Luke Weir

2 days ago | roanoke.com | Luke Weir

A $407 million government budget begins to make up for alleged past financial mismanagement in Roanoke, city council members said. As part of the budget, tax paid by restaurants serving food and drinks will increase one percentage point, becoming 6.5% on July 1. Amid some frustration Monday, the city council voted to sunset that tax hike so it ends after June 2027. Meanwhile, property owners will pay higher real estate taxes.

2 days ago | roanoke.com | Luke Weir

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3 days ago | roanoke.com | Luke Weir

A school funding dispute that began last year remains largely unresolved as Roanoke’s city council prepares to vote on a proposed $400 million city budget. Another alteration of the long-upheld school funding policy is also up for vote during Monday’s 2 p.m. city council meeting. If approved, it will be the sixth time the funding policy has been altered since it was enacted in 2011, and the second change since last year, according to city documents released Friday.

4 days ago | roanoke.com | Luke Weir

A wild weeknight bike race through buildings and beneath a 300-foot smokestack will raise money for community causes in southeast Roanoke, organizers say. Urban Assault races at Riverdale will take cyclists around, and even into, industrial buildings on the land that formerly housed the world’s largest rayon textiles plant, said event organizer Chris Berry, a volunteer youth mountain bike coach. “This is something I’ve dreamed of doing for about 10 years.

5 days ago | roanoke.com | Luke Weir

Longtime Virginia Western Community College President Robert Sandel delivered to graduates Friday the ABCs of life advice that he learned during a 50-year career in education. Sandel said he is “graduating to retirement” at the end of June, after starting as president of the Roanoke community college in 2001. He led one last procession of about 550 graduating students into Berglund Center for the college’s commencement ceremony Friday evening.