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What are your favorite local places for shopping, pampering or entertaining? Vote now in this year's Best Of Holiday Shopping readers' choice poll.
Roanoke's free dental clinic restores smiles
It is 9 a.m. on Friday the 13th, and the whine of many dentist drills cannot be ignored. “I’m scared,” Kelly Witcher says as she waits in line.
"Understanding Obamacare" is a series of occasional stories examining how the Affordable Care Act — widely called Obamacare first by critics and now also by some supporters — will change how you access and pay for health care. The series will look at the impact the new law has on individuals, businesses and health care providers in Southwest Virginia.
LATEST INSTALLMENT
Uninsured face tough choice, Aug. 25, 2013
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS
PART 1
Virginia still undecided on Medicaid expansion, June 16, 2013
PART 2
Details still murky about health insurance exchanges under 'Obamacare', July 14, 2013
Smith Mountain Lake boatwright restoring rare 1921 'Dippy' work boat
Alan Frederick said patience has been an essential virtue. Frederick, 68, has devoted hundreds of hours to date in the restoration of the antique “disappearing propeller boat” now housed in his shop at Smith Mountain Lake. “I always call this my love-hate boat,” Frederick said. He bought the 1921 “Dippy” for $500 in 1992 from a competitive water skiing acquaintance in Oswego, N.Y. Frederick has restored three other boats, including a 22-foot 1948 Chris-Craft Sportsman Sedan and a 20-foot 1948 Chris-Craft Custom Runabout.
One person injured in Friday night shooting in Roanoke
A person was taken to the hospital after a shooting late Friday night in Roanoke. Roanoke Police responded to reports of a shooting in the 3300 block of Hershberger Road shortly before midnight. One person was shot and taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police spokesman Scott Leamon. Leamon said no arrest have been made early Saturday morning and the case is still under
Bedford County school bus driver hauling kids since 1959
Elvis Presley had seized the throne, John F. Kennedy was a year away from pursuing Camelot and central Virginia’s public schools were racially segregated when James Bryant first got behind the wheel of a Bedford County bus. The driver performed his first run in 1959 at the school that currently houses Otter River Elementary in Goode, near parts of the county where he was born and raised. At 75, he
Principal who guided Patrick Henry through integration dies
Carolyn Boley remembers the bullet holes that appeared in her husband’s office window. It was the early 1970s, and Ed Boley was working to integrate Roanoke’s Patrick Henry High School — the city’s last holdout from desegregation. As principal of the school, he was in charge. Violence was not uncommon then, but the gunfire scared Carolyn Boley. “That was before cellphones,” she recalled this week. “If things got really tight,
Blacksburg lawyer Painter’s bond revoked
CHRISTIANSBURG — Blacksburg lawyer Joe Painter is back in jail after his bond was revoked Friday because of an alleged threat he made against the Montgomery County commonwealth’s attorney. A witness testified that Painter, 66, who is facing gun and drug charges stemming from an incident in February, stated that he was “going to eliminate Mary Pettitt from the gene pool.” Judge Joseph Canada, a retired judge brought in to
UVa commission to dig into school's slave history
A commission established by University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan will investigate the school’s slave history. Sullivan has recruited 27 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members to be part of the Commission on Slavery and the University. The group will coordinate research on slavery and find ways to present their research to the community. Slavery is an inescapable part of UVa’s history. Many students and staff already know about
Lowe's tapes may hold clues to Roanoke woman's death
Roanoke police have obtained surveillance footage from Lowe’s as part of their continuing investigation into the April death of a south Roanoke woman. Cary Mitchener was found dead in her home in the 2600 block of Stanley Avenue Southeast shortly after 6 p.m. on April 15, according to police and search warrants. Her arms were tied behind her back, her legs were bound and a bag had been placed over
Federal building ATM idles while construction wraps up
Each orifice is duct-taped shut right now. But the ATM sitting idle outside the Poff Federal Building in Roanoke will dispense cash again, its owner predicted Friday. Angela Price, president and CEO of FedStar Federal Credit Union, said the credit union plans to resume ATM and full-time branch services after a three-year, $51 million renovation of the Poff building is completed next year. A construction crew began work in 2011
Roanoke principal, who died at 88, retired but didn't stop working
After decades as a teacher and administrator, Ray Arnold retired, but that didn’t keep him from working with the Roanoke school system doing one of the most dizzying jobs of all: finding substitutes. Before there was an automated system to round up substitute teachers, there was Arnold, who would rise at 4 a.m. and phone substitutes to line up teachers so classrooms wouldn’t be empty. Arnold, 88, died Sept. 6.
