Good morning, Roanoke.

Freedom First awarded $40,000 in Spring to three regional groups working to improve affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity handling home repairs, Lynchburg Covenant Fellowship managing affordable rentals, and Hacksburg makerspace expanding repair training; applications for the next grant cycle open Oct. 1.

Movement Mortgage leaders delivered a $10,000 grant to the Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Virginia on Wednesday to help families with seriously ill or injured children find a safe place to stay.

The funding will support efforts to ease the burden during medical care.

Downtown Roanoke saw three restaurant closures over the past 18 months & three new openings this year including The Haven on Campbell Ave, Dorothy’s bar on Church Ave, and Parkway Brewing’s taproom to boost local dining options.

Josh Goyne, a 48-year-old construction veteran, began his new role as CEO of Branch on Monday in Roanoke, succeeding retiring Bob Wills who will assist until year-end.

Goyne plans to learn Branch operations before expanding its project backlog.

Roanoke City Council heard on Monday, Aug.

17, that a casino proposal would convert less than 10% of the Berglund Center using its Special Events Center building. Economic Development Director Marc Nelson said developers must invest $300 million and add 800+ jobs while legislative approval and vote remain required.

Roanoke County will open its new Career and Technology Center on Jan.

27 at Peters Creek Rd to replace Burton Center with dedicated spaces for trades like welding, nursing, and culinary arts. The $80 million center is part of a larger school investment and is backed by local employer partnerships.

Goodwill Industries of the Valleys runs Excel Center Adult High School at Melrose Plaza, which opened one year ago with about 50 returning students.

The school is expanding with new teachers in training & will increase its enrollment to 75 students this fall.

Roanoke College partnered with Google to offer free AI training on Coursera for students, faculty and staff — featuring 24 credential courses in project management, cybersecurity, marketing and design.

The program launched in August to help boost career skills.

Carvins Cove water levels dropped four feet from mid-June to mid-August, leaving a cracked shoreline and showing that the local drought remains severe while most of Virginia has improved.

The Water Authority will host an open house Tuesday, Aug. 25 at its Field Operations Building to review water conservation measures.

The Western Virginia Water Authority has limited Google's water allotment for a planned data center at 2 million gallons per day in Botetourt County until infrastructure upgrades are complete & Google must cover costs for any future capacity increases.