We have more entertainment options than we did when the Berglund Center opened in 1971 as the Roanoke Civic Center, but those acts also have an increasing number of other places where they can play.
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Posted inEconomy
Google says it will break ground on Botetourt data center campus in coming months
The tech giant bought more than 300 acres at the county’s Greenfield industrial park for $14 million last June.
Posted inLocal
Roanoke City Public Schools cuts 170 positions to address budget shortfall
More than 100 of the cuts will come from existing vacancies, resignations and retirements. The rest – about 65 – will affect current employees, with about half that number losing their jobs and the other half being shifted into new roles.
Posted inLocal
7 things to watch as Roanoke begins discussions of its proposed budget
Schools, public safety and parks and rec are among the areas that face funding cuts.
Posted inLocal
Another year of cuts expected to city projects and programs as Roanoke city manager presents proposed budget Monday
Last year, Valmarie Turner was quickly thrown into a tight budget season, with deficits that she has said will be addressed over multiple years.
Posted inLocal
The number of ICE detainees in the Roanoke jail more than tripled last year
An immigration attorney said though the number of ICE agents in Roanoke has not changed, changes on the federal level are causing this spike locally.
Posted inOpinion
Roanoke’s Berglund Center was built for the entertainment landscape of 1971. That world doesn’t exist today.
The lack of big shows or big games is not a failure of management or marketing, it’s simply a fundamental change in the entertainment market. Roanoke needs to keep that in mind as it contemplates an “entertainment district.”
Posted inOpinion
Russia apprehends former Salem man at sea, sentences him to 5 years in prison
Chuck Zimmerman, a 1985 Salem High School graduate, was sailing to New Zealand when the Russians picked him up in international waters on a side trip into the Black Sea. Those who follow Russia say it’s common practice for the country to “collect” Americans and then trade them in prisoner swaps.
Posted inLocal
Roanoke City School Board approves preliminary budget in preparation of cuts
The school board’s budget is not final and does not yet detail cuts to programs or personnel that will need to be made in the upcoming fiscal year, but it did include 2% raises for RCPS employees.
Posted inEducation
Job and program cuts on the table as Roanoke school board prepares to vote on budget
The division is considering 2% raises for employees, while also having to eliminate about 150 staff positions. It’s also considering cuts to the elementary gifted program.
