Its been talked about and promised for many years – the widening to three lanes each way on I-81 between exits 143 and 150. Tomorrow night at a VDOT information meeting the public can ask questions as the project comes closer to being a reality. Salem district VDOT spokesperson Jason Bond says the widening of I-81 to add a third lane in each direction from exits 143 to 150 will seem familiar to motorists. Bond also says VDOT wants local residents and motorists to have an understanding of what to expect at exit 150 in Botetourt County, where I-81 intersects with US 220. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:

Downtown Roanoke business owners are calling on members of Roanoke City Council to rethink changing policy related to special events. More from WFIR’s Clark Palmer.

Downtown Roanoke business owners are urging City Council to reconsider proposed changes to special events policies that they claim could significantly impact their revenue and operations.

During Tuesday’s Roanoke City Council meeting, city staff presented potential modifications to the special events guide that include increased fees for security barriers and new restrictions on the frequency and location of downtown events.

The proposed guidelines would limit street closures for a single weekend and specify that “no more than one race or parade impacting the same geographic area may be held on the same day, consecutive day, or on consecutive weekends.”

Ross Campbell, director of Roanoke’s Public Works Department, explained that the changes stem from an increase in special events since last year and concerns about potential security issues at large-scale gatherings.

“We’re seeing a significant increase in the number of events that are coming to the city, especially in the downtown area,” Campbell said.

City Manager Valmarie Turner cited financial considerations behind the proposed changes, noting that the city spent more than $200,000 on traffic control for special events in 2025.

Jason Martin, who owns several downtown eateries including Martin’s Downtown, told council members the changes would threaten his business model.

“Most events I’ve produced are legacy events and we have been doing them for over 20 or 10 years,” Martin said. “Not being able to do the events we rely on would be extremely detrimental to not only my business but also my employees that count on the earnings they make to support themselves and their families.”

Martin emphasized the critical financial importance of these events, adding, “I cannot stress this enough. This is a huge part of our end-of-year money. We have to do these events to stay afloat.”

Molly Bullington, owner of Blue Ridge Racing, highlighted how multiple concurrent events create a synergistic economic benefit for the entire downtown area.

“Historically, busy days like St. Patrick’s Day work because there is more than just a single event. The parade brings people downtown and multiple street parties keep patrons here,” Bullington said. “Those layered experiences are what turn visitors into diners and customers. When restaurants make more money, the city makes more money through sales and meals tax.”

Turner pointed to staffing limitations as a primary factor behind the proposed changes.

“We are behind in striping some of our roads and our signs because the number of events have grown exponentially. And it boils down to staffing and costs,” Turner said. “We want to ensure safety. We do not have the staff to keep up with the number of events that we receive. And that is a challenge for us.”

Campbell added that the financial burden on the city is substantial. “While we are still closing out the books on 2025, we estimate that we have spent in excess of $200,000 on traffic control alone for special events,” he said. “This does not include the cost of public safety, which does increase when an event is held in the street.”

Vice Mayor Terry McGuire voiced concerns that the city could lose substantial revenue from downtown events by implementing these restrictions, suggesting the financial calculations might need further review.

Mayor Joe Cobb assured attendees that the potential changes will undergo discussion between city officials and downtown event planners before any policy is finalized.

The proposed changes come as downtown Roanoke has seen increased foot traffic and economic activity through special events in recent years, which many business owners credit with helping their establishments recover from previous economic challenges.

City officials acknowledge they must balance public safety and resource constraints with the economic benefits these events bring to local businesses and the city’s tax base.

From the WFIR News room this is your Culture Calendar – With a look at some of the local events coming up this weekend and in the near future. Sponsored by the Roanoke Cultural Endowment. This weekend at the Bear Theatre in downtown Roanoke – staged readings of three plays Friday night through a Sunday matinee, Beyond Entertainment: Theatre that makes you think. This weekend Friday through Sunday at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood. Mysticon returns for the first time since before the pandemic. At the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke this Saturday at 6:30pm – a commemoration of a 70th anniversary – the 1956 wreck and recovery of the fabled Norfolk and Western 611 steam locomotive.

Calling all entrepreneurs or want-to-be business owners, it’s time once again for The Gauntlet, billed as Virginia’s largest business program and competition. WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno has more.

The 12th annual Gauntlet Business Program and Competition starts it’s 10-week course on February 3.  Annette Patterson, president of the Advancement Foundation which puts on the Gauntlet, says the program is for anyone at any level of business knowledge and success.

