In this week’s issue of SWoCo, you’ll find the story of the Graves family in Southwest Roanoke County — and all the troubles they had while Charles Grave was off on an unexpected military deployment.

We also have photos of the joyous reunion at the airport on Monday — and even more photos online, such as this one of Lisa, Lauren, and Jenna anxiously awaiting the return.

Those aren’t the only online extras we have this week. We also have:

* More info on what’s tax free during this weekend’s back-to-school tax holiday
* Roanoke County government wins award for technology use
* Roanoke County library events for August announced
* Roanoke County parks and rec events for August listed
* Photos from “I Love Virginia” fest
* More on April Sanders’ book
* More photos from FloydFest
* More paparazzi photos from Salem Red Sox game
* More photos from Touch-A-Truck
* More from Pizzazz Star City Twirlers

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* Roanoke Badgers 14U baseball team wins Nationals
* Photo of Virginia Thunder 13U basketball team at national tournament
* More photos from the Wiffle Ball League at The Yard
* More on the Roanoke Valley Senior Golf Tournament
* More photos of Cave Spring American Juniors in state tournament

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:
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Safe!

Mark Brittain this week shared not one, not two, but three, but four photo galleries from the Cave Spring American Junior League all-stars’ appearance in the state tournament. We were delighted to be able to use some in our print edition — and then share the rest here online.

Those aren’t the only online extras we have this week. Here’s an easy way to find the rest:

* School board approves renovation contracts for Cave Spring Elementary and Green Valley Elementary
* Cancer Society hosts community yard sale off Electric Road on Aug. 8
* Colonial Avenue Baptist mission team takes Kentucky youths to Major League Baseball game
* More photos from Teen Mystery Night
* Link to the Money Magazine article about Cave Spring being named one of the nation’s best small towns
* Photos from last year’s Knights in Training
* More photos from Miss Virginia at The Park-Oak Grove
* More photos from Cow Appreciation Day
* More photos from First Fridays

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* Valley AFC and Cave Spring Vet award scholarships
* Photos of Virginia Thunder and Roanoke Roar basketball teams
* More photos from the city-county swim meet
* More photos of the Cave Spring American Legion baseball team

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:
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It’s summer camp time and in this week’s print edition of SWoCo we have photos from an interesting that took place recently at the 419 library — Project Teenway, a fashion show for teens based on the “Project Runway” TV show.

Well, you won’t be surprised to learn that we took lots of photos at the event, far more than we could ever fit into print — so we’re sharing the entire gallery right here online. That’s Kendall Moore and Dabney Ward in this photo, by the way.

Those aren’t the online extras we have this week, of course. Here’s an easy guide to help you find the rest:

* Brambleton Blend closing, will reopen as Star City Coffeehouse
* Roanoke County assistant adminstrator John Chambliss honored
* Photos of Miss Virginia at The Park-Oak Grove
* Photos of Spring Run pool splash party
* William Kenney reflects on work with Habitat for Humanity
* Brambleton Teen Center’s August schedule
* More photos of Birdman Dave at the 419 library
* More photos of World Music Camp
* A list of items the Roanoke Valley SPCA needs donated
* More photos of the Green Valley 4th of July parade
* More paparazzi photos from Music for Americans
* More photos of Divine Dance Center dancers
* More photos from the Colonial Avenue Baptist youth trip to the Cascades

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* Photos of Cave Spring vs. Virginia Attack baseball
* More photos of Hidden Valley and Spring Run swimmers in RVAA swim meet
* More photos of Cave Spring American vs. Cave Spring National Junior League baseball

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:
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Swimmers from Forest Hills and Our Lady of Nazareth gather around the pool at the Forest Hills Swim and Racquet Club. Photo by Garland Gay

Where have you been hanging out this summer?

These young swimmers were at the Forest Hills Swim and Racquet Club on July 6 for a Roanoke Valley Aquatic Association meet.  The visiting team was from Our Lady of Nazareth, and as you’ll see on the cover of this week’s print edition, the competitors were all smiles and full of friendship. Inside SWoCo, you’ll find lots of pictures of the meet, but as usual, there are more than we can fit in print. So here’s a link to all of them for you to share in the summertime fun.

