ROANOKE, Va. – There’s no longer a vacant seat on the Roanoke City Council. Roanoke City Council appointed Vivian Sanchez-Jones on Monday to fill the seat left by Djuna Osborne, who left council last month before her term expired. “They brought different things to the possibility of being on city council, and we chose Vivian Sanchez-Jones as bringing something that the council has never had," Councilman Bell Bestpitch said about the final five nominees. City leaders said Sanchez-Jones has helped Latino families navigate the school system and community services. Sanchez-Jones is also President of Avancemos Roanoke, which is a community organization that helps Latinos in the Roanoke Valley.

Road work could impact your commute in Franklin County starting today. Earlier this month, city council interviewed five people for the position. The South County library opened last month, with plans to reopen the Glenvar and Vinton libraries later this fall. Students at three Franklin County schools will return to normal schedule today. Classes at Franklin County High School, Benjamin Franklin Middle School and the Gereau Center went all virtual on October 8th due to community spread of COVID-19.

ROANOKE, VA. – On Monday, Roanoke City Council took the next steps to fill the open spot left by Djuna Osborne’s resignation. They whittled it down to their short list of replacements for Osborne’s seat in just three days. They brought them in for interviews with the city council on Monday afternoon. Out of 21 applicants, Joseph Clements, Beth Doughty, Alvin Nash, Luke Priddy and Vivian Sanchez-Jones were selected to compete for her council seat. “Djuna came in second place to Vice-Mayor Cobb in that election, Roanoke spoke very loudly that year that they wanted a Progressive in that seat, Luke is that person," Barbara Andes said.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke City Council is looking for applicants to fill an empty seat on the council after Djuna Osborne resigned last week. Djuna OsborneThe new appointee cannot be anyone already on the ballot to fill one of three open city council seats this fall. Council will accept applications until Oct. 1, announce the candidates they plan to interview on Oct. 2 and interview those candidates during a public meeting on Oct. 5. Council is also accepting public comments about the appointment process and questions to ask the applicants. Council will make the final vote on who to appoint to fill the seat on Oct. 19.

ROANOKE, Va. – There’s a free drive-thru COVID-19 test clinic today in Southside. If you requested an absentee ballot, those are in the mail. You can request an absentee ballot through Oct. 23. Roanoke City Council will hold a special meeting today to discuss filling an empty council seat. the virtual run takes place through Monday.

ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke City Councilwoman Djuna Osborne announced that she plans to step down from her seat, effective Wednesday at 5 p.m.Osborne told 10 News that the pandemic has taken a toll on a lot of families, including hers. Osborne said it was a very tough decision to make because she’s proud of her work on council to serve citizens. Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea said that he’s sad to see her go. “It’s just a really tough choice. It’s really really hard," said Osborne.

ROANOKE, Va. – Starting Wednesday at 5 p.m., Roanoke City Council will be down one member. Councilwoman Djuna Osborne resigned from City Council, Roanoke leaders announced Monday. Osborne joined Roanoke City Council in July 2018 and her term was set to expire on December 31 in 2022. Roanoke City Council will hold a special meeting on Friday to discuss next steps in filling Osborne’s vacancy. Read Osborne’s full statement below:“It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation as a Roanoke City Council Member.