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Kathy Stackpole at Arnold R. Burton Technical Center, Virginia Heffley at Clearbrook Elementary School, Kimberly E. Stevens at Hidden Valley High, and Walter D. Reed at Cave Spring High were awarded for various projects and landmarks by the School Nutrition Association of Virginia (SNA-VA).

Reed earned the credential “School Nutrition Specialist”, the highest accolade in the profession.

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The Krystal fast food restaurant that arrived in Salem in early 2007 with much fanfare appears to have shut down. Business writer Jenny Boone has more on her retail blog, The Storefront.

With over 40 years of coaching experience, Ed Green hopes to give kids the opportunity to learn the basics of baseball and softball without the worry and embarrassment that competition sometimes brings.

The program begins May 18 and runs each Sunday through June 15 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., will be held at the Hopetree Family Center’s (formerly Virginia Baptist Children’s Home’s) fields, and costs $60.

For more information or to sign up, call Green at 387-9516 or contact Salem Parks & Recreation.

Geoffrey Bader, Roanoke College student and Salem High graduate, was selected for a summer undergraduate research fellowship from the American Society of Plant Biologists. He is the first Roanoke College student to receive the fellowship.

For his research on the “Uptake and Efflux of Auxin and Polar Auxin Transport in Land Plant Gametophytes”, which will last about ten weeks, he’ll receive a $3,000 stipend in order to devote a full-time effort to the study.

The study will address important issues concerning the evolution of auxin, a hormone plants rely on in order to grow, develop, and function.

Bader will also receive the opportunity to present the results at the society’s annual meeting in Hawaii next year. Bader has been working with Dr. Dorothy Belle Poli, assistant professor of biology at RC.

Not many kids and not all parents escaped without a face-painting by Katherine Devine, and almost all of the fifth-graders took their turn at the dunking booth, where their teacher, Mr. Moeller, sat. A police S.W.A.T. truck sat outside with officers answering student’s queries, to boot.

A flower sale with beautiful annuals, a bake sale, and a silent auction with donations from businesses around the area supplemented the fundraiser.
The PTA’s spring carnival last year helped to fund a climbing wall for the gym, sound boards for the cafeteria, and Smart boards in many of Fort Lewis Elementary’s classrooms.

Here's a link to some pictures that we took of fun lovin' families at the Spring Fling.

Despite a few sprinkles, most Salem After 5ers hung tight and enjoyed music from "The Kings" well past the 9 o' clock hour. Check out the paparazzi and other photos that were taken of folks at the event here.

The next Salem After 5 is scheduled for May 30.

About 300 students, parents and faculty from Faith Christian School in Southwest Roanoke County spent much of Saturday on a service project at the Rescue Mission summer day camp in western Roanoke County. Here's a story and photos on our companion news site for Southwest Roanoke County.

Adam Gray has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Glenvar High School. He currently is the junior varsity basketball coach at William
Byrd Middle School.

Here's the full text of the press release from the Roanoke County school system:

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This just in: Chris Clemens has been chosen to temporarily fill the vacated General District Court judgeship of Julian Raney, who retired.

Clemens, a Salem attorney and city councilman, said he learned today that circuit court judges in the 23rd division chose him over his chief competitor for the job, Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell.

This obviously will have implications for the May 6 city council elections in Salem, since Clemens was one of the candidates.

For more on this developing story, click here.

Caroline Millar, a Fort Lewis Elementary student, entered this photo from Green Hill Park in our Images of the Valley photo contest.

For a gallery of contest winners, click here.