Local news from the New River Valley

| Sharla Bardin

sharla.bardin@roanoke.com, 381-1669

BLACKSBURG -- A proposal for apartments and a religious and cultural services center at 102 Mountain Breeze Drive has been revised again minus one thing -- the apartments.

The Roanoke Times | File June

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

Applications for the Montgomery County Superintendent's position could continue rolling in through next week, said Bill Newman, an executive with Iowa-based search firm Ray and Associates.

Matt Chittum | The Roanoke Times

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

BLACKSBURG -- The Blacksburg Master Chorale and Virginia Tech's Music Department have both hired Dwight Bigler as their choral director.

A native of Idaho, Bigler hadn't thought of coming to Virginia until he started looking for a long-term directing position while serving as interim director of Choral Activities at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

RADFORD -- After listening to the city's constitutional officers detail the impact of state budget cuts on their offices Monday evening, one councilman advocated giving them the difference out of the council's discretionary fund.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

RADFORD -- The Intermet foundry's closing could cause the city a loss of revenue so large that it could be offset by steps as drastic as closing the fire department, museum and library or major increases in the city's real estate tax rate.

| Sharla Bardin

sharla.bardin@roanoke.com, 381-1669

CHRISTIANSBURG -- Montgomery County leaders are moving forward with a plan to restore funding to their constitutional offices that was cut by the state.

The Roanoke Times | File June

H1N1 flu vaccine clinics at Montgomery County's schools are on hold until the local health department can obtain more of the vaccine.

Interim Superintendent Walt Shannon said Monday that only three schools -- Margaret Beeks Elementary, Kipps Elementary and Christiansburg Elementary -- were able to give out the vaccine last week to students who got their parents' approval.

• Concerned Craig Creek residents convene for update on Caldwell Fields killings
• Police seek help from hunters, hikers
• Task force continues to get tips on killings
• Reward in killings increases to $50,000
• Task force to probe students' killings
• Hundreds mourn slain Lynchburg teens
• Police still chasing leads about Va. Tech student shootings
• Virginia Tech announces $10,000 reward for information about killings
• Funerals for Tech students set for Monday afternoon
• Police still seek leads in deaths of Tech students
• Few clues, many tears in deaths of Tech students
• Caldwell Fields neighbors did not hear shots
• Dan Casey: Neighbors shaken after meadow becomes killing field
• Police seek suspects in Virginia Tech students' killings

• Heidi Lynn Childs
• David Lee Metzler

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The following is a list of highway projects that may affect traffic this week. For statewide traffic information for major roadways, dial 511 or visit www.511Virginia.org.

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

PULASKI -- Nearly a year after fire destroyed the town's historic train depot and museum, officials kicked off a $1.15 million restoration project on Monday.

SustainFloyd's Haden Polseno-Hensley led a crowd in Floyd in taking a bite Saturday from locally grown apples at the first SplitRail Eco-Fair.

Following the environmentally themed fair, the town dedicated its new Floyd Community Market.

Blacksburg

What: Town council work session

When: 5:30 p.m. today

Where: Blacksburg Motor Co. building conference room, 400 Main Street.

On the agenda: Discuss a solar electric system donation for Market Square Park and a closed session to discuss property acquisition.

When Michael Rose heard a knock on the back door of his Christiansburg mobile home about 8 p.m. Friday, he assumed it was one of the dozen or so neighbors who regularly stop by to chat.

Instead, he said, he was confronted by the point of a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol. Two masked assailants forced their way into the trailer, Rose said, shoving him toward the kitchen sink.

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

Three of the New River Valley's school boards have seats up for grabs this election season, but just two have candidates facing opposition.

Mark Cramer of Blacksburg sent in these pictures of the Marine Mud Run in Salem on Sept. 19.

n Top left: Teams begin the race.

n Top right: The winner of the team race was the Auburn High School cross county team.

A Blacksburg police officer was charged this week with aggravated sexual battery, a felony, and misdemeanor domestic assault and battery.

Johnnie Lee Self Jr., 37, was arrested Tuesday by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and released on $100,000 bond the same day.

A Radford teacher who was charged last month with possession of marijuana and contributing to the delinquency of a minor is now also charged with felony possession of cocaine.

Lori Anne Jarvis, 43, was charged Sept. 3 after a juvenile suffered an apparent drug overdose at Jarvis' home, according to Radford city spokeswoman Becky Hawke.