Redistricting Debate Shifts, MVP Concerns Resurface & Salem Leaders Preview 2026 Session

On today’s WFIR News Express for Tuesday, November 25, 2025:• A Honduran national arrested in Roanoke is sentenced for illegal reentry, following a felony DUI case that revealed two prior removals from the U.S.• Democrats signal hesitation on mid-decade redistricting—Delegate Marcus Simon says the effort may risk alienating voters unless the final map upholds anti-gerrymandering principles.• Delegate Joe McNamara defends Virginia’s fiscal health, noting rising revenues despite nearly $9 billion in tax relief and projecting another major surplus next month.• Regional leaders gather in Salem, discussing bipartisan priorities ahead of the 2026 General Assembly session, including housing, infrastructure, and the Blue Ridge Innovation Corridor.• Roanoke’s annual Thanksgiving bike ride brings in more than 3,600 pounds of food for local pantries, uniting cyclists across the valley.• Mountain Valley Pipeline landowners in Pittsylvania County say they feel misled as the proposed Southgate extension moves closer to federal review.• A deer rescue in Botetourt County, a longtime Thanksgiving meal partnership helps 123 Roanoke families, and Roanoke County prepares for its 22nd annual Christmas Tree Lighting.• Plus: local clean-energy advocates look to Governor-elect Spanberger for a shift in Virginia’s energy policy, a LewisGale rehab patient car gets replaced by a modern model, Virginia Western launches a new business degree pathway, and communities remember Lucille Hoback Boggess, a key figure behind the National D-Day Memorial.🎧 Your fast, trusted look at the stories shaping Roanoke and Southwest Virginia.