🌱 Roanoke Restaurateur Remembered + 15th Annual Festival Of India

Hello, Roanokers! Guess what? Yup. It's Monday again. Now that you've got the coffee brewing and at least one eyelid open let's take a look at some local news.

First, today's weather:

A shower and thunderstorm.

High: 72 Low: 64. Downright chilly after so many weeks in the 90s.

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Here are the top four stories today in Roanoke:

1. Roanoke College's new president Frank Shushok recently sat down with reporters to discuss his life, his education and his vision for the college. In the frank (pun fully intended) discussion Shushok talked about how he nearly didn't graduate from high school after developing an identity early on in his childhood that he wasn't smart, an identity teachers and mentors helped him to unravel. "Late in high school, I had a couple mentoring high school teachers that helped me find some confidence, and helped me find my way to college. I found a great graduate school and went off, took a big risk, thanks to faculty mentors," he said. That kind of mentorship he said is crucial to development and what drew him to Roanoke College, an institution known for such mentorship. To read the full interview click the link. (Martinsville Bulletin)
2. A new federal infrastructure bill recently signed into law will see a dramatic development and expansion in the number of electric vehicle charging station across the nation. Virginia Transformer Company in Roanoke is hoping to position themselves as a player in that market as half-a-million new charging stations are manufactured and sold. "The whole thing kind of started with us asking how we can help our customers be more efficient. What are their pain points? We’re seeing explosive growth in electric vehicle charging stations. That’s going to be huge for both the construction market, and for consumers," said Shankar Mukherjee, head of the Virginia Transformer development team that spearheaded the project. (Roanoke Times)
3. The 15th annual Festival of India was held Saturday at Elmwood Park. Presented by Local Colors, a Roanoke-based nonprofit whose mission is to highlight the many cultures represented among the people of the Star City, the festival saw dozens of vendors selling everything from foods to traditional clothing, an arts and crafts table for children, and a booth run by Padmaja Mallidi who wrote children's names in the many different dialects of India. "It’s very meaningful because once we know each other better than we can understand each other better. Seeing children’s eyes widen when I explain how India has 29 states and more than 19,000 languages keeps me coming back,” Mallidi said. (WSLS 10, Local Colors)
4. Roanokers are remembering Mike "Mikey" Caudill, a local chef and restaurateur who passed away recently after battling cancer. Caudill's tenure in Roanoke has seen him as the manager of Corned Beef & Co, the original chef of Frankie Rowland's Steakhouse, and finally owner and chef of his own restaurant, Table 50, on downtown's Market Square. "I got to know him back in [the] early days. He will be forever missed and loved but never forgotten. He was just brilliant, always, in being a chef and a human being. If there was anybody that could ever impact someone’s life, it was Mikey, in an incredibly positive way," said Jimmy Ayers, who met Caudill when both were in their 20s. Funeral arrangements are still being worked out and details will be available on Table 50's website and social media. (Roanoke Times, Table 50)

Today in Roanoke:

• Roanoke City Council Meeting - Roanoke City Council (2 p.m.)
• Free Yoga for the People at the main Roanoke Public Library (5:30 p.m.)
• Roanoke City Council Meeting - Public Hearings (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "🚨 SCAM ALERT 🚨 Please disregard any messages you receive claiming to offer a discount on a Roanoke Fire-EMS shirt. This is not affiliated with our department in any way." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)
• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "Sweet freedom! This Great Crested Flycatcher zoomed out of our hands into the wild earlier this week. It is wild to think that in only a few months this bird will be migrating down to Central America to spend the winter." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• City of Roanoke Government: "We ❤️ the t-shirt design for the Roanoke Run for Refugees 5K! Sign up today to claim yours!" (City of Roanoke Government via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "We want to give a BIG shoutout to WSLS 10 / WSLS.com for partnering with us for Clear the Shelters this month! Highlighting shelter pets helps to get them noticed and adopted into loving homes! Thank you WSLS 10 for helping us!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)

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Alrighty. You're officially in the loop 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