🌱 Roanoke Starbucks Unionizes + TAP Roanoke Gets $3M US DOL Grant

Good morning, Roanokers! It's Friday! I'm here in your inbox with everything you need to know about what's going on around town. Here goes...

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny, hot and humid.

High: 90 Low: 71.

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Here are the top five stories in Roanoke today:

1. The U.S. Department of Labor is giving a big boost to Roanoke's total Action Against Poverty. The federal funding totals nearly $3 million and is being awarded as part of the US DOL's Employment and Training Administration Pathway Homes Program and will be used to help those who have been incarcerated return to the workforce. Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner made the announcement and said, "By expanding employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated Virginians, we can help them successfully transition back into the community, reduce recidivism, and strengthen our neighborhoods." (WDBJ)
2. The Interstate 81 Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet at the Hotel Roanoke on July 7 and members of the public are invited to attend or submit questions, comments, and concerns over the phone. The meeting is an important part of the I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan, which is a $2 billion package that has planned improvements to the interstate scheduled through 2030. People who wish to submit a question can do so at ImproveI81.org. (The Patriot)
3. A tentative agreement among Roanoke area truck drivers, Teamsters Union Local 171 and employer US Foods has been reached. The drivers have been in intense negotiations for months now wanting better pay, benefits, and job security. "These people kept coming to work all during the pandemic and they helped this company get through and it’s time for them to get some reward for all their hard work. It gives the employees a good, fair, wage increase, it gives them good Teamster healthcare and it provides them with job protections and job security, while still allowing the company to remain profitable and successful and grow their business," said Todd Robertson, president of Teamsters Local Union 171, who represents the drivers. (WDBJ)
4. Minnick Schools in Roanoke has announced that former Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Mark Miear will be coming aboard as its new assistant director of education. Minnick is a nonprofit school system that operates seven schools focused on children with special needs. "We’re very excited to bring Mark Miear on to our team,” Margaret Holland, the chief engagement officer for the nonprofit, said. “We’re very impressed by his 30 years in education, the expertise he has built up, and relationships he’s built up in Virginia, particularly in Southwest Virginia.” (Roanoke Times)
5. A Roanoke Starbucks is the first coffeeshop in southwest Virginia to unionize. The employees at Roanoke Bridges location on Old Whitmore Avenue near Roanoke Memorial Hospital voted unanimously to make the move. "They want to simply have a voice on the job. They want to have a say in their working conditions. And they believe that having a union will be a good thing not only for the workers so that they will be paid and compensated fairly, as well as having a say in working conditions, but also that it will be better for the customers because these are the frontline workers to know how their stores run,” said Virginia Diamond, an organizer with Workers United and the president of the Northern Virginia labor federation AFL-CIO. (WDBJ)

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See important Reg A Disclosures

Today in Roanoke:

• The Entertainers @ Elmwood Park (5:30 p.m.)
• Dylan Scott at Dr. Pepper Park (6 p.m.)
• Children's Literature Illustrator Ruth Sanderson @ Hollins University (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke Police Department: "We can’t believe this either — one of our sergeants wrote this summons today for someone driving 101 mph in a 55 mph zone! 😳 Speeding puts you and countless others in danger. We all share the roads, so please watch your speed. Drive safe!" (Roanoke Police Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke Outside: "How does biking from Salem all the way to Explore Park solely on the greenway sound to you? Roanoke County's Community Input Meeting tomorrow will be discussing full greenway connectivity." (Roanoke Outside via Facebook)
• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "Please join us in congratulating Battalion Chief Matt Dewhirst on his retirement from Roanoke Fire-EMS! Chief Dewhirst was with our department for 24 years at different stations." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "For this week's Wish List Wednesday, we're asking for more food for the kittens in our care - and we have a LOT in our care right now. So of course, they are also eating a lot!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• The Rescue Mission of Roanoke: "We called and Linda C. answered! Thank you Linda for donating these amazing quilts for use in our shelter. We are still in need, but these will certainly go a long way!" (The Rescue Mission of Roanoke via Facebook)

You're all set for today! I'll be back 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