Roanoke Times & World News back issues from May 2007:
BROTHER PLEADS GUILTY IN KILLING
May 01, 2007; ... Nancy Wingfield's daughters wept as a prosecutor described howtheir mother died. As she lay in her bed the afternoon of Jan. 2, 2006, James Motes,her brother, walked into the room holding a white cord. She asked,"What are you doing?" "I'm going to kill you," her brother ...
THOMPSON TO RECEIVE $60,000 PACKAGE
May 01, 2007; ... Outgoing Roanoke Superintendent Marvin Thompson will get paid forthe next four months under a deal approved Monday afternoon by theRoanoke School Board. Thompson's last day of work will be Friday, although he will be onpaid administrative leave until the end of May. Under ...
DID SOMEONE SAY BENCHMARKS FOR IRAQ?
May 01, 2007 ... Democrats in Congress last week knew President Bush would vetotheir Iraq funding bill because it contained a timeline forwithdrawal. They made their political point by passing it, andPresident Bush will make his by vetoing it. Now both sides must undertake the harder work of ...
THOMPSON: A GOOD FIT GONE WRONG
May 01, 2007; ... Two years ago, school board members heralded Marvin Thompson asthe man to re-energize Roanoke City Public Schools. "We had two very fine candidates," then-board Chairwoman Kathy Stockburger said, announcing Thompson's hiring in February 2005. "Ourdecision identified the best fit ...
MAKING THE ROANOKE RIVER THE ASSET IT SHOULD BE
May 01, 2007; ... Standing next to the railroad tracks at the bridge where TinkerCreek flows into the Roanoke River, Rupert Cutler surveyed the quietsetting with an evident sense of serenity. His arm gesturing in a wide sweep across the richly woodedridgeline across the river, then pointing to the ...
PHOTO - ON THE ROAD AGAIN
May 01, 2007 ... GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOTS. Send us photos featuring the people ofthe New River Valley. Photos must have been taken within the pastmonth and include subjects' names, location, date and contactinformation for the photographer. Photos will not be ...
DELEGATES CALL FOR BOYCOTTING TALK SHOW HOST FOR TECH STANCE
May 01, 2007; ... Three members of the Virginia House of Delegates are calling onradio stations to drop self-described "Talkmaster" Neal Boortz afterhis comments that Virginia Tech students should have done more todefend themselves. "Mr. Boortz's hateful comments should have no place in ...
BILL PROPOSES EXPANDING MENTAL HEALTH DATABASE
May 01, 2007; ... Although it took just two weeks for Virginia to close the loopholethat let a deranged gunman buy his guns, efforts to address a largerproblem nationally have dragged on for four years. However, Seung-Hui Cho's deadly rampage on the Virginia Techcampus could prompt Congress to take ...
MILES OF OPEN ROAD
May 01, 2007; ... Blossoming flowers and warming temperatures does not mark thebeginning of spring for Gina Leader. But the sound of whizzing bicycle wheels and the sight of a hoardof Canadian cyclists passing by her Craig County home does. "It's become sort of an annual tradition to see them ...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
May 01, 2007 ... So many soldiers' lives remain in jeopardy Deaths among American soldiers climbed 21 percent in Baghdad(April 14 news article, "Civilian death toll falls in Baghdad"). Doesanyone notice anymore? Have we become insensitive to these dailysacrifices of our young American ...
GET OUT: GRAHAM PARKER
May 01, 2007; ... Thirty-one years after his snarling debut, Graham Parker is stillsqueezing out great songs. Parker, 56, can look back on a career that includes some of thebest "Brit-punk" albums of the 1970s and '80s. His 1979 epic,"Squeezing Out Sparks," is considered a masterpiece of pub-style ...
MOLESTATION SUSPECT FIGHTS HIS EXTRADITION
May 01, 2007; ... A retired Blacksburg teacher serving jail time in Ohio formolesting a girl isn't willingly returning to Montgomery County toface statutory rape charges. Jonathan Utin, 65, refused to waive extradition from Ohio toVirginia when given the option about a week ago, Montgomery ...
