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These photos were taken at Sherwood Cemetery in Salem in preparation for honoring our Veterans on Veterans Day. As previously documented in So Salem, many of the flags were placed by Boy Scout Troop 2 of Catawba. (You can see those photos here.)

Submitted by Garry Thompson.

That's the word from the Virginia Department of Transportation. Earlier, VDOT has reported a five-mile back-up outside Salem

The Virginia Department of Transportation advises us:

Location:Roanoke (County)
Description:
On I-81 South at mile marker 142 in the County of Roanoke, motorists can expect major delays due to congestion. Traffic backups are approximately 5.0 miles.
Last Updated: 11/20/2009 17:20:14

Stephen Lee McBride

The Salem Police Department has issued the following release:

On November 20, 2009 at approximately 1am, detectives from the Salem Police Department responded to the Lewis-Gale emergency room to check on the victim of an alleged stabbing. The victim, a 37-year-old male from Roanoke, advised police that he had gone to a residence in the 900 block of Delaware St. in Salem to visit an acquaintance at approximately 12:15am.
While at the residence, the victim says he was involved in an altercation with a third, unknown subject who attacked him with a knife. The victim was stabbed multiple times in the lower torso/abdomen area and driven to the hospital by his wife. The victim was treated and later released from the hospital.
Subsequent investigation by Salem detectives led to the arrest of:
Stephen Lee McBride, Jr., age 23, of Salem. McBride was charged with one (1) count of malicious wounding. He was arrested without incident at approximately 10:30am this morning at his residence. He is being held without bond in the Roanoke County/Salem jail.
The investigation is continuing.

Riley Herkness Newsom was awarded his Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout on November 16, 2009. Riley joined Scouts as a Tiger in 1998 and has been active in Pack 51 and then Troop 51 at First United Methodist Church on Main Street in Salem ever since. Riley started his Eagle project in the spring and completed it in October. He purchased his materials from 84 Lumber in Salem and built 3 benches and a covered swing for Hopetree in Salem. The benches were framed from pressure treated lumber with seats/backs of trex in an ergonomic design. The benches and swing are situated around Hopetree's little lake. Riley built the benches in his basement and then spent a very rainy Saturday installing them. Local horses showed up to watch the hole digging and the scouts lunched in the horse barn that day. The swing was another work day - covered, shingled and facing north toward two of the benches. There was a total of 328.75 man hours donated by 44 friends/scouts to complete the project.

Riley is a senior at Salem High School and hopes to attend VMI next fall. He is the son of Sam and Damon Newsom.

The Greater Roanoke Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® invites people to register to participate in the area’s first 5K run/walk and one-mile fun run.  The Race for the Cure event, which takes place April 10, 2010, is designed to raise awareness about breast cancer and funds for research, and will be held at Green Hill Park in Roanoke County.

“We invite women, men and their families and friends to sign up on our Affiliate website,” says race organizer Wendi Schultz.  “Registering is simple.  To learn more and to register, just go to http://www.komenroanoke.org and click on the Race for the Cure heading and click on the word register.”

“You may register yourself, start a team or join a team and even start your own personal fundraising program using our online registration system,” Schultz adds.  Schultz says there will also be a one-mile walk/fun run, and that people of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in Race for the Cure on April 10.

The Komen for the Cure races are the largest series of runs/walks in the world, and have grown to attract more than 1.5 million participants annually across the U.S.  The event is designed to promote positive awareness, education and early detection of breast cancer.

Participants will also raise money to fight the disease.  Seventy-five percent of the net income stays in the communities where the event is held.  The remaining 25 percent is used to fund groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific conferences around the world.

For more information, please visit http://www.komenroanoke.org.

About the Greater Roanoke Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure: The Greater Roanoke Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is working to better the lives of those facing breast cancer in our community. We join more than 100,000 breast cancer survivors and activists around the globe as part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Through fundraising events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we will invest dollars in local breast health and breast cancer awareness projects in our 19 county service area.
The Greater Roanoke Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure includes the following counties:  Alleghany, Bath, Bedford, Bland, Botetourt, Carroll, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles,  Grayson, Henry, Montgomery,  Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Roanoke, Rockbridge and Wythe.

Submitted by Wendi Schultz, Race Chair (540) 387-6078, ext 251.

Jodi Henrickson shares these photos of the Salem Choral Society's concert. Thanks, Jodi!

The Salem Choral Society welcomed its second crop of Andrew Lewis Middle schoolers in the "I can create music" program to perform at their annual fall concert on Sunday afternoon, November 15. In the school's auditorium, the students performed a tune they composed with the help of the choral society's director, Aaron Garber, "Before the Dawn." They also played their very own homemade instruments for a tune.

The Fincastle chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution honored Salem police officer Mark Stuart on Tuesday, Nov. 17, with a law enforcement commendation medal for outstanding service.

Stuart was recognized for helping to save a woman who had gone into cardiac arrest while riding her bike one day last year. Responding to the call, he found the woman unresponsive on Colorado Street and called for medics. While he waited, he performed CPR. The woman made a full recovery, for which the Sons of the American Revolution credited Stuart.

Stuart has been a police officer in Salem for 21 years.

He accepted his award during a luncheon at the Shenandoah Club where Roanoke police officer Bryan Lawrence was also recognized with a heroism medal. Lawrence was paralyzed last year while making an arrest, and his since started walking again and returned to work as a crime prevention officer.

— Amanda Codispoti

Beth Carson sends this report on the Salem Farmers Market:

Salem Farmers Market

November 20, 2009

Today on the Market:

Fruits and Vegetables: tomatoes, onions, turnips, acorn squash, butternut squash, Crenshaw squash, potatoes, cabbage, mustard/kale/collard greens, and sweet potatoes. Lots of freshly picked local apples!

Other Items: Fresh local honey.

Tomorrow :

Customers can expect to find the above produce along with the following delicious items:

Baked goodies: Yes, we are expecting Mrs. Chappell with her now famous fried apple pies!

Meats: Highland farms will be offering hormone free and antibiotic free grass finished beef.

Other goodies: Fresh local honey, garlic products, gourmet soup mixes, and doggie treats.

Gardening: Fall is for planting! Check out Accent Nursery’s line of beautiful shrubs!

Crafts: Yellow Mountain Crafts will be here with their awesome smelling homemade soaps (Holiday scents now available!), lotions, sachets, linen sprays, scented Epsom salt baths for your tired holiday feet, milk baths, and lots more!

Please welcome our latest vendor!

Tomorrow we are pleased to announce that Ms. Anna Gontrum will be on the market with her homemade apple strudels, puff pastries, homemade gingerbread houses, homemade breads and rolls, and lots more goodies made fresh especially for you!

Once again, The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com are offering our readers a searchable map and database of holiday lights displays in the Roanoke and New River Valleys -- and beyond. And we need you folks with the lighting displays to populate it for us.

Data dude Matt Chittum tells you how to do this in this entry on his Datasphere blog.