Happy first Wednesday of summer, Rambler readers.

First this week, Henri Gendreau breaks down how Roanoke spent - or will spend -its $64 million in pandemic relief funding. That required some questions, particularly about an $11 million portion that the city listed as "administration costs (salaries)” in a report to the U.S. Treasury Department – but that's not exactly an accurate description, a City Hall official said.

Next, I dive deeper into what's become a summer of discontent with Roanoke's municipal pools. Violence, vandalism, closures and short staffing are raising frustration levels along with the June temperatures.

And, there's no doubt there will be a major fallout in Roanoke from the Trump administration's plan to slash the housing authority's funding, if that comes to pass. Close to 1,000 people could be Attempts continue to lobby U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, including a recent meeting he had with the authority's director, David Bustamante. I talked to Bustamante about that.

Be sure to check out our Happenings calendar of events, and our Recurring Happenings calendar, which lists regularly-occurring events — from fitness to bar trivia — that we won't include in our weekly Happenings.

Don't forget to read to the bottom for our recurring historical photo and ICYMI round-up of stories. Questions or comments? As always, just reply to this email, and we'll look forward to hearing from you. – TJ

This week's issue is sponsored by Downtown Roanoke, Inc:

The $64-Million Question: How Will Roanoke End Up Spending Its Pandemic Relief Money?

'We're Not Going to Tolerate It': Incidents at Pools, Short Staffing Lead To Conundrum

Hundreds Could Lose Roanoke Housing As Authority Director Lobbies Cline

Happenings: The Only Roanoke Events Calendar You’ll Ever Need. Week of 6/25 to 7/2.

A downtown view from the 1950s

The caption to this week’s photograph, circa 1958, reads, “An aerial view of downtown Roanoke.” We’re grateful to our friends at the Virginia Room for the image.

And In Case You Missed It:

Hey, you! Yes, you. Each issue we highlight some of our most read stories in recent months. Here are a few:

👩‍⚕️ Carilion Decision To End School Nurse Program Catches Roanoke Leaders By Surprise

🏘️ Roanoke Board Denied Volosin's Request To Host an Airbnb. Here's an Inside Look

🗳️ Ramblings: Bob Cowell Blasts Lawsuits As 'Smear Campaign'; Littlepage Wins House Primary; Next City Audit Likely Late, Too