The Roanoke Times | File photos

Radford University student Matt Prater and co-founder of Students Advocating Liberal Arts listens during an open budget forum in Bondurant Auditorium in Preston Hall.

Former Montgomery County Administrator Clay Goodman left his post this spring to become Roanoke County's administrator.

The smoldering remains of an apartment building that served as the McCoy community schoolhouse half a century ago burned to the ground in March.

Among continued budget wrangling, New River Valley leaders found themselves facing change in March. Montgomery County leaders prepared to say goodbye to two top officials in March: former County Administrator Clay Goodman and former School Superintendent Tiffany Anderson. And Blacksburg leaders welcomed a new town council members into their fold.

Here's a look at the top stories from March:

March 3

An apartment building that served as the McCoy community schoolhouse half a century ago burned down. A Blacksburg man, Randall Wayne Olinger, was charged with arson of an occupied dwelling, assault and battery of a family member and failing to obey bond condition in connection with the fire. Chief Gary Akers of the Longshop-McCoy Volunteer Fire Department said several people were inside the four apartments at 4 a.m. when the fire was reported, but no one was seriously hurt.

March 10

A special prosecutor said that a state trooper was justified in his use of deadly force when he shot a man to death in Floyd County this year. When Virginia State Police Master Trooper Andrew O'Connor shot Vincent James Lumia III on Jan. 12, Lumia was using his Ford Explorer to push a car toward the officer, according to Salem Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Bowers. As the incident unfolded in the driveway of Lumia's parents' home on Eanes Road in Check, O'Connor thought Lumia had already struck another officer with his vehicle and "possessed a reasonable belief that he himself was in danger of being killed or seriously injured," Bowers said. The incident started just before 9 p.m. Jan. 12 when John Beasley, Lumia's stepfather, called 911 to report that Lumia was trying to drive his Ford Explorer through the front door of John and Valerie Beasley's home.

March 10

After more than a week of controversy over who would succeed the late Councilman Derek Myers, the Blacksburg Town Council took the middle road, naming dark horse candidate Mike Rosenzweig. Council members Susan Anderson and Tom Sherman estimated that 30 to 40 names came up during the rapid-fire appointment process, which they oversaw. All those nominated were carefully considered, Mayor Ron Rordam said. Two names made the final list: Rosenzweig and Planning Commissioner Ben Crawford. After a few minutes of open debate, the council voted to go into closed session to discuss the final choice.

March 15

Outgoing Montgomery County Administrator Clay Goodman left behind an employer who hated to see him go, to assume a new role as Roanoke County's administrator, where his experience will be vital. Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Annette Perkins teased Goodman about the "birthday present" he gave her when he resigned from his role as Montgomery County administrator on Dec. 15. "He's leaving on good terms with us, although we're mad at him for leaving," she joked. Goodman, 54, replaced former Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge, who retired in June 2008 after more than two decades of service to the county. The move to Roanoke County bumps Goodman up a notch in terms of population and pay. With some 90,500 people in his new county, he will administer to several thousand more people than in Montgomery County. His new salary is $152,000; he was paid $132,590 as Montgomery County's administrator.

March 17

All but one of the charges against a Wythe County man accused of killing one neighbor, shooting and injuring another and trying to kill three other people moved forward. At a closed preliminary hearing in Wythe County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Judge Lee Chitwood certified to a grand jury 12 of the 13 charges against Douglas Albert Jaccard of Max Meadows. Police said that Jaccard, 59, shot and killed neighbor Joe Bane on the lawn of Bane's home on Dyer Road, shot neighbor Jerry Covey in the arm and set fire to Bane's house with Bane's wife and son still inside. The events sparked a three-day manhunt for Jaccard in mid-December, during which police say he also shot at them. Jaccard was found hiding under his kitchen table. Police have said they think he went back to his house to retrieve some items.

March 17

The Montgomery County School Board voted to release Superintendent Tiffany Anderson from her contract effective June 30. A news release from Anderson stated that she will be leaving as a result of family concerns. "It will be very difficult to leave the staff and students I consider to be part of my extended family in Montgomery County," Anderson said in the release. It was later revealed that Anderson took the helm of University Academy, a charter school in Kansas City, Mo., on July 1.

March 23

About 330 students entered a new $18 million school, following two years of construction to replace Riverlawn Elementary School. The new Riverlawn Elementary, just off Viscoe Road, replaces a 50-year-old building that had no air conditioning, multiple sets of stairs and minimal technology and which put some of its students in four portable classrooms. "We're just glad it's here and we're excited about the technology," said parent Kathy Harless as she toured her daughter's third-grade classroom. "It's nice to have a new start." The new, 30-classroom, 600-student-capacity school is the first to be built in Pulaski County since Pulaski Elementary School, which opened in 2005. The two schools have nearly identical floor plans.

March 23

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved a land deal that will allow Montgomery County to build a new elementary school in Prices Fork. The university plans to exchange 20 acres near Price's Fork Elementary School for 16 acres of Heth farmland the county would first acquire from the Virginia Tech Foundation for $1 million. By involving the foundation, a private nonprofit that manages the university's endowment and acquires property to benefit the university, Tech can avoid state involvement in the transaction.

March 26

Hundreds of students stormed out of a public forum held by Radford University President Penelope Kyle, upset that their questions about the elimination of programs at the school were not being addressed. The event, which Kyle announced as a forum for the university community to ask questions and give feedback about the school's budget, attracted a crowd of nearly 1,000 students, faculty and staff. But the forum came in the middle of reviews to academic programs at Radford that were in danger of being discontinued. The beginning of the forum went smoothly, but students also wanted their concerns about the programs addressed. About an hour into the forum, someone in the audience yelled, "Why aren't the questions we actually have being answered?" A chaotic back-and-forth ensued before the students stormed out.