The Redistricting Ruling Lands, Roanoke City Schools' First Rezoning in 50 Years, and the Cheesy Western Goes to NYC

Full Transcript

Intro

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

Morgan: And I’m Morgan. It’s Monday, May 11th, 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 Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling on redistricting, which dropped Friday and reshapes the congressional races right here in our area. Plus, Roanoke City Public Schools is rolling out its first major elementary rezoning in more than 50 years. There are speed cameras coming to I-81. And the city is having a very public conversation about what to do with the Berglund Center.

Morgan: And on the events side, the headliner this week is the Local Colors Festival on Saturday at Elmwood Park. We’ve got David Nail and Jackyl & Buckcherry on Friday for the music fans. And there’s a free outdoor music night up on the mountain on Wednesday. Let’s get into it.

The Lead: The Redistricting Ruling Lands

Alex: Last week we told you the Virginia Supreme Court was weighing the fate of the redistricting referendum that voters narrowly approved on April 21st. On Friday, they ruled. Four to three, the court struck the whole thing down.

Justice Arthur Kelsey wrote the majority opinion. The court found that the General Assembly broke the rules getting the amendment to the ballot in the first place — they advanced it after voting in last fall’s general election had already begun, which the court said violated the constitutional process for amendments. The bottom line: the referendum is void, and Virginia’s congressional elections this November will use the existing 2024 maps, not the new 10-1 map voters had approved.

Morgan: So if I voted in April, my vote on the amendment just doesn’t count?

Alex: On the amendment, no. About three million Virginians cast ballots, and the court set those aside. The November federal elections still happen, just on the old map. Governor Spanberger said in a statement she’s, quote, “disappointed” by the ruling, but that her focus will be on making sure voters have the information they need for the midterms. President Trump took a victory lap on Truth Social. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin called it justice served.

Now, here’s the local angle. Two of our area’s congressional races just got rewritten in real time.

Morgan: Okay, walk me through that.

Alex: Sixth District first. That’s Ben Cline, the Republican from Botetourt County. Under the new map that just got struck down, Cline would have been pulled into a redrawn district that leaned Democratic, going head-to-head with author Beth Macy in territory that would have been very tough for him. Cardinal News this week called Cline, quote, “probably the Republican most relieved by the court ruling.” He’s now back in the current Sixth, which is more friendly ground. Cline’s statement Friday called it, quote, “a great day for fair elections and the rule of law.” Macy is staying in the race regardless. She said the ruling makes her more committed, not less.

In the Fifth District, Tom Perriello — who used to represent the Fifth back in 2009 and 2010 — had been campaigning in the Sixth under the new maps. With those maps thrown out, he’s pivoting back to the Fifth, where he’ll face Republican Congressman John McGuire. McGuire would have had a very rough time under the new map too. He lives in Goochland County, and the redrawn districts would have moved him into a Democratic-leaning Arlington-based seat.

Morgan: So basically two incumbents who were looking at the exit are back on safer footing.

Alex: Pretty much. The political analyst Larry Sabato told the Roanoke Times the ruling is, quote, “a serious blow” to Democrats but not a fatal one. They still have realistic targets in eastern Virginia. But the path to a 10-1 majority is gone.

A few practical notes. The filing deadline for candidates is May 26th. The primary moved to August 4th. Early voting starts June 18th. We’ll keep you posted.

The Rundown: News & Notes

Alex: Now to the rest of the week.

Roanoke City Public Schools is planning its first major elementary rezoning in more than 50 years. According to Cardinal News and the Roanoke Times, the proposal moves about 250 students between five schools — Preston Park, Monterey, Round Hill, Fallon Park, and Lincoln Terrace — to balance enrollment ahead of Preston Park reopening this summer in its renovated building. Superintendent Verletta White told parents at a town hall last week the schools are simply overcrowded. Preston Park gains the most. Monterey loses the most. The school board votes May 26th. There’s a feedback survey open on the RCPS website through May 18th. This is phase one of a three-phase plan running through 2031, so even if this one passes cleanly, expect more boundary conversations in the years ahead.

Morgan: That’s a big change. And not a small number of families.

Alex: No, it’ll touch a lot of households.

Morgan, you’ve got the next one.

Morgan: Yeah, this one’s for the commuters. Heads up if you drive I-81 through Roanoke or Botetourt: the Virginia State Police are installing speed cameras between mile markers 143 and 150. That’s the active work zone. WSLS and WDBJ7 both report a thirty-day warning period started May 1st, which means real tickets start going out around the end of this month. The fine is a hundred dollars. It does not affect your insurance or your driving record. Sergeant Rick Garletts with VSP told reporters, quote, “the cameras are just like an officer sitting in the work zone, but they’re getting everybody instead of just one at a time.” There will be signs. The money goes to the Virginia Literary Fund.

Alex: A hundred bucks if you’re not paying attention.

Morgan: Yep. Slow down through the work zone.

Alex: Next one is one of those quiet local-government conversations that’s actually pretty consequential. The City of Roanoke is wrestling with what to do about the Berglund Center. WDBJ7 reported this week that Berglund needs about 30 million dollars in repairs and currently costs the city about two and a half million a year to operate. The only big private offer on the table is from a casino operator, who would buy the special events center and put roughly 300 million dollars into a broader entertainment district with hotels, restaurants, and parking. The city projects 800 to 1,000 jobs.

The catch: every state legislator who represents the Roanoke area, except for Delegate Terry Austin, has come out against the casino. Senator Chris Head called it, quote, “the most abhorrent thing I have heard proposed.” Senator David Suetterlein and Delegate Joe McNamara are also opposed. Without legislative approval in Richmond, the casino plan can’t move forward.

