Welcome to Roanoke Valley Field Notes, a collection of news and miscellaneous notes from the past week in the valley, and a look ahead at what’s happening next week. Here’s my last edition, if you missed it.
The city of Roanoke released more information about a May data breach. And a first-of-its-kind event will be held in Salem this month.
As always, email me at samantha@cardinalnews.org to share your thoughts, ideas, questions and concerns.
Roanoke data breach due to phishing email
A data breach that people were alerted to on Aug. 24 was a result of a “May 6 interaction with a phishing email that appeared legitimate,” according to the city of Roanoke.
The city has not disclosed how many people potentially had personal information, including Social Security numbers, leaked as a result.
Cardinal News was reached by two individuals who received the Aug. 24 letter from the city, stating that their data may have been accessed by a “malicious actor.” Cardinal broke the story on Friday.
The city posted a release to its website on Tuesday. It says the city locked access to the compromised email account after one day and contacted insurance to launch a cybersecurity investigation. That “determined that the phishing software looked at the employee’s email contacts for the purpose of harvesting email login credentials,” according to the release.
The city said the insurance company’s notifications did not come out until Aug. 24 “due to the amount of data investigated.”
“As part of our incident review process, the City is working with the Insurance Company to identify ways to expedite their notifications without compromising accuracy,” the release states.
Salem to hold inaugural State of the City address
Mayor Renee Turk will deliver the city of Salem’s first State of the City address on Sept. 22.
In a press release, the city said it is “experiencing a period of significant investment, business growth and community development” as a reason for starting such an address, which has been held annually for years in Roanoke and Roanoke County.
The breakfast gathering will be hosted by the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce at the city’s civic center.
“This event comes at an important time for Salem,” the release said. “Over the past two years, the city has celebrated more than $70 million in state-supported business investment and more than 190 new jobs, with average annual wages exceeding $50,000.”
That includes the redevelopment of the former Valleydale site, which represents $50 million in private investment and plans for more than 300 apartments, according to the release.
Roanoke council and school board discuss 1% sales tax increase
During a joint meeting between the Roanoke City Council and school board on Tuesday morning, it was decided that a discussion will continue about the pursuit of a 1% sales tax increase for school construction.
The General Assembly passed legislation allowing the local-option sales tax increase to be used exclusively for school construction and renovation.
Deputy City Attorney David Collin said the city council must adopt a resolution to initiate the process, authorizing the courts to order a local referendum.
Mayor Joe Cobb said that the city could expect an estimated $26 million to $28 million in additional revenue if the tax were implemented.
Vice Mayor Terry McGuire said he would support moving forward quickly and scheduling a special election to get the issue on ballots soon.
“This was already a top priority for both bodies,” he said.
School board chair Franny Apel proposed that the two groups continue discussions at legislative committee meetings and individually.
Donna Littlepage, a new school board member, said she thinks that waiting to authorize a referendum is a “judicious” decision “because we’re asking the citizens to pay more money.”
Meetings next week:
The Salem City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at City Hall. That agenda can be viewed here.
The Roanoke City Planning Commission will meet on Monday to consider an application for a rezoning of about two acres to build proposed townhomes on Colonial Avenue SW. The full application can be viewed here.
In case you missed it:
‘Busting at the seams’: Report calls Roanoke’s planning department tone deaf, with a culture of no
In Norton, drafting government workers for firefighting is filling a need
With classes started, Roanoke school division provides final number of 148 eliminated jobs
Roanoke tells city residents about data breach three months after it happened
