Redistricting at the State Supreme Court, Roanoke's Gunshot Detection Debate, and a Daisy Art Parade

Full Transcript

Intro

Alex: Welcome to The Roanoke Weekly. I’m Alex.

Morgan: And I’m Morgan. It’s Monday, May 4th, and here’s your week in the Star City.

Alex: Locally curated, AI-narrated. We pull from great local sources like the Roanoke Times, Cardinal News, WSLS, and WDBJ7, and we encourage you to support them.

This week we’re leading with the redistricting case at the Virginia Supreme Court, and what it could mean for who’s on your ballot in November. Plus, Roanoke City Council is moving toward a new gunshot detection system, with a real debate around it. Governor Spanberger spent her hundredth day in office right here in Roanoke. The contract for the next stretch of I-81 widening is locked in. There’s a new midwifery clinic in town. And the drought is starting to bite for local farmers.

Morgan: And on the events side, the RidgeYaks are home all week long. Jay Leno is at Berglund on Thursday. The Daisy Art Parade is back Saturday with giant puppets and a full carnival. And we’ll close it out with a Virginia Tech student who discovered a brand-new species of dinosaur. Let’s get into it.

The Lead: Virginia’s Redistricting Standoff

Alex: The biggest local story this week isn’t really a Roanoke story on the surface. It’s a Richmond story. But it lands here. Two weeks ago, Virginia voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment letting the state redraw its congressional map mid-decade. The “yes” side won by about 2.9 percentage points, and the new map shifts Virginia from a 6-5 Democratic edge to a 10-1 Democratic majority. The “no” side has been challenging the result ever since, and last week was a major one in the courts.

Here’s the local hook. Two of the plaintiffs trying to overturn the referendum are familiar names. Congressman Ben Cline, of Botetourt County. Congressman Morgan Griffith, of Salem. Both of their districts get reshaped under the new map. And former Delegate William Fralin of Roanoke leads the group No Gerrymandering Virginia, which has been one of the loudest voices against the amendment.

So what actually happened last week? On Monday, the Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether the amendment was even constitutional in the first place. Republicans argue the General Assembly cut corners getting it to the ballot. Democrats argue the constitutional process was followed. By Wednesday, the court declined to lift a lower-court order blocking certification of the vote. And then on Friday, the State Board of Elections sat down to officially certify the results, and they couldn’t. The injunction is still in place.

Morgan: So when do we actually find out?

Alex: That’s the part nobody can answer. The court hasn’t said. But court watchers think a ruling could come any day, partly because there’s not much point certifying an election the court might be about to throw out. The two clearest voices on either side: Governor Spanberger told Cardinal News, quote, “I do believe the referendum was constitutional and aligned with the law.” William Fralin, in a statement, said the process disenfranchised quote “upwards of 1 million voters.”

The bottom line for the Roanoke Valley: this decides what district you live in for the November midterms. If the Supreme Court upholds the lower court ruling, the existing 2024 maps stay in place, and Cline and Griffith run on familiar ground. If the court overturns it, the new maps go into effect, and the congressional race in this region looks very different.

Morgan: And the names on your ballot might shuffle a lot depending on which way it goes.

Alex: Right. We’ll keep you posted.

The Rundown: News & Notes

Alex: Now to the rest of the week.

Roanoke City Council is moving forward with a controversial expansion of its surveillance system. Council voted 5-2 last month to approve permits for 75 new Flock “Raven” gunshot detectors across the city. That’s on top of 37 license plate readers already in place. According to Cardinal News, the plan puts 50 of those new sensors in Northwest Roanoke, 16 in the Southeast, eight in the Southwest, and one in the Northeast. The funding is a $57,000 federal grant. Vice Mayor Terry McGuire and Councilman Nick Hagen voted no. McGuire raised concerns about false positives and where the cameras are concentrated. Councilman Phazhon Nash, who represents Northwest, said in the meeting that some of his constituents have asked for cameras in their neighborhoods because they want to feel safer. Worth knowing: Martinsville installed this same technology last year and pulled it this year when their grant ran out. Mayor Joe Cobb did a separate WSLS interview Friday about this and the city budget. Contracts haven’t been signed yet.

Morgan: That’s the kind of thing where the right answer probably isn’t obvious from either direction.

Alex: Yeah, it’s a real debate.

Speaking of the city: Governor Abigail Spanberger spent her 100th day in office in Roanoke. She came to the Roanoke Higher Education Center on Monday and signed a stack of education bills, with a bipartisan crew on stage. Senator David Sutterlein of Roanoke County. Senator Chris Head of Botetourt. Delegate Sam Rasoul of Roanoke. The headline bill for us locally: one that designates the Community Builders Program at Roanoke City Public Schools as a statewide model site. That program focuses on youth violence reduction and college and career exploration. Other bills now allow 16-year-olds to enter culinary or IT apprenticeships, and create three-year licenses for higher-ed instructors teaching career and technical education in public schools. One footnote, per the Roanoke Times: a group of protestors gathered outside over the planned Google data center campus in Botetourt County and the state’s data center tax exemptions. Spanberger acknowledged it’s an issue holding up the state budget right now.

If you drive I-81 between Roanoke County and Salem, get ready for some changes. Eventually. The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a $237 million contract to Triton Construction to widen about three miles of I-81 between mile marker 133 and exit 137. Construction starts in spring 2027. Two more segments follow in late 2027 and 2028, and the whole nine-mile project is expected to be finished by fall 2035. When it’s done, Interstate 81 will be three lanes from Christiansburg all the way to Troutville. So it’s coming. Just settle in.