Meanwhile, here are more of this week’s online extras:
* Money magazine puts Cave Spring on list of top 100 small towns
* Paparazzi photos of Southwest County people at First Fridays
* More photos from the Roanoke County Outdoor Adventure class
* More on the Colonial Avenue Baptist mission trip in Nada, Kentucky
* Paparazzi photos from Music for Americans
* More photos from Southwest County folks who spent July 4 in Washington, D.C.
* More on Optical Cable’s Relay for Life fundraiser
* More on award given to National College students David M. Simmons
* More photos from Girl Scouts’ trip to the Big Apple
* Photos from the Hidden Valley High School art show

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* Photos of swim meet attended by Spring Run Swim Club
* Photos of C.S. National vs. C.S. American Little League 10/11 Division on July 7
* Photos of C.S. American vs. C.S. National Little League 10/11 Division on July 10
* Photos of Cave Spring American Little League vs. Covington in 9/10 Division
* Ali Horn attends the 2009 ConocoPhillips World Championship Trials swim meet

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:
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In this week’s issue of SWoCo, you’ll find two pages of photos from the Cave Spring National vs. Cave Spring American Little League game — the 9-10 year-old division. Well, here’s one we didn’t have room for, and there’s a little story behind.

Here’s what photographer Garland Gay tells us: “John A. tagged 1st and the umpire called him out. Parents grumbled at the seemingly close call. The camera was a little too slow to catch this one for sure. Sorry folks!”

In fact, each week we wind up with lots more photos than we can squeeze into print — so we do the best we can to get some in, and then show the rest off here online.

So all those places in print where we say “for more photos, see The Notebook”? Well, you’re in the right place — and here are this week’s online extras:

* Doreen’s Gourmet stays open
* Paparazzi photos of Southwest Roanoke County people at Music for Americans
* Is the best Chinese restaurant in the Roanoke Valley in Southwest Roanoke County?
* More photos from the school bus rodeo
* More photos from Poages Mill Church of the Brethren Vacation Bible School. (Does your church have photos from its Vacation Bible School? We’d love to run those, too!)
* More photos of Southwest Roanoke County people at the Miss Virginia pageant
* More photos from the Patriotic Day celebration sponsored by Cave Spring Baptist Church

AND IN SPORTS . . . .
* More photos of Cave Spring National vs. Cave Spring American Little League
* Two Hidden Valley girls play on softball team that wins North Carolina championship
* More on the Roanoke Valley Senior Golf Tour’s June tournament

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:
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Happy Fourth of July!

Technically, this greeting comes a few days early, but so did the original declaration of independence (the vote declaring independence came on July 2; the adoption of Thomas Jefferson’s famous words came on July 4.)

In any case, Cave Spring Baptist Church also got things started early this year, with their Patriotic Day celebration last weekend. We have far more photos from that event than we could ever hope to squeeze into our print edition this week — so that’s what online is for. You can see all the photos right here in this photo gallery.

Those aren’t the only online extras we have, of course. Here are some others:

* Doreen’s Gourmet to close
* Hidden Valley graduate to join Israeli army
* Brad Elder wins golf tournament
* David Simmons wins scholarship
* Police report burglary in Southwest Roanoke County
* Photos from church softball league
* Many, many photos of Miss Roanoke Valley at the Miss Virginia pageant.
* Photos of Hidden Valley student Abby Erdman at the teen portion of the pageant
* More photos from the “Got Milk?” Tour at the Brambleton Kroger
* More photos from the Roanoke Valley Christian Schools trip to Monticello
* More photos of some guys at Colonial Avenue Baptist fishing at the Outer Banks
* More photos from the Hidden Valley High School art show

AND IN SPORTS . .
* More photos of Orioles vs. Athletics in Cave Spring American League
* More photos from Cave Spring boys basketball camp
* More photos from Hidden Valley girls basketball camp

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:
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Sometimes you gotta stretch — like this player for the Tigers is doing in the Tigers-Braves t-ball match-up in the Cave Spring National League.

But sometimes, no matter how much we stretch, well, we still can’t fit everything into each week’s print edition of SWoCo.

That’s where online comes in.

Each week, we direct readers to come online for more — such as the full photo gallery from the aforementioned T-ball game.

