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The Weaver family, from left, Thomas, Michael, Ellen, and Ann.

Salem High School pitcher, Ellen Weaver will make it official and sign her National Letter of Intent (NLI) this Thursday to play softball in the SEC for the University of Kentucky next fall. The signing will take place at Salem High School on Thursday November 12th, 2009 at 2:30 PM.Ellen, a senior, in Salem, Virginia led the Spartans to back to back River Ridge District titles (2008, 2009) and the 2008 VHSL State Tournament for the first time since 1991. She also led the River Ridge District in Strikeouts and ERA and was selected as the River Ridge Pitcher of the Year in 2008 and 2009. As a result, Weaver was named Region IV Pitcher of the Year (2008), selected to the Virginia High School Coaches Association All-State Team, and twice named a First Team All-Timesland selection by the Roanoke Times in 2008 and 2009.

Weaver verbally committed to the University of Kentucky last January during her junior year. Weaver choose Kentucky over Virginia Tech, Penn State, UNC, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Pitt, ETSU and several other mid majors like JMU and George Mason. "Last year the SEC was the top rated conference in the country and having an opportunity to compete at that level for a university like Kentucky is a huge opportunity for me," says Weaver. "I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing in the toughest conference and against to best competition in the country."

Ellen and her little brother Thomas Weaver.

In 2009, The Kentucky softball team concluded perhaps the best season in school history as they played in its first ever NCAA Regional. Second year Head Coach Rachel Lawson was responsible for the biggest turn-around in school allure and lead her team into its first NCAA post-season appearance.

Weaver plays summer ball for the Virginia Shamrocks Gold, www.shamrocksoftball.org. The Shamrocks were founded in 1972 and are one of the nation's elite fast pitch softball organizations. The Team is coached by Head Coach Tommy Orndorff and is one of only two coaches on the east coast to win the ASA Gold National Championship. The Shamrocks play a rigorous national schedule in order to face the best competition and to qualify for the ASA Gold National Tournament in Oklahoma City, OK. Other notable local Shamrock alumni include Virginia Tech All American and USA National Softball Player of the Year Angela Tincher (VT).

Release submitted by Mike Weaver

Grandparent's Night at West Salem Elementary. It was a huge success - and our first ever Grandparent's Night. The PTA-sponsored event was from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20. It was a wonderful opportunity for grandparents and special friends to meet students' teachers, visit their classrooms, and learn about everyday life at West Salem. Teachers planned activities in their classrooms to demonstrate some of the tasks and/or curriculum the students would encounter this year in school.

Submitted by Pam Coffey

Sandy Cooper and members of Camp 1326 in the Sons of Confederate Veterans spent Saturday, November 7 cleaning up an almost-forgotten cemetery in the forests of western Roanoke County. That day, they cleaned up the small trees and brush, but they'll have to wait until hunting season is over to complete their task.

Cooper says:

"This is a larger than usual community cemetery. There are over 85 burials that have been identified by markers or court records. We uncovered at least 6 or more stalagmite markers.

The oldest grave is of Enos Goodwin my Great-great Grandfather who was born in 1789 and died in 1861. He has a marker but there is only a rock for his wife. His brother Jesse Goodwin who owned land where a cave was located has the larger "stalagmite" marker and died in 1897."

Red Barbour, commander of Camp 1326, is to the left of Cooper. They are well known with their support and cleanup of the Confederate Monument at Hanging Rock as well as the one by the highway exit closest to Hanging Rock.

Anyone interested in helping Cooper and Camp 1326 with clearing out (or researching) this cemetery and a few more located around Salem and western Roanoke County can email her at sandycoopr@gmail.com.

The IB Theatre students and the Salem Singers joined forces to perform a portion of the musical, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM and won the River Ridge District Theatre Festival held at Salem High School on November 7.

Phillip Rodgers was named the top actor of the day and Jenna Whisler and Hallie Newcomer were named (along with Phillip) as all-district actors. Pulaski County came in second. Both schools advance to regional competition at Graham High School in Bluefield on November 21. Rachel Sailer directed. Kristi Vernon was vocal director. Emily Shelton ran sound and Taylor Giorno ran lights. Corey Tatarka will run the lights at regionals.

The cast included Rogers, Whisler, Newcomer and Adam Caldwell, Drew Kearns, Clay Bradshaw, Michael Robertson, Pooja Patel, Jessica Scaggs, Leslie Brittain, Allison Giles, Jackie Jordan, Hannah Todd, Zach Johnson, Amber Keesee, Erica Schlect, Brad Boeji, and Eli Edwards.

The chorus included Katelyn Barker, Taylor Botts, Ashley Bushnell, Lauryn Dutton, McKenna Hayes, Rodrick Hooper, Amber Johnson, Hillari Morse, Ben Reynolds, Kayla Sutherland, Brian Thompson, and Meagan Whitmer.

Submitted by Rachel Sailer

Keep reading to see the complete program and cast list:

Read more »

Fran Hatcher sent us these photos of her grandsons, Zachary and Trenton Wright. Zach played for Andrew Lewis Middle this year as number 56, and Trenton played for the West Salem Biddy team as number six.

Barbara Krzysko shares this photo gallery from the Harvest Reading at Roanoke College to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. Guest reader was Nancy Krygowski, winner of the 2006 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. Dr Robert Schultz (pictured here), co-author of 'We Were Pirates A Torpedoman's Pacific War' and professor in the English Dept of Roanoke College, read along with some of his creative writing students and other faculty. Donations of money and canned goods were collected.

