May 31, 2008Teams from Southwest County participate in Relay for Life
Roanoke's Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, is going on into Saturday morning in Green Hill Park in Western Roanoke County. Photographer Erin Millar captured scenes from Friday evening, including the first lap for cancer survivors. For photos, including teams based in Southwest Roanoke County, see this photo gallery from the event. You'll see people at the tents of Good Samaritan Hospice, Barker Chiropractic and Allstate.
May 30, 2008Photo from Cave Spring boys' tennis
Do you have photos of Southwest Roanoke County sports? If so, you can share them at news@swo-co.com Our previous post about Cave Spring High School was earlier today. Photo by Shaozhuo Cui Photos from Hidden Valley baseball Here are three photos from Hidden Valley's big win (13-1) over Bassett on Tuesday in the Region IV tournament. At left, Cam Hodge (#19) is congratulated by teammates after scoring in the second inning. Below, Scott Stilwell (#4) fields a grounder -- and went on to make the put-out at first. And Matt Williams (#16) slides safely into second ahead of a tag by Bassett's Rashawn "Boo" Woods in the bottom of the first inning. If you have photos from sports events involving Southwest Roanoke County teams, you can share them at news@swo-co.com. Photos by Kyle Green
Photos from Hidden Valley girls' soccer Here are two photos from Hidden Valley's girls' soccer game against Patrick County Tuesday night in the Region IV tournament. Here, Hidden Valley's Maddy Elder (in white) challenges Patrick County goalie Hootie Boles. Below, Hidden Valley's Alisa Patton (#3, in white) challenges the goal. At left is Hidden Valley's Claire Sibley (#21, in white). Hidden Valley, of course, won, and plays later today against Salem for the regional championship. If you have photos from sports involving teams in Southwest Roanoke County, you can send 'em to us at news@swo-co.com Photos by Jared Soares Continue reading "Photos from Hidden Valley girls' soccer" » Photos from Hidden Valley - Cave Spring boys' soccer game If you've seen today's sports pages of The Roanoke Times, you'll find three photos from Thursday's boys' soccer game between Hidden Valley and Cave Spring in the Region IV semi-finals. Here are two more. At left, Luigi Greco of Cave Spring (#10, in white) controls a header over Will Hare from Hidden Valley. Below, Cave Spring goalie Will Dooley blocks a shot by Parker Walsh of Hidden Valley (middle, #20) while Taylor Woodrum of Cave Spring (#12, in white) defends on the play. Hidden Valley won 1-0. Here's the account by sportswriter Doug Doughty. Photos by Kyle Green. Continue reading "Photos from Hidden Valley - Cave Spring boys' soccer game" » Three Cave Spring students honored at school board meeting More Southwest Roanoke high school students were recognized at last week's school board meeting. Lauren Bosche, a junior at Cave Spring High School, was named the the 2007 - 2008 First Team All State AA in Volleyball. She was the only junior selected and Bosche holds the school record for career assists (901). Continue reading "Three Cave Spring students honored at school board meeting" » More singles events coming up!Tonight, join in on some singles fellowship at Bonsack Baptist Church. Bonsack Baptist and Carolyn Krishna will host a barbecue in the Fellowship Hall at 6:40 p.m. Those who plan to attend will need to bring a side dish and dessert. A video will also be show featuring Francis Chan from the Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California on "Joy". A Dessert Comedy Evening for singles featuring Scott Gregory on Friday, June 13 at the Vinton War Memorial at 814 E. Washington Avenue in Vinton. First Baptist Church is sponsoring this event. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets can be ordered here or call 224-3380. Any questions can be directed to Carolyn at 977-5701. Relay for Life in Roanoke begins tonight In year's past Roanoke and Salem have operated a joint Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society fundraiser, but for the first time this year the events will be held on different days. Roanoke's will be held May 30 and 31 at Green Hill Park. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and end Saturday at 10 a.m. For more information on tonight's event, visit here. We'll have a photographer at tonight's event -- but if you're there and taking pictures of people you know from Southwest Roanoke County, send 'em on to us at news@swo-co.com Roanoke County wins grant to develop trails off Merriman RoadRoanoke County has received a federal grant to develop a system of trails off Merriman Road that will connect the new library with Penn Forest Elementary School, Darrell Shell Memorial Park, Starkey Park and the Merriman Soccer Complex. