Tree limbs are down and power outages have been reported across Southwestern Virginia as powerful storms push through the area.

Kevin Myatt of the Roanoke Times has to-the-minute information about the storms on his Weather Journal.

Stay safe out there!  But if you are one of the folks who have trees or tree limbs down or are experiencing power outages, tell us about it in the comments, or share photos by emailing news@swo-co.com or upload up to 10 photos at a time using our share tool.

–Avery Eliades

Loren Wright shares these photos and writes:

SUMMER FUN: BFF’s Aidan Wright & Cory Ensor have fun goofing for the camera with their new hats and ARMY shirts purchased from the Commando Supply Trading Post on Franklin Rd. Cory plans on joining the Air Force after High School. Also hanging at the pool enjoying summer break!

From the Roanoke County website:

Planning a trip to Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion this summer? Roanoke County has discounted tickets available at Green Ridge Recreation Center! Tickets must be purchased in-person at Green Ridge, and are not refundable. Please note select entry dates.

Courtesy Roanoke Star Soccer Club

Roanoke Star Soccer Club embarks on their annual trip to Europe this summer, leaving Roanoke on July 8. Since 1998 Roanoke Star has attended the world’s largest youth soccer event, the Gothia Cup, sending over boys and girls teams to compete against clubs from all over the world. The Gothia Cup is seen as the World Cup for youth soccer teams and is famous for its opening ceremony that takes place at the 43,000 capacity Ullevi Stadium.

Last year a total of 35,200 players from 1,567 teams and 72 nations participated. The Cup started in 1975 and spans over one week in July. The tournament becomes the dominant event in Gothenburg with 4,320 games being played on 91 fields. Our teams will play games against teams from England, Brazil and Sweden in the opening round.

This summer, one boys team and one girls team from Roanoke Star Soccer Club will travel to Denmark and Sweden to test themselves against some of the finest youth clubs in the world.

The players are due to arrive on July 9th in Farum, Denmark, and will then travel the short distance to Copenhagen where they will spend a week training with the professional Danish football club FCN, recently crowned champions of the Danish Superliga.

Throughout the first week the players will participate in sessions run by FCN’s Academy staff [with] sessions taking place at FCN’s practice facilities. When the players aren’t practicing they will have opportunities to go sightseeing, taking in some of Copenhagen’s beautiful scenery such as the Frederiksborg Castle and Tivoli Gardens. Other excursions will take the players and parents to Helsinborg (Sweden) and Roskilde to visit the Viking Museum.

The week will finish with a chance to watch the FCN professional team practice, take a tour of the Farum Park stadium and meet USA international Michael Parkhurst, a member of the FCN men’s first team. On July 13th the players will finish up with games against Danish opposition before leaving Copenhagen to participate in the next stage of their trip, the Gothia Cup.

For more information, please visit the Gothia Cup website.

Submitted by Martin Smith, Roanoke Star Soccer Club.

The Roanoke Star Soccer Club will be sending two teams to US Club Soccer National Cup after winning the US Club Soccer Southeast Regional Title!

The U17 Girls Elite team, coached by Matt Neale, and the U16 Boys Elite team, coached by Alan Crowder, competed in the US Club Soccer Southeast Regional tournament this past weekend in Richmond, Va. The U17 Girls Elite team went undefeated in the event going 3 and 0, while the U16 Boys Elite team won 3 and tied 1. This tournament takes place in four different regions in the United States with over 900 of the best teams from 50 states competing to be the top dog in their region!

The field is now down to 51 teams that are headed to Chicago to complete in the highly coveted US Club Soccer National Cup. There are only three Virginia teams that qualified and two of them will be from the Roanoke Star Soccer Club.

“The Roanoke Star Soccer Club is extremely proud of both the players and coaches for what they have achieved,” said Toye Oshoniyi, assistant director of coaching with Roanoke Star Soccer Club. “We always look to compete with the best soccer clubs in Virginia and this shows that we among the elite soccer clubs not only in the Southeast but also in the United States.”

