🌱 Roanoke Public Housing Repositioning + Two New Shows Announced

Hey there fellow Roanokers! Ian here with the Roanoke Daily. I hope you're well on this Wednesday morning. Here's a look at some news.

First, today's weather:

Humid with a stray thunderstorm.

High: 85 Low: 74.

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Here are the top five stories today in Roanoke:

1. The Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board discussed a repositioning plan at its meeting Monday afternoon. For RRHA, repositioning means taking existing public housing projects, modernizing the inside of those developments and then entering those homes into Section 8, part of the Federal Housing Act of 1937 that authorizes government payments to private landlords for low income households. "The bottom line is, we need to do this. Our city is experiencing a huge affordable housing crisis. So anything that the housing authority can do to increase the amount of affordable units, we’re going to do it," said David Bustamante, RRHA's executive director. (WDBJ)
2. Raleigh Court Neighborhood Association and The Village Grill restaurant in the Grandin area recently teamed up for a fundraising dinner to make improvements to Tarpley Park, named after James Tarpley, a beloved Grandin resident who passed away in 2019. Desired improvements to the park include replacing the playset, repainting the playhouses and adding new mulch to the playground. "Doing fundraising nights is crucial to the upkeep and development of this park. And to keep that Tarpley spirit alive that we all love here in Grandin," said Village Grill owner, Nathan Webster. The Tarpley Spirit is exactly what endeared Tarpley to residents of the area. He was known for random acts of kindness and is memorialized in a mural at the park. (WSLS)
3. The Berglund Center has announced that TV personality Alton Brown, a comedian and chef sensation, is coming to Roanoke on November 17 as part of his Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats – The Holiday Variant tour. Brown has been featured on the Food Network for many years and is known for the interactive element of his shows that often include science, food and other festivities. Brown said audiences should expect "more cooking, more comedy, more music and more potentially dangerous science stuff with a sprinkle of seasonal spices. Plus, you’ll see things I’ve never been allowed to do on TV." Tickets go on sale Friday, July 29. (Roanoker)
4. Singer Songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, formerly part of Fleetwood Mac, has booked a show at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke. The performance will be on November 15 and tickets will go on sale August 4. Along with Stevie Nicks, guitarist Buckingham wrote and produced a number of Fleetwood Mac's hit songs in the 1970s and 80s including “Go Your Own Way” and “Big Love.” This will be a rocking, loud show as Lindsey fills Shaftman Performance Hall with his greatest hits,” the venue wrote in an email blast to area news agencies. (Roanoke Times)
5. The Roanoke Regional Small Business Development Center held its first ever Foodiepreneur Symposium and around 60 people representing dozens of restaurants around the Roanoke Valley participated. The gathering was organized to teach small business owners about topics critical to business success such as marketing, budgets and hiring employees. "It’s really going to impact their cost of goods, their suppliers, where they get things, how do they maneuver those costs, do they have to change their prices. All of those are conversations we’re going to have to see what that looks like next," said Amanda Forrester, Roanoke's SBDC Director.(WSLS)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Cycling Skills Class: Tubeless Tires at East Coasters Bike Shop (5:30 p.m.)
• Palmyra at Parkway Brewing Company (6 p.m.)
• Blackberry Smoke at Dr. Pepper Park at the Bridges (6 p.m.)
• Views and Brews presented by Roanoke Mountain Adventures (6 p.m.)
• Ben Trout Band at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke College: "It’s HOT in Sunny Salem this week! Stay cool, Maroons!" (Roanoke College via Instagram)
• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Umm... No, I am NOT coming out! One of our Eastern box turtle patients was not excited to receive medication and she decided to stay boxed up in her shell. This is the only turtle species in Virginia that has a hinged bottom shell." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Happy Tails to all of the pets who were adopted last week and congratulations to all of the adopters who opened their hearts to a new best friend! If you're ready to bring home a pet of your own, now is a great time!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "Congratulations to Deputy Chief Marci Stone, and Deputy Chief David Guynn for their recent appointments to advisory boards for the state of Virginia." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke County Police Department: "Thank you Eva for your awesome lemonade last week! It was a hot day and your lemonade was just what we needed to stay cool!! Keep up the work!!" (Roanoke County Police Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Public Schools: "Third grade Fishburn Park, Highland and Grandin Court RCPS+ students explored fractions in a yummy way by creating paper pizzas! Students made their own unique pizza combinations and identified the fraction of pieces with different toppings." (Roanoke City Public Schools via Facebook)
• Downtown Roanoke, Inc.: "Congratulations to Nawab Indian Cuisine Restaurant on celebrating its 25th Anniversary in Downtown Roanoke! Nawab opened its doors in May of 1997 and has been in the same location ever since." (Downtown Roanoke, Inc. via Facebook)
• City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority: "Effective now until 5 p.m. on Friday, August 5, the city of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority will open the waitlist for two bedroom size at our Lansdowne Park Development." (City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority via Facebook)
• Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley: "On Saturday, July 23 we dedicated our newest home in SE Roanoke. This beautiful rehab is now the home of the Harane Family. Thanks to all those who gave their support to help make this home possible! " (Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley via Facebook)
• Roanoke Public Libraries: "Winner, winner! Congratulations to our eight adult summer reading program bingo winners! Be on the lookout for an email about pick-up details. All winners for every level of the Summer Reading Program have been called." (Roanoke Public Libraries via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley Television: "We're launching a new recurring series with Town of Vinton, Virginia Government called All Things Vinton, a humorous inside look at local businesses #InVinton." (Roanoke Valley Television via Facebook)

Alrighty then -- you're all caught up for today. See you tomorrow morning!

— 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