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We've just updated our Roanoke Valley crime map with the latest offenses from Salem and Roanoke County -- and Roanoke, as well. This batch covers about two weeks.

From Oct. 20 to Nov. 1, police reported five burglaries, nine larcenies and one aggravated assault in Salem.

Meanwhile, between Oct. 11 and Oct. 31, Roanoke County police reported two burglaries and two larcenies in western Roanoke County.

In all, that'sseven burglaries in and around Salem during that time.

You can see a map of where those incidents took place in Salem or western Roanoke County - or you can search the map yourself, by location, by offense or by date.

Also, the Salem Police Department provides more detailed information than other localities -- so in addition to the Roanoke Valley crime map, we have a more detailed Salem crime map you can search, as well.

Follow the links above and you can see where they were and what they were. Our data delivery editor, Matt Chittum, has more information how you can use the searchable crime maps.

Also on our Datasphere collection of searchable data: Graduation rates for every high school in the state.

Quinn Mongan, owner of SERVPRO of North Roanoke County, offers these safety tips for holiday cooking:

In anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday, many Salem-area cooks are busy stocking up on ingredients and perfecting family recipes. But before they mash the potatoes or roast the turkey, they will want to take precautions to ensure that their kitchen doesn't end up in flames.An unfortunate danger of home cooking, residential fires grow in prevalence during the holiday season. In fact, according to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Thanksgiving is the top day for home cooking fires, with more than three times the daily average of fires reportedly occurring on the holiday.

"Thanksgiving is a day filled with food and family, but it is also a day that presents many hazards to your home," said Mongan. "With multiple tasks taking place in the kitchen at once, it is all too easy for cooks to get distracted and for accidents to take place."

Mongan says that by adhering to the following tips, provided by the NFPA, Salem-area residents can lessen their chances of a fire ruining their Thanksgiving feast:

* Be present - Fires often start when items cooking are left unattended, so always stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, baking or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the oven or stove.

* Dress accordingly - Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking. Loose clothing can easily catch fire if it comes in contact with a gas flame or electric burner.

* Keep kids out - Enforce a "kid free zone" of three feet around the perimeter of the stove. If kids are present in the kitchen, use the stove's back burners whenever possible and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk that pots with hot contents will be knocked over.

* Clean, clean, clean - Be sure your stove top and oven are free of grease, which can easily catch fire. Additionally, keep all combustible cooking accessories, such as pot holders, oven mitts and wooden utensils, away from the stove top.

"We recognize people have a lot on their minds when they're entertaining during the holidays, but kitchen safety really should be an utmost priority," added Mongan. "Fires only take a matter of seconds to erupt. The best defense against them is to prevent them from ever happening."

Mongan notes that if a fire should ignite in the oven, residents should turn off the oven, unplug the appliance and remove any dish towels that may be hanging on the front of the oven door. A fire extinguisher should always be at hand to quickly extinguish any fires that may occur on the top of the stove. Of course, in the event of an emergency, Mongan says that residents should never hesitate to call 911.

In the event of damage caused by a residential fire, SERVPRO of North Roanoke County offers an assortment of services to help local residents quickly recover and restore any damaged property. Within four hours of the initial notification, a SERVPRO Franchise Professional will be on-site to start the mitigation process. Exceptions may apply under certain conditions.

For more information about SERVPRO of North Roanoke County, please contact
Quinn Mongan at (540) 375-8985.

Read more »

After 19-plus years with the Salem Police Department, Sgt. Flint Wright retired November 1.Sgt. Wright came to the Salem PD after serving 7 years in the United States Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant E-5 in April 1989 and then joined the Salem Police Department the following year.

Sgt. Wright began his career as a Patrol Officer in March 1990, was promoted to Senior Police Officer in December 1994 and later to the rank of Sergeant in August 2008.

Wright spent his entire career in the Patrol Division protecting the citizens of Salem and also shaping young officers to lead in the future by holding them to the extremely high standards set by both the Department and the community.

"Flint is the type of person who is always upbeat with a positive attitude and there's no doubt that his outlook on life carried over to the people who were around him," says Salem's incoming Police Chief Jeff Dudley.

Sgt. Wright is known a leader who values honor and integrity and a man who always made sure to pass those traits along to those he was mentoring.

"As a training officer and a Sergeant, Flint was a positive role model for many of the younger officers in
the department and he will certainly be missed by many in the department. We wish him the best in his retirement," says Dudley.

Submitted by Mike Stevens, City of Salem

Preschoolers at Fort Lewis Baptist got a big dose of fire safety on Friday, October 4, from the Fort Lewis Fire Department for Fire Prevention Week.

These photos come courtesy of Jennifer Sexton, volunteer and marketing director for Roanoke County Fire and Rescue.

Driving down Thompson Memorial, crossing Main going south, a new river temporarily popped up around 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning that made its way towards College Lutheran Church, closing half of the roadway and causing puddles to form on the other side. The source: a pipe leak at the corner of Richfield and Calhoun streets. The water department turned off all of the water in a three block radius of the leak, even at Mac n' Bob's for a while, until they found a cut-off on an older map.

"It was exhausting, but we came through," said the water department crew's supervisor, Denny Stanley. Most of the four-man crew including Roger Richardson, Mike Allen, and Moe Lazenby took turns in chilly chest-deep water on a 60-degree-daytrying to find the leak in the pipe and trying to put a clamp around what they thought was a normal leak around the diameter of the pipe.

