🌱 School Resource Officer Hiring Update + Early Voter Turnout Numbers

Hello, everyone! It's the Monday after Daylight Savings Time so does that make it like a Super Monday or something? Asking for a friend. Anyways, without further ado here's today's Roanoke Daily. Let's motor!

But first, today's weather:

Decreasing clouds.

High: 79 Low: 46.

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Roanoke! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. The school massacre in Uvalde, Texas renewed calls from school boards across the nation for more and tighter security measures and Roanoke County was no exception. The school board called for the placement of a School Resource Officer in each of its 29 schools and the discussions led the board to apply for a grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Since receiving $491,591 from said grant, six new full time SROs have been hired, but the part time positions have gone unfilled to date. "We’re dealing with a situation where we have a shallow applicant pool with a lot of competition. So that complicates the situation," Police Chief Howard Hall said at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting. (Roanoke Times)
2. Saturday was the last day to vote early in person in Roanoke and despite the rain many showed up to do so. Director of Elections Andrew Cochran said the city had received over 2,400 mail in ballots and over 6,100 people had voted early. Traditional Election Day is tomorrow and polls open at 6 a.m. "Be sure to bring your ID. There’s acceptable forms other than photo ID; the list is on our website. And also if you’re not familiar with the sample ballot, you may want to take a moment to do that. It’s a very full ballot,” said Cochran. (WDBJ, Roanoke Times)
3. A candlelight vigil for the victim of a shooting on Marshall Avenue in Roanoke was held Friday night at his home by his family and members of local nonprofit Families Expecting Deliverance Using Prayer (FEDUP.) Jeremy Clement, 36, of Roanoke, died Oct. 28 after police say he was shot by his neighbor Anthony L. Hall after an domestic argument involving Clement and his girlfriend. "I really just hope that this is not just another number for Roanoke crime. I hope that this is another life that is worth making changes for," said Clement’s sister, Kimberly Thompson, 28, of Buchanan. Clement's family has a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses. (Roanoke Times, WSLS)
4. Multiple Botetourt County Fire and EMS crews were called to the scene of a brush fire that burned out of control in the northern part of the county near Arcadia Friday night. Crews from Troutville, Buchanan, and Natural Bridge were on scene and said the fire was able to be contained rather quickly, though it did spread into the Jefferson National Forest at one point. The Virginia Department of Forestry issued a statement later on saying the fire was two acres in size and was 100% contained. (WFXR)

Today’s Roanoke Daily is brought to you by T-Mobile. T-Mobile has invested billions to light up their best network ever, covering 99% of people in America with LTE, which helps to keep communities like ours informed and connected. We thank T-Mobile for their support and for making today’s Roanoke Daily possible.

Today in Roanoke:

• Free Yoga for the People at the main Roanoke Public Library (5:30 p.m.)
• Stories from the Heart: Opening the Door to End-of-Life Conversations by Carilion Clinic at the Grandin Theatre (6:30 p.m.)
• Roanoke Pinball League at the Roanoke Pinball Museum (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge: "Get out on the ice and experience the fun of Ice Bumper Cars at the Berglund Center! This was an extremely popular activity last year that regularly sold out, so the Berglund Center is adding more dates and times for extra fun this year!" (Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge via Facebook)
• Roanoke Police Department: "We are honored to host the public safety session for the My City Academy participants! City of Roanoke E-911 Center, Roanoke Sheriff's Office, and Roanoke Fire EMS Department presented information about their agencies and RPD Officers gave a tour!" (Roanoke Police Department via Facebook)
• City of Roanoke Government: "Save the date for a Thanksgiving Meal at Feeding Southwest Virginia's Community Solutions Center! Saturday November 26th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m." (City of Roanoke, Virginia - Government via Facebook)
• Virginia Children's Theatre: "🌹We are in full swing for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!! Our creative team is here, actors have arrived, and we had our first sing through/ read through today! 📸 Thank you Richard Maddox for capturing the magic of today! Get your tickets at our website!" (Virginia Children's Theatre via Facebook)
• Local Colors: "What a great event and turnout this evening for a celebration of African Cultures. Master drummer Otu Kojo and company set the stage with a prelude to the main show. More pics and videos coming!" (Local Colors via Facebook)

Alrighty. You're all set for this soggy Monday morning. I'll see you 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