Magic takes the Championship during the Outlaw Basketball Tournament at North Cross High School. Coaches are Chris Kingery, Ryan Salvi, Scott Stevens and Keith Moore.

Submitted by Heather Kissner

Submitted by Jennifer Medley

On January 23, 2013, during the Spelling Bee and AR assembly at Buchanan Elementary, two gentlemen from the James Even Masonic Lodge in Buchanan drew the names of two Buchanan Elementary students, 4th grader Olivia Thacker and 5th grader Caleb Shipwash, and presented them with brand new bikes and safety helmets. The Masonic Lodge has been donating four bikes each year to the school for years.

Submitted by Jennifer Medley

Roanoke Cement has one of the many Relay for Life teams that have formed all over Botetourt County for the May overnight walk to end cancer. The event is held at the Buchanan Carnival grounds. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, survivors are honored and those who died from the disease are memorialized.

The Roanoke Cement team is on its third year said Laura Gordon and Debbie Martin who are co-chairs of the team. Seven others participate in the walk, but the whole of the day shift has been helping raise funds for the 2013 team by eating lunch. “Last year,” said Billy Ray Teaford one of the team,  “We were the top Relay for Life Botetourt fundraiser.” All of the team mates have had a family member or love one touched by cancer. The other team members are Jannine DeMester, Suzanne Ward, Alice Flora, Geneva Jennings, Rochelle Delka, and Jennifer Hudson

Lunch on Tuesday January 29 included a variety of hearty soups like potato, veggie beef, spicy chicken, sausage potato, homemade pimento cheese or  chicken salad sandwiches, chips and a drink for  five dollars. Desserts all donated are an additional amount. “The men don’t have a way to go anywhere to get them lunch (half hour for lunch in a rural area,) so they really enjoy this when we do it and even asked when we plan to do the lunches,” said Gordon. They have had a cook out previously as well as chili and plan to have  a barbeque lunch soon. The meals will continue through April. a 50-50  one dollar per ticket is also held.

Food is s donated mostly by team members friends and family, but also several have stepped up to help. On average they serve 120-170 meals  to both employees and sub contractors onsite. Hardees, DJ’s Pit Stop BBQ,  and The Homeplace include a few area businesses that have aided the cause.

As hungry workers lined up for lunch, dollar bills flowed across the table for lunch, 50-50 and one more special donated by Roanoke Cement.

A good corporate citizen for years and as part of Titan America, the company stepped up the game for the Relay for Life team fundraising.  The management offered four paid days off through a fundraising ticket sale raffle to employees and a day is worth an estimated $200.

With a few months left until May,  funds are filing the coffers to stop cancer in its tracks. Warm food on cold days offers the opportunity for all at Roanoke Cement to help the Relay for Life cause.

Reflections contest winners from James River High School for 2012/13: Front Row from left seated: Megan Wentworth, Hannah Austin, Lizzie Chilcott, Lindsey Fenster, Anne Grumbine, and Tess Dryzmala. Back Row from left standing: Michelle Crook, Senior Vice President and CFO with the Bank of Botetourt, Katie Smith, Darren Odum, Sam Anderson, Kaleigh Neeley, Morgan Rakes, Jack Schulz, Amanda Bell, Emily Delp, Erin Stinnett, Haley Forbes, Morgan Gozzo, and Katie-Lee Melvin.

The Reflections contest awards are sponsored by the Bank of Botetourt. James River High School coordinator, Dorothy Barnett, would like to thank Bank of Botetourt, Michelle Crook, the James River High School PTSA, and Cherie Austin, county Reflections coordinator, for their generous support of the Reflections program.

Two school winners, Megan Wentworth for literature and Anne Grumbine for photography also won at the district level. Their entries have been sent on the the state level Reflections competition.

Submitted by Rebekah Woodie

Stopped at the Exit 150 intersection has meant opportunity for solicitors. BV file photo.

