April 30, 2008New Salem City Director of Student Services is expecting appointment
Dr. Darryl Helems has been recommended to the Salem School Board for appointment as Director of Student Services for Salem City Schools. According to Salem school superintendent, Alan Seibert, an interview team met selected Dr. Helms out of several well-qualified applicants for the position. Seibert recommended him to the position, and the school board is expected to approve the appointment at its next scheduled meeting on May 13. If approved, Helems begins the new job July 1, 2008. After receiving his Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Virginia Tech, Helems began his career as a school psychologist with Franklin County Public Schools. Since 2001, he has served in a variety of leadership roles including as a school psychologist. Photo courtesy of Salem City Schools website. Photos from Kids Fishing Day at Hopetree Family Center Blake Travitz has sent us some photos from the Kids Fishing Day event that the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke held Saturday at Hopetree Family Center, formerly the Virginia Baptist Children's Home, in Salem. At left, Lewis Smith instructs a group from the West End Center in Roanoke on how to cast. Do you have photos to share from an event? Email 'em to us at news@sosalem.com or click the "share" button you see on www.sosalem.com. Be sure to include your contact info (name, daytime phone number) and a full description of who and what we see in the photo. We had a previous post about the Kids Fishing Day on April 25. Below, various scenes from the day. Continue reading "Photos from Kids Fishing Day at Hopetree Family Center" » Golden Apple Award goes to Arnold R. Burton’s Chris Overfelt
Roanoke County Public Schools Education Foundation awarded Overfelt with top honors at their 5th annual Golden Apple reception at the Holiday Inn in Roanoke last Wednesday, April 23. The program is designed to recognize and honor teachers who have made a positive impact on their students. The Motorsports Technology teacher was chosen from over 100 nominations and three finalists. Each finalist received $500 and the Golden Apple Winner received $3,000. Left to right: Arnold R. Burton Technology Center principal Andy McClung; 2008 Golden Apple Award winner Chris Overfelt; 2008 Golden Apple Award finalist Ginger Cromer; Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Lange; School Board member David Wymer. Photo courtesy of Roanoke County Schools Continue reading "Golden Apple Award goes to Arnold R. Burton’s Chris Overfelt" » All-you-can-eat breakfast $5 at Applebee's this Saturday, 8 to 10 a.m.The Salem Sabres girls U11 maroon team is serving up an endless breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and bacon with a choice of orange juice or coffee for the affordable cost of $5 at the Applebee's on Main St. in Salem. Breakfast will be cooked by Applebees chefs and brought out by the soccer team, with parents at hand to keep things running smoothly. The girls are raising money for travel, uniforms, and equipment. Applebees is donating $3 out of each $5 back to the Sabres. Video from Tuesday's shooting sceneHere's a link to video from the scene of Tuesday's fatal shooting in Salem -- and another to the story. For more on Salem crime -- including links to our Salem crime map, a searchable database of Roanoke Valley crime, and the Roanoke Valley homicide map -- click here. April 29, 2008Salem, Roanoke County crime maps updated through late April We've just updated our Roanoke Valley crime map with the latest offenses from Salem and western Roanoke County. The Salem offenses go through Sunday, April 27. The Roanoke County offenses go through Saturday, April 26. We got an update from Salem last week, but not from Roanoke County - so this update represents two weeks worth of new data from the Roanoke County Police Department. Continue reading "Salem, Roanoke County crime maps updated through late April" » Man fatally shot in Salem parking lotA 45-year-old man was fatally shot in a Salem parking lot this afternoon. For more on this story as it develops, click here. For a map of Roanoke Valley homicides since 2006, click here. For a map of Salem crime this year, click here. Salem Baptist will mark National Day of Prayer on ThursdaySalem Baptist Church is celebrating the National Day of Prayer in the sanctuary from 12 to 12:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome, parking is in the back lot, and there is an elevator available for the elderly or handicapped. Salem Baptist Church is at 103 North Broad Street in Salem. Never heard of the NDOP (National Day of Prayer)?: Here's a link to their website. Senior Fun and Health Fair Day is WednesdayAdmission is free, and the event will be held at the Salem Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with booths from everything on health and wellness to entertainment. John McAfee, software mogul, is Roanoke College’s keynote commencement speaker
This Saturday, May 3, McAfee will deliver the keynote address at his alma mater to approximately 429 degree recipients and their friends, family, and professors. The commencement ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on the front lawn of the college and will be moved inside, to the Bast Gym, in case of inclement weather. Roanoke College's baccalaureate service will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2 in the Bast Center. Rev. Paul Henrickson, Timothy L. Pickle Dean of the Chapel at Roanoke, will be the featured speaker. McAfee graduated from RC in 1967 with a mathematics degree. On his way to becoming a prominent leader in the field of technology, he founded Interpath Inc. in 1981 (developing the world’s first commercial voice recognition system), McAfee Inc. in 1989 (developing the world’s first virus scanner), and Tribal Voice Inc. in 1996 (developing the world’s first instant messaging program). He also worked with a number of technology companies, including General Electric, Univac, Lockheed Martin, Xerox, Siemens and IBM in computer technology and management capacities. In between companies he traveled the world and lived for extended periods in Brazil, Germany, England, Mexico, India and Hong Kong. McAfee currently lives in New Mexico and Belize and is developing technology programs for third world countries. McAfee's name graced the news last year with an auction on his vacation home in Colorado.
