Looking back: Roanoke area history, July 29, 2013 

1988 (25 years ago)

• "A new type of artwork has been showing up in downtown Roanoke, but it’s not likely to impress the people at Center in the Square. Instead, a recent rash of graffiti may be more popular among punk rockers.”
• “Roanoke Valley mental health officials say a money shortage is forcing them to shut down two residential programs for adolescents.”
• “For more than a year, Ted Leonard of the Roanoke County Alcatel plant has worked on what has been called the nation’s first system to deliver both telephone and cable TV service over a single glass fiber.”
• “Hollins College President Paula Brownlee Friday became the first woman elected to the board of Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Co. of Virginia.”
• “On Aug. 1, 1973, Virginia Western Community College became the proud parent of WVWR, a 4,100-watt station at 90.1 FM. … Today that station celebrates its 15th anniversary with an open house at its Grand Pavilion Mall studios.”

1963 (50 years ago)

• “Some hungry burglars were on the prowl during the dark hours of Saturday morning. Thieves broke a rear window of the Whiz Burger Drive In restaurant … and stole two sandwiches and two soft drinks, the Roanoke Detective Bureau reported.”
• “The first heavy rain in almost two months hit the Roanoke Valley early Sunday evening, causing flooding in many sections.”
• “Mercurial Maurice Everette, alternately scowling and laughing under blazing sunshine at Roanoke Country Club, cut down top-seeded veteran Phil Neff with a booming over-head game to win the Heironimus Invitational Tennis Tournament Sunday.”
• “Five railroad carloads of surplus government corn have arrived to give drought aid to Roanoke County farmers.”
• “William Byrd High school will be integrated for the first time this fall, and a total Roanoke County school enrollment of over 16,000 will temporarily overcrowd five schools.”
• “Local health departments throughout Virginia are distributing an oral contraceptive birth control pill on a limited basis without charge to people who cannot afford to buy the medicine themselves.”
• “The majority of the huge coin collection of George Walton, the late Roanoke bank and real estate appraiser, will be put up for auction in October in New York.”
• “American Nazi party leader George Lincoln Rockwell will not use city facilities when he speaks Aug. 10 in Roanoke.”
• “The recent shooting of a Roanoke policeman has made Vice Mayor Robert A. Garland decide to have another try at enacting a local gun registration law.”

1938 (75 years ago)

• “Two hard rains visited Roanoke yesterday, bringing a measure of relief from the 90-degree temperature.”
• “The new M.W. Oakey Funeral Home, located at 468 East Main street, Salem, will have its official opening tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.”
• “Entering the final round from a starting field of 32 golfers, Mrs. William Early and Miss Edith Grosvenor will meet tomorrow morning at the Salem Sand Green golf course for the championship of the first women’s tournament to be held in Salem.”
• “Roanoke’s first piece of motorized fire apparatus is no more.”
• “The stormiest petrel in the history of boxing, Jack Johnson, the Texas stevedore, who was champion of the world from 1908 until July 4, 1915, will show in Roanoke Tuesday night, refereeing a four-round bout at Roanoke auditorium.”
• “They held another Charley Turner Day in the finals of Roanoke’s annual City-Council tennis tournament yesterday at Wasena as the seemingly inexhaustible champion defeated Paul Rice in three easy sets to take his ninth singles title.” Turner won the doubles title on the same day.

1913 (100 years ago)

• “King Rex, the ‘dare devil’ Texan, from El Pasan cactus fields, who was seen several days ago skating on the cornice over the Roanoke Times building, will risk his life again Thursday afternoon at 6 o’clock.”
• “After August 1st it will be necessary for motorcycle riders to provide themselves with a permit to operate their machines on the streets of Roanoke.”
• “Fire which originated at 3:30 yesterday afternoon from an overturned pressing iron and a pan of benzene in the men’s furnishing and clothing sort of Max Goldberg, No. 1 East Salem avenue, known as the Hub, resulted in damage to stock and building which probably will aggregate upward of $20,000.”
• “During the past few weeks no little excitement has been occasioned in Salem over rumors circulated relative to the purity of the water here.”
• “The Salvation Army is planning to give some children of the city an enjoyable day’s outing at Mountain Park next Tuesday, and it is hoped to take at least one hundred of the little folks and their mothers to this beautiful pleasure spot.”
• Manager Henritze, of the Roanoke Theatre, has invited all Union and Confederate veterans in the city to attend the performance at the Roanoke at 3:30 Friday afternoon as his guests, to witness the showing of moving pictures of the Gettysburg encampment.”
• “Families and individuals residing or having offices in nondescript business houses above the first floor must immediately provide a receptacle at the street door to receive their mail or answer the carrier’s whistle to receive it in person.”
• “Trimming the Goobers to the tune of 15 to 4 was a pleasant pastime for the Tigers as well as the fans who braved the excessive heat to witness the league leaders tackle Our Boys in the opening engagement of a four game series.”
• “Roxey Jones, a white woman well known in police circles, was fined $20 [in police court] for bathing in Roanoke river in an inadequate bathing suit.”

Weather Journal

2 hours ago

1. Defense heeds the call as Virginia Tech squeaks out win over ECU 

2. One person injured in Friday night shooting in Roanoke

3. William Byrd stuns Salem in football win

4. Lowe's tapes may hold clues to Roanoke woman's death

5. Britney Spears spotted at Lynchburg restaurant

6. East Carolina poses new challenge for Virginia Tech football 

7. Concert review: Timeless Willie Nelson plays to appreciative crowd

8. Blacksburg lawyer Painter’s bond revoked

9. History says this one will matter for Virginia Tech

10. Principal who guided Patrick Henry through integration dies