Morgan: By the time it’s finished, my nephew will be in middle school.

Alex: Yeah. It’s a long horizon.

Morgan, what else?

Morgan: Two more from this week. First one’s a good one. Carilion opened a dedicated midwifery clinic in Roanoke on Tuesday. It’s at 102 Highland Avenue, behind Roanoke Community Hospital, and they’re projecting around 350 visits a month. WDBJ7 reported the clinic is open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, with longer-than-usual appointment times so patients can build relationships with the midwives on staff. The bigger context here: Southwest Virginia is officially what’s called a maternity care desert. Several hospitals in the region have shut down their maternity services in recent years. So having a dedicated clinic for prenatal, birth, and postpartum care is genuinely significant for families in the area.

Alex: That’s a real gap getting filled.

Morgan: Yeah. And it’s not just for pregnancy. Midwives provide care from adolescence through menopause. So it’s broader than people might assume.

And on a less cheerful note, the drought is starting to bite. Cardinal News weather columnist Kevin Myatt reported this week that the September-through-April stretch was the 10th driest on record for Roanoke. And we’ve got more than 100 years of data. Most of the state is under a drought warning. Myatt estimates it would take 9 to 12 inches of May rain to actually end it, which is a lot. WDBJ7 talked to Preston Bryant of Bryant Orchards in Botetourt, whose crew has been hand-watering peach trees every couple of days while they wait on an irrigation system. The drought is also hitting fruit size, and a recent cold snap cost them some apples. Farmers are buying hay from each other to get through. There’s some hope. El Niño could return later this year and flip the pattern. But for right now, it’s tight.

Alex: That’s tough. And it sounds like if it doesn’t break by mid-summer, it gets a lot worse.

Morgan: Yeah, that’s the worry.

Alex: That’s the news. Let’s talk about what’s happening this week.

The Week Ahead: Events

Morgan: All right. First thing to know: the Salem RidgeYaks are home every single night this week. Tuesday through Sunday, six straight games against Delmarva at Carilion Clinic Field. Two theme nights to call out. Thursday is Bark in the Park, so you can bring your dog. And Friday is Country Night.

Alex: That’s a busy homestand.

Morgan: It is. Tuesday and Wednesday are pretty quiet otherwise. A couple of Cinco de Mayo happy hours if you’re looking for something low-key.

Thursday is the marquee night this week. Jay Leno is at the Berglund Performing Arts Theater. That’s a big-name comedy stop and not something that comes through every week. Plus the RidgeYaks Bark in the Park game I just mentioned. And there’s a Cardinal News 250 trivia night at Twisted Track Brewpub if you’re more in the trivia mood.

Friday is the RidgeYaks Country Night, and otherwise pretty mellow.

Alex: And then it’s Mother’s Day weekend.

Morgan: Yes. Saturday, two big things downtown. The Daisy Art Parade is back for its fourth year. That’s at River’s Edge Park North. Carnival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the parade itself starts at noon. It’s known for giant puppets, live music, and dancing. The whole thing is built up over the year through community art-making sessions on Mondays at Art Project Roanoke on Campbell Avenue. The organizer, Brian Counihan, told the Roanoke Times, quote, “It’s like preparing a dinner in a kitchen with your family. The parade is like serving dinner.”

Alex: That’s a great line.

Morgan: Yeah. And also Saturday, Forkapalooza is back. Food festival, downtown Roanoke, lots of local vendors. Two very different vibes, both happening Saturday.

Sunday is Mother’s Day. Quick mention: Music on the Mountain, up at the Mill Mountain Discovery Center, has Magnolia Revival playing from 5 to 7 p.m. That’s a monthly series, not a one-off, but the Mother’s Day timing makes it a nice option if you’re looking for something easygoing. Outdoor music, food truck, top of the mountain.

If you only do one thing this week, I’d point you at the Daisy Art Parade Saturday. It’s hyper-local, free, fourth year, and there are very few places where you’ll see giant puppets walking around your neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon.

Back to you, Alex.

The Closer: A New Dinosaur, Courtesy of Virginia Tech

Alex: Thanks, Morgan. Closing out this week with one of the better lines you’ll hear all month: a Virginia Tech student just discovered a new dinosaur.

Simba Srivastava, a student at Tech, identified the fossil of a meat-eating dinosaur thought to be about three times older than the T. rex. WSLS reports it’s the only one of its kind anyone has ever found. Imagine being a college student, looking at what most people would think is just an old rock, and figuring out it’s a brand-new species. One that predates the most famous dinosaur on Earth by tens of millions of years.

Morgan: It is a pretty good week to be Simba.

Alex: It really is. Add a new species to the books, courtesy of Virginia Tech.

Close

Alex: That was your week. The Virginia Supreme Court is weighing whether to throw out the redistricting referendum, Roanoke is moving toward a bigger surveillance footprint, Spanberger spent her 100th day in town, the next stretch of I-81 finally has a contractor, Carilion opened a long-needed midwifery clinic, and the drought is starting to hurt local farmers.

Morgan: Plus Mother’s Day weekend, Jay Leno, the RidgeYaks home all week, and a Daisy Art Parade with giant puppets. If this was useful, share it with somebody else in the valley. We’re trying to make local news a little easier to keep up with.

Alex: I’m Alex.

Morgan: And I’m Morgan.

Alex: We’ll see you next Monday.