Fewer dropped calls and quicker Internet access are features of an improved Verizon Wireless network that has moved into a portion of Southwest Roanoke. This month, the company added a cell site in the area surrounding Patrick Henry High School on Grandin Road. Verizon Wireless is planning another new cell site near Shenandoah Avenue in Roanoke. The company is making a push to expand coverage throughout the Roanoke Valley, as well as other parts of Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Last year, it spent $300 million for services in these areas.

-- Jenny Kincaid Boone