Roanoke Times & World News

Around the Region

RADFORD Faculty senate votes for meeting with Kyle

Some Youngsters Don't See Region Buried in Snow

As the snowfall contest entries continue to roll in, (now more than 150 of them), I am noticing the same trend I did a year ago. Youngsters, as a whole, don't pick big snowfall totals.

Social Awkwardness Kept with Him Into Adulthood

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of shooting 12 people to death and wounding 31 others at Fort Hood, Texas, on Thursday, was the son of Roanoke merchants and restaurateurs, lived in Vinton and graduated from Virginia Tech. Hasan was born in Arlington to Palestinian immigrants from near Jerusalem who later settled in Vinton.

Funeral Rites Come Alive

For some, a trip to a local funeral home Thursday wasn't to mark the death of a loved one, but to reflect on the history and tradition of funerals. A tractor-trailer transporting "Reflections: The American Funeral" set up outside Flora Funeral Service for the day.

Photo - Library in Roanoke Carves Out Space for New Sculpture

Large Turnout Expected in Harrington Search

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Organizers of a three-day search for missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington said Thursday night they anticipate up to 1,000 volunteers could show up here today for the kickoff of the effort. But despite the expected turnout, they are continuing to urge residents around the state to converge on Charlottesville to take part in the search for any trace of the Roanoke County woman. Thursday night, more than 300 volunteers arrived at Charlottesville's Cavalier Inn...

National Guard Soldiers Called Up

Four hundred Virginia National Guard soldiers, including companies based in Bedford, Clifton Forge and Lexington, were called for active duty in Iraq on Thursday. Some New River Valley- based companies could also get the call. The soldiers are part of the largest deployment of Virginia soldiers since the 2007 troop surge in Iraq, said Maj. Cotton Puryear, spokesman for the Virginia National Guard.

Natalie Cole Embeds Music with Refinement

When Natalie Cole takes a trip through the Great American Songbook, you get stuff that's missing in much live concert music today. Things like subtlety. Nuance. Refinement.

Water Authority Oks Franklin Co.

Franklin County was voted in as a full-fledged member Thursday of the Western Virginia Water Authority by the governing bodies that already made up the regional utility. The Roanoke City Council, the boards of supervisors of Roanoke and Franklin counties and the water authority board unanimously approved Franklin County's membership. The membership will become official upon approval by the State Corporation Commission. It's unclear when the SCC will take up the issue.

Arrival of H1n1 Shots Continues

The 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine continues to trickle into the region, and health department officials in the Roanoke and New River valleys are concentrating vaccination efforts on high-risk groups that include pregnant women and children between 6 months and 18 years old. The H1N1 flu is commonly referred to as swine flu.

Roundabout Opens in Roanoke Co. After Delays

After numerous construction delays, the Virginia Department of Transportation on Thursday afternoon opened a roundabout that will merge two streets in Southwest Roanoke County. The traffic circle, which is designed to improve the flow of vehicles at Colonial Avenue (Virginia 720) and Penn Forest Boulevard, opened to the public just before 4 p.m. It is the first in a series of similar projects planned for Roanoke, Roanoke County and Blacksburg. A temporary camera has been placed nearby a...

Arrest Is Made in County Break-Ins

Roanoke County police have arrested a man in a string of break- ins over the past three months. Detectives are investigating Raymond Matthew Dillon, 23, of Roanoke for at least seven burglaries in the area from Mount Pleasant to Yellow Mountain Road, said Lt. Chuck Mason.

Obit - Wakeman, Lessie B.

Obit - Peery, Betty Jane Wingfield

Obit - Gibson, Virginia Elizabeth Mauck

Obit - Walker, Roger Wayne

Obit - Saunders, Joseph Marvin

Obit - Prather, William T. (Doot)

Obit - Foutz, E. Wayne

Obit - Eades, Jenilou Johnson