PLANS IN WORKS FOR BLACKSBURG BREW PUB
May 01, 2007; ... Home brewers and beer enthusiasts who will gather near Blacksburgon Saturday to raise their glasses for the annual worldwide NationalHomebrew Day may add something to their traditional toast -- "Here'sto the Blacksburg Brewery and Chophouse; may its taps flow freelynext ...
SALEM WOMAN INJURED IN INTERSTATE CRASH
May 01, 2007; ... Tonya Segura fell asleep as she traveled north on Interstate 81 onMonday morning, state police said. The 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier the Salem woman was driving driftedout of the left lane into the median and hit a bank before flippingseveral times, Trooper F.M. Blevins said. A ...
SALON WORKER ACQUITTED 2ND TIME OF SEX CHARGES
May 01, 2007; ... For the second time this year, a Montgomery County jury found aChristiansburg nail salon owner not guilty Monday of groping acustomer. A jury of seven men and five women took only about 20 minutes toreturn with a verdict for Minh Ngoc "Kenny" Tran, who owns and is atechnician at ...
PUBLIC PULSE
May 01, 2007 ... BLACKSBURG What: Town council work session When: 11 a.m. today Where: Blacksburg Community Center multipurpose room, 725 PatrickHenry Drive. On the agenda: Joint meeting with planning commission andcomprehensive plan revision task force to discuss quarterly ...
BLACKSBURG TAKES ITSELF TOO SERIOUSLY
May 01, 2007; ... First it was the sewer system that never was. Then it was how touse the old middle school property, which doesn't actually belong tothe town of Blacksburg (yet). And now, just when you thought it wassafe to go back in the water, a new leviathan has raised its uglyhead from the depths of ...
PHOTO- VIEWFINDER
May 01, 2007 ... Caption ...
PULASKI MOVES MEETING LOCATION
May 01, 2007; ... Pulaski officials already know they are likely to have a fullhouse at their 7 p.m. town council meeting tonight. It has been moved from its usual location in council chambers atthe municipal building to the Pulaski County Administration Buildingat 143 Third St. N.W., to ...
HORSE-DRAWN BUGGY MISHAP HURTS 2
May 01, 2007; ... Two people were hurt when they were thrown from a horse-drawnbuggy Monday evening in Blacksburg. A 73-year-old man and his daughter, whose names were not availableMonday, were riding in the buggy on University City Boulevard nearthe Chasewood Downs apartment complex when the ...
ABORTION RULING UNRELATED TO TECH
May 01, 2007; ... One week after the massacre at Virginia Tech, Cal Thomasassociated abortion with the campus shootings of students and faculty("Carnage at Tech and in the womb," April 25). His insensitive, ill-timed and inappropriate comparison implies doctors and pregnant womenare somehow analogous to ...
BTW- BY THE WAY
May 01, 2007 ... This month, Hostess Ho Hos are celebrating 40 years as an Americanicon. The Swiss-rolled, ...
CLOSING THE LOOPHOLE
May 01, 2007; ... Gov. Tim Kaine signed an executive order on Monday closing areporting loophole that allowed a mentally ill Virginia Tech studentto purchase firearms used to kill 32 people and himself on the campusApril 16. Under Kaine's order, the names of all people involuntarilycommitted to ...
GROUP READY TO PRODUCE BIKEWAY, WALKWAY POLICIES
May 01, 2007; ... A regional subcommittee has gotten the all-clear from New RiverValley planners to come up with bicycle- and walkway-friendlypolicies for valley localities to consider. The New River Valley Planning District Commission voted itssupport Thursday to create the policies. Once they have ...
MCCADDEN DROPS HINTS HE'LL RENEW HOUSE BID
May 01, 2007; ... Mac McCadden was dealt a blow last month in his primary raceagainst incumbent Del. Onzlee Ware when his campaign failed tocomplete the proper paperwork in time. Now, McCadden is heavily hinting that he'll run as an independent.He said Monday that new paperwork "has been picked up ...
