That’s the question of the day over on our new political blog, The Blue Ridge Caucus.

You can find the post here.

The City of Roanoke announces:

As part of its communications plan for keeping the public informed about the Roanoke City Market Building renovation project, the city has set up a Facebook page to provide regular updates and photos of the work as it occurs. Citizens are encouraged to visit this page at http://bit.ly/abbw0r to follow the progress of the project.

OTHER RECENT CITY MARKET NEWS:
* Zorba moving to Salem
* Zorba thanks his customers

Kroger wants to turn a parking lot beside its store on Rutgers Street in Roanoke into an even busier shopping hub.

The grocer plans to build a 7,150 square foot building to the right of its store, near Towne Square Shopping Center, to house four retailers.

This is near Crossroads Mall, for those who think of it that way.

Business writer Jenny Boone has more details on her retail blog, The Storefront.

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We reported yesterday that Zorba, the Greek and Mediterranean food stall in the Roanoke City Market Building, is moving to Salem once the market closes for renovations.

Today, Zorba, aka The Falafel King, posted this sign thanking customers.

You can talk about the politics of the City Market building in this post on our new Blue Ridge Caucus political blog: Who Lost China? How about, Who Lost Zorba?

Do you have business photos you’d like to show off? You can share at news@bizjournal.com.

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The City Market Building closes Saturday for renovations.

For the last few days of its current life, patrons can look at this artist’s rendering of what things will look like. These drawings are now posted on the front doors.

The City of Roanoke announced earlier today that traffic on Campbell Avenue in downtown will be disrupted early Thursday because two trees are going to be taken down.

This is likely one of them. We’re told an SUV hit it recently.

Old-timers will recognize this as being in front of the old Miller & Rhoades building. Newbies may know as being near Studio Roanoke.

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The City of Roanoke advises:

City tree crews are scheduled to remove two trees at 34 Campbell Ave.
SW the morning of Thursday, Sept. 2. Work teams are scheduled to arrive on site by 5 a.m. Downtown residents and workers are advised to be aware of this activity.

Michelle Bennett says she’ll open CUPS Coffee & Tea, a coffee house beside Rockfish Food & Wine at 1402 Grandin Road in Roanoke, next Tuesday.

Bennett, of course, is well-known in the Roanoke Valley arts community through her work at Center in the Square and Mill Mountain Theatre.

Business writer Jenny Boone has more on Bennett’s coffee house venture in this post on her retail blog, The Storefront.

The governor’s office has issued this release about Gov. Bob McDonnell’s visit today to Martinsville, part of a three-day swing he’s making through Southside and Southwest Virginia. (See our previous post on the trip.)

Here’s the full release: Read more »

Adel Eltawansy, the owner of the Zorba Greek and Mediterranean food stall in the Roanoke City Market building, was telling customers today that he intends to move to Salem after the market building closes Saturday.

Zorba is often the busiest of the vendors in the market building, and customers have been asking Eltawansy for months what his plans were.

He said he intends to re-open in a building on Salem Lynchburg Turnpike near Virginia 419 on Sept. 15.

The cover story of the current issue of The Blue Ridge Business Journal deals with the Roanoke City Market building.