It turned out that it was an eight-foot-split lengthwise down the pipe, he said. They replaced the section of six-inch watermain pipe just in time to start on their next assignment.

"As soon as we got done with that one around 5:30 or 6 o'clock, we had another pipe bust and got called out on another one," Stanley said. A crew from the street department also came out to help with cleaning up the mud and water on Thompson Memorial.

Chief James R. Bryant will officially hand over the reins of the Salem Police Department on November 1, when his 43-year-career ends and his retirement begins.

"You always have someone to answer to, everybody has a boss, and in retirement the only one I'm going to have to answer to will be my wife [of 42 years, Lois Ann,]" he said.

"What I'm looking forward to most is not having a schedule to follow, not having to be in any given place at a given time, and having the freedom of doing whatever I want to do," said Bryant. "And to have the luxury of making up my mind if I want to do anything in particular on a given day," he added.

The chief has earned himself just a little bit of free time, after dedicating his time and his life to public service and to bettering himself in order to serve better.

Before his career began with the city, Bryant served with the Marine Corps. He began taking classes at Virginia Western and earned his associate's degree.

Bryant was appointed to Chief of Police at the department in 1995. The following year he earned his bachelor degree from Bluefield College.

He also graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy in 1983. This academy is only attended by one half of one percent of all law enforcement officers worldwide, he said.

He's amazed at how many people remember him and the things he did that helped them while he was just doing his job.

"It's gratifying to know that you've touched lives in positive ways," he said.

Even as an uncle, Bryant held quite a weight with even his nephew Brian Chisom's friends. A card sitting on his nearly empty desk from one of them had just the right words to describe it:

"Just one look and man you scared us to death. That served us well ... but you always made us feel like we were better than that, in turn you helped us to be good men."

Apparently he was a role model to many, but he also developed a protégé, Lt. Joe Mills, who lived in the same neighborhood as Bryant and who now serves with the Salem Police Department. Mills also graduated from Bluefield College and is a recent graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Here's what James Bryant has to say to Salem.

"I would like to express to the citizens that I have served for 43 years that it has been my pleasure and honor to serve them. Police work is all that I have ever wanted to do, and I have been very fortunate to be successful. And I thank the city and the citizens for the opportunity that they have afforded me.

I would also like to thank all the hard working and dedicated employees, both past and present, who have made my 43 years of service with the Salem Police Department possible. Without the leadership and dedication you have shown to your jobs, this day for me would not have been possible."

Click here to read the news release from the city about Bryant's retirement, click here to read more about Dudley's promotion.

Lieutenant Jon Blank, left, and Brian Clingenpeel.

Brian Clingenpeel and Jon Blank were recognized by the Fincastle Resolutions Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution for their work with the Roanoke County fire and rescue department.

Clingenpeel, public education specialist, received the Fire Safety Commendation Award. He has created and presented life safety messages for all ages. He has delivered his informative and effective messages to daycare centers, elementary schools, senior centers, and civic groups. As well as using the Fire and Severe Weather Safety Trailer to demonstrate dangers and teach people to protect themselves, he also implements the Roanoke County departments' character academy that teachers youth from 10 to 14 years old about fire and life safety. The kids also learn about the six pillars of character: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring and citizenship. Overall, his extensive educational efforts have helped to prevent injuries and casualties due to fire and other tragic events.

Paramedic/Firefighter Lieutenant Blank has made outstanding contributions to the Emergency Medical Services by organizing and implementing the department's EMS training over the past several years. He spearheaded Roanoke County's online learning program which teaches new EMS techniques and provides information to members and facilitates meaningful learning interaction between department members. The online training program is essential because it allows the required training to take place while keeping staff stationed to take calls. He created study guides and practice tests to help personnel become certified at the EMS-technician intermediate level by passing state tests.

"The SAR and our Fincastle Resolutions Chapter is honored to recognize and express its grateful appreciation to these two outstanding public servants for their critical work that affects all of us in the Roanoke area," said President Wright.

The SAR was organized in 1889 as a historical, educational, and patriotic organization to perpetuate the ideals of the war for American Independence. It seeks to maintain and expand the meaning of patriotism, respect for our national symbols, and the values of American citizenship. Its work is carried out through state societies like the Virginia Society, SAR, and local chapters like the Fincastle Resolutions chapter.

Submitted by John from the Sons of the American Revolution

Salem Delegate Morgan Griffith presented Salem Sheriff Ric Atkins with the 2009 Virginia General Assembly House Joint Resolution recognizing the 375th anniversary of the Virginia Sheriff on Tuesday, October 13.

The first sworn Sheriff in America was appointed by the County of Accomac following a statute enacted by the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1634.

Submitted by the Salem Sheriff's Office

Police say Curtis Hackett, 21, of Roanoke County struck a utility pole on West Main Street in Salem near Fort Lewis Boulevard at about 10:40 p.m.

To read the breaking news item, click here.

Roanoke College mascot, Rooney is getting his seasonal flu shot during a seasonal flu vaccine clinic for Roanoke College students. Roanoke has already had several cases of suspected flu prior to fall break and a handful of cases this week now that students have returned from Fall Break.

Submitted by Teresa Gereaux.