WOMEN TESTIFY OVER JAN. RAPE IN APARTMENT
May 01, 2007; ... Two women, a paraplegic and her caregiver, told a judge that a maninvaded their Dublin living quarters at gunpoint in January,threatening the pregnant caregiver's 20-month-old child and thenraping her. A third woman, choking back tears during her testimony Friday,said the same ...
POLICE HAVE SUSPECT IN SUNDAY SHOOTING OF WOMAN, 20
May 01, 2007; ... Authorities say they have a suspect in the shooting of a 20-year-old woman in Roanoke on Sunday. Police identified the victim as Marijo Fleming Smith of BotetourtCounty, and said that officers found her outside a home in the 2100block of Staunton Avenue Northwest about 3:30 ...
CORNERSHOT
May 01, 2007; ... Believe it or not, folks, but Patrick Swayze is back in style. According to Reuters, the "Dirty Dancing" song he co-wrote, "She'sLike the Wind," has hit the Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart. This time aroundhe's not the one singing, though; that's a gentleman named TonySunshine who serenades ...
BUSINESSES KEEP GIVING IN WAKE OF SHOOTINGS
May 01, 2007; ... It just appeared. Eggs and biscuits. Pastries and tea. Barbecue and toast. During the aftermath of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech,which left 33 people dead, Blacksburg police Capt. Donnie Goodmansaid he knew he could count on someone feeding ...
THE RIGHT WAY TO PART WAYS
May 01, 2007 ... The Roanoke School Board and school Superintendent Marvin Thompsonwisely recognized that it was best for the school system and itsleader to part ways as cleanly and civilly as possible -- and beforesimmering unrest could build to the boiling point. But school officials should not ...
OBIT - OBRIEN, LOUISE DEYERLE
May 01, 2007 ... Louise Deyerle OBrien, 87, of Roanoke, passed away Thursday, April26, 2007 ....
OBIT - BARLOW, THOMAS JUNIOR
May 01, 2007 ... Thomas Junior Barlow, 54, of Roanoke, passed away Thursday, April26, 2007. He was born to the late Jet H. Barlow and Etta Ray Barlow.Thomas attended Bedford County Public Schools and later moved toRoanoke, where he resided until his demise. He was preceded in deathby his stepmother, ...
OBIT - ROBERTSON, MARY ELIZABETH CHOCKLEY
May 01, 2007 ... Mary Elizabeth Chockley Robertson, 83, of Roanoke, passed awayFriday, April 27, 2007. Memorial ...
OBIT - SOWER, THOMAS FRANCIS
May 01, 2007 ... Thomas Francis Sower, 81, of Roanoke, passed away on Friday April27, 2007. Services will be at ...
OBIT - HALL, PEARL WADE
May 01, 2007 ... Pearl Wade Hall, 107, of Salem passed away Saturday, April 28,2007. Funeral ...
OBIT - ARRINGTON, ROGER CECIL, (ROGER BEAR)
May 01, 2007 ... Roger Cecil (Roger Bear) Arrington, 66, of Rocky Mount, diedSaturday, April 28, ...
OBIT - HIGHLANDER, SHIRLEY PORTERFIELD
May 01, 2007 ... Shirley Porterfield Highlander, 67, of Roanoke, Va., passed awayon Saturday, April ...
OBIT - BELVA, MARY NELL WOOLFOLK LEE
May 01, 2007 ... Mary Nell Woolfolk Lee Belva, born August 2, 1916, daughter of thelate Robert Woolfolk and Lillian Flippo Woolfolk, died Sunday, April29, 2007 in Carrington Place, Daleville, Virginia. She was born inCaroline County, Virginia and lived in the Fredericksburg area until2004 when she moved ...
OBIT - SNYDER, ROBERT MICHAEL
May 01, 2007 ... Robert Michael Snyder, 66, of Roanoke, passed away after a nine-year battle with cancer, on Saturday, April 28, 2007. He was an avidbass fisherman, a member of the Star City Bass Masters Club and wasretired from the construction business where he worked for variousconstruction companies ...
