We have a gallery of photos by Garland Gay from the Titans’ win Friday night over the Patriots. You can view them by clicking the slideshow above, or click here to view a more traditional gallery.

Earlier, we posted a link to a video by Chris Zaluski of highlights from the game. To recap more details about the 44-14 victory, click here.

Do you have photos from the game? Send them to news@swo-co.com and we’ll post them here on The Notebook.

As you surely know by now, Hidden Valley defeated Patrick Henry 44-14 in Friday’s night season opener for both teams. Multimedia producer Chris Zaluski has put together a video of highlights from the game. You can check it out on our Varsity Cast site for high school sports.

Coming later this weekend: A photo gallery from the game.

Do you have photos — whether from the Hidden Valley game, the Cave Spring game, or anything else involving teams or players from Southwest Roanoke County? If so, you can share at news@swo-co.com.

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 August 22.

From Aug. 9-22 police reported four burglaries, seven larcenies, one motor vehicle theft and one aggravated assault in Southwest Roanoke County.

You can see a map of those incidents here or you can search the map yourself, by date, location or offense.

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: The latest test results for each school under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Art Bailie of Salem is organizing a picnic for former residents of the U.S.S.R. and countries in Eastern Europe. It will be Sept. 20 in Garst Mill Park in Southwest Roanoke County.

Here’s the information he sends us:

TO FOLKS FROM THE FORMER USSR AND EASTERN EUROPE–LIVING IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY (AND BEYOND)
YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN YOUR FRIENDS—AND TO MAKE NEW ONES –AT A PICNIC IN THE PARK
WHERE—Garst Mill PARK in the picnic shelter
WHEN—SUNDAY–SEPTEMBER 20, 2009, FROM 4PM UNTIL ??? (9pm)
WE REQUEST THAT YOU BRING ENOUGH VOLUME OF FOOD AND NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS FOR YOUR FAMILY AND A LITTLE EXTRA FOR VISITORS.
PLATES, CUPS, ICE AND SOME SERVING UTENSILS WILL BE PROVIDED

Former Roanoke Raptors AAU players gathered to honor coach Mike Burns for his hard work, time and dedication over the last 7 years. Players from Cave Spring, Hidden Valley, James River, William Byrd, Patrick Henry, Northside played together for Coach Burns who is now coaching at Hidden Valley.

Front row left to right: R J Burns, John Lucas, Clay Lacy, Erik Jacobsen, Scott Harriman, Justin White 2nd row: Garland Humphries, Mark Overstreet, Ethan Humphries, Quentin Dill, Drayton Reynolds, Eric Pearson Back row: Mike Burns, Joshua Henderson and Ken Pearson

Photo by Rebecca Henderson

Do you have photos involving people or events around Southwest Roanoke County? If so, you can share at news@swo-co.com

Kids are back in school — and so are we!

In this week’s print edition of SWoCo, we have oodles of back-to-school photos. And, as you might expect, we have even more here online. (By the way, the photo at left comes from Cave Spring Middle School, where these students were figuring out their lockers.)

Those aren’t the only online extras we have this week — though they sure count for a big percentage of them!

Here’s our weekly guide to all our online extras:

* Photos from “Shade of the Trees,” playing at Studio Roanoke through Sunday
* Chuck Wagon Gang to perform at Cave Spring Baptist Sept. 5
* Mark Overstreet named the Cave Spring Knight
* Photos from Local Colors fashion show
* More on the lemonade sale to benefit Emma Bush
* More photos from Hidden Valley business night
* More photos from Hidden Valley orientation
* More photos from Cave Spring orientation
* More photos from Faith Christian ice cream social
* More photos from Green Valley meet-and-greet
* More photos from Oak Grove orientation
* More photos from Cave Spring Elementary orientation
* More photos from Penn Forest Elementary orientation
* More photos from Bent Mountain Elementary orientation
* More photos from Back Creek Elementary orientation
* More photos from Hidden Valley Middle School orientation
* More photos from Cave Spring Middle School orientation
* More photos form Wrap Pac at Cave Spring Elementary
* More photos of Girl Scout Troop 548 painting at Clearbrook Elementary
* More photos from the Festival of India
* More photos by Loren Wright

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* North Cross running back named one of best in region
* More photos from the Wiffle Ball league at The Yard
* More on the Roanoke Valley Senior Golf Tour

So how can you get your news and photos in SWoCo? Easy! Just share at news@swo-co.com

For more information on us — and how to advertise and reach more than 90 percent of the households in Southwest Roanoke County — see below:
Read more »

There’s nothing like going to school prepared and that is exactly how Cave Spring Middle School students probably felt when they attended their first day today. On Friday, August 21 students were able to check out their classrooms and also practice opening their lockers.