Do you have photos of people or events around Salem? If so, you can share at news@sosalem.com just like Barbara did.

Here are more photos from around Salem showing the soggy mess that the remnants of Ida have created on Mill Lane and Riverside Drive. (You can view them in the slideshow above or in this gallery format; the videos are in the middle of the set.)

There's now a pond beside the playground at Longwood Park, although it's probably not good to swim in (maybe a new duck pond?) and there are also photos from under the bridge near the Hanging Rock Battlefield trail.

How have the Ida leftovers treated you? Feel free to share by sending your photos to news@sosalem.com!

For news on flooding around the region, see the breaking news blog from the newsroom of The Roanoke Times.

OTHER FLOODING UPDATES:
* Curtis Howell shares flood photos from Salem
* Mike Stevens shares photos of flooding on Mill Lane
* The Krzyskos share photos of flooding around Salem
* Sump pumps are big sellers in Salem today
* Colorado Street Bridge is open
* Riverside Trailer Park residents being evacuated
* Salem schools will close two hours early
* Flood warning in effect for Salem and Roanoke County

Barbara Krzysko shares this photo gallery from Channel 10's broadcast from Salem last week and says:

"Steve and I ventured out on a rainy Wednesday night to watch the live WSLS news broadcast from the Salem Lewis Gale Memorial Field. We met Jay Warren, Karen McNew, Jeff Haniewich and John Appicello, who are as nice off-screen as they are on-screen. It was cool to see the crew in action with the camera and sound guys. I took a photo of Steve with the group and Jeff Haniewich suggested he take a photo with me included."

Do you have photos from things happening around Salem? You can share at news@sosalem.com.

A wife, mother, daughter, and niece to veterans from each branch of the service and grandmother of National Guard troop Russell Glenn Tilley Jr., Lillie Tilley dedicates a lot of her free time and whatever money she can spare to make no-sew fleece blankets for deployed soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Salem resident's couch was full of 60 blankets of every color and pattern imaginable on a rainy afternoon in October, the day before she shipped them to North Carolina to be included in a Soldiers' Angels care package."It just breaks my heart," Tilley said, "you know, the soldiers so far away from home and all."

Since she started making them last year, Tilley has sent 275 blankets total. It makes her happy to know that she's bringing a little reminder of home and a spark of color to someone far away from the comforts of America.

"I've sewed all my life. I love to sew and make stuff," she said. "When I found the fleece, I decided I'd make something for the soldiers." When Wal-Mart began renovating its supercenters around southwestern Virginia, Tilley bought up a lot of fleece that was on clearance. The 83-year-old will even drive a couple of hours out of her way to stop by a craft store that has good deals on fleece.

She buys as many military-themed panels as she can, but she makes sure to have a large variety of patterns and pictures to send. Along with animals, firefighters, EMTs, motorcycles, cartoons, and other bright fabrics and themes, she even makes more feminine blankets to send to the female troops.

In each blanket, she sews a small label with her name and address, and so far, three soldiers have written her.

A gentleman from the Illinois National Guard, Travis Finin, received a care package with one of Tilley's Navy-themed blankets and wrote:

"It's warm, it's soft, and it's snuggly. So pat yourself on the back you made this soldier extremely happy." Although he's in the National Guard now, Finin was actually in the Navy before, so it ended up being the perfect gift, he said.

An Army soldier, Sarah Reid, sent deep thanks from many in her unit. She said that Tilley's blankets gave their desert area living quarters a real touch of home.

Reid also thanked her for "still letting me know that there are people out there who see us soldiers as people too."

Tilley lives on a fixed income, but she spends all she can spare on her labor of love just to know that she's making a serviceman or woman's day a little brighter. She's got a system worked out to where it takes her no time at all to measure out, cut, and knot one of the blankets into a perfectly rectangular shape.

It takes around $25 to $30 to purchase the panels of fleece for each blanket. Anyone that would like to contribute fleece or funds, call Tilley at 389-7124. She cuts the fleece according to the picture-panel sizes, which are a yard and three-quarters long.

The organization that coordinates the care packages can be found at www.soldiersangels.org.

On Thursday, November 12 at 5 pm in Roanoke College’s Miller Hall lobby, the English department’s creative writing faculty and students, with special guest reader, Nancy Krygowsky will be reading a selection of their own creative works for the Harvest Reading, and will be raising funds and foods for Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank. Donations of canned foods or monetary donations will be accepted. Readings will be followed by a light reception.

Faculty members who will read from their works include: Melanie Almeder, Cynthia Atkins, Mike Heller, Mary Crockett Hill, Cheryl Hopson, Sandee McGlaun, and Robert Schultz. Students will read from their work as well. Student readers are: Jade Davis, Jennifer Gianni, Thomas “Red” Jones, and Ryan MacSherry. Bryan Piatkowski will provide guitar accompaniment.

Roanoke College, an independent, co-educational, four-year liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia, combines firsthand learning with valuable personal connections in a classic, undergraduate setting. Roanoke prepares students for their futures through its commitment to providing a true classic college experience. Roanoke is one of just 276 colleges nationwide with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. The Princeton Review names Roanoke as one of the “best in the Southeast.”

For additional information, call the Roanoke College Public Relations Office at (540) 375-2282.

Submitted by Roanoke College Public Relations Office.