Local school nutrition managers recognized for milk mustaches and more…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. Continue reading "Local school nutrition managers recognized for milk mustaches and more…" » Krystal shuts its doors in Salem 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. Great Beginnings Program aims to give 4, 5, 6-year-olds sports skillsWith 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. Salem man receives prestigious summer fellowshipGeoffrey 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. April 28, 2008Spring Flang (fling, past tense) at Fort Lewis Elementary Saturday!
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. Here's a link to some pictures that we took of fun lovin' families at the Spring Fling. Photos from the first Salem After 5
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. April 26, 2008Faith Christian School spends day on service project in western Roanoke CountyAbout 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. April 25, 2008Boys' basketball coach named at Glenvar High SchoolAdam Gray has been named the new head boys basketball coach at Glenvar High School. He currently is the junior varsity basketball coach at William Here's the full text of the press release from the Roanoke County school system: Continue reading "Boys' basketball coach named at Glenvar High School" » Salem city councilman named to judgeship
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. See images that capture the valley 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. Intermodal site conference doesn't produce consensusLocal officials from ten localities met today in Salem to talk with Gov. Tim Kaine about the proposed Norfolk Southern railyard planned for Elliston, but it didn't produce a consensus. Tim Thornton has the latest developments. Want to join the conversation? You can post comments below by clicking on the "comments" tag, or you can post on our message board. We had a previous post about the intermodal site on April 7. Here's a sampling of comments about the proposal, both pro and con, that appeared in today's print editions of So Salem, the new community newspaper for Salem, Glenvar and western Roanoke County. Kiwanis host fishing day at Hopetree Family Center on SaturdayThe Kiwanis Club of Roanoke will host “Kids Fishing Day” at the Hopetree Family Center, formerly Virginia Baptist Children’s Home, on Saturday. The Kiwanis tell us: "We are expecting 75 children to attend and be able to experience the joy of catching a fish. The event will begin at 9:30 at the pond on the property of the Hopetree Family Center located in Salem. Mike Bell of Kiwanis is the leader for the event and has led the event several years in a row. The Roanoke Kiwanis club is the premiere service organization in the Roanoke Valley, chartered in 1920, and currently comprising 200 members." Our print edition hits the streetsThe first issue of our new community newspaper for Salem, Glenvar and western Roanoke County comes out today. * If you’re a subscriber to The Roanoke Times and live in zip codes 24153 or 24070, you’ll find So Salem included in your regular newspaper delivery each Friday. * If you’re not a subscriber, but still live in those areas, you’ll get So Salem mailed to you each week as part of the Simply Savings advertising flier you now receive. For most of you, that generally means it will arrive on Friday or Saturday, depending on postal delivery. If that uncertainty sounds like a reason to subscribe, our circulation department will be happy to help you. * In addition, we have free copies of So Salem available at these locations: -- Food Lion, 1796 Apperson Drive And, for a limited time only, we also have special promotional copies available at these locations in and around Salem: Welcome to So Salem!Welcome to the new website for community news for Salem, Glenvar and western Roanoke County. If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog for the past month or so, you’re noticing something different today. If you’re coming here for the first time, well, it’s all new anyway. The big news here today is that we’ve launched a full website -- and a weekly print edition. What you’re looking at here is The Notebook, our news blog for So Salem. Most days, we update this blog multiple times -- sometimes with things you’ll later see in print in some form, sometimes with things you won’t. Think of it as a running conversation. And we do want this to be a two-week street. You can click the “comment” button on the lower right to comment on blog posts. You can also share your news and photos at news@sosalem.com. If you want to bookmark this blog, here’s the new, formal address. And if you want to bookmark the whole site, you’ll want this. For more about what the whole website features, click here. And for more on our print edition, click here. Finally, to meet our community journalist, Miranda Adkins, either in person or in cyberspace, click here. April 24, 2008Just a few of