What a great time of year to drive the Skyline Drive. The air is getting cool and the leaves are changing colors. When the wind blows the falling leaves remind us that winter’s not far away. The Skyline Drive is basically a northern extension of our Blue Ridge Parkway but is part of a national park, Shenandoah National Park. Roughly 100 miles long from Afton to Front Royal, the Skyline Drive has numerous overlook views, trails, waterfalls and hikeable summits. There are several rustic, historic lodges on the mountaintop with incredible views of the valley below. A meal in the dining room is very enjoyable with the big fireplace blazing and theoutstanding view out the window.
We found Black Rock Summit especially enjoyable due to the 360 degree view as well as the giant boulder field available to climb on. Thomas Jefferson once hid the great Seal and state archives here for safety during the Revolutionary War. Not far away, a short hike takes you to the 70 foot Dark Hollow Falls. Whether for a whole week or just a night, at less than two hours away, the Skyline Drive makes a great trip within the state.

Tim and Renee Thornhill

T.J. Witten shares this photo gallery from the Cave Spring-Hidden Valley volleyball game.

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

The Roanoke County School Board quietly approved a plan Thursday evening to accommodate Cave Spring Middle School students for the 2011-12 academic year, when the school is slated to be demolished and rebuilt.

Sixth- and seventh-grade students will spend the year at nearby Hidden Valley Middle School and eighth-grade students will attend Cave Spring High School.

Reporter Courtney Cutright of The Roanoke Times has more on this story — plus a discussion of block scheduling.

ROANOKE, VA. – Local residents Tom and Beth Wilson, the only couple to win  REALTOR of the Year awards in their local association, today announced they are the new majority owners of Prudential Radford & Associates REALTORS. The new agency, Prudential Premier, REALTORS Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services affiliate will remain located in the McVitty Office Park at 2772 Electric Road, Suite 1, Roanoke, VA. Rounding out their executive leadership team are Fred Hall and Becky Fields who bring over a decade of real estate experience.

When Tom, who had worked for Radford & Associates 8 years prior, returned 2 months ago as general manager, he saw a chance to revitalize the company and started to map out his strategy for growth. Prudential Premier, REALTORS currently has 15 agents and is actively looking to connect with quality, experienced agents that may have an interest in the firm.

“I’ve worked for this agency for a number of years and when the opportunity presented itself to be able to build a legacy here we jumped at the thought,” said Tom Wilson, ne w majority Broker/Owner of Prudential Premier, REALTORS. “We also believed that we could build a company that we can all be proud of, where we enjoy working and one that ultimately provides our customers and clients with the best possible service.”

Prudential Premier, REALTORS serves all segments of the residential real estate market in the Roanoke and New River Valleys, from entry-level and move-up properties to resort and luxury homes. The company also provides complete commercial and relocation services, and offers an extensive referral network within Prudential Real Estate.

“It’s been amazing to watch Tom’s growth over the years and to see his vision of  ownership come to life,” said Earl Lee, president of Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services. “And as part of the Prudential network we will equip them with the latest suite of online resources and lead-generation tools to help them become more efficient and effective for their clients,” added Lee.

Tom and Beth Wilson have been in the real estate business for a combined 48 years. They have both served as President of the Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS, both named as Realtors of the Year in Roanoke and have both served on the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Board of Directors. Tom has also served as Director for the Virginia Association of REALTORS and as Chairman of the Virginia Real Estate Education Foundation. Beth was named the Virginia Certified Residential Specialist of the year in 2009 and voted the 2010 “Best Real Estate Agent” by the readers of the Roanoke Times SWOCO Edition. Fred Hall and Becky Fields are also very involved in the Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS. Hall is a GREEN certified REALTOR.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $690 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2010, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit HUwww.news.prudential.comUH.

Submitted by Sakita Holley and Sheila Bridgeforth

Cave Spring has the week off. Hidden Valley is home against Salem. That game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

Here’s what weather journalist Kevin Myatt says to expect weather-wise:

Friday night will continue this season’s undefeated run of perfect weather, with yet another clear, dry night. It could be quite cold, though, with temperatures creeping down into the 40s, maybe even the upper 30s, during the game.