It is one of the situations that most everyone  who travels the Exit 150 corridor to the stoplights at Lee Highway and Roanoke or Cloverdale Roads has encountered. Someone stands or walks on the median with a bucket or smile looking for donations.

At the Jan. 22 Board of Supervisors meeting, Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle addressed the problem of solicitors at Exit 150. Though Troutville Volunteer Fire Department often runs a boot campaign there, many of those who solicit at the intersection stoplights at  the crossroads come from all over, including reportedly, a group from Alabama. There are also small groups and individuals that get caught at the Truck Stop area with no food or money that solicit from the stoplight corners.

In the February meeting an ordinance will be looked at and a public hearing held on the solicitation situation.

Breckinridge Elementary School’s annual spelling bee was held Jan 16th. Ten 5th graders vied for the title of spelling bee champion.  After many rounds, Mikayla Stiltner was named champion and Ben Rice was the runner-up.  Mikayla advances to the district level competition at LBHS on Feb 12th.  Pictured are front row:  Abby Elkins, Ben Rice, Kevin Theimer, and Andrew Lucas.  Back row: Caroline Gross, Tori Bennett, Kjersten DeHaven, Mikayla Stiltner, Madison Chambers and Lauren Fox.

You can view pictures from the spelling bee in the slide show above or in a different view by clicking here.

Submitted by Robin Stiltner

Circuit Court Judge Malfourd “Bo” Trumbo administers the oath to Bill Cleaveland who is the new General District Court Judge in Botetourt and Craig counties.

William ” Bill” Cleaveland was sworn in as the new General District Court Judge for Botetourt and Craig Counties on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Though Cleaveland a well respected trail lawyer  has been serving on the bench for four months, he became the official General District court  judge on that Wednesday afternoon.

Circuit Court Judge Malfourd ” Bo” Trumbo administered the oath to Cleaveland. Retired GD judge Louis K. “Kerry” Campbell and Juvenile and Domestic  Judge Paul Tucker were also in attendance. A host of court employees, lawyers, Commonwealth’s Attorney Joel Branscom and several of his assistants were also in attendance.

Cleaveland gave a few brief remarks. He thanked his staff, family, peers and others for his  new position and his ability to serve the community. He  stated, ” I will have an open door to attorneys… support the constitution…follow the law and mete out justice with mercy, what ever that entails.” He then concluded with scripture from the book of Micah in the Bible.

2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. –KJV

Judge Bill Cleaveland reading the verse from Micah.

This post has been edited.

Botetourt County Horseman’s Association (BCHA) will host ACTHA, the American Competitive Trail Horse Association on February 5, 2013 at Bellacino’s in Daleville at 7 p.m. Robin Tilghman with ACTHA will speak about what competitive trail is all about, how to get involved, what you need to get started, ride locations for this year, and more. Competitive trail riding has become popular over the last several years and continues to grow. For more information about ACTHA, come to the meeting and visit their website at www.ACTHA.us. BCHA will be looking to host a ride in Botetourt County so suggestions for ideal locations in our county are welcome and needed.

BCHA will host a variety of educational speakers in 2013. They meet on the first Tuesday of the month throughout the year and host a variety of events and activities including the popular BCHA Horse Tack ‘n Trade in April and October, trail rides and hunter paces, clinics, and the 16th annual BCHA Open Horse Show in September 2013. For more information or details on activities throughout the year., email BCHA at horses@BCHA-VA.com or visit them online at www.BCHA-VA.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BCHA-VA.

Submitted by Jen Ward

Kathryn Broyles of Troutville was among Carson-Newman College’s December 2012 graduating class.

Broyles graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology.

Carson-Newman, a Christian university in Jefferson City, Tenn., has been recognized as a leading liberal arts institution by U.S. News, Forbes.com and The Princeton Review. For more information, see www.cn.edu.

On the web: http://readabout.me/achievements/Kathryn-Broyles-Graduates-Carson-Newman-College/5409148.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Botetourt County, in effect until 12:45 a.m.

For details, see here.

For more weather news, see weather journalist Kevin Myatt’s Weather Journal.