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County, made the announcement this morning. His official press release follows: Continue reading "Roanoke County wins grant to develop trails off Merriman Road" » North Cross teacher to compete against other teachers and schools North Cross School science teacher, Anthony Curtis is considered one of Virginia's top educators. On June 10 he will gather with other teachers to Alexandria to compete for cash for himself and for his school. Continue reading "North Cross teacher to compete against other teachers and schools" » May 29, 2008An online guide to the May 30 print edition of SWoCoOur latest issue of SWoCo comes out Friday, destined to reach more than 90 percent of the households in Southwest Roanoke County. (How do we do that? Here’s how: Subscribers to The Roanoke Times get it included in their Friday paper; non-subscribers have it mailed to them as part of the weekly Simply Savings advertising flier. Those two add up to more than 90 percent. Plus, we have some free copies available at these locations.) In the May 30 issue, you’ll see several places where we direct folks online for more photos or other coverage. Consider this blog post your shepherd to point out where those links are: SPECIAL ONLINE EXTRAS * Our special shout-out to graduating seniors * SWoCo, the video -- our trilogy of tongue-in-cheek videos on how to pronounce SWoCo, what it is, and how it’s supposed to make you feel, all starring Southwest Roanoke County students from the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio. * Fan photos from Hidden Valley and Cave Spring softball (You can send your own fan photos to us at news@swo-co.com) To find out how to get your news and photos in SWoCo, plus a special mystery feature, keep reading:
Continue reading "An online guide to the May 30 print edition of SWoCo" » Roanoke County crime map updated through May 25 We've just updated our Roanoke Valley crime map with the latest offenses from Roanoke County -- and Roanoke and Salem, as well. The data includes offenses through May 25. In Southwest Roanoke County last week there were six larcenies, two burglaries and one aggravated assault. Follow the link 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 map. Also on our Datasphere collection of searchable data: An interactive map that show you how Virginia's population ages between now and 2030. All that and more . . . Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run will pass through Southwest Roanoke Co. June 4 The Virginia Law Enforcement Torch run will pass through Southwest Roanoke County on June 4 at 8 a.m. on Electric Road outside of Tanglewood Mall. The runners will also pass through Brambleton Avenue at 9:30 a.m. and end at the intersection at Spring Road. The torch run benefits the Special Olympics Virginia and will pass through other parts of the Roanoke Valley beginning on Monday, June 2 through Wednesday, June 4 as the runners make their way to Richmond to kick off the Special Olympics Virginia 2008 Summer Games set for June 6 though 7. The run will commence on Route 11 in Radford and will pass Christiansburg High School, the Franklin County Courthouse and Longwood Park, ending at the Lynchburg City Line. Students donate to St. Francis Service Dogs Roma Scriven, who teaches private piano lessons in her own private studio in Southwest Roanoke County recently decided she wanted to do something for the community. After some thought she decided to get her music students involved, too. "I just thought I’d do a community outreach project outside of my piano studio," Scriven said. Continue reading "Students donate to St. Francis Service Dogs" » May 28, 2008The Class of ‘08 shout-out begins! Awhile back, we asked graduating high school seniors from Southwest Roanoke County to write their own graduation blurb and we’d use it -- and a photo -- in an upcoming issue of SWoCo. We’d like to say congrats to Shawna Rena Paige of Cave Spring High School, who was the first to respond, so we’d like to share what she sent us. My favorite thing about high school would have to be the basketball season. I know it’s not a school subject or anything but it really gave me time to bond with people that i really did love, and I will miss playing for the best coach Jessica Ficarro. In the fall I plan on going to