For photos from the event, check out our slideshow above, or click here to view our gallery.

Note: Oops! Somehow we overlooked posting this in our big blog-fest of orientation photos a few days ago. Better late than never!

Roanoke County schools have just issued the following statement in regard to the controversy over the county’s alternative ed program moving from Vinton to Cave Spring. We had an another post earlier today on the county exploring other options.

STATEMENT CONCERNING R.E. COOK ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM

School board is considering additional options

ROANOKE – Roanoke County School Board Chairman Drew Barrineau released the following statement today:

“The 2009-10 budget reflects operating revenue reductions of $7 million. In addition to those reductions, the Roanoke County School Board made a $1million cash payment to the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors to assist them in balancing their budget when the local tax revenues collected were lower than the amount previously shared with the schools.

In early July 2009, Governor Kaine asked his department heads to prepare a list consisting of 5, 10 and 15-percent budget reductions due to lower than expected state revenues. Based on that information and our recent experience with a similar request last year, the school board decided to immediately plan for the following:

· A possible reduction in state funding for the current year

· A possible reduction in the current county transfer to Roanoke County Public Schools

· A reduction of an additional $7million in operating revenue for 2010-11

· The elimination of the $3.8million of stimulus funding in 2011-12

Recently, Governor Kaine announced the need to reduce the current state budget by $1.5 billion. We are expecting to hear in a few weeks or so the amount of the reductions in K-12 funding.

Like last year, the school board’s priorities are to:

(1) Maintain the instructional integrity in the classroom and

(2) Try to avoid lay-offs of our full-time employees.

Thus, based upon all the information we know at this time, it is incumbent on the school board to act quickly to seek greater operating efficiencies and identify any opportunity to reduce our current operating budget. The savings that we realize, although painful as it may be to implement, will give us additional funds to meet the expected revenue reductions. The funds we save now may allow us to avoid implementing the Reduction in Force (RIF) policy next year.

Since Bedford County indicated to us that they plan to pull out of the joint regional alternative education program at R.E. Cook, it became evident to us the program would no longer be feasible without some structural changes.

Temporarily moving the program to Cave Spring High School will not only enhance the program offered to the students but will provide substantial operating savings to Roanoke County Public Schools.

Dr. Lange and Mr. Minnix recently met with the Cave Spring community to discuss moving the program from R.E. Cook to Cave Spring High School. Dr. Lange indicated at that meeting that the move was not considered a permanent one and that alternative programs were being evaluated.

We can announce this evening, that a number of outside entities have expressed interest in this alternative education program since the July 23rd meeting. Roanoke County Public Schools employees have been in discussions with the interested parties to explore the possible enhancement of the alternative program.

Based on those discussions, Roanoke County Public Schools will put out a RFP next week to see if an alternative placement of the program is feasible. The vote taken on July 23rd that moved the alternative program from R.E. Cook to Cave Spring High School still stands. It is my opinion that for the school board to consider moving the alternative program from Cave Spring High School to an alternate placement, two things must be realized.

(1) The alternate program must meet the instructional needs of our students

(2) It must realize savings in addition to those that will be recognized by moving the program from R.E. Cook to Cave Spring High School.

Ultimately, that is a decision the entire board will make once the bids are received in September.

I would like to address one of the concerns that I have read in a few of the e-mails sent to me.

It is that changing the agenda on July 23 was underhanded and was meant to avoid public scrutiny – If that was the case, the school board would have directed the Superintendent to make this change administratively. Rather, the agenda was amended and a vote was taken and made public. Due to the magnitude of the possible revenue shortfall, the school board decided to act quickly to realize the operational savings. Our minutes are widely disseminated and readily available online via Board Docs or by asking the School Board Clerk.”

Think you’ve got what it takes to be a fearless forecaster? Match your predictions against the sports staff of The Roanoke Times — and anyone else who wants to sign up in this year’s edition of Varsity Forecasters.

The roster of games this week includes, of course, Patrick Henry at Hidden Valley and Cave Spring at Staunton River.

Click here to sign up and make your picks. The deadline is 4 p.m. on Friday.

Roanoke County Superintendent Lorraine Lange today said the school division will issue a request for proposals to see if outsourcing its alternative school program is a viable option.

The announcement might appease Cave Spring High School parents who packed the school’s library at a meeting earlier this month mostly to express dissatisfaction that the Roland E. Cook Alternative School in Vinton was supposed to be moved to the Southwest County high school.

For more on this developing story from the newsroom of The Roanoke Times, click here. Got something to say about the idea? You can leave a comment below.