OBIT - SMITH, LOIS ANN WHITE WINGO
May 01, 2007 ... Lois Ann White Wingo Smith, 75, of Roanoke, passed away Friday,April 27, 2007. Graveside services 11 ...
OBIT - REYNOLDS, EARL B. SR.
May 01, 2007 ... Earl B. Reynolds, Sr., 91, of Roanoke, passed away on Friday,April 27, 2007, at his home on Harrison Avenue, in the Gainsborosection of the city. He was widely known throughout the community asthe "Candy Man". He was the son of the late Guy and Georgia Reynolds.He was preceded in death ...
OBIT - LANCASTER, JOHN FREMONT
May 01, 2007 ... John Fremont Lancaster, 73, of Snowville, passed away Sunday,April 29, 2007, at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center. He wasborn August 20, 1933 in Bluefield, West Virginia, and was the son ofthe late Theodore Roosevelt and Blanche Jennings Lancaster. Heretired from the United States ...
OBIT - GILLISPIE, ROY BOB
May 01, 2007 ... Roy Bob Gillispie, 82, of 5714 Dry Hill Rd., Ferrum, died Sunday,April 29, 2007, at his home. Born in Franklin County November 5,1924, he was a son of the late Eslie Willard Gillispie and Ellen HaleGillispie. Also preceding him in death were two brothers, EuellGillispie and Herman ...
OBIT - ELLIOTT, WILSON MURRAY JR.
May 01, 2007 ... Wilson Murray Elliott, Jr., 86, of Roanoke, passed away peacefullyon Monday, April 30, 2007. Born November 9, 1920, in Staunton, Va.,he was a son of the late W. M. Elliott, Sr. and Mary Kline Elliott.Wilson was also predeceased by his beloved wife of 55 years, IreneCarruth Elliott ....
OBIT - HODGE, ELMER CLINTON SR.
May 01, 2007 ... Elmer Clinton Hodge, Sr., 87, of Bedford, died Sunday, April 29,2007 in Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. He was preceded in deathby his wife, Mae Stanley Hodge. Born April 20, 1920 in Headwaters,Va., he was the son of the late Edward Hodge and Estella Calhoun. Hewas retired from ...
OBIT - UMBERGER, IRENE JACOBSON MINTER
May 01, 2007 ... A memorial service will be held at Colonial Presbyterian Church,3550 Poplar Dr ....
OBIT - PRESNELL, FRED
May 01, 2007 ... Fred Presnell, 82, of Moneta, went to be with the lord Sunday,April 29, 2007 at the VA Hospital, Salem, Va. He was preceded indeath by his parents, Enoch Monroe Presnell and Bessie NortonPresnell. Fred served in the U.S. Army and was a member of Flint HillBaptist Church and was a deacon ...
OBIT - FERRIS, JOSEPH FORDSEL, (FORD)
May 01, 2007 ... Joseph Fordsel (Ford) Ferris, 77, of Roanoke, went to be with theLord, Sunday April 29, 2007. He is preceded in death by his grandson,Micah Austin Ferris; biological parents, Posie and Myrtle Ferris;foster family, Jim and Flora Conner, Oakey and Dedith Conner andseveral foster brothers ...
OBIT - BISHOP, ALENE PRICE
May 01, 2007 ... Alene Price Bishop, 78, of Salem, passed away on Monday, April ...
OBIT - MILLER, KAYE FRANCES
May 01, 2007 ... Kaye Frances Miller, 63, of Vinton, passed away Saturday, April28, 2007 after a courageous struggle with cancer. It is with greatpeace that we deliver her in the arms of the greatest angel andsavior, Jesus Christ Our Lord. She was born in Columbia, S.C., buthailed from eastern North ...
OBIT - SHUGART, SANDY G.