“We have entrepreneurs who want to start a brewery,” says Patterson. “We have entrepreneurs who are doing service type businesses, all kinds of main street businesses, cupcake shops, all of those sorts of things. It could be somebody that just has an idea. They’re not sure what they want to do. Or they could already be in business, you know, a year, five years, 10 years, and be looking to grow.”

There is also a second pathway called The Quest, specifically designed for Tech businesses.  There are online question and answer sessions tonight at January 27th from 6 to 7 pm. Here’s a link to register for those sessions. https://theadvancementfoundation.org/the-gauntlet

Next month business owners and those with an idea for a business throw their hats in the ring the prizes offered by the Gauntlet Business Program and Competition.  WFIR’s Denise Allen Membreno reports.

Are you running a business and wanting to grow that business?  Do you have an idea you know will be a success?  Then you are the demographic the Gauntlet Business Program and Competition wants to reach.  Over its 12 years The Gauntlet organizers say it has grown into the largest business program and competition in Virginia. Annette Patterson, president of the Advancement Foundation which organizes the Gauntlet…

“The Gauntlet program in particular starts February 3rd with an orientation class online,” says Patterson. “We have about 10 weeks of activities and online classes leading up to the awards ceremony, which is scheduled for April 23rd. This year, we’re also introducing a second track called the Quest. It’s focused on scaling high growth potential tech.”

Get your questions answered at two online Q and A sessions tonight and January 27th from 6 to 7 pm.  Here’s a link to register for those sessions. https://theadvancementfoundation.org/the-gauntlet

According to the Advancement Foundation, for more than 12 years they have been connecting entrepreneurs to the training, mentorship, and resources needed for success.

As the entrepreneurial landscape across Southwest Virginia continues to evolve, The Advancement Foundation has refined its long-running business competition into two distinct pathways: Gauntlet and Quest.

Gauntlet now focuses on businesses built to serve a local or regional customer base, whether storefront, service-based, mobile, or run from home. Quest supports scalable, tech-enabled, innovation-driven ventures designed to reach cross-regional or national markets.

The Gauntlet is The Advancement Foundation’s business competition is designed to support entrepreneurs building or strengthening Main Street–focused businesses, including retail, service, food & beverage, and other community-facing ventures across Southwest Virginia, with a focus on the Roanoke Valley, Alleghany Highlands, and Rockbridge County.

The program helps entrepreneurs move from ideas to action—building sustainable, functional businesses through steady progress, practical learning, and supported implementation.

August 26th, 2015 … WDBJ-7 reporter Alison Parker and videographer Adam Ward are shot dead on live TV, murdered by an ex-colleague with anger issues who had been terminated by WDBJ. Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vicki Gardner is gravely wounded by a single hollow-point bullet that tears through her back, shattering internal organs, leading to a long, painful rehab process, with lingering issues that remain today. More than 10 years later Vicki Gardner has released a memoir about that day – which drew global attention. “Survival has Consequences: Shot and Left to Die,” is available now online. Vicki Gardner spoke with WFIR’s Gene Marrano about that book, and here is a “Longer Listen.”

Yes, as some have commented online, Center in the Square IS moving away from a museum-heavy space to one based on interactive entertainment – in large part due to financial necessity. Gone from Center in the Square is The History Museum, the Art Museum – which long wanted its own space at what became the Taubman, the Harrison Museum now at Melrose Plaza – and the Science Museum of Western Virginia, which will not have its lease renewed at the end of this year. Center tenants that lease space don’t pay rent; Roanoke City provides arounds $200,000 a year towards that – but Center in the Square executive director Tara Marciniak says it takes 3.4 million dollars a year to run the longtime downtown Roanoke cultural hub. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:

February is Black History Month and two of Roanoke’s long time cultural institutions are teaming up for the Grandin Theatre’s 10th Annual Black History Month Film Program – this year it includes a second location. The Grandin Theatre  and the Harrison Museum of African American Culture, which has settled into its new home at Melrose Plaza as one of the anchors there, are collaborating to show films by pioneering black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who for a period of time a century ago called Roanoke home.

Grandin Theatre’s 10th Annual Black History Month Film Program features a kickoff gala and the showing of Within Our Gates, a 1920 silent movie, on January 29 . That’s a $25 ticket for a film directed by Oscar Micheaux. All the other silent and talking films are free admission.  Hear the complete interview with Ian Fortier from the Grandin Theatre below, or watch it on Facebook.

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia voters will have the final say on four proposed amendments to the state constitution, including measures to protect reproductive freedom and same-sex marriage, after the Democrat-controlled Senate gave its final approval Friday.

