow. Today we'll cover...

• An arrest made in 2019 murder
• Robin Reed gets a surprise
• Salem lottery winner

Lesssgo!!!

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny.

High: 52 Low: 29.

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. After a three year investigation, the wheels of justice are finally turning publically for the family of 24 year old Salonya Evans, a Roanoke woman found dead of a gunshot wound outside of her Morehead Avenue residence in July 2019. Her alleged killer, 32-year-old Kai Lansana of Alexandria, was arrested by Deputy U.S. Marshals in Kentucky and was extradited to Roanoke to face charges of first degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and statutory burglary. He is being held in the Roanoke City Jail without bond until his trial can begin. (WSET, Roanoke Times)
2. Two new bills were introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives today that could clear the road for the Mountain Valley Pipeline to be completed in the not too distant future. The controversial pipeline, which passes through Roanoke County, has been stalled for several years as the pros and cons duke it out nationally over fossil fuel projects. Locally, a group known as Preserve Bent Mountain says they weren't surprised to see the two pieces of legislation, but hope that lawmakers will again reject the proposals. "Legislators have an obligation to protect the public and in advancing MVP, they are failing to do that. In fact they are working against public safety,' said group member Roberta Bondurant. (WDBJ)
3. The Roanoke Valley SPCA is hosting their annual Pictures with Santa Paws fundraiser today from 1 - 5 p.m. at their Baldwin Ave. animal shelter. $20 will get your fur buddies a photo with the great white father himself and spots can be reserved in advance on the SPCA website.Communications Director, Julie Rickmond, said, "It’s a pretty fun event. We love having pets come out, we’ve had goats come out, and we’ve had cats and dogs come out to get pictures with Santa. And they make great Christmas cards." (WSLS)
4. Longtime WDBJ meteorologist and anchor Robin Reed officially hung up the microphone after the news broadcast featuring the lighting of the 'Dickens of a Christmas' tree lighting at the base of the Wells Fargo Tower in Downtown Roanoke Friday night, but to his surprise the ceremony wasn't quite over yet. "Tonight marks the end of an era!" said Mayor Sherman Lea as he took the stage next to Reed and a fellow anchor. Along with members of city council, he then presented Reed with the key to the city. Reed held his hand to his heart in surprise and said, "Thank you Mr. Mayor. I really, really, really appreciate this moment. And I really don’t know what to say. But this a heck of a way to finish up a career and I appreciate it very much." (WDBJ)
5. A Salem man, Garland Hare, bought a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket at the Salem Mini-Mart on West Main St. on November 1st and then promptly left the country without realizing it. Hare matched the first five numbers — 5-9-15-16-17 — making his ticket one of seven $1 million dollar winners across the country, but didn't match the Mega Ball, which would have delivered the full $87 million dollar jackpot. Hare said he intends to pay bills and do some more travelling with his winnings. Profits from the virginia Lottery go to support public schools and Salem received $2.6 million in funds from the lottery this past fiscal year. (WDBJ)

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Today in Roanoke:

From my notebook:

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "This beautiful mature Red-tailed Hawk was rescued from Giles County after someone watched this bird badly crash land trying to catch a squirrel and failing. The hawk was unable to get up and fly away after crashing and was easily picked up by the good samaritan." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Hello Facebook Family! My name is Belva, which means beautiful view in Latin. I mean look at me, aren’t I a beautiful girl? But my life hasn’t always been so beautiful and in fact it may be kind of a hard story for some folks to read. But I think it’s important to share and you can do something about it!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• PLAY Roanoke: "Shout out to our Urban Forestry crew who not only cut down, transported, and set up the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree, but also got the light and decorations on this week!" (PLAY Roanoke via Facebook)

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Thanks for following and staying informed! See you all tomorrow morning 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