So the Entertainment District Focus Group is meeting one final time on May 19th to talk through alternatives. Council member Phazhon Nash said in the meeting that closure is on the table as a last resort, but that it would be, in his words, “a shame for us to put a padlock on this building.” A real question facing the city.

Morgan: So they need money for repairs, the obvious source of money is opposed at the state level, and they’re running out of options.

Alex: That’s about the size of it.

Here’s a number that surprised me. According to Cardinal News, the Roanoke Valley uses less water today than it did 20 years ago. The Western Virginia Water Authority treated about 20.4 million gallons a day in 2025, down almost 11 percent from 2005, even though the customer base grew by more than 26 percent over the same period. The reason is mostly low-flow toilets, more efficient appliances, and replacing leaky pipes.

Morgan: Wait, more customers and less water?

Alex: More customers and less water. And the reason this matters right now is Google. The proposed data center in Botetourt County could use up to two million gallons a day, which would make it the system’s biggest single customer by a wide margin. County Administrator Gary Larrowe is using that 20-year drop as the argument that the system can absorb it. If Google scales further down the road — to as much as eight million gallons a day — a new water source would have to come online, and Google has committed to help fund it. So the water question isn’t fully closed, but the local case is that we have headroom.

Morgan: That’s a useful number to know going forward.

Alex: Last one, Morgan, this is yours.

Morgan: Okay, this one’s a good one. A Blacksburg-based nonprofit called The Secular Society partnered with a New York group called Undue Medical Debt to abolish 51 million dollars in medical debt across Southwest Virginia. Per Cardinal News, the way it works is the New York organization buys medical debt in bundles for pennies on the dollar, and then erases it. Every dollar donated wipes out about a hundred dollars of debt. About 35,000 residents across 17 counties had their debt cleared. The biggest impacts were in Washington County, with about 7,500 people, and Smyth County, with just under 7,000.

The thing I want listeners to know: you don’t have to apply. If you qualified — generally that means you earned less than four times the federal poverty level, or your medical debt was more than five percent of your income — they identified you and erased it. Collection attempts stop. Credit scores get restored. Just like that.

Alex: That is a really good story.

Morgan: Yeah, it’s the kind of thing that quietly changes the math for a lot of households.

Alex: That’s the news. Let’s talk about the week ahead.

The Week Ahead: Events

Morgan: All right. The headline this week is Saturday, but let’s walk through it.

Tuesday is light. The one I’d flag is the Cardinal News 250 Trivia Night at Twisted Track Brewpub. It’s a Virginia 250 themed trivia night, runs about an hour and a half. Good if you like local history and a beer.

Wednesday has two options. Boogie on the Mountain is a free outdoor music series up at the Mill Mountain Discovery Center, which is a nice low-key Wednesday evening if the weather holds. And if you’re more in the rock-show mood, Black Label Society is at the Berglund.

Thursday is quiet. Take a breath.

Friday, two concerts. David Nail is in town for country fans. And Jackyl and Buckcherry are doing a rock double-bill the same night. Pick your genre.

Alex: Two pretty different vibes.

Morgan: Yeah. And then Saturday is the big one.

The Local Colors Festival is at Elmwood Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s free. The day opens with a Procession of Nations at 11. From noon to 5, the amphitheater has dance, music, and martial arts demonstrations from cultures around the world. There are food vendors, artisan crafts, and an international beer garden. There’s a kids’ area with a Passport Program. It’s one of those festivals that makes downtown feel like the center of everything for a day.

Also Saturday: the Gainsboro Neighborhood Block Party, if you want a quieter community option closer to the neighborhood scale.

Alex: Local Colors is a good lineup.

Morgan: It is. And Sunday wraps up with Kids to Parks Day at Elmwood, which has free family movies and the Tiny Tot Tri for the smallest athletes in your house.

If you only do one thing this week, the Local Colors Festival is the easy pick. Free, downtown, family-friendly, and it’s the kind of thing the Roanoke Valley does really well.

Back to you, Alex.

The Closer: The Cheesy Western Goes to New York

Alex: Thanks, Morgan. Closing out the week with a story that I think every Roanoker is going to enjoy. The Cheesy Western — yes, the Texas Tavern Cheesy Western — is on a menu in Manhattan.

A spot called Hamburger America, in lower Manhattan, named the Cheesy Western its burger of the month for May. The way it happened, per Cardinal News and WDBJ7: a hamburger writer and documentarian named George Motz has been featuring Texas Tavern in his book Hamburger America since 2006. He met Matt Bullington, the fourth-generation owner, in West Virginia. And Bullington handed off 27 gallons of the tavern’s secret cabbage-mustard relish so Motz could make the burger right in New York. The 1930s egg topping comes along too.

Morgan: Wait — that Texas Tavern? The one on Church Avenue with the ten stools?

Alex: That Texas Tavern. The price tag in Manhattan is 13 dollars. The same burger in Roanoke is three dollars and ninety-five cents.

Morgan: That tracks.

Alex: Bullington told WDBJ7, quote, “My great-grandfather would probably have no idea this little place he started in the 1930s is actually still going.” And Motz, after he tasted his own version, just said, quote, “I nailed it.”

Morgan: That’s a perfect Roanoke story.

Alex: It really is.

Close

Alex: That was your week. The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the redistricting referendum and the Sixth and Fifth District races are reshuffled, Roanoke City Schools is rezoning five elementary schools, speed cameras are coming to I-81, the city is sorting out what to do with Berglund, the Roanoke Valley uses less water than it did 20 years ago, and 51 million dollars of medical debt just got wiped out across Southwest Virginia.

Morgan: Plus the Local Colors Festival downtown on Saturday, David Nail and Jackyl on Friday, and the Texas Tavern Cheesy Western making its New York debut. 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.