National public art project focuses on faces in the crowd
A crew conducting a national public art project to raise awareness for immigration reform made a stop Friday in downtown Roanoke. A van with a giant eye printed on its side parked outside 16 West Marketplace on Church Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., taking photos of passers-by who lined up. Each subject got to pose with their larger-than-life size portraits, which were then posted on the wall of
Roanoke shooting suspect ordered to stay in jail until trial
A teenager who cut off his court-mandated tracking device and became a fugitive from police, then was later charged in two Roanoke shootings this year, will stay in jail at least until his October trial. De’Sha Shamal Taylor, 17, was ordered by a judge to remain held without bond at his hearing Friday morning in Roanoke Circuit Court. Taylor was indicted by a Roanoke grand jury last week on charges
Roanoke County electrical short quiets 5 Wheeler radio stations
Some of the Roanoke Valley's most popular radio stations went silent for much of Friday because of a power outage. All five of the stations owned by Mel Wheeler Inc. were knocked off the air when their studios lost electricity around 9 a.m. The stations are all housed under one roof on Electric Road in southwest Roanoke County. Top-rated Star County (WSLC-FM, 94.9), Q99 (WSLQ-FM, 99.1), Vibe (WVBE-FM, 97.7/100.1), K92
RU Board of Visitors passes budget, discusses faculty morale
RADFORD – The Radford University Board of Visitors approved the school’s operating budget Friday and heard concerns about the latest faculty morale survey. On a 13-0 vote, the board approved the $202 million operating budget, as well as a six-year plan required by the General Assembly. Members Anthony Bedell and Stephan Cassaday were absent. Also on a 13-0 vote, the board approved $8.5 million for two new recreation field projects
Captive in Roanoke County describes harrowing time with angry friend
It was an odd request that eased the tension of a terrifying moment in July, one that gave Greg Elliot the chance to escape a dangerous situation. “I could use a burger,” Elliot recalled his captor saying. Roanoke County General District Judge Vincent Lilley leaned forward from his bench with interest as Elliot testified during a preliminary hearing today. Sitting only feet away in a mustard-yellow jumpsuit, 47-year-old Bill Martin
Botetourt County highway reopens after wreck
A tractor-trailer hauling cigarette filters overturned Friday morning in Botetourt County, sending the driver to a Roanoke hospital and blocking highway traffic for several hours. Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Rob Carpentieri said Michael Anthony Miles Jr., 27, of Richmond had to be extricated from his cab after the 11:45 a.m. wreck on U.S. 220 Alternate (Cloverdale Road). He was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where spokesman Eric Earnhart
'Suspicious package' full of insulation, Roanoke County police say
The suspicious package that prompted the brief closure of Plantation Road in Roanoke County on Friday morning was nothing more than a cardboard box full of insulation, officials said. Still, Roanoke County police Assistant Chief Chuck Mason said a passer-by who called in the report did the right thing by phoning 911 when the individual saw a man place the box on the side of the road. Police and emergency
Judge frustrated in coalbed methane case linked to governor’s race
ABINGDON — Two hours of legal debate on Virginia’s natural gas laws passed Thursday when U.S. District Court Judge James P. Jones suddenly voiced frustration over the seeming inability of anyone to easily access an escrow account holding nearly $30 million in gas royalties. “Are we going to throw up our hands and say ‘oh well, that’s how the world works?’ ” he directed at coal and energy company lawyers
Squirrel causes power outages in Roanoke, Montgomery counties
A squirrel damaged an Appalachian Power substation this morning, cutting off power to about 2,400 customers in Roanoke and Montgomery counties. Appalachian Power spokeswoman Teresa Hamilton Hall said a squirrel damaged equipment at a station in the western part of Roanoke County about 8 a.m. today. Power was lost in many homes in the Glenvar area and eastern Montgomery County. The company's website reports about 1,300 customers in Roanoke County
Britney Spears spotted at Lynchburg restaurant
A celebrity spotting in the Hill City isn't a common occurrence. So when pop diva Britney Spears made an appearance at a Wyndhurst restaurant Thursday afternoon, it created a bit of an internet buzz. Spear was spotted at The Neighbors Place, where she was "very polite" and left a generous tip, according to the restaurant's Facebook page. What appears to be a cell phone photograph began circulating on social media
Organizers haven't decided if Lockn' festival returns next year
Lockn’ Festival organizers Thursday called the event a success, but said it lost money and they aren’t ready to commit to another large-scale music festival in Nelson County next year. About 25,000 people attended the four-day event, which ended Sunday at the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington. The festival was expected to generate $1.6 million in tax revenues for the county, Lockn’ spokeswoman Olivia Branch said in a statement. About
Delta Sigma Theta show will truly put on the dog
Abraham, Lilly, Pepperoncini, Pooche, Ralphie and Treazur will return to the runway Sunday as four-legged models sashay during the Roanoke Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta’s 2013 Doggy Fashion Show. Tango, an 11-year-old award-winning mixed breed, will join Bay, Jubie, Teeny, Tigo, Toby and Trixie in making their debuts in the sorority’s second annual doggie fashion show. “They will model fashions from swimwear to bridal wear,” said Laurice Hampton, show
VIRGINIA NEWS
1. Britney Spears spotted at Lynchburg restaurant
2. Roanoke resource officer's quick action saved young girl
3. One person injured in Friday night shooting in Roanoke
4. East Carolina poses new challenge for Virginia Tech football
5. Captive in Roanoke County describes harrowing time with angry friend
6. Lowe's tapes may hold clues to Roanoke woman's death
7. Roanoke County electrical short quiets 5 Wheeler radio stations
8. William Byrd stuns Salem in football win
9. History says this one will matter for Virginia Tech
10. Concert review: Timeless Willie Nelson plays to appreciative crowd
THE ROANOKE TIMES
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