🌱 Spring Hollow Reservoir Update + Local Soccer Star Visits NHS

Hello and happy hump day, friends! Here's the Wednesday edition of the Roanoke Daily with a look at what's going on in town. Today's briefing includes...

• A plea deal and sentence for a January shooting incident
• An update on the Vinton Christmas Parade
• An area trafficking ministry needs your help

Let's go!

But first, today's weather:

Sunny to partly cloudy.

High: 62 Low: 37.

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Here are the top stories today in Roanoke:

1. A Roanoke man, Jeffrey Euzell White, 53, entered a plea deal in Roanoke Circuit Court and was sentenced to 6 years behind bars in connection with a shooting outside of W.R. Brews on Williamson Road. The incident began shortly before 2 a.m. on Jan. 7 after White reportedly pulled a woman's hair and her husband showed up wanting to know who had put their hands on his wife. When he was confronted, White shot the unarmed man. White is being held in the Roanoke City Jail. (Roanoke Times)
2. The executive director of the Western Virginia Water Authority reported at Monday night's Roanoke City Council meeting that the public utility is reworking the filtration program and increasing water testing at Spring Hollow Reservoir. The move comes after a higher than recommended amount of a chemical commonly known as GenX was found in 2021. Spring Hollow is Roanoke County's main source of drinking water, and the Water Authority has been working with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Health to investigate the source of the chemical and to eliminate it. Roanoke County has been receiving drinking water from Carvins Cove Reservoir during the investigation. (WDBJ)
3. Former Northside Viking soccer player Daniel Pereira returned to the school recently to speak and encourage current students and athletes there. On stage Pereira talked about hard work and the proper mentality both on and off the soccer field and about his journey from his home country of Venezuela to Roanoke in 2015. "I knew no English when I got here so it was quite hard. I trusted everyone around me — parents, teachers, and friends I made since day one. So, they were the ones that made it a lot easier." Pereira excelled at soccer while in high school scoring 70 goals for Northside and earned a scholarship to play at Virginia Tech, an experience that saw him entered into the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft and drafted as the number one pick by Austin Football Club. (WSLS)
4. The Vinton Christmas Parade will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. and will begin at the Vinton War Memorial. Vinton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angie Chewning said, "We have so many people that are coming this year. We have about six of the high school marching bands, we have lots of floats with the Grinch wanting to be the theme, we have our honor guards, a lot of our churches, our cheerleaders and football teams, super bowl champion terriers, and all those kinds of neat organizations that we want to promote and show off." The parade is being called the 'Christmas Parade of the Future' and pre-parade entertainment will begin at 6 p.m. at the municipal building. (WDBJ)
5. The Lampstand, a local nonprofit and ministry that works to end child exploitation and trafficking, is in need of more staffers. Executive Director Kathleen Arnold said, "We provide education and training in the community on sex trafficking, but we also provide services for victims and survivors of sexual exploitation. Our safe home provides housing and a safe space for children who have been sexually exploited and through that program the children have a lot of great opportunities." The organization is in need of residential care supervisors for the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts to work and live alongside of the girls in the home and to help provide a structured living environment many of the clients have never had before. If you're interested in helping positively affect lives, click here to learn more. (WDBJ)

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Today in Roanoke:

• Yoga at the Taubman Museum of Art (5:15 p.m.)
• Views and Brews at Roanoke Mountain Adventures (6 p.m.)
• "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Live on Stage at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre (7 p.m.)
• Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs vs. Knoxville Ice Bears at the Berglund Center Coliseum (7 p.m.)
• Thankful Dead Night at Martin’s Downtown Bar and Grill (9:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Roanoke College: "Toy Like Me at Roanoke College brings students, staff, and community members together to create toys that represent children with disabilities and medical needs. This holiday season, nearly 200 toys will be donated to local children." (Roanoke College - Salem via Instagram)
• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: "We need fish! 🐟🐠🎣 This Great Blue Heron was found tangled in netting at Smith Mountain Lake and was badly bruised upon admission. His bruising has healed with time and now we are treating a corneal injury in one of his eyes with medication, but he needs to eat and loves fish." (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke via Facebook)
• Roanoke Fire EMS Department: "Please join us in celebrating FF/EMT Clifford Jarmans who has been recognized by Lewis Gale Medical Center for excellence in stroke and cardiac care! By identifying strokes or heart attacks in patients, he ensured that they received prompt attention from the right staff upon arrival at the hospital." (Roanoke Fire EMS Department via Facebook)
• Downtown Roanoke, Inc.: "Get ready to shop local for the holidays. The 2022 Downtown Roanoke Holiday Gift Guide is here! We’re giving you a sneak peek, but you can view the full guide by clicking the 'Holiday Gift Guide' link in our bio. 🔗!" (Downtown Roanoke, Inc. via Instagram)
• Roanoke Valley SPCA: "Book your child's Purrrr-fect birthday surprise today with a Birthday Party Package from the Roanoke Valley SPCA! Our birthday parties come with decorations, fun activities, a behind-the-scenes shelter tour, and... of course... puppy or kitty love!" (Roanoke Valley SPCA via Facebook)
• Roanoke Sheriff's Office: "We would like to thank everyone who played a part in making our first Thanksgiving drive a success. There are so many that provided items, monetary donations, and their time. We truly could not do this alone." (Roanoke Sheriff's Office via Facebook)

Alrighty, you're all good for today. See you all 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