The Roanoke Star Soccer Club is very proud to be representing not only Virginia but also the Roanoke Valley at this highly prestigious national event.

Submitted by Toye Oshoniyi, Roanoke Star Soccer Club.

Here are some (very colorful) shots from Pastor Quigg Lawrence and team at the 2012 Church of the Holy Spirit Vacation Bible School.

Thanks, Quigg!

Share your photos from vacation–whatever vacation that may be!–by emailing news@swo-co.com or upload up to 10 photos at a time using our share tool.

The following is an excerpt from a press release submitted by Charles Pyle, from the Virginia Department of Education:

Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright announced today that Virginia schools and school divisions will no longer have to meet arbitrary and unrealistic No Child Left Behind (NCLB) benchmarks in reading and mathematics or the federal law’s mandate that all students — regardless of circumstance — achieve grade-level proficiency by 2014. The flexibility is the result of United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s decision today to approve the state Board of Education’s application for a waiver from certain provisions of NCLB.

“Virginia schools and school divisions can now focus their energy and resources on implementing the state Board of Education’s rigorous new content standards and assessments without contending with outdated and often counter-productive federal requirements and rules,” Wright said. “The commonwealth will continue to hold schools accountable for closing achievement gaps but schools won’t be subject to a system of increasingly unrealistic annual objectives.”

“I think the waiver is a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Lorraine Lange, superintendent for Roanoke County Public Schools, in an email on Friday. ” The specifics are still vague and we will have to wait until we see how our schools compare.”

Read on for the rest of the Department of Education press release. Read more »

From the Roanoke County Public Schools website:

Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright has granted three-year waivers from annual accreditation to 101 high-performing schools in 21 divisions. Five schools in Southwest Roanoke County will be receiving waivers:

• Cave Spring Elementary
• Cave Spring High
• Clearbrook Elementary
• Green Valley Elementary
• Penn Forest Elementary

The schools qualified for the flexibility by achieving pass rates of 95 percent or higher in all four tested Standards of Learning (SOL) content areas for two consecutive years. Division superintendents have until July 1, 2012, to apply for the flexibility. Each school awarded a waiver will remain fully accredited through 2014-2015.

“I congratulate the principals, teachers and students of these schools for performance and achievement that consistently exceeds the commonwealth’s accreditation standards,” Wright said. “These schools have earned an opportunity to set aside concerns about annual accreditation for three years and lead the way in developing innovative instructional strategies and lesson plans that immerse students in the content of Virginia’s rigorous new standards in mathematics, English, science and history and prepare them for success on the corresponding assessments.”

The 101 schools qualify for waivers having achieved pass rates in English, mathematics, history/social science and science of 95 percent or greater during 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 (results for state tests administered during 2011-2012 won’t be available until later this summer).

The Board of Education in 2006 authorized waivers from annual accreditation for high-performing schools. Schools granted waivers continue to administer SOL tests and detailed grade-by-grade and subject-by-subject results are reported to parents and the public.

Scrappers go to Oklahoma to place 5th in the USA/ASA National Championship. Front row, from left: Casie Hill, Haily Porth, Jenna Sprinkle, Cortney Cooper and Autumn Hill. Back row, from left: coach Ron Buckley, coach Ron Reynolds, Ashley Dudding, Ashley Searing, Amanda Dalton, Taylor Asimakopoulos, Meaghan Catron, Ruthie Williams, Jordan Christley and coach Steve Austin. Not pictured, Carly DiVirgilio. / Photo courtesy of Virginia Scrappers

The 18U Scrappers Blue go to Oklahoma and finish 5th and earn an ASA Birth to play in the USA/ASA National Championship Tournament in August. The team went 3 -2 with wins over teams from Maryland, Minnesota and Georgia. They were eliminated Monday by the Wisconsin Lightning. The girls had a great time and got to play in the Hall of Fame Stadium and also see Team USA vs. Canada in an Exhibition Game celebrating the 40th year Anniversary of Title IX . The team is made up from girls all around the area.

Two players are from Cave Spring: Cortney Cooper and Taylor Asimakopoulos.

Submitted by the Virginia Scrappers.