Weeks after the announcement of the resignation of Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell, the City of Roanoke has announced a new interim city manager.

With City Manager Bob Cowell resigning, it leaves a lot of questions about what comes next.

City Manager Bob Cowell is just one of several city leaders leaving their positions.

10 News is following up on the resignation of Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell.

Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell announced his resignation Monday night.

Roanoke City Council is a week away from adopting the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget.

A proposed budget was brought to Roanoke City Council on Monday. It comes in at nearly $380 million, more than $20 million above last year.

Increasing pay for workers in the Star City is a big focus for Roanoke leaders in the upcoming fiscal year.

Roanoke City is looking to help train police officers and hire someone to help coordinate gun violence prevention efforts.

The two bus shelters will be built along Blue Hills Drive.

A special delivery could soon be headed to the Star City: an Amazon fulfillment center.

10 News is following up on a Solutionaries story with U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh where he spoke about his relationship with local prosecutors.

Reducing gun violence – it’s a national issue that each city and county is tackling in very different ways.

Roanoke City Council heard an update on Monday morning from its gun violence prevention commission about its strategy moving forward.

Good news for people all around the Roanoke Valley — the iconic Mill Mountain Star is here to stay.

Monday's Roanoke city council meeting addressed a rise in youth instances involving guns, and how to fix the problem.

Roanoke's budget has set aside a historical amount of funds for Roanoke City Schools.

City councilwoman Stephanie Moon Reynolds is calling on city manager Bob Cowell to do more to address gun violence.

Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell has proposed his budget for the fiscal year 2024 and with it, millions of dollars could be headed to schools in the area.

Roanoke City’s Williamson Road will soon see safety improvements, thanks to the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Thriving Communities Program.

The Star City is searching for a new leader for their police department.

A new project that will turn the former Viscose plant in Southeast Roanoke into a major development was announced during the Tuesday night City Council meeting.

According to the post, the purpose of the assessment is for an external agency to assess the police department and make recommendations.

A growing concern in the city as more people experiencing homelessness in Roanoke turn to panhandling, specifically at the corner of Williamson Road and Orange Avenue.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise because of the omicron variant, the City of Roanoke is experiencing staffing shortages.

Homeless people may soon be banned from sleeping on sidewalks in downtown Roanoke because of a newly proposed ordinance presented at Monday’s City Council meeting.

The City of Roanoke is closing in on how it wants to spend $64.5 million from the American Rescue Plan.

On Wednesday, the City of Roanoke took the next step in determining how to spend its money from the American Rescue Plan.

Communities across the country, and right here in our area gathered for National Night Out on Tuesday.

There are more than $64 million on the table for the City of Roanoke through the American Rescue Plan and city leaders are deciding how to spend it with your help.

Localities across Central and Southwest Virginia project increased revenue in their FY22 budgets, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shoppers in the Star City will be paying more if they want to use plastic bags.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke city leaders and health experts are teaming up to address inequities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. “We’re just at the beginning of closing the gap, so I would say we still have an incredible amount of work to do,” said Dr. Cynthia Morrow, the director of the Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts. “For the past several months, we’ve built this relationship with the various kind of influencers within the community who can then go out into the community and make those connections,” said Bob Cowell, Roanoke City Manager. Work is also being done to address disparities for people with disabilities, even using grant money to make clinics more accessible. “We are nowhere near where we want to be but we recognize it and we’re committed to making a difference and we are making progress,” Bishop said.

ROANOKE, Va. – Though a shooting over the weekend at Roanoke’s Valley View Mall was isolated, it had many shoppers running for their lives, thinking it was something much worse. [‘I have never in my life been this scared’: Valley View Mall employees react to the shooting]Saturday night’s shooting happened during an argument between two people at the mall, according to the Roanoke Police Department. As chaos ensued, store employees knew Colquhoun was deaf because the word ‘Deaf’ is printed on his face mask. This concern has led to an enhanced law enforcement response, including realignment of certain personnel to increase the resources available to respond to violent crime. This law enforcement response has been accompanied by a non-law enforcement response as well, involving the Gun Violence Task Force, use of a Rapid Response Team, etc.

During Monday night’s Roanoke City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved the land swap that allows the city to complete the Roanoke River Greenway within city limits. It seems that the ability to stay on the Roanoke River Greenway from Salem all the way to Southeast Roanoke is coming. The red-and-black dashed line shows the portion of the Roanoke River Greenway that's planned for the Walker Foundry property. In August 2017, Roanoke City Council authorized the use of eminent domain to claim the land; however, in April 2019, city council voted to stop pursuing eminent domain. The property listing includes this site plan, which includes an extended Roanoke River Greenway, canoe landing, as well as a restaurant.