For more weather news, see Kevin’s Weather Journal blog.

We’re expecting photos from the game, so check back this weekend for those. Or, you can share your own at news@swo-co.com.

Charlotte A. Moore and Ed Elswick, members of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors (BOS) representing the Cave Spring and Windsor Hills Magisterial District have announced they are changing their party affiliation to Independent.

Moore held a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 3:30 p.m. on the front lawn of the Roanoke County Administration Building at 5204 Bernard Drive, Roanoke, Virginia  24018.

BOS Chairman Joseph B. “Butch” Church opened the conference by saying that Moore serves the Cave Spring Magisterial District with heart and takes care of the people. He also said she makes a point to make sure her decisions are dedicated to the mindset of the people.

Moore said she understands that it is her responsibility to listen to the concerns of the people and to be the voice. And that is why she wants to take a step forward and run for re-election as Independent. She believes it will help her to better serve the citizens of Roanoke County

“There are good people in all parties,” Moore said. “This is our valley. Some of us have lived here all our lives.”

She said that is was time to build a strong foundation, stand up for what we believe in and maintain that belief.

Elswick said, “We are doing it because our job is to represent our citizens. This confirms our allegiance to our citizens and how we’ll make our decisions.”

Butch became an Independent six years ago.

“We want to represent you honestly and fairly and we will continue as we have to work for our citizens,” he said.

Moore and Elswick’s decision creates an Independent majority on the BOS.

On Monday, Salem City Council became one of a growing number of localities asking the state to ban so-called “synthetic marijuana,” popularly called “Spice.” (You read more here.) Earlier, Roanoke County had done the same.

Today, state Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Botetourt, who represents Southwest Roanoke County in the state Senate, says he has moved to introduce legislation to that effect in the next General Assembly session.

Here’s the full text of a letter Smith sent to the leaders of Salem, Roanoke County and Roanoke: Read more »

The last week of October is Red Ribbon Week and Hidden Valley Middle School students have been doing their part to make sure that students and parents are aware of it. They decorated the entrance to their school with messages about prevention and being drug-free and also have on display a wrecked car, with a story leading up to it.

Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country.

Check out some of our pictures of their message  in our slideshow.

Author Walt Mayes. Emily Flora SWoCo

Author Tristan Perry. Emily Flora SWoCo

Author Walt Mayes who wrote The Last Vampire and Hungate’s Ghost and author Tristan Perry, who wrote Ghostly Legends of the Appalachian Trail talked about their books in celebration of Halloween at the HQ/419 Library Wednesday, October 27 at 7:00 PM. The authors shared their scary tales as part of the RCPL Friends of the Library Virginia Voices Author Series.

Generation Solutions partners with the Roanoke County Public Library and The Lady of the Valley each month to offer a Monthly Forum. This month’s Forum was entitled, Don’t Be A Victim: Frauds & Scams Targeting the Elderly by Special Agent M. Barry Stephens.

Stephens joined the state police in 1970 and retired 36-years later. He spent 23-years as a special agent. He is a computer crimes specialist and licensed polygraph examiner. He volunteers with the Campbell County Sheriff’s office attached to the Central Virginia Computer Crimes Task Force. As a computer crimes specialist, he has investigated or assisted others in the investigation of hundres of complaints of fraud and scams, many which targeted the elderly.

Stephens spoke about who’s at risk and why, common acts of fraud, identity theft, and ID theft protection.

The next Monthly Forum will be, Comfort Care: The New “Old” Kid on the Blcok When Cure is Not Possible with Sue Ranson, RN, MSN on Thursday, Nov. 18.

Ranson is Co-Founder, President and CEO of Good Samaritan Hospice, the first community based, not-for-profit, Medicare certified hospice in Roanoke. She has over 30 years of experience in nursing and has dedicated her life to providing quality life care when cure is not possible. She serves as President of the Virginia Association for Hospices, Chair of the Palliative Care Partnership of the Roanoke Valley and is a member of the Carilion Clinic Institutional Review board, as well as others through the Commonwealth.