Here’s a handy guide to our other online extras this week:

* Updates on trial of man charged with killing Southwest Roanoke County jogger
* Video of Miss Roanoke Valley’s thunderous arrival at the Hotel Roanoke – and other updates on Miss Roanoke Valley.
* More on Abby Erdman, Hidden Valley student in running for Miss Outstanding Teen
* Author holds book-signing Saturday at Barnes and Noble
* Photos: Colonial Avenue Baptist youth hike to Cascades
* More photos from the Wright family’s trip to the D-Day Memorial
* More photos from the Thornhill family’s trip to Manassas battlefield
* More photos from Hidden Valley High School art show

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* More photos of Hunting Hills swimmers
* More photos from Hidden Valley basketball camp
* Photos of Cave Spring basketball camp
* Photos: Vipers softball teams win tournament — 12u team and 14u team.

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:
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When it rains, it pours.

And lately, it’s been pouring around here — not just rain, but photos of the rain.

In this week’s print edition of SWoCo, you’ll find a page of photos from the recent storms. We’ve got lots of others we couldn’t fit into print, though — but we can show them off right here. Dan O’Brien has more photos from the June 5 storm and Michele Hancock has more photos from the June 9 storm. (That’s another one of hers at left).

Those aren’t the only online extras we have this week, of course. Here are some others:

* More photos from the Bernard L. Marie D-Day luncheon
* More photos from Cave Spring graduation
* More photos from Hidden Valley graduation — and video, too!
* Roanoke County public schools annual report available online
* Photos of Miss Roanoke Valley at recent events
* More photos from the Hidden Valley High School art show

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* More photos of AFC Arsenal soccer in tournament at Tech
* More photos of Hidden Valley girls soccer in state title game.

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:
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It’s graduation season, and that means just one thing. We have lots of photos to share. Actually, it means three things — because we have photo galleries from Cave Spring, Hidden Valley and Faith Christian School, all of whom had graduations in the past week. (Last week, you’ll recall, we had graduation photos from North Cross.)

At left, that’s Hannah Kocher taking a look at who’s in the stands as she parades into the Hidden Valley graduation. Below, senior class sponsor Tamara Miniclier adjusts a student’s sash as she waits to ascend the stage at Cave Spring High School’s graduation ceremonies. We show you these to point out that not only do we have five pages devoted to graduation coverage in this week’s print edition of SWoCo (plus the cover!), we also have even more photos here online.

And those aren’t the only online extras we have. Here’s a handy guide to the others:

* More photos from Showtimers’ “See How They Run,” which plays through Sunday.
* Bernard L. Marie holds annual D-Day luncheon
* Author to speak at Roanoke County library on June 15
* More than 3 inches of rain falls on Sugar Loaf Mountain
* More photos from prom promise at Hidden Valley High School
* More photos from the new sanctuary at Church of the Holy Spirit
* More photos from the dinner for Roanoke County schools retirees
* More photos from the North Cross ancient battle
* More photos from the Hidden Valley art show
* More photos from the Young Life golf tournament
* More photos from Relay for Life
* More photos from Field Days at Bent Mountain, Penn Forest and Back Creek
* More photos from Festival in the Park

AND IN SPORTS . . .
* Photos of Hidden Valley tennis in state tournament
* More photos of Hidden Valley girls soccer in state quarterfinals and state championship game
* More photos of Hidden Valley soccer star Maddy Elder
* More photos of Hidden Valley archery

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:
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The doctor will see you now.

In this case, the doctor is Chloe Johnston and she and some of her colleagues at the Childcare Network recently observed National Pet Week.

We have some photos in this week’s print edition of SWoCo — and more photos online.

Those are the only online “extras” we have this week. Here’s a guide to some of the others:
* Photos from North Cross graduation. (Graduation alert! Do you have graduation photos? You can share at news@swo-co.com.)
* Molly Bullington named Educator of the Year
* Green Valley teacher named assistant principal at Burlington
* Video from Knights Morning Buzz
* Photos from Hidden Valley’s “Great American Bake Sale”
* More photos from senior day at Cave Spring
* More on Tuesday’s Republican primary
* More photos from Relay for Life
* More on Candy Wallace and her hike
* More on “Honk!,” which runs through Sunday at the Roanoke Children’s Theatre

AND IN SPORTS . . .

* More photos from Hidden Valley softball
* More photos from Hidden Valley girls soccer — in regionals and state
* More photos of South County Falcons lacrosse
* More on the Roanoke Valley Senior Golf tournament

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:
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