ROANOKE, Va. Roanoke citys new fiscal year begins July 1 and city leaders just approved the new nearly $300 million dollar budget. The citys entire budget is short about $1.4 million due to COVID-19. A police spokesperson said that a majority of the departments budget goes to employee salaries and the rest is used to replace equipment due to wear and tear. Human services funding jumped about $116,000. If that amount goes down, thats what they get, as well.Council member Michelle Davis said that the citys budget process is ongoing and the work doesnt stop here.

ROANOKE, Va. Roanoke is looking for volunteers to keep the Star City strong and recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19. City leaders started the Star City Strong Recovery Fund Task Force to distribute at least $1 million in emergency funding. In total, there will be about 40 members serving on the task force, including Mayor Sherman Lea, Vice Mayor Joe Cobb, City Manager Bob Cowell. Where can we make the most difference in our community, really, to support that recovery in light of the fact that, you know, were only going to make a small dent in whats necessary as we move forward? said Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell. Applications to join the task force are due by 5 p.m. on June 11.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke city manager Bob Cowell announced that he declared a local state of emergency for Roanoke on Saturday. That gives city leaders authority to set a curfew if needed. Roanoke City police chief Sam Roman said city leaders want to advocate for peaceful protests and provide a safe place for people to do so and let their “very worthy” voices be heard. WATCH THE FULL NEWS CONFERENCE HERE:Roman said there were approximately six arrests stemming from the protests on Saturday and into Sunday. Get the WSLS 10 News App in your app store to get push alerts and follow 10 News on Facebook as we are livestreaming many updates.

I join Mayor Lea and Cheif Roman in stating that unlawful activities such as those that occurred in separate events earlier this evening in the Valley View area will not be tolerated. To keep up with the latest information, click here to view an article that will be updated throughout the night. 8:30 P.M. UPDATEAccording to our crew at the scene, there are hundreds of officers responding to a large protest at the Valley View Walmart. There is also a separate crowd gathered at the Valley View Target, where one person has been arrested and protesters say pepper spray has been deployed. ORIGINAL STORYWalmart at Valley View is closing its doors early as a precaution to protests in Roanoke.

1:07 A.M. UPDATEPolice have just given protesters three minutes to leave after someone threw some type of firework at officers. 10:45 P.M. UPDATEProtesters started at the Roanoke City Police Station and are now making their way through downtown. Virginia State Police, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office and the Roanoke City Police Department are working together on crowd control. 8:45 P.M. UPDATEThere is a small group of people protesting across from the Roanoke City Jail. According to our crew at the scene, there are hundreds of officers responding to another large protest at the Valley View Walmart.

ROANOKE, Va. Roanoke is slowly reopening amid the coronavirus crisis, and that includes city government. City leaders announced in a Zoom press conference Wednesday that the Noel Taylor Municipal Building will open again to the public on June 8. The municipal building will feature services from the commissioner of revenue and the city treasurer when it re-opens; however, Department of Motor Vehicles services will not resume until July 1. Additionally, City Administrator Bob Cowell said some city employees will start working from the municipal building again starting June 15. Cowell said the timeline for reopening library buildings depends on Gov.

ROANOKE, Va. – The search for the next Roanoke city police chief is on track and could be in its final week. The top five candidates interviewed last week, according to Cowell. One candidate is currently with the department -- interim chief Chester Smith. Cowell says the candidates represent what residents say they’re looking for. A community survey and other input from community leaders helped inform the city as to what kind of leader residents would prefer.

Localities are beginning work on budgets for the upcoming fiscal year and Roanoke is trying to be more resilient. He said the citys economic growth has been about as good as it is likely ever going to be for the third year in a row, yet the city is still facing financial struggles. Cowell also said the city needs to be prepared for the current national economic growth to end eventually. We will continue to be conservative in our projections for revenues for sales tax growth, those kinds of things. The citys current budget started July 1 and ends June 30, 2020.

Here's a look at some of the stories we'll be following today as they make headlines across the country and Southwest Virginia. The Virginia Cooperative Extension holds its annual Fall Forestry and Wildlife Field Tours today. The tours promote resource management and focus on wildlife management practices. You have until 5 p.m. today to submit comments about the qualities you want to see in Roanoke's new police chief. We have a link to the survey on wsls.comLynchburg's Growth Through Opportunity Program present level three certificates to participants today.

ROANOKE, Va. - Roanoke leaders are getting a clearer picture of what people want in their next police chief. Residents still have time to complete an online survey to give feedback to the city. More than 500 people had submitted them as of Monday, city manager Bob Cowell told 10 News Tuesday. Cowell has met in person with around 30 people in the community as another way to seek input. "They want to see a chief that's very engaged in the community -- in a meaningful way," Cowell said.

ROANOKE, Va. - After serving the city for more than 39 years, Roanoke Police Chief Tim Jones is set to retire. Jones' retirement will go into effect Feb. 1, 2020. Jones was named acting chief after the retirement of Chris Perkins on March 1, 2016. City Manager Bob Cowell will soon initiate a national search for a new chief. The process will involve an executive search firm and will, as in similar searches in the past, include extensive community engagement.