May 01, 2007 ... Sandy G. Shugart, 72, of Roanoke, passed away Monday, April 30,2007 in a local hospital. He was preceded in death by his parents,Matthew R. and Flora Davidson Shugart; sister, Peggie S. Ford; and abrother, Robert R. "Bobby" Shugart. Surviving are his brother-in-law, Joseph F. "Joe" Ford ...
OBIT - BENTLEY, MARIE ELIZABETH
May 01, 2007 ... Marie Elizabeth Bentley, 47, of Pulaski, passed away Monday, ...
OBIT - STARBUCK, HOPE ADAIR
May 01, 2007 ... Hope Adair Starbuck, 45, of Elliston passed away April 26, 2007. Amemorial service will be conducted 11 a.m ....
OBIT - TRIBBLE, ANNA LAURA HENDERSON
May 01, 2007 ... Anna Laura Henderson Tribble, 90, of the Roanoke Valley, went hometo be with Jesus. The family will receive friends from 12:30 p.m. to2 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at the Horne Funeral Service. A ...
OBIT - WAGONER, JOHN H.
May 01, 2007 ... John H. Wagoner, 80, of Galax, Va., died Sunday, April 29, 2007 atWaddell Nursing Home. He was born December 16, 1926 in AlleghanyCounty, North Carolina to the late John W. and Donnie Brown Wagoner.He is survived by his wife, Agnes L. Wagoner of Galax; son, Otis L.Wagoner of Galax; three ...
OBIT - MILLS, W. HOWARD
May 01, 2007 ... W. Howard Mills, of Bethesda, Md. and Fort Myers, Fla., died April28, 2007 at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers due to complications fromParkinson's disease. He was 78. Mr. Mills worked for IBM as amarketing executive from 1956-1991. He managed several IBM OfficeProducts Division and National ...
OBIT - TRAIL, MAGGIE
May 01, 2007 ... Maggie Trail, 92, of Marion, passed away Sunday, April 29, 2007.Funeral services will ...
OBIT - AKERS, BETTY JUNE WALKER
May 01, 2007 ... Betty June Walker Akers, 73, of Max Meadows, died Sunday. Funeral7 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, ...
OBIT - INGRAM, ROSA OGLE
May 01, 2007 ... Rosa Ogle Ingram, of Galax, passed away Sunday, April 29, ...
OBIT - FOWLER, BETTY WEATHERMAN
May 01, 2007 ... Betty Weatherman Fowler, 72, of Wytheville, resting in Jesus,April 29, 2007. Funeral 8 p.m. Wednesday, ...
OBIT - RAKES, OCIE PETERS
May 01, 2007 ... Ocie Peters Rakes, 96, of Floyd, passed away Monday ...
OBIT - DESLAURIERS, CECILIA A.
May 01, 2007 ... Cecilia A. Deslauriers, 74, died Saturday, April 28, 2007. Sheattended Georgetown University, and was an Administrative Assistantfor the Dept. of the Navy for 15 years. She was employed as aBookkeeper for Holy Spirit Catholic Church from 1982 to 2006 andvolunteered her time in various ...
OBIT - MITCHELL, ELIZABETH COBEY MORRIS
May 01, 2007 ... Elizabeth Cobey Morris Mitchell, 86, of Lynchburg, died Sunday,April 29, 2007. She is survived by her second husband, Boyd HenryMitchell of Lynchburg. She was preceded in death by her firsthusband, John Sargent Morris, Jr., M.D. and her brother, Harry S.Cobey, Jr. Born in Gainesville, ...
OBIT - MACHERAS, NITZA PETER
May 01, 2007 ... Nitza Peter Macheras, 81, succumbed to a lengthy illness on April29, 2007. She was born on August 20, 1925. She attended schools inLexington, graduated from Lexington High School and went to MaryWashington University. For many years she owned and operated theDutch Inn. She valued the ...
OBIT - HARRUP, KATHY RAMSEY
May 01, 2007 ... Kathy Ramsey Harrup, 47, of Hurt, died Monday, April 30, 2007.Funeral ...