www.newrivervalley.com

Though Reed Lumber Co. announced this month it would be going out of business, the company assures it's customers they haven't closed yet.

"A lot of people I talked to don't know that we're still open," said manager Kevin Stoner.

The business took some days off recently to do inventory, but are still open, Stoner said.

For now, the store will remain open with limited hours until all its inventory is sold. The store eliminated Saturday hours about a month ago and will now operate only from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

--Lerone Graham

At least two dogs have been caught in leg traps recently while walking with their owners at Cracker's Neck, the hunting-biking-hiking-birding site Radford owns in Montgomery County. In at least one of those cases, the trap was reported to be on the edge of one of those hiking-biking-birding trails.

The committee that city council appointed to work out how all those interest groups can happily share the 250-odd acres out by the interstate won't begin meeting until later this week. So city council made it clear at Monday's meeting (Feb. 23) that they all feel strongly that they must do something in a hurry to keep people and pets safe until the committee can come up with a long term plan.

City Attorney Jim Guynn told council that since the city owns the land, it can say what's allowed to happen there. So, for instance, if council didn't want trapping going on at Cracker's Neck, council could decide trapping won't be allowed there.

Instead, council decided to put up new signs, alerting anyone using the land to all the activities that might be going on there, including trapping.

Councilmen have been talking among themselves about this for more than a week. We've officially requested copies of their emails so we can tell you more about what they said.

-- Tim Thornton

In a ceremony this afternoon, the Radford Circuit Courtroom was named after a judge who heard cases there for nearly 20 years and has a reputation for always being fair and compassionate.

It now bears the name The Hon. Duane E. Mink Courtroom. And, to the surprise of Mink's longtime secretary, Nancy Collins, the law library off the courtroom was named after her.

Collins served as Mink's secretary during 17 years he practiced law in Radford and nearly 20 more while he served as a judge from 1983 to 2003, when he was forced to retire because he turned 70.

She also served for Circuit Court Judge Brett Geisler when he took over the Radford courtroom, and now serves for Circuit Court Judge Joey Showalter, who followed Geisler. Geisler is now based in Carroll County.

Mink, who has a stellar reputation among the attorneys who practiced before him, said whatever success a judge has is due to the attorneys. He also credited the court clerks, the secretaries and the sheriff's offices who he said keep things running smoothly.

All the circuit court judges of the 27th judicial circuit - Showalter, Geisler, Judge Ray Grubbs, Judge Bobby Turk and Judge Colin Gibb - presided over today's ceremony. Mink turned to them and said, "You're doing a swell job."

--Shawna Morrison

At an open "town hall" meeting held by Virginia Tech earlier this week, an audience member asked what place energy savings will have in the university's attempts to trim its budget. While Tech has already addressed some issues about energy efficiency there remain plenty of opportunities for energy savings the university has yet to take advantage of.

Sherwood Wilson, Tech's vice president for administrative services, said the university is in the early stages of a comprehensive energy initiative on campus. It's sent out RFP's for ESCOs, he said Thursday.

In non-acronymese that means the university is looking to hire an energy-service company. The basic goal of these companies is to coordinate and implement energy-savings strategies for businesses, localities or universities. They then get paid based on the savings their clients receive as a result of their work. Read more »

Pulaski Networks, also known as PSKNet, a dial-up internet service based on West Main Street in Pulaski, is no longer in business.

A phone recording stated that "as of Feb. 10, Pulaski Networks has ceased all internet business" and services would be moved to Galax-based wiredog.com and Lynchburg-based sitestar.com

The provider served customers in Pulaski, Radford, Pearisburg, Pembroke, Roanoke, Salem, Narrows, Stuart, Lynchburg and Martinsville.

According to the Town of Pulaski's Web site, Pulaski Networks was a full service internet service provider that opened in October 2000.

--Amy Matzke-Fawcett

Ann Howard can take "interim" out of her title.

She has been elected Radford's circuit court clerk.

Howard, the only candidate on the ballot, was the choice on 186 of the 189 ballots counted on Tuesday. There were two write-ins. One ballot was returned unmarked.