college and taking up Radiology, and hopefully I’d still be with the best boyfriend in the world (David Thomas III) from Northside High School. If you’re a graduating senior from Southwest Roanoke County, send us your blurb -- your favorite part of high school, what you’ll be doing next, and a photo -- to news@swo-co.com and we’ll use it in an upcoming issue. Spina Bifida Association will host its first annual softball tournamentHallie Stanley, Executive Director of the Spina Bifida Association of the Roanoke Valley has submitted information about a softball tournament coming up in June. If you are interested, read on and make sure you visit their website here. The Spina Bifida Association of the Roanoke Valley will host its First Annual Softball Tournament on June 7th and 8th at Wasena Park in Roanoke. Please visit www.sbarv.org or call Hallie Stanley at 342-1231 for details. Due to the tournament, there will be no support group meeting in June. Public meeting at Garst Mill rescheduledThe public meeting at Garst Mill in Roanoke County has been rescheduled for June 2, 2008. The Restoration of Mudlick Creek at Garst Mill Park will focus on controlling the hydrologic regime by restoring natural channel geometry (recreating meanders and accessing the floodplain) to reduce stream bank erosion, restoring the in-stream habitat structure and augmenting the riparian cover through native vegetation plantings.
Continue reading "Public meeting at Garst Mill rescheduled" » May 27, 2008Photos from the field
Here's a photo gallery from a Cave Spring American Little League game on Thursday, May 22, between the Angels and the Twins. The teams squared off at Oak Grove Elementary. An Angels batter makes it safely to first base. Roanoke County Breaks Ground on New Fleet Service Center Facility will be first LEED certified building constructed by Roanoke County Roanoke County broke ground on Thursday, May 22 on a new Fleet Service Center, the first of six major capital projects that will be completed over the next several years. Located at the intersection of Hollins Road and Carlos Drive in northeast Roanoke County, the $7.7 million facility represents a cooperative agreement between Roanoke County and the Western Virginia Water Authority. Press release is from www.roanokecountyva.gov. Roanoke County has been servicing the Authority’s vehicles since its inception in 2004. To address the need for space on a short term basis, the County rented a satellite facility The facility will be the County’s first LEED certified building, a designation assigned by The project is being funded through a combination of upfront capital contributions from Fleet Services is part of the Roanoke County General Services Department. The A&E Press release from the Roanoke County Web site. Healing Strides is looking for volunteersSara Reed Houser sends us this request for volunteers for Healing Strides of Virginia, a non-profit group: We work with special needs kids using horseback riding to develop skills, balance, confidence and just to let them have some fun. We are in constant need of volunteers to help with our lessons . . . Our helpers do not have to have any horse experience and can be as young as 13. For more information, go to www.healingstridesofva.org or email volunteer@healingstridesofva.org or call Sara at 540-793-0257. She is, by the way, an assistant professor of science at Jefferson College of Health Sciences. Also -- if you're a non-profit group looking for volunteers -- we'd invite you to help populate our listings of volunteer opportunities at www.roanoke.com/lists Financial literacy reaps rewards for Cave Spring business students In The Stock Market Game a team of accounting students from Cave Spring High School placed first for the spring challenge. They competed against hundreds of teams throughout the state. The students were: Will Avery, Pratik Mody, Stephen Sinnes, and Brock Vaughn. Their advisor was Andrew Huray. They received an assortment of prizes, as well as a plaque and a banner to be displayed at the school. In the "InvestWrite" competition students wrote essays in which they applied the knowledge of math, language arts and business to actual saving and investment principals. The spring competition was won by Brent Lee, a Personal Finance students from William Byrd High School. His advisor was Kari Hancock. Brent received $100 and Mrs. Hancock received $50 and also an assortment of prizes. Photo caption: Front row, Brock Vaughn, Stephen Sinnes, Will Avery, Brent Lee. Top row, Andrew Huray and Kari Hancock. Our last post about Cave