Lawmakers Eye State Gaming Commission; Casino Debate Deepens; Danville’s Lee Vogler Returns — Oct 22 | WFIR News Express

It's Tuesday, October 22nd. I'm Ian Price. Here's our top local story. Members of a General Assembly Committee recently heard from Virginians who are calling for an entity to oversee gaming in the Commonwealth. More from WFIR's Clark Palmer. As localities across the Commonwealth, including Roanoke City, look to create entertainment districts that feature casinos. A General Assembly subcommittee is discussing the possibility of creating a governing body that would monitor all forms of gaming. Antonio Perez, who serves as the general manager at Rivers Casino Portsmouth. Told lawmakers during a meeting this week at creating a gaming commission will cut down on illegal forms of gambling that threaten casino jobs and revenue generated by casinos that help localities. Here in Virginia, skill games are making a big comeback without any of the safeguards commercial casinos are investing in. We saw revenues increase when these machines were turned off and they remain a threat to the great jobs and investments we're all making here in our communities. When patrons shift from brick and mortar casinos to a neighbor, slot machine or i gaming on their phone the jobs the jobs don't shift with them chuck anderson a member of a group that is opposing plans that call for a casino in tyson's corner told lawmakers creation of a gaming commission is long overdue our youth and young families are particularly vulnerable to unregulated growth of gaming The current fragmentation of the approval process as well as lack of regulation for some forms of gaming threatens to create market oversaturation, leading paradoxically to cries for more gaming options. Anderson also called on lawmakers to reject any casino legislation that will remove their requirement that voters approve a casino via a referendum. Clark Palmer, WFIRE News. Roanoke's vice mayor says he's not on board with the idea of a casino at the Berglins Center, at least not yet. Vice Mayor Terry McGuire told the Roanoke Rambler. He's concerned about the potential social cost of gambling and says the city should have support from at least one Roanoke Valley legislator before moving forward. So far, none do. Tourism officials also weighed in, saying the regional board discussed the idea of a casino as a general tourism strategy, not a specific plan for Roanoke or Vinton. Vinton officials say they're happy with Rosie's Gaming Emporium, which continues to bring in strong revenue for the town, and that there's no effort to pursue a full casino license. The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office says a person has been arrested in connection with a threat that closed all schools in the division yesterday. The Sheriff's Office says it was notified Monday night that the FBI had received a tip from an electronic device located within the Allegheny Highlands. Sheriff's investigators contacted the Virginia State Police High Tech Crimes Unit and found an IP address associated with the tip.

The worker ran from the store and the suspect tried but failed to open the register before running off with nothing. Police say he was caught on security cameras. The state of the city's health in Roanoke is how the local health district director described her presentation to Roanoke City Council earlier this week. As always, there are some challenges, as WFIRS G Morana reports. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsors a scorecard called the County Health Rankings and issues a report after crunching various metrics. The most current data, however, is from 2023. Dr. Cynthia Morrow is director of the Roanoke City in Allegheny Health Districts. What they do is they put it on a spectrum of healthiness of the communities. So this is Virginia, and then when we hone in to Roanoke City and the location, that I serve, you can see that Roanoke City is in the lowest quartile in terms of health outcomes. The COVID pandemic has skewed those numbers somewhat, says Marl, although they are normalizing now. We've really looked now towards what are those preventable deaths. What are those things that are killing people before the age of 75? Those are what we call preventable years of life lost. And so if we look at premature death, we're pretty much double Virginia here in Roanoke City. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and fatal overdoses included under the accidental deaths category were the biggest causes of death for those under 75 in the local health district, says Morrow. Bernie Moreno, WFIR News. A local moving company is spending October moving pet supplies for a cause. The third annual Movers for Mutz Drive runs through Halloween and benefits Angels of Assisi. Two men and a truck where in Oak Salem is collecting dog and cat toys, canned or dry food, litter, cleaning supplies, collars, leashes, and blankets now through October 31st. Sales manager Chris Beckley says they partner with Angels of Assisi because it's more than an adoption center. Community Pet Clinic, and they have a very affordable pet care for those that don't want to take their pet to a veterinarian. They also serve as a farm sanctuary. They serve as a safe haven for rescued farm animals. And the third program that they do, which I think is really, really good, they have a safety net program. And what that is is the safety net program offers temporary housing for pets of people. that are going through domestic violence or any other troubling experiences. Their main drop site is in the 1,100 block of East Main Street and Salem, but they've also placed donation boxes across the Roanoke Valley, including a Vinton location at Bob's Restaurant on Walnut Avenue, and Roanoke locations including Put Put Put Fun Center on Peters Creek Road and the Petco at Towers Mall. Find the full list at our website with this story, WFIR News.com. Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler has returned to the council for the first time since surviving a brutal attack this summer. Vogler was set on fire outside his office, July 30th, suffering severe burns that left him hospitalized for months. The suspect, Shotsie Buck Hayes, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.