Radford held a special election to fill the clerk's job because Zelda Vaughn retired Dec. 31. Vaughn started working in the clerk's office in 1975 and had been clerk since 1996.

When J.C. Harman, the clerk who preceded Vaughn, retired, he endorsed Vaughn, who won a three-way 1995 race by a 2-to-1 margin.

Howard, Vaughn's deputy clerk, was sworn in as interim clerk Jan. 1. Howard is Harman's daughter.

Tracy Howard, Ann Howard's husband and the city's voter registrar, said last week he'd be tickled if 500 people turned out. By 5 p.m. on election day, he was hoping for 200. The city came up 11 short of that, even counting the 11 absentee ballots that came in before election day.

Howard will serve the two years remaining in Vaughn's term before standing for an eight-year term of her own.

-- Tim Thornton

Food, wine, art and music have always been available in Blacksburg, just not in one place at one time.

Come May 2, that will change when the Blacksburg Partnership puts on the first ever Blacksburg Fork & Cork wine and food festival at the First & Main retail center off South Main Street. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine. Advance tickets are $15 or pay $18 at the gate.

That ticket will get you...

Music: Cheryl Lunsford and the Star City Hot Club Band, Lenny Marcus and the Waterdrops and Porch Loungers.

Wine: Amrhein Wine Cellars, Chateau Morrisette, Davis Valley Winery, Fincastle Vineyards and Winery, First Colony Winery, Hickory Hill Vineyards and Winery, Peaks of Otter Winery, Rebec Vineyards, Sans Soucy Vineyards, Spring Creek Wine Cellar, Virginia Mountain Vineyards, West Wind Farm Vineyards and Winery, and White Rock Vineyards and Winery

Food: Preston's, Awful Arthur's, Bull & Bones and Sake House

Art: Gourd artist and painter Tony Browning, handcrafted jewelry by Anne Vaughan and handmade stone pendants by John and Cheryl Vest.

Sponsors and vendors are still being sought. For more information, visit blacksburgforkandcork.com or call 540-443-2008.

-- Tonia Moxley

On a 6-0 vote Tuesday, the Blacksburg Town Council officially approved a new location for Eats Natural Foods. The business was recently forced to move from its previous location on South Main Street to a storefront at Prices Fork Road and North Main Street.

Because the town's zoning ordinance requires a special use permit to open a grocery store in the downtown commercial district, there was some stress about the move. But the council agreed to fast-track the permit. Town staff even found a loophole in the zoning ordinance that allowed the store to operate in its new location until the vote was taken.

In other news, on a 5-1 vote the council approved a Blacksburg Friends Meeting request to reduce the size of a public trail easement on their property along Mount Tabor Road. Friends members spoke about the need for the change, saying the topography of the site made it unsafe to build a trail on the original easement. One member said the group regretted having to request the change.

Councilman Tom Sherman voted against the change, saying he hoped his stance sends a message to decision makers and landowners that keeping trail easements whole and intact is important to the future of the town's trail network.

-- Tonia Moxley

Quality Floors, located in Christiansburg, will close its retail showroom Monday (Feb. 16.)

The showroom was open to the public, said Quality Floors owner Guille Yearwood. The commercial aspect of the business will remain open and the same, selling to large-scale customers like businesses and schools out of their warehouse.

“We’re under intense competition from local big box stores and the internet,” Yearwood said. “And with the recession our customer base is not spending the way it used to.”

Quality Floors opened in Christiansburg in February 1984.

--Amy Matzke-Fawcett

Radford City Council honored some long-dedicated city employees Monday night.

Early in the evening's council meeting, City Manager Tony Cox handed out certificates, congratulations and thanks for: Audrey Long, Greg Holbrook and Gail Sojka, all for 15 years of service; Jeffrey Nester and Randy Hopkins for 20 years and Nancy Collins for 25 years.

Deno Tuck, David Young and Ken Goodyear were honored for working for the city for 30 years.

Thirty years ago, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Saturday Night Fever was the album of the year. Mother Theresa got the Nobel Peace Prize. Miss Virginia, Kylene Baker, became Miss America.  And the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl.

-- Tim Thornton