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The Feeding Southwest Virginia food bank based in Salem that serves the food-insecure in 26 counties and 9 cities celebrated its 45th anniversary today with local stakeholders, supporters and two Congressmen – Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith. It was also a tribute to President and CEO Pam Irvine, who has been there since the beginning – and who will retire at the end of the year. Among the guest speakers at today’s 45th anniversary event for Feeding Southwest Virginia was Denis McDonough, the nationwide CEO for Feeding America.

The Community Solutions Center on Melrose Avenue that prepares meals for distribution to the food insecure will add “Pamela Irvine,” to its name, in tribute to her 45 years of service for the non-profit, which now collects and distributes more than 20 million pounds of food every year.

The McConnon Discovery Center is a new STEM facility at Roanoke College that houses a number of teaching labs, classrooms and co-lab spaces for students; it debuted at the start of the Fall semester. This afternoon they will officially dedicate the 60 million dollar, 32,000 square foot space that is connected to another campus building by an elevated breezeway. More than 1000 supporters donated for the new STEM building; the largest single gift in Roanoke College history – 20 million dollars – came from RC alum Shaun McConnon, a cybersecurity expert. Its a better environment says Karin Saoub, Dean of the school of health sciences and sustainability – and a professor of mathematics:

Former 5th District Congressman Tom Perriello held a press conference in Vinton this morning to call for an end to the ongoing war in Iran, which he says, has taken money out of the pockets of families in the district, he once represented. Perriello said the district’s current representative and his opponent for next month’s mid-term election, John McGuire, has abandoned residents and farmers to support the war:

Perriello says the war was the wrong decision for families and it is time to restore people’s faith in government.

Articulation agreements with four year colleges that allow for guaranteed and seamless transfers to pursue a bachelor’s degree are nothing new for Virginia Western Community College – and another announcement made recently at a ceremony with Radford University officials also addresses workforce needs in the region. A two year Associates of Science degree in medical laboratory technology, biotechnology or health sciences now means Virginia Western students will have a place at Radford University-Carilion on the downtown Roanoke campus to pursue a 4-year degree. Crystal Davis, head of the medical laboratory program at Virginia Western, says you don’t have to work at a hospital or outpatient doctor’s office with a Bachelor of Science in medical laboratory science:

How are local providers of early childhood care and Pre-K education doing to meet the needs of young students? Is there a high employee turnover rate – and why? The Virginia Department of Education and local “Ready Region West,” stakeholders will review the data and set a plan for the next year, in a “deep dive,” organized with help from United Way of Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Participants will learn how to strengthen their “data analytics capacity,” especially in this growing age of Artificial Intelligence bringing even more information to light about the state of Pre-K education and daycare in this region. WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:

Election Day is less then three weeks away on November 3rd – for those that did not opt for early voting yet and are still on the fence as to whom they will vote for in the Roanoke City Council race, there’s another candidate’s forum next Sunday evening – and the hosts most likely aren’t even old enough to vote.  It’s called “The Great Roanoke City Debate,” and at least 5 of the 7 candidates vying for three open seats on city council have committed to being at the Dumas Center on Henry Street at 6pm next Sunday, October 25.

What’s unique about this candidate’s forum is that the questions were put together and the forum is being hosted by High School and Middle School students that are members of the Roanoke Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, an organization of mostly African American youth and moms, focused on developing leadership skills and giving back to the community. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:

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RetirePath, Virginia’s state-facilitated retirement savings program for private sector workers has expanded.  WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.

RetirePath is a state program with a goal of getting more Virginia residents saving for retirement.  Peter Thompson, RetirePath Program Director, says it helps small businesses provide retirement benefits.

“So we launched in 2023. At the time, the employer threshold was limited to businesses that had 25 or more employees working full time or working at least 30 hours a week. And recently, the program expanded.”

With bipartisan, unanimous support the General Assembly approved and Governor Abigail Spanberger  signed House Bill 176 and Senate Bill 149 earlier this year. As of July first, 350,000 more workers can participate in RetirePath.

“So an employer has to have been operating for at least two years. They have to have, of course, five or more employees. They don’t already offer a qualified retirement plan. So employers who meet that criteria must register.”

Thompson says employers with 5 to 9 or 25 or more employees must register by October 30.  Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.

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Virginia businesses with 5 or more employees who do not already a retirement savings program are required to sign up for RetirePath VA.  As WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno tells us the program has expanded to offer more Virginians a chance to save for retirement.

RetirePathVA launched in 2023 for businesses with 25 or more employees.  In 2024 there were 8,900 accounts with $4 million in assets.  Now the program manages nearly 25-thousand accounts holding $27.3 million in assets. Peter Thompson, RetirePathVA Program Director, says they are excited to see the program grow.

“July 1, the program expanded statewide to more small businesses and workers. The program is now available to employers that have five or more employees, and that includes part-time workers.”

That opens up the program to 350,000 more people.

“And so today, this was the case in 2023 when it launched, self-employed individuals, gig workers, independent contractors can enroll in the program on their own and begin to contribute. They don’t necessarily need to have that employer relationship. For the majority of individuals who are saving in the program today, they are saving through that employer.”

Thompson says there are no employer fees and no fiduciary responsibility. Employers with 5 to 9 or 25 or more employees must register by October 30.  Denise Allen Membreno WFIR News.

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State reviewers say AI usage across Virginia government requires major risk-based criteria and timely updates. WFIR’s Clark Palmer explains:

Early voting is underway for the November 3 election – and beginning this Saturday, Roanoke City residents can vote at the City office of voter registration on weekends through the end of the month. 7 candidates are vying for 3 seats on Roanoke City Council; they all spoke at a recent forum held by the Raleigh Court Neighborhood Association. WFIR’s Gene Marrano offers this “snapshot” of each candidate from that forum, and here is that report, In Depth.

A local non-profit has kicked off a campaign to help provide affordable housing in the Roanoke area. Restoration Housing has been dedicated to providing affordable housing to senior and low-income residents for more than ten years. Isabel Thornton, Executive Director of the Restoration Housing, says the organization’s annual fundraiser, called the Preserve Campaign, is helping to keep that mission alive.  The campaign began in mid-September, and runs through October 15th. Thornton says all gifts help the organization grow their capacity to serve. The fundraiser comes after Restoration Housing celebrated the completion of construction on the historic Trinity United Methodist Church in Southwest Roanoke earlier this year, providing housing to 15 senior citizens. WFIR’s Caitlin Barker Reports: