Salem remembers long-time developer, community servant Luke Waldrop
SALEM, VA. โ The City of Salem is mourning the loss of one of its icons. Luke Waldrop died at 97-years-old. Heโs best known for his pioneering, community-driven mind behind projects such as Spartan Square. 10 News rode along with him two years ago when he was the first to cross the new Franklin Road Bridge, after being the first to cross the original as a child. His legacy is cemented in numerous college scholarships and his family asks for donations to the Salem Food Pantry in lieu of flowers.
Holiday market in Salem offered unique gift ideas from local vendors
SALEM, Va. โ The City of Salem hosted a great shopping adventure on Saturday. The second annual Salem Holiday Market offered unique vendors and holiday art displays at the Salem Civic Center. With over 100 vendors, organizers worked with the city to follow COVID-19 guidelines. It was a free event, but people were asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Salem-Roanoke County Food Pantry. Last year, the market raised more than 4,000 pounds of food and they hope to raise even more this year.
Virginia Tourism Corporation awards $80,000 in grants to SW Virginia municipalities
ROANOKE, Va. โ Tourism boards in Southwest Virginia received a financial boost to help attract visitors through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Tourism Corporation awarded a total of $80,000 to five tourism boards. The awards included:$20,000 for Visit Virginiaโs Blue Ridge$20,000 for Botetourt County$20,000 for the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce$10,000 to the Town of Rocky Mount$10,000 to the City of SalemVisit Virginiaโs Blue Ridge President Landon Howard said his organizationโs $20,000 will be spent mostly on online marketing. He believes regional travelers will look to the Roanoke Valley for a getaway. โThose people may not be traveling to Europe for a two or three week vacation, but they will do weekend trips to places like Virginiaโs Blue Ridge.โ
Stagg Bowl returning to Salem in 2023
SALEM, Va. โ The NCAA announced future host sites selections through 2026, and a number of NCAA DIII Championships will once again be played in our neck of the woods. Most notably, the DIII Football Championship, AKA the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, will return to Salem in 2023. Youโll recall that the NCAA cut ties with Salem in 2017 after a 25-year stint. Also among the championships returning to our area in 2023 is the DIII Wrestling Championships. NCAA announces nearly 450 host site selections: on.ncaa.com/ncaa_host Posted by NCAA on Wednesday, October 14, 2020Below is a list of other Championships coming to the Roanoke Valley:
Salem hotel developer speaks out after city announces lawsuit, city responds
SALEM, Va. - As the City of Salem plans to take the developers of a proposed hotel and restaurant near the Civic Center to court to get back that land, those developers are speaking exclusively with 10 News. Developers said the city told them the site was within an opportunity zone, but it turns out the zone is across the street. We identified the ability to incorporate land across the street, within the opportunity zone, in our development ... Council chose to deny the request effectively killing the project." In their statement, developers said, "No one asked if we were even in town. In a statement, a city spokesperson said the developers "have not complied with the contract, in which they agreed to reconvey the land to the city.