What's News Today: July 4, 2018

Pulaski County will holds its annual July 4th Veterans Remembrance Ceremony today.  Several local veteran organizations, boy and girl scout troops and the Wilderness Road Chorus will take part.  Several members of the armed forces will be recognized at the ceremony.  It will conclude with a 21 gun salute and the playing of Taps at the Old Historic Pulaski County Courthouse.  The ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Historic Pulaski Theatre.

Runners will lace up their shoes for Four on the 4th.  It's a fundraiser for The Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia.  The 4-mile run and walk starts in downtown Roanoke.  The race begins this morning at 8 a.m. at Wells Fargo Plaza.  You can register on-site this morning starting at 6:30 a.m.

[Notes:see email]
A crowdfunding campaign kicks off today for the new Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island in New York.  It will look at how the statue has evolved from a national monument to a global icon and will house the original torch.  The museum is scheduled to open in May of next year.

A donation campaign, helping paralyzed veterans, kicks off today.  Retail supermarket chain Food City, will allow you to donate to Paralyzed Veterans of America when checking out.  It runs through the end of the month.

If you need help at the grill, LongHorn Steakhouse may be able to help as it opens its GRILL US Hotline.  Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. today, you can call 855-LH-GRILL.  Certified Grill Masters will be there to help you out.  You can also chat on social media.

Because of fireworks in Danville tonight, you can expect changes to traffic in Danville.  Starting at 2 p.m., one southbound lane of the Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge will be closed.  All lanes will close at 8 p.m. with the pedestrian bridge closing at 9 p.m.  To get to Carrington Pavilion, you are asked to use Union Street Bridge or Industrial Avenue.  

The Town of Buchanan holds its annual Fourth of July Parade today.  Main Street will close at 4 p.m. with the parade starting at 5 p.m.  The town is also having its annual Chicken BBQ.  You can pick up meals to go starting at 11 a.m. at Buchanan Town Park.  The community carnival continues today with rides open from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.  Fireworks will be shot off at 10 p.m.

Today is the last day for turbo prop planes to take off from the Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport.  Piedmont Airlines, which operates as American Eagele, is replacing its fleet of DASH-8 turboprops with Embraer 145 regional jets.  

Mill Mountain Zoo will celebrate our nation's anniversary by offering 50 percent off admission today.  The zoo has 160 animals and brings in 50,000 regional and out-of-state visitors each year, in addition to 15,000 school children.