Local Produce Push After Lettuce Recall, Google Data Center Clash, Youth Pastor Sentenced | Roanoke Valley's Morning News — July 29, 2026

Miss the morning broadcast? Catch up on the top stories impacting the Roanoke Valley and the Commonwealth of Virginia for Wednesday, July 29, 2026.In this episode of Roanoke Valley’s Morning News, hosts Joey Self and Ian Price unpack an intestinal parasite outbreak driving local produce demand, a fiery Botetourt County Board of Supervisors debate over a proposed Google data center, and a 20-year federal prison sentence for a former local youth pastor.Mexican Lettuce Recall & Farmers Markets: An outbreak of the Cyclospora parasite linked to Mexican iceberg lettuce has hospitalized roughly 100 people across nine states, prompting the Roanoke Food Shed Network to urge residents to buy fresh produce from local farmers markets.Botetourt Google Data Center Dispute: Botetourt County Supervisors voted 3-1 to appoint an independent five-member commission to study the water impact of a proposed Google data center, following a heated exchange where Supervisor Linda Rotman cast the sole dissenting vote.Federal Data Center Cost Legislation: Congressman Morgan Griffith co-sponsored bipartisan legislation directing FERC to hold technical conferences aimed at protecting residential utility ratepayers from bearing the energy transmission costs of large AI data centers.Former Youth Pastor Sentenced: Jacob Ryan Barnett, a former Catawba Valley Baptist Church youth pastor, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison following an FBI investigation into online solicitation of minors.Evans Spring Conservation Plan: Roanoke City leaders dropped plans for an interstate interchange at Evans Spring, as the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy works to secure grant funding to purchase the property for a publicly accessible park.Policing Equity Study: The City of Roanoke is entering a three-year partnership with the Center for Policing Equity to analyze traffic stops, service calls, and use-of-force data.Parkway Brewing Downtown Opening: Parkway Brewing Company will open its new downtown Roanoke location on the ground floor of The Bower on Campbell Avenue this Friday at 11 a.m.Local Trades Demand Bucks State Job Losses: While Virginia lost over 43,000 net jobs over the past year, Roanoke City unemployment sits at 3.7% with strong demand for skilled trades offering $30–$42 an hour.Back-to-School Physicals Encouraged: Health officials urge parents to book required school physicals and immunizations before the upcoming academic year begins.ACC Football Media Poll: ACC media members picked Miami to win the conference, with Virginia selected 6th and Virginia Tech voted 8th heading into the season.Roanoke College Women's Basketball: Roanoke College named former Shenandoah associate head coach Tessa Johnston as the new head coach for the women's basketball program.Minor League Baseball: Salem’s game at Kannapolis was rained out, setting up a doubleheader today.NFL Training Camp: The Washington Commanders open their first full team practice today, while the Carolina Panthers rely on rookie first-round pick Monroe Freeling at tackle.Stay informed on the go—subscribe to the WFIR News Express feed for your daily Roanoke Valley news updates.📌 Local & Regional Headlines🏆 WFIR Sports Wrap-Up