At last night's meeting, Vogler called his recovery nothing short of a miracle and credited God, his family, and his doctors for getting him back on his feet. He says his next goal is to regain full use of his hands so he can get back to coaching baseball. Arrano-Garried Congressman is discussing efforts by the Justice Department to crackdown on Antifa operations. More from WFIR's Clark Palmer. The Justice Department recently announced that a grand jury has indicted to alleged members of Antifa on charges, including attempting to murder federal and assisting officers following a July 4th attack on an ice facility in Texas. Roanoke Area Congressman Ben Klein tells Real America's voice that while Antifa is not a group with leadership, its presence puts lives at risk. These violent activists are being coordinated. They are being messaged, encouraged, and supported financially. I've joined Chip Roy and others in writing to our leadership asking that we set up a special select subcommittee to study where the money is coming from for this, where the support is coming from for these violent. leftists because there is some organization here and the American public deserves answers. Attorney General Pam Bondi has vowed to bring more prosecutions against those associated with the Antifa movement. Clair Palmer, WFIRE News. The owner of a Vinton Pizza Restaurant is speaking out after protests erupted over an animal cruelty case involving his mother, Jacques, Montori. Operates New York Pizza in Vinton, his mother, Antonia Montori, was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after her dog had to be euthanized. Due to it having maggots coming out of its head, protesters gathered outside the restaurant last week, and Jaconos says his staff has faced threats and harassment as a result. He says he didn't know about the dog's condition and wants people to understand the business is not connected to his mother's case. A Roanoke Landmark is getting new life, as we told you yesterday, the former First National Exchange Bank downtown on the corner of Jefferson Street and Campbell Avenue, is being transformed into the Promissory Hotel, set to open in December with... 27 rooms, live music, and dining inside the historic space. Now we're hearing from developer Lucas Thornton, a Roanoke native leading the project, who tells WDBJ7 its way to honor the building's past while shaping the city's future. It was built in 1912 by Junius B. Fishburn, who has a deep history in Roanoke and deep history of philanthropy. And we hope this is one of his last gifts, giving us the opportunity to create a new musical. future for Rona. Thornton says those design elements from marble floors to century-old stone lions make the structure a one-of-a-kind landmark worth preserving. J.P. Jerome Powell, co-owner of Lucky and Fortunato, is another partner in that project.

The 2025 season of live music offered by Dr. Pepper Park at the Bridges is over. But there's one more opportunity to be a pepper this Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the downtown runic market square. That's because October 24th... 10 to 4 is Dr. Pepper Day. Waynet Anderson is president of Dr. Pepper Park. You know, we've got a new limited edition shirt. There's a new design each and every year. So you get that one and then that's it. We don't have any after the event. We always give them all out. Grab you an ice cold Dr. Pepper. While supplies last. And then we also have live music by Tyler Parrish, who's one of our favorites. He even sings the old Dr. Pepper song. Dr. Pepper was once bottled in Roanoke. 10 to 4. We're also the Times of Day and old advertising campaign suggested that people should enjoy the caffeinated soft drink. City of Roanoke has launched an annual contest that looks to add creative names to 20 city snow plows. This year's contest officially kicked off on October 20th. Residents have until November 3rd to submit their entries. Last year's winning names included Austin Plowers and Control Salt Delete. That's the latest. Check back tomorrow for our next update. Ian Price, WFIR News.