Area convenience store owners are pushing back against Governor Youngkin’s skill games amendments. A bill vetoed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin would have raised the state’s minimum wage to 15-dollars an hour starting in 2026. A developer has removed two buildings on Crystal Spring Avenue in South Roanoke to make way for a 21-room boutique hotel. The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center will get ready to move ahead with an expansion project after City Council authorized the issuance of publc improvement bonds at its meeting yesterday. Governor Youngkin has ordered all US and Virginia flags be lowered to half-staff today to honor the 32 people killed during a shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech on this day in 2007.

Latest Virginia and Roanoke Valley News.

Latest Virginia and Roanoke Valley News.

Latest Virginia and Roanoke Valley News.

Roanoke City leaders are planning to discuss an increase in the number of vehicle collisions involving pedestrians. Governor Glenn Youngkin earlier this week signed legislation proposed by Roanoke delegate Sam Rasoul, which would increase monitoring statewide for hazardous chemicals like the one found in Roanoke County’s Spring Hollow reservoir in 2022. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has proposed a rewrite of legislation intended to legalize and tax skill games, adding stiff new restrictions that industry supporters argued would still amount to a de facto ban of the slot-like gambling machines. The Virginia NAACP served Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Office with a notice of intent to sue for violation of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The latest research projects being conducted by Carilion Clinic and its partners in Roanoke were on display yesterday during an annual event that shows off the region as a hub for research, collaboration and patient-centered innovation. It's Roanoke Valley Saves Week., and new timely report found that, compared to most other states when it comes to financial literacy, Virginia banked a noteworthy spot.

We hear from the Governor about the budget. Then you hear the Democratic response. Virginia State Police say a Mississippi murder suspect was arrested in Dixie Caverns yesterday. Tips from Roanoke County Police about not enticing thieves to break into your vehicle.

Bedford County prosecutors say a man in the US illegally was sentenced Friday for sex crimes with a child 15 years of age or older. One person was killed and another person was injured when a disabled vehicle rolled down a hill in Bedford County. A Roanoke County mother is asking for safety improvements after her car was broken into Saturday while she and her daughter practiced softball. As Governor Youngkin faces a deadline to take action on a proposed budget, the Commonwealth’s Lt Governor doesn’t believe the proposal can stand in its current form. Two people have been hospitalized after an electric scooter caught fire at a home in the Forest area of Bedford County. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to open one channel for cargo ships by the end of April, where the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being hit by one of those giant freight haulers. Governor Glenn Youngkin Friday announced that an upcoming untitled Pharrell Williams feature film from Universal Pictures will film throughout Central and Coastal Virginia this spring and summer.

A 15-year-old girl is safe after being abducted by a man in Richmond Wednesday night. The Wytheville Police Department and the DEA are reporting that a cocktail of fentanyl and xylazine is making its way through the Commonwealth. As APCO looks to secure another rate increase, a Roanoke resident fears she may not be able to keep up higher bills. Governor Glenn Youngkin took additional action on legislation sent to him by the General Assembly. Numerous colleges are hosting viewing parties for the Solar Eclipse on Monday. Among them is Radford University. Roanoke College is joining other entities in hosting an eclipse watch party on Monday. Multiple telescopes, outfitted with solar filters for safe viewing, will be available for use. The weather is warming up -- and the Valley's Greenway coordinator says its a good time to be reminded about greenway "etiquette,".

A Kansas man, who told a 14-year-old Lynchburg girl he wanted to “take a kid’s virginity” after meeting her online, pled guilty this week to federal child exploitation charges. A Virginia Tech student is facing several charges after being arrested during a drug trafficking investigation. Pulaski County officials say they have accepted the biggest donation in the localities history. According to the Virginia Department of Corrections, a K-9 officer was killed while protecting its assigned Corrections Officer, staff, and inmates at Sussex I State Prison. In vetoing a bill with bi-partisan support that would have established a legal retail cannabis market, Governor Youngkin said, "attempting to rectify the error of de-criminalizing marijuana ... is an un-achievable goal." --A former lawmaker from his own party disagrees. A new truck that's best described as a Mobile Coffee Shop will also have movies for people to view -- silently.

A man has been formally sentenced following a shooting at a Blacksburg hookah lounge that killed an 18 year-old. Lynchburg Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly broke into a marijuana dispensary earlier this week. Virginia US Senator Tim Kaine formally announced his re-election campaign during a speaking tour across the Commonwealth yesterday. Not only are more pickleball courts coming to the Moyer sports complex in Salem, building 13 of them where the skate park was - but so is "PickleBRAWL," a tournament in September expected to attract up to 450 players from the Mid-Atlantic region.