the many events this weekend in SalemThe first Salem After 5 of the year! It starts at 5:30 in the Salem Farmer’s Market (on the corner of East Main and Broad); Attractions will include the musical group “The Kings”, a food court, and a children’s play area. Adult admission: $5, children under 12: free. A “Super Liquidation Sale” at the Salem Civic Center will take place this Friday from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. From what little we’ve gathered, they’re liquidating a little bit of everything—from clothing to laptops! Adult admission: $7, children under 12: free. The Fort Lewis Elementary Spring Fling (here’s a link to our full blog ) is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There’s a Spud Day Luau at Mason’s Cove Chapel (here's a link to that entry) this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also on the Glenvar side, the Glenvar (Roanoke County) Library is hosting a pot luck luncheon on Saturday for those 55+. For more information, click here. Pre-registration is required! A gospel quartet, “The Announcers”, will perform this Sunday at 6:00 p.m. at Salem Wesleyan Church with light refreshments to follow! Admission is free! (The church is at 424 Chamberlain Rd. in Salem. Call 389-2720 for directions or more information) To keep up with the weekend weather, check out Kevin Myatt's Weather Journal blog. And if you're out and about this weekend in Salem and western Roanoke County, take some pictures and share 'em with us at news@sosalem.com. Just be sure to include your contact info (name, address, daytime telephone number) and a full description of what's in the photo. We'll try to post as many as we can online and publish in our next print edition.
Join us for coffee (or tea) Starting today, customers at the Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea on 17 East Main Street in downtown Salem will notice something different -- a drop-off box for submissions to So Salem, our new community newspaper and website for Salem and western Roanoke County. Yes, we know you’re reading this online -- and scattered all over this site are links where you can submit news and photos to news@sosalem.com. But we also know that not everybody is online -- and sometimes not everything is easy to send across the Internet. So that’s why we have a drop box. Think of this as our Salem bureau. We also know that sometimes it’s good to just sit and chat -- and that’s why Miranda Adkins, our community journalist for Salem and western Roanoke County, will be holding “office hours” at Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. That’s her picture on the right. Regulars might recognize her for another reason -- she used to work there. She’s eager to hear your ideas about covering our community -- so stop by and share some news the old-fashioned way. Guestbook for David F. ThorntonIn case you missed it earlier this week, David F. Thornton's obituary was published this Tuesday and Wednesday. He left his mark on Salem through his ownership of The Salem Times-Register, as a founding member of Showtimers theatre, a member of the General Assembly, and a lifelong part of the Roanoke College community. Here is a link to his obituary. There is also a guest book for those who'd like to leave thoughts, prayers, or memories. Salem crime map updated through April 21We've just updated our Roanoke Valley crime map with Salem offenses through April 21. And if you're curious, there's data there from Roanoke, as well. We're still waiting on data from Roanoke County for the past week, but thought it best to go ahead and put up what we have. When we get the county, we'll let you know. And because Salem police provide more info than other police agencies, we also have a more detailed Salem crime map, as well. For more information on how to search this data, our data delivery editor Matt Chittum had this recent blog post on the Datasphere, where we collect lots of data that you can search. How to make Cookie Crumb Truffles and home-made chocolate
In our debut issue, we feature Michele Carder, owner of Michele's on Main, in "Art that's good enough to eat." She shared her favorite recipe for truffles below, and further down are a few hints on how to make your own chocolate--from scratch! Continue reading "How to make Cookie Crumb Truffles and home-made chocolate" » Roanoke County students learn to fly-fish in SalemSome Roanoke County students have been learning the art of fly-fishing in a Saturday morning class by the banks of the Roanoke River just off Colorado Street in Salem. We have a story, and photos from the riverbank, on our companion news site for Southwest Roanoke County. April 23, 2008Tax break doesn't sound likelyIn case you missed it, here's a story on the candidates forum the Salem Kiwanis hosted last night for candidates for Salem City Council. The big news: Salem residents apparently won't get a break in their real estate taxes anytime soon -- not without giving up some of the services the city provides. That