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His first 10-song CD, "Fallen," offers songs such as "Help to the Hurting," "Here for You" and "The Broken Melody," so it's easy to believe Tanner Blankenship is serious about his desire to help people through music.

The 20-year-old Christian said most of his songs are about hope and forgiveness and that "Christ still loves you no matter what you do."

His latest song, "My Favorite Dream," was written as a source of healing for the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Blankenship is a graduate of Pulaski County High School and New River Community College, where he received an associate's degree in education.

Riner's 1st rescue squad building almost ready

RINER -- It has been a long time coming, but the first rescue squad building in Riner is almost ready for occupancy.

The new building will actually be a substation of the Christiansburg Rescue Squad, which handles medical calls in Riner and the surrounding area.

Growth in the former sleepy farm community of Riner -- which has accelerated in recent years -- helped fuel the project.

The Riner Fire Department had $50,000 in its budget to replace one of its vehicles, and decided to put off that replacement and use the money to start the rescue station project, which had a total cost of $290,000.