Spring High School was May 23. Improve your health and personal fitnessThe Virginia Cooperative Extension and Health Focus of Southwest Virginia will present a series of workshops aimed at helping you to overcome obstacles and to start taking action. The workshop series, includes four workshops where attendants can discover 25 behavior change strategies that may improve health and personal fitness. The workshops will be help Thursday evenings in June. They begin on June 5 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The cost of the workshop is $7 per person which includes refreshments and door prizes. A workbook is available for $18. The workshops will be held at Health Focus, 3807 Brandon Avenue, Suite 1000. For more information or to register, call 774-4022, Ext. 200. 24th Annual High School Art Exhibition winners announcedLocal students had the opportunity to enter their work into an art exhibition and show off their artistic ability. Now, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge has announced the winners of the 24th annual high school art exhibition. The Arts Council received more than 800 entries from 19 area high schools. 74 works were selected by Jurors Ed Dolinger and Talia Logan for the exhibition. The winners were announced at the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center at Hollins University and the exhibition was sponsored by the Roanoke Arts Commission with support from the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum. Continue reading "24th Annual High School Art Exhibition winners announced" » May 23, 2008Fan photos of Cave Spring softball Quigg Lawrence sends us these nice photos from Cave Spring High School's softball victory over Pulaski on Thursday. At left, Meredith Moore, a senior catcher and Radford signee. She was the River Ridge District Player of the Year and had two home runs. Below, Sarah Mitchell on the mound, and then two of Aleia Bier, making it safe to first. Do you have photos of youth sports or other events in Southwest Roanoke County? If so, you can send 'em to us at news@swo-co.com just like Quigg did. Our last post about Cave Spring High School was earlier today. Cave Spring student receives Volunteer of the Year award Chuck Lionberger recently sent us an article that he received from Cave Spring High School about Lauren Guzinski. Lauren recently received the Volunteer of the Year award in the youth division from the Council of Community Services. Continue reading "Cave Spring student receives Volunteer of the Year award" » Valedictorians and scholarship winners recognized The Roanoke Elks Lodge on Persinger Road held their 30th annual valedictorian night, last night at 6:30 p.m. Kathy Cook, the first female exalted ruler at the Roanoke Elks lodge said, "You are being honored tonight for being the best of the best at your school. Take the time to thank everyone who got you to where you are." Recognized were about 98 graduating seniors from 18 area schools. These schools included, Cave Spring High, Craig County High, Faith Christian School, Floyd County High, Franklin County High, Glenvar High, Hidden Valley High, James River High, Lord Botetourt High, North Cross High, Northside High, Patrick Henry High, Roanoke Catholic High School, Roanoke Valley Christian School, Salem High, Staunton River High, William Byrd High, and William Fleming High. Also recognized were the students that will be receiving the Elks Scholarship. According to Dave Ross who introduced the honored guests, the Elks Lodge gives out around $100,000 worth of scholarships. Ross told the seniors, "You need to be proud of your accomplishments. It's not easy I know. This is the closest I've gotten to being a valedictorian." Those students will receive a scholarship include, Sabrina Rackow from Cave Spring High School, John David Breslin, Jr. from Patrick Henry High School, Devynne Espeut from William Fleming High School, Anna Griffith from Salem High School, Andrew Lisowski from Lord Botetourt High School, and Emma Nutter from Northside High School. Continue reading "Valedictorians and scholarship winners recognized" » May 22, 2008An online guide to the May 23 edition of SWoCoHello again. Our latest issue of SWoCo hits the streets Friday. As you may have figured out by now, we often use the print edition to refer to things online where we have more photos or more coverage. Well, you've found The Notebook, where all those things are. This is our news blog which we update multiple times each day -- so to make things easy for you, here are the links to some of the things