Roanoke Times & World News

Nailing School Start Can Be Slippery As Ice

Delayed. It's the second-sweetest word -- next to closed, of course -- to many schoolchildren on a blustery winter day, as they will be all this week.

Va. Road Deaths Reach a New Low

Virginia logged the fewest traffic deaths on record last year, an accomplishment officials attributed to a mixture of police work and driver behavior. During 2009, 750 people perished as a result of crashes on Virginia roads, down from 821 in 2008 and 1,026 in 2007, the Department of Motor Vehicles said Tuesday.

Panel's Tech Shooting Report Amended Again

A third version of the Virginia Tech Review Panel report was released Tuesday to The Roanoke Times by family members of those killed and wounded in the April 16, 2007, campus shootings. Families and shooting survivors received copies from Gov. Tim Kaine's office Tuesday, and the document is expected to be officially released today.

Photo - a Spin On the Ice

ROANOKE CIVIC CENTER PUBLIC SKATES The civic center opened the skating rink all last week and will offer two more public skating dates this month:

Quick-Hitting Storm Could Bring Some Snow

Dusting and gusting will define the weather over the next several chilly days. Most of Southwest Virginia may see a dusting to possibly an inch or 2 of snow Thursday night and Friday morning as a vigorous but fast storm system zips through.

Man Admits to Robbing Bank in Hillsville

Richard Donald Hawes' fifth bank robbery worked out no better than the first four. In August, he approached a teller at Grayson National Bank in Hillsville. Wearing overalls, gloves, sunglasses and a ball cap, and with a bandanna pulled over his face, Hawes held out a plastic bag and said, "No dye packs, no dye packs," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Jacobsen said.

Arrest Is Made in New Year's Killing

A Roanoke man wanted in a New Year's Day homicide was arrested Tuesday in Chesterfield County, police said. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Timothy Jose Rhea, Roanoke police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said.

Mcdonnell Vows to Cut His Own Pay

Governor-elect Bob McDonnell won't spare his own office when it comes to balancing Virginia's budget, pledging to cut his own pay and the salaries of his Cabinet officers and senior staff members while the state struggles with revenue shortfalls. McDonnell, who will take office Jan. 16, said Tuesday that he would cut pay for those positions by about 5 percent for at least six months. He said he will finalize the details after he has filled the top jobs in his administration.

Key Greenway Link Is Dedicated

It's a short section, but a big gateway. Tuesday afternoon, city and private officials faced down tooth- rattling, 27-degree temperatures to dedicate a piece of the Roanoke River Greenway that measures a mere 600 feet.

Obit - Coulter, Jeanne Clarke Hodges

Obit - Dunn, Paul A. Iii

Obit - Damus, Edmond A.

Edmond A. Damus, of Roanoke, Va., passed away on Friday, January 1, 2010, at Lewis-Gale Hospital. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Pauline A. Damus; his son, Stephen E. Damus, of Buford, Ga.; and his daughter, Jean Marie Damus, of Los Angeles, Calif. He has a surviving brother, William Robert Damus, of Tampa, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews. Ed Damus was preceded in death by his father, Abraham Damus; mother, Mary Debs Damus; sisters, Souad Khoury and Agnes Alouf; and his brot...

Obit - Gallagher, Elizabeth B.

Obit - Edwards, Blanche F. Reynolds

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help?My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth. Blanche F. Reynolds Edwards, 90, of Salem, Va., passed away on Monday, January 4, 2010. She was born on December 12, 1919, in Roanoke, Va., and was the daughter of the late Charles and Lula Stanley Francisco.

Obit - Lucas, Anna Scott

Anna Scott Lucas, 16, of Roanoke, Va., peacefully passed away at home with her dogs and family at her side from this earthly life to Eternal life on Monday, January 4, 2010. She was a student at Roanoke Catholic School. Anna's feisty spirit kept a smile on her face and love in her heart despite a long and difficult battle with cancer for over five years. She endured two bone marrow transplants at Duke University Medical Center with relentless optimism. Anna's strength and perseverance was an ...

Obit - Dillon, Myrtle G.

Obit - Hale, Dorothy Hancock

Obit - Bryant, Walter Jackson

Obit - Jackson, Robert Floyd

Obit - Johnson, Darryl (Dutch)