🌱 Roanoke Valley Community Christmas Store + McAfee Knob Shuttle Ends

Good morning, everybody! It's Tuesday in Roanoke and I'm back with a fresh edition of the Roanoke Daily to get you caught up on things in town, including news about:

• Geologist says guardrail too low over area bridge
• New Sheetz grand opening delayed
• Hunters feeding the hungry around the state

Ready?

But first, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy.

High: 55 Low: 46.

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Here are the top stories in Roanoke today:

1. The Roanoke Valley Community Christmas Store is all set to let 250 families in need shop for free this holiday season, something they’ve been doing for nearly 30 years. The store is set up in Spartan Square in Salem and takes applications each year to help as many families shop with dignity as they can. Families are assisted by volunteers in finding new clothing, toys, household items, and food, and no money is required at any time during the process. "Our mission is to assist families that are needy. That could be due to income, they could be off, injured from work. It’s very rewarding to see the happy faces on the families and how appreciative they are of the donations and what they get," said Shirley Lautenschlager, a volunteer. The organization is always in need of volunteers and welcomes inquiries about donations. (WSLS)
2. Roanoke County has hit the brakes on the McAfee Knob Trailhead Shuttle for the rest of the year. The bus began service in September and ran back and forth trips up and down Route 311 to help the difficult parking situation at the trailhead. "[The shuttle] makes it so that there’s less danger in the ways our visitors were parking. It made it very difficult for our emergency vehicles when they needed to come through and it was not a pleasant experience,” said Catawba Magisterial District Supervisor Martha Hooker. The shuttle will begin service again on March 3 for its first full season. (WDBJ)
3. "My heart was in my mouth," said Tom Collins about the first time he saw what he believes is an obvious safety risk on the bridge over the Roanoke River on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Collins is a retired U.S .Forest Service geologist and said the guardrails on the bridge are entirely too low. The bridge over the river is 1,000 feet long, spans a drop of as much as 160 feet at one point, and is open to foot traffic on a narrow sidewalk with guardrails that are below three feet tall. That's 9 inches too short according to Collins who spoke with park service officials, but decided to contact the press after a recent $2 million dollar maintenance project left the situation unchanged. Park service officials say the current guardrail is within building code and an update is not required by law, but Collins disagrees. "They can't just ignore it. People want to see the view. They’re focused on the view. It’s not on safety." (Roanoke Times)
4. The grand opening of the new Sheetz station at the corner of Orange Avenue and King Street along Route 460 was scheduled to open Nov. 28, but that has now been delayed. Sheetz officials did not give a reason for the delay, but a drive by the site tells you there's a lot of work still to be done with the parking lot still unpaved. The new date is Dec. 5 from 9 - 11 a.m. and there will be two $250 Z-Cards up for grabs along with a $2,500 Z-Card as a grand prize. The event will also be collecting nonperishable food items and those donating will receive a Sheetz branded bag while supplies last. (WSLS)
5. Pastor David Burgess and Christian Soldiers Food Pantry in Southeast Roanoke was overjoyed to see a bounty of venison being loaded into his pickup truck that one of the loaders estimated to be about 1,300 pounds. The donation to the food pantry came from Hunters for the Hungry, a volunteer group that collects donations of deer harvested by hunters around the Commonwealth, founded in 1991. "Hunters donate the deer, processors skin, cut, wrap, and freeze the meat, and we facilitate getting it to these feeding programs so they can get it to their clients at no cost," said director Gary Arrington. The organization has distributed more than 7 million pounds of deer meat since its founding. (WFXR)

From our sponsor:

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Today in Roanoke:

• Advising Day at Virginia Western Community College (8:30 a.m.)
• Gingerbread House Competition at the Salem Museum and Historical Society (10 a.m.)
• A Celebration of Life & Lights at Richfield Living (6 p.m.)
• Fleet Feet Pub Run & Walk at Big Lick Brewing Co. (6 p.m.)
• Holly Bowling with John Kadlecik at 5 Points Music Sanctuary (7:30 p.m.)
• GOTE at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Botetourt County Sheriff's Office: "Can you help deputies find who shot me? 😞 On Friday, a nice family found me wounded on the side of the highway near the intersection of Botetourt Road and Chatham Road. Deputy Gossett rushed me to the animal hospital where they made a valiant attempt to save my life. Unfortunately, I later crossed the Rainbow Bridge." (Botetourt County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)
• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "The answer to yesterday’s mystery bird is golden-crowned kinglet! For those keen-eyed bird nerds out there, this patient is also a male because he has red-orange feathers in his crown, as you can see in one of the photos." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Maple's adopters sent us this sweet photo of her looking very comfy in her new home! When pets sprawl on their backs like this, it's a vulnerable position, so it's usually a sign they're feeling very comfortable." (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Shield Chaplaincy: "Grateful for your generosity — The only way we are able to serve officers in our region full time, is through the generosity of others. Please consider making a year-end contribution or sharing word about Shield with others who care about local officers and their families." (Shield Chap via Facebook)
• Roanoke City Market Building: "Cool to see Roanoke featured in this National Geographic article about the Top 5 Train Trips in America. Also cool to see our building in there!" (Roanoke City Market Building via Facebook)

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That's it for today. I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early!

— 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