we're talking up this week in print: SPECIAL ONLINE EXTRAS * Introducing SWoCo, the video -- our trilogy of tongue-in-cheek videos on how to pronounce SWoCo, what it is, and how it's supposed to make you feel, all starring Southwest Roanoke County students from the Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio. * Photos from our ice cream party at the Brambleton Kroger * Roanoke County library announces summer reading program * What killed the Clearbrook Wal-Mart -- plus, what that means for the 220 corridor * Cave Spring High School's Laura Dodson back in title form * Fan photos of Hidden Valley softball * Roanoke County schools praised for music education * North Cross students stage mock battle * Valley AFC sign-up, with registration form * Video: Take a wild ride down Bent Mountain on a bicycle * Webcast talks about Ben Boggs' decision to stay at Hidden Valley High School * Photos from Cave Spring High School's After Prom party. Special bonus link, too! To find out how to get your news and photos in SWoCo, keep reading: Continue reading "An online guide to the May 23 edition of SWoCo" » Roanoke County crime map updated through May 18We've just updated our Roanoke Valley crime map with the latest offenses from Roanoke County -- and Roanoke and Salem, as well. The data includes offenses through May 18. In Southwest Roanoke County last week there were four larcenies and one burglary. Follow the link 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 map. Also on our Datasphere collection of searchable data: Where to find resources on senior care. Who's giving to which political campaign. Who are the state's top polluters. All that and more . . . May 21, 2008Southwest County resident travels to China and shares it with SWo-Co Southwest Roanoke County resident, Daniel O'Brien shared with SWo-Co some photos of his recent trip to China. See below to read what he sent us about his photos! Continue reading "Southwest County resident travels to China and shares it with SWo-Co" » Four Southwest girls help lead Virginia Extreme Force team to victory
Virginia Extreme Force 14U won the Covington Tournament on May 18, 2008. “The Force” ended the tournament with a 5 - 0 record, outscoring their opponents 46 - 1.
Do you have youth sports photos that involve teams or players from Southwest Roanoke County? If so, you can send them to us at news@swo-co.com. That's what Dan did! Picnic on June 3rd and all are invited!On June 3, Roanoke Aglow Community Lighthouse will have a picnic at 5:00 PM at Garst Mill Park. Bring a covered dish and come for fellowship, praise music and prayer in the Pavilion at Garst Mill Park. Bring a friend and enjoy a fun time together. Continue reading "Picnic on June 3rd and all are invited!" » May 20, 2008Get ready for the Knight’s Morning BuzzIt's close to the end of the school year for Roanoke County students, but that's not stopping Cave Spring High School's SCA in raising money for a cause. On Friday, May 23, starting at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 8:25 a.m. in Cave Spring High's gymnasium, the SCA will hold the first-ever Knight's Morning Buzz. For only $10, you can get a buzz cut or trim by Country Hair Saloon and a breakfast catered by Famous Anthony's (just $5 for only the breakfast). Money raised from the event will go to the American Cancer Society. Submitted by: Brendan King Our last post about Cave Spring High School was May 15. More photos of Hidden Valley softball For another photo of Megan Lombard -- this one in action -- see below. For more Hidden Valley softball photos, see our post earlier today and May 5. And if you have photos to share, you can send them to us at news@swo-co.com.
Photos of Hidden Valley's softball team Quigg Lawrence, one of our regular photo contributors, sends these photos of Hidden Valley High School's softball team in action last week against Pulaski County. Here's Abby Broughton. Below is another photo of Abby Broughton, as well as one of Shannon Sampson sliding into home. Our last post about Hidden Valley High School was earlier today. Our last post -- with more fan photos -- about Hidden Valley softball was May 5. Do you have photos from sports events -- or other events -- in Southwest Roanoke County? You can send 'em to us at news@swo-co.com, just like Quigg Lawrence did. Continue reading "Photos of Hidden Valley's softball team" » Webcast: What will Boggs' decision mean for Hidden Valley?Hidden Valley basketball star Ben Boggs has decided to return to the school for his senior year. What will his decisionmean for Titans bask |