seemed to be the consensus Tuesday. The election is Tuesday, May 6. We'll have the first of a two-part election preview in our debut print edition of So Salem, which comes out Friday. For more on our upcoming print edition, click here. Relay for Life fund-raiser is SaturdayThe Holy Hands Relay for Life Team is holding its Big Fish Fry and Yard Sale on Saturday, April 26 to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The event will be from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Shriners building at 4328 Salem Turnpike. Delivery is available on large orders. For more information, call 562-1663 or 387-2652. April 22, 2008Webcast: Who will coach Glenvar boys' basketball?Sportswriter Robert Anderson says one coaching deal fell through this week, so that's why Glenvar High School is still looking for a boys' basketball coach. He talks about the search on this week's Varsity Cast, our weekly high school sports webcast. You may recall last week he predicted an announcement soon; here's why that hasn't happened yet. The Glenvar discussion comes at about the 6:43 mark. “Spud Day Luau” Saturday at Mason Cove ChapelWear your favorite Hawaiian shirt and head out to Mason Cove Chapel on 3917 Old Catawba Road this weekend sometime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The first 50 guests get a gift, and they’ll feed you a baked potato plus all the fixin’s, dessert, and a drink for $4. Walk the cake walk, play Bible Bingo and other games for all ages! There will also be an opportunity to sign up for this summer’s vacation bible school. Proceeds will be used for local missions, church youth activities, a new church sign, and tables for the fellowship hall. Directions: Take route 311, turn left on Bradshaw Road, left at Watkins Store, and then Right on Catawba Road. Fort Lewis Spring Fling carnival Saturday
Fort Lewis Elementary’s Spring Fling is coming up on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The school is featuring story time themes in its carnival games, face painting by Katherine Devine, and blowup obstacle course by Dave’s Moonwalk. Their silent auction will have items from local businesses and sports memorabilia such as a football autographed by the 2008 Virginia Tech Team. 
Salem Awful Arthur's releases its May scheduleAwful Arthur's in Salem has released its May line-up of acts. For details on who's playing, see our cut'n'scratch music blog. April 21, 2008Coming this week: New website, new paperLater this week, we'll be expanding So Salem in two big ways. First, we'll be adding a full website for Salem and western Roanoke County to complement the news blog you're looking at now. We'll talk more about that when it goes up and we can point to some of the features. Second, we'll be launching our print edition of So Salem on Friday. It will be a new weekly newspaper to provide community news to Salem and western Roanoke County residents. There are three ways you'll be able to get the print version of So Salem. Continue reading "Coming this week: New website, new paper" » Girls Scouts awarded for golden service, 3rd annual banquet
Requirements involve 30 leadership hours and 40 career exploration hours before beginning the Gold Award Project, which involves at least 65 hours of planning, work, and evaluation. The project must benefit the community in which the girl lives. 11 of the 43 girls were able to attend the banquet. Continue reading "Girls Scouts awarded for golden service, 3rd annual banquet" » Roanoke College has fun with search for mascotRoanoke College is searching for a mascot to go along with its traditional school namesake and athletic colors, the Maroons, and they’re not afraid to have fun with it. "We’re hopeful that over the next several months… [we’ll] put a face to the name, the vision, of Roanoke College," athletic director Scott Allison said. The school, along with local company ***Abeedle.com, created a Web site, www.ClassicCollege.com, where anyone can post an idea for RC’s future mascot. A century ago, the intramural baseball team ended up using maroon uniforms instead of yellow and blue, the school’s academic colors. The Brackety-Ack, the school’s newspaper, began calling the team the Maroons, and it stuck. According to the Web site, mascot ideas for RC that didn’t make it included the Daisies, the Express, Harry (a living mascot from the 1930s), the Alert, and the Lutherans. Within the past month, the college posted 11 "rejected" ideas in video form to get the mascot discussion rolling. With names like "Agatha, Princess of the Night," "The Roanoke Rassler," and "The Roanoke Klingon," the "rejected" videos have been posted on YouTube as well as on ClassicCollege. (You can find links in our previous coverage.) ***Correction: Abeedle.com assisted Roanoke College in its search for a mascot and the site www.ClassicCollege.com. New City Media is involved with a redesign of the college's main web site at www.roanoke.edu . Continue reading "Roanoke College has fun with search for mascot" » |