Police in Pulaski plan DUI checkpoints this month

Pulaski police are planning mobile checkpoints as part of a national campaign against drunken driving.

The campaign called "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." kicks off Friday and runs through Sept. 1. It's an effort by law enforcement agencies nationwide to crack down on impaired drivers during the summer.

In Pulaski, police use the mobile checkpoints to make it more difficult for drivers to avoid a checkpoint.

Called low-staffing sobriety checkpoints, they are designed to be set up by a minimal amount of officers in 15 minutes and moved to another location within 15 to 30 minutes of being taken down, Lt. Andy Anderson said.

-- Shawna Morrison

Unwanted pesticides to be collected next month

Residents, farmers and others can dispose of pesticides during the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Virginia Pesticide Control Boards' 2008 pesticide disposal program.

People can bring unwanted, outdated or banned pesticides for free and proper disposal. The program is funded through pesticide product registration fees collected by OPS, according to a news release.

Only unwanted pesticides will be accepted. Other materials that have been contaminated with pesticides, for example, pesticide contaminated fertilizer, will not be accepted.

This year's program will provide collection sites in the counties of Alleghany, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe and the Cities of Bristol, Clifton Forge, Covington, Galax, Norton, Radford, Roanoke and Salem.

The collection for residents of Montgomery, Floyd, Pulaski, Giles counties and city of Radford will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Montgomery County Government Center on Roanoke Street in Christiansburg.

Participants should complete a registration form that can be found online at vdacs.virginia.gov/pesticides/pdffiles/disposalregistration.pdf.

-- The Roanoke Times

Frog Pond season to end with dog swim event

Montgomery County's Frog Pond pool season will end on Aug. 23.

Today and Saturday, the pool will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The pool is closed Sunday, then open again from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. The Frog Pond closes again Wednesday and will reopen for its last day, Aug. 23, with hours from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The final event at the pool is the annual Gone to the Dogs event -- the annual dog swim -- on Aug. 24. Admission to that event is $5 per dog and $1 per person. Children younger than 16 will not be alloweed in the water during the dog swim.

-- The Roanoke Times