The proposals, which also address redistricting and the restoration of rights for convicted felons, passed the House of Delegates last week and will now be placed on the ballot for a statewide referendum.

The amendment to establish a fundamental right to reproductive freedom dominated the debate in the Senate. Republicans voiced strong opposition to the measure. Sen. Chris Head, R-Botetourt, described the day of the vote as being marked by sorrow and irony, calling the amendment’s passage “devastating.”

Democrats argued the amendment is necessary to protect personal health care decisions from political interference. Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, a graduate of Hollins University, said the proposal would ensure patients, not politicians, remain in charge of their own health. She said it would protect the ability of Virginians to “grow their families.”

The reproductive rights amendment passed with the support of 21 senators.

The legislature also advanced a proposal to protect the right to same-sex marriage in the state constitution. The other two amendments would create a new process for redistricting and establish a method for automatically restoring voting and other civil rights for felons who have completed their sentences.

With the legislative hurdles cleared, the decision now moves to the public. According to Democratic leaders, the redistricting amendment is expected to be on the ballot in a special election in April, while the remaining three proposals will appear on the general election ballot in November.

Layoffs next month and the possible closure of the Yokohama Tire plant in Salem – which could impact almost 400 jobs – not to mention whole families and businesses that support the plant. Salem City Manager Chris Dorsey says they were caught off guard a bit by today’s announcement. Dorsey says he has already spoken with the Roanoke Regional Partnership about what the future might hold for that 62-acre parcel now owned by Yokohama Tire along Electric Road.

REACTION FROM SALEM OFFICIALS

RENEE TURK – SALEM MAYOR

“For nearly six decades, the Yokohama plant and the people who work there have played a major role in shaping Salem. It feels like almost every family has a connection to the plant, and many employees are involved with their neighborhoods, community organizations and our schools. Unfortunately, manufacturing facilities across Virginia and the nation have encountered difficult challenges in recent years. While this news is painful, it’s not entirely unexpected, as companies like Yokohama have had to adapt their operations and staffing due to changing conditions.”

CHRIS DORSEY – CITY MANAGER

“I am truly saddened to learn that the Yokohama plant will be laying off so many employees. My heart goes out to them and their families who may be facing a lot of uncertainty in the months ahead. For generations, Yokohama has been part of the fabric of Salem, and so many of the people who worked there have also given back to our city. This won’t just be a financial impact on the City, but it is also a personal impact on the community and families who depend on these jobs.”

TOMMY MILLER – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

“We’re disappointed to learn of today’s announcement from Yokohama regarding layoffs and the potential closure of the Salem facility. We are still learning more details and working to better understand the scope and timeline of the company’s decision. Our priority is supporting the employees and families who are impacted. In coordination with regional and state partners, we’re focused on making sure those affected can connect to available resources, workforce services and support programs during this uncertain time. We value Yokohama’s long-standing presence in Salem and remain committed to open communication with the company.”

YOKOHAMA HISTORY IN SALEM

(Previously) SALEM, Va. – Yokohama Tire announced Friday it will significantly reduce tire production at its Salem manufacturing plant beginning in March, a move that will result in the layoff of approximately 392 employees.

In a press release, the company also stated it is evaluating a permanent closure of the facility, which has been in operation since the 1960s.

The company cited the expiration of certain product lifecycles and reduced demand for other tires made at the Salem plant as the reason for the cutback. A statement noted the facility “is not well equipped to manufacture Yokohama’s required product mix or achieve the company’s manufacturing objectives in the future.”

Plant employees have been notified that all tire production could stop in July 2026, followed by a full plant closure on September 17, 2026. That date coincides with the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement with the United Steelworkers Union No. 1023.

Yokohama said it is in conversation with union representatives about the potential closure. All required notices to government stakeholders and affected employees under the federal WARN Act have been issued.

Salaried employees affected by the decision will receive layoff benefits under company policies, while hourly employees will receive benefits according to the terms of the union’s collective bargaining agreement.

The company, which acquired the plant from the Mohawk Rubber Company in 1989, said it does not expect any supply disruptions due to the reduced output in Salem.

Haven’t been to downtown Roanoke in a while to check out what’s new at your favorite place to dine, or want to try something new? Restaurant Week might just be the ticket to get some people out of the house in the dead of winter. 202 Social House, Caribbica Soul, Fortunato, Frankie Rowlands and around two dozen other downtown Restaurants – including Lew’s in the 5 Points area – have signed on for Restaurant Week 2026, which starts today and runs through Sunday, January 25th. WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports: