Natural Bridge, its nearby attractions are up for sale
Jim Woltz has a bridge in Rockbridge County he wants to sell you - Natural Bridge. Woltz's company, Roanoke-based Woltz & Associates, has been retained to market the privately owned Virginia landmark and tourist attraction, along with an accompanying 150-room hotel, Natural Bridge Caverns and 1,600 acres. "This is a treasure," Woltz said in an interview Wednesday. "We want to make sure we handle this the right way." Natural Bridge is the centerpiece of the property, a 500-million-year-old, 215-foot high limestone arch surveyed by George Washington and once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
Ticket incentive given amid bumpy start at Science Museum of Western Virginia
The Science Museum of Western Virginia wants to make an offer to visitors. The museum opened May 18 along with Center in the Square, but only two-thirds of its exhibitions were set up and only two species of butterflies could be seen in its much ballyhooed butterfly garden. The museum likely won’t have everything in place until the end of June. “Some visitors have expressed disappointment that things aren’t in place,” museum Executive Director Jim Rollings said. To address those concerns, the museum has temporarily cut the additional charge for the butterfly garden from $4 to $2 through June 30.
Franklin County man charged in porn case is transferred to jail
A Franklin County man whom authorities have said shot himself as he was being arrested on child pornography charges was released from the hospital Tuesday evening. Michael Carey Miles , 60, of Rocky Mount was taken into custody immediately upon his release from Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and is being held without bond in the Roanoke City Jail, according to Franklin County Sheriff's Investigator Jay Mason. Miles was injured May
Roanoke police file charges in stolen canoe caper
Roanoke police arrested two men Monday and charged them with stealing a canoe, paddles, fishing poles and a bicycle from a southwest Roanoke home. The 16-foot canoe was found wrapped in burlap and buried in a shallow grave of sorts, not far from where it was stolen. The red canoe was reported stolen May 16 after its owner noticed it missing from his backyard in the 1600 block of Roanoke
Blacksburg business incubator aims to speed up on information highway
A Blacksburg business incubator plans to boost its in-house Internet speed to 100 times conventional rates so companies housed there can create novel Web applications of the future. TechPad plans to establish a 1-gigabit connection to the Internet to empower software designers who rent work space at the hub of tech business development, founder Bob Summers said Wednesday. Several aspects make the project novel and noteworthy to technology fans: Under
DAN CASEY: Stranded veteran’s bus ready to roll
Just a little more than two months ago, Gordon Soderberg and the Veterans Green Bus pulled into Roanoke, fresh from a months long relief effort on Long Island, N.Y., following Superstorm Sandy. Then disaster struck the bus, which has been elaborately retooled to run on used cooking grease. Its starter system caught fire, necessitating more than $4,000 in repairs. Soderberg picked up the fixed bus from the Virginia Truck Center
Hearing on old Blacksburg Middle School site pushed back as town questions plan
Public hearings on the Midtown Village proposal for the old Blacksburg Middle School site are being pushed back a month to let Fiddler's Green Partners address an unfavorable town staff report on its plans. And Blacksburg will not support financial incentives for the project, such as the 25-year, 50 percent local tax rebate that Fiddler's Green Partners requested, Town Attorney Lawrence Spencer wrote Wednesday in a letter to the developer.
Man injured in Roanoke motorcycle wreck Tuesday identified
Roanoke police have identified the man critically injured when he crashed his 2013 Honda motorcycle in southeast Roanoke on Tuesday. Christopher Nykeith Patterson, 33, of Roanoke remained hospitalized at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said Wednesday. Hospital spokesman Eric Earnhart said Wednesday that Patterson was listed in critical condition. Patterson was northbound in the 1000 block of 13th Street about 6:49 p.m. Tuesday when he apparently ran
Water authority may use eminent domain in Roanoke sewer line project
The Western Virginia Water Authority may have to invoke its power of eminent domain to compel a landowner to sell it an easement for only the second time since its founding nearly a decade ago. The authority on Wednesday mailed the last piece of paper required before going to court for permission to compel a sale, its general counsel Sam Darby said. That paperwork was a bona-fide offer to buy
Rocky Mount police investigate 3-month-old's death
Rocky Mount Police Chief David Cundiff confirmed Wednesday that the police department is investigating the suspicious death of a 3-month-old boy. The child had been hospitalized since early May at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital but died Sunday, he said. "It appears there was violent trauma involved," Cundiff said, noting that the body was sent Monday to the state medical examiner for autopsy. Police first learned about the infant's suspicious injuries
Franklin County School Board sets special meeting on spending plan
The Franklin County School Board announced today that it will hold a special meeting May 29 for consideration of how to allocate an additional $300,000 in funding pledged for the fiscal year that begins July 1. In addition, the board will discuss procedures for filling the school board slot now vacant because of the May 13 resignation of former school board chairman Ed Jamison. On Tuesday afternoon, the county board
Peters Creek bridge maintenance begins
The crew working this week on the Peters Creek Road bridge just south of Melrose Avenue is the public face of a new approach to keeping Roanoke's bridges in good shape. They're contractors and have the specialized skills and equipment that should make preventive maintenance work on Roanoke's many bridges go faster, City Engineer Phil Schirmer said. On the Peters Creek bridge, for instance, they'll be water proofing the structure
Group plans to reopen Radford movie theater
Four businessmen plan to reopen the beloved, single-screen Radford Theatre, and upgrade both its facilities and its offerings. Paul Pallente, Josh Riggs, James Houston and Mohsin Kazmi are partners in the new venture, which if successful will save a landmark movie house that dates to the 1930s. The business closed earlier this year, after former owner Frankie Kirk announced he wanted to retire. Kirk bought the theater in 1983 after
Richmond prosecutor investigating gifts to McDonnell
RICHMOND -- Richmond’s top prosecutor is looking into gifts to Gov. Bob McDonnell in an investigation requested by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Cuccinelli sent a letter last November to Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Herring appointing him to review McDonnell’s statements of economic interest. Herring disclosed Cuccinelli’s request, but refused to provide the letter or details of his investigation. Former Executive Mansion chef Todd Schneider claims he
Under scrutiny, governor's mansion a dichotomy
RICHMOND -- An embezzling case that began with a chef being accused of stealing food from Virginia’s Executive Mansion and morphed into a political scandal involving two of the state’s most powerful politicians has some people wondering: What goes on behind the wide double doors of the governor’s house? The governor’s mansion is in some ways a dichotomy: It is perhaps the state’s highest-profile office, yet also one of the
Roanoker honored with Virginia Big Sister of the Year award
William Byrd High School freshman Marsha Stanley said she didn’t get out much when she was growing up. She said her grades were not that good and she “watched TV 24/7.” Her mother, Anne Meador, said Marsha had some struggles in her pre teen years. Now, Meador says, whenever her 15-year-old daughter is having trouble, she calls Leslie Bennett, her big sister. Bennett, 27, is not Marsha’s biological sister. She
Franklin County supervisors vote to add $300,000 to school funding
ROCKY MOUNT — Former school board Chairman Ed Jamison congratulated the Franklin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for taking “the first step to bury the hatchet.” After weeks of occasionally bitter controversy about whether county supervisors were adequately funding public schools, supervisors voted 6-1 on Tuesday to add $300,000 to the previously approved contribution to the school division of $31.6 million for the coming fiscal year. David Cundiff, chairman
EDUCATION NOTEBOOK: Kathy Barton named Bedford County's Teacher of the Year
Thaxton Elementary School teacher Kathy Barton has been named Bedford County’s Teacher of the Year. Barton, who has been at the school since 2008, is a fourth-grade teacher. Her colleagues said she has the ability to deal with difficult situations by staying calm and keeping a sense of humor. According to the news release, those who work with her also said she’s compassionate, dedicated and easy to talk to. Thaxton
Montgomery County middle schools keep scheduling changes
CHRISTIANSBURG — Montgomery County middle schools will keep the class schedules prepared since a February school board vote to change some teaching methods to save money resulted in reduced gym classes and electives at some schools. Some board members had talked about reversing the February vote at Tuesday’s meeting, when scheduling models presented as part of budget discussions became scheduling realities. But in the end, the board did not vote
Roanoke-area Boy Scout leaders await vote on policy on gays
This week in a Dallas suburb, nearly 1,400 members of the Boy Scouts of America National Council will vote on a proposal that would allow openly gay boys to join the Scouts. Thursday’s vote comes at a time when Scout membership has been declining nationwide for years and could mean big changes for Scouting — or none at all, depending on who you talk to. Regardless of the vote’s outcome,
Roanoke County firefighter pleads guilty to firearms charges
A Roanoke County firefighter who pleaded guilty in April to firearms charges has resigned from his job, officials said. Robert Kelly Stoots, 28, was charged in early February with abduction, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, reckless handling of a firearm, brandishing a firearm, preventing someone from making a 911 call, assault and battery, and driving under the influence, court records show. Salem police said at the
Lewis Medlin joins race to represent 19th District in House of Delegates
Bedford County businessman Lewis Medlin announced Tuesday that he will seek the Democratic nomination to represent the 19th District in the House of Delegates. Medlin hopes to fill the seat that will soon be left vacant when Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford, retires after more than 50 years in the legislature. If successful at a Democratic firehouse primary on May 30, it will be Medlin’s fourth attempt at the job. He
VIRGINIA NEWS
1. Natural Bridge, its nearby attractions are up for sale
2. Men in werewolf masks robbed Roanoke store Sunday, police say
3. Man injured in Roanoke motorcycle wreck Tuesday identified
4. Motorcycle wreck Tuesday sends driver to hospital
5. Roanoker honored with Virginia Big Sister of the Year award
6. Rocky Mount police investigate 3-month-old's death
7. Roanoke County firefighter pleads guilty to firearms charges
8. Virginia Tech baseball not satisfied with just making ACC tournament
9. FRONT BURNER: Hotel Roanoke's executive chef Billie Raper leaves mark on community
10. Group plans to reopen Radford movie theater
THE ROANOKE TIMES
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