What's News Today for Monday, June 12, 2017

It's been a year since the Orlando Pulse nightclub shootings. The victims will be remembered and celebrated in an interfaith worship service at the Metropolitan Community Church of the Blue Ridge at 7 p.m. The church, located on Jamison Avenue in Southeast Roanoke, plans for the memorial event to include prayers, songs, and short messages by participants from a wide range of faith traditions. Everyone is welcome.

Today marks 50 years since the U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The story was told in a movie last year "Loving". Loving v. Virginia was a pivotal civil rights case brought by Richard Loving, a white man, and his wife, Mildred Loving who were arrested in eastern Virginia for marrying one other in 1958. The Lovings pleaded guilty in return for a suspended sentence on the condition that they leave Virginia; they eventually moved to Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court famously overturned the Lovings' convictions in a unanimous 1967 decision, ruling that Virginia's interracial marriage laws violated the 14th Amendment.

A state historical marker will be dedicated this afternoon in Richmond at the Patrick Henry Building on East Broad Street, the former site of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, where the case was heard before it reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

There is a second public meeting about the Main Street Bridge Replacement Project in Lynchburg. It is scheduled to begin in October and last a year.   The project includes raising the bridge, making it longer and changes to the look of the bridge.  The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at White Rock Baptist Church on Florida Avenue.

There is a free Women's Safety Workshop with Roanoke Police tonight at 7:15pm at Fleet Feet Sports. Organizers say one in three women is subject to an assault in her lifetime. You'll learn simple prevention tips and basic defense tactics to get away from an attacker so you can call for help.

Apple Ridge Farm summer camp starts today for skill development in reading, writing, STEAM (science, technology, math, art, and engineering), environmental education, and computer programming to help keep children's minds active and stimulated during summer vacation. This year, the camp is piloting a special Project Based Learning summer camp to stimulate self-directed learning and problem-solving talents among participating children, using best practices in experiential and project-based learning techniques.

New River Community College is hosting a new summer camp for high school students where they will solve a case. They will work outdoors "in the field" and process data in the lab. The camp is run by the college's justice department, with local law enforcement helping students solve the case.