Special reports from The Roanoke Times
Virginia Tech Shootings
A gunman shot and killed 32 people before taking his own life in the deadliest campus shooting in United States history.
Latest installment: Tech holds a big family picnic - 4/21/2008
Blog: One Year Later
Age of Uncertainty
Roanoke's senior population is among the largest per capita in the nation, mirroring the demographics in Miami and St. Petersburg, Fla. Reporter Beth Macy and photographer Josh Meltzer team up again to explore the challenges facing the region’s rapidly growing elderly population.
Dowe resigns amidst scandal
Confronted with evidence first published by The Roanoke Times that he billed taxpayers twice for some of the nearly $15,000 he spent last year on meals and travel, Roanoke Councilman Alfred Dowe resigned.
Running on empty: Hellgate 100K
The Hellgate 100K is an event feared even by ultrarunners -- people who may run a marathon-length race as a regular workout. It's 17 hours of Virginia's roughest terrain, with the goal of covering at least 66 miles on foot. About 65 percent of the entrants usually manage to finish the race.
Homicide on the Huckleberry
For 37 hours in August 2006, William Morva, a high school dropout who hung around Blacksburg coffee shops, was on the run.
Latest installment: Morva gets death in capital murder case - 3/14/2008
Off the Scale
Check out our series on battling childhood obesity, including video and an interactive quiz on nutrition.
Vote fraud in Appalachia
Former Appalachia mayor Ben Cooper was sentenced in February following an investigation into vote fraud in this coal town in far Southwest Virginia.
Latest installment: Ex-mayor sentenced in election fraud case - 2/1/2007
Vote fraud in Gate City
Charles Dougherty pleaded not guilty to 37 charges of election fraud in an absentee voting scam that tainted the 2005 campaign for mayor of Gate City.
Latest installment: Gate City ex-official headed to prison - 1/8/2008
Roanoke Redevelopment & Housing Authority
An audit by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was conducted on the Roanoke Redevelopment & Housing Authority in the fall of 2006.
Latest installment: Housing authority questions ex-leader - 8/12/2007
Open and Shut
Undercover reporters requested public data from local officials, but less than half saw the records.
Latest installment: Law keeps citizens engaged - 1/1/2007
Changing Schools
Roanoke school leaders, teachers, parents and politicians are grappling with how to better educate growing numbers of children who struggle to achieve.
Latest installment: 'We're not satisfied' - 12/17/2006
Online Predators
The U.S. Attorney General says online predators are a significant problem, prompting authorities to toughen the penalties for crimes involving sexual exploitation of children.
Latest installment: Making time fit the crime for predators - 11/20/2006
Henry County sheriff, deputies indicted
Henry County's sheriff, 13 deputies, and 7 civilian employees are charged with multiple crimes in a 48-count indictment.
Latest installment: Key to Henry Co. drug case sentenced - 1/9/2008
Carbon Monoxide Leak at Roanoke College
One person died and hundreds were injured when carbon monoxide leaked into rooms at Roanoke College in the summer of 2006.
Latest installment: Senate OKs legislation to require carbon monoxide detectors - 2/7/2007
Jordan's War
Roanoke native Jordan Sherwood is a still young man, but he's already a combat veteran with two Purple Hearts. After his second war injury, he returns home to recuperate and ponder his future. As a combat photographer, he has a rare skill the Marines need. Will he be sent back to Iraq again?
Land of Opportunity
In increasing numbers, Hispanic immigrants are putting down roots in the Roanoke Valley. They're pouring concrete, opening hair salons and filling classrooms. Some employers, meanwhile, are attributing their success to this new labor pool. In this occasional series, The Roanoke Times explores the local impact of the national debate about immigration.
