Roanoke Times & World News back issues from March 2009:
'CHICO' HANGS UP HIS APRON
Mar 01, 2009; ... In his trademark checkered cap and flour-dusted apron, David"Chico" Estrada spun dough for the last time Saturday. Formeremployees and longtime regulars gathered at Chico's Big Lick Pizzaas the man who has owned the pizzeria for 20 years said goodbye tohis food court business in the ...
HAVE A DOG CHECKED BY A VET BEFORE BUYING FROM A BREEDER
Mar 01, 2009; ... My husband and I are considering purchasing an 8-month-oldcavalier King Charles female Blenheim that a breeder has offered usafter she discovered the dog may have a reverse scissor bite. Thebreeder states that this is not a problem in a pet, but may beconsidered one if she attempted to ...
FRALIN WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION TO VA. LEGISLATURE
Mar 01, 2009; ... Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, announced Saturday that he willnot seek re-election to the House of Delegates, saying the growingdemands of his full-time job make it difficult for him to continueserving in the General Assembly. Fralin's decision halts a six-year legislative career ...
YOUR COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Mar 01, 2009 ... TODAY Old Dominion Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament Teams on the Division III level compete. When: All day Where: Salem Civic Center Contact: 375-3004, www.salemciviccenter.com Roanoke Rose Society A pruning demonstration followed by ...
SAVE THE DATE: VINTON'S 125TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Mar 01, 2009 ... Vinton is lighting up 125 candles on the birthday cake, andinviting everyone to taste from a 5-foot cupcake display. The mayor and town council will dress in 1884 attire, andvisitors can submit testimonials about why they love Vinton. Haveyour photo taken for the "Fabric of the ...
SHENANDOAH COULD AX FREE TRIPS FOR AGENTS
Mar 01, 2009; ... Before its financial crisis, Shenandoah Life Insurance Co.planned to reward top-performing agents with luxury vacations thisspring. But now that the company is striving to recover from multimillion-dollar investment losses, those trips -- to the Bahamas and Spain --represent an ...
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO CAN CAPITAL PROJECTS
Mar 01, 2009 ... Can't Roanoke County close its $8 million deficit by using themoney intended to build a new library? Why would Roanoke tout a $2.6million plan to overhaul the Washington Park swimming pool when thecity might not be able to afford to hire lifeguards this summer?And what about all those ...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Mar 01, 2009 ... People should form opinions based on facts, not propaganda Dan Yasenchak claims that "millions of more babies will die"because President Obama supports "passing the radically pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act" ("Obama won't reduce abortions,"Feb. 18 letter). One day later, ...
INCREASE PULASKI COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES
Mar 01, 2009 ... When you live in a rural community like Pulaski County, you don'texpect big-city, big-government amenities. You also don't expect topay big-city, big-government taxes. Fortunately, there's nothing bigabout property tax increases proposed by the board of supervisors. Technically, ...
A NEW PEACE MAP
Mar 01, 2009; ... The regional conflict that most directly threatens U.S. securityand interests is surely the one that pits Israel against thePalestinians. This proposal is directed to a radical rethinking of the "roadmap" to resolving that conflict. It contains a description of thesteps the ...
A LAW FOR THE WORKING PEOPLE
Mar 01, 2009; ... Ever since the presidential primaries ended, a storm has beengathering in the business community. Then-candidate Barack Obama'stalk of the "card check" bill (misleadingly titled the Employee FreeChoice Act) energized labor unions and terrified businesses acrossthe country. This proposed ...
BLACKSBURG GIRLS REPEAT AS CHAMPS [Corrected 07/10/09]
Mar 01, 2009; ... Even on tough morning, Blacksburg's Kathleen Stevens doesn't needto look far for motivation to pull herself out of bed to go on atraining run. It isn't hard to imagine the competition gaining onher if she simply hits the snooze button. All she has to do is peel her eyes open, and ...
LABOR NEEDS THE BUSINESS
Mar 01, 2009; ... In all the talk of bailouts and bubbles, our nation's pundits aremissing the fundamental point that working Americans have beensuffering for much longer than A.I.G. or Citibank. For years, communities have had to watch their good manufacturingjobs disappear. The new high-tech jobs ...
A QUICK FIX FOR POTTERHEADS
Mar 01, 2009; ... I tend to believe that when it comes to Harry Potter, thatbespectacled young wizard who comes of age while battling world-threatening evil, there are two types of people: those who havealready read every book and those who will never read a single one. But there can be degrees of ...
100 SITES THAT SOAR
Mar 01, 2009; ... It would be hard enough to narrow down the best birding spots inthe world; even the best ones in Southwest Virginia are debatable.But ornithologist Dominic Couzens likes a challenge: He goes so faras to rank them. Couzens offers a humble disclaimer at the beginning of thiscoffee ...
SMOKING BAN WILL MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE
Mar 01, 2009; ... If all went well, the General Assembly adjourned last night. (AsI write this Thursday, negotiators were still working outdifferences between the House and Senate revisions to the budget.) For all the attention given to lawmakers and their antics, theGeneral Assembly rarely ...
VOICES OF THE VALLEYS
Mar 01, 2009 ... Harlan Miller, Blacksburg Of course what's under stress is not the planet itself but theecological system including and supporting humanity. Global warmingis real, and at least partly caused by human activity. Itcontributes to shortages of many sorts that pose threats in the ...
CARILION CLINIC CLAIMS LARGER SLICE OF MARKET [Corrected 07/10/09]
Mar 01, 2009; ... Over five years, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital's share ofregional inpatient hospital admissions has grown as its nearestcompetitor's slice of the pie has remained relatively unchanged. Market share gains in some of the hospital industry's busiestinpatient services have been ...
STIMULUS FOR THE NEW RIVER VALLEY
Mar 01, 2009; ... The federal dump trucks full of stimulus cash will pull intoRichmond any day now, and Gov. Tim Kaine needs help spending thebillions. He wants Virginians to pitch ideas at the Web sitestimulus.virginia.gov. Already Virginians have suggested thousands of ways to boost theeconomy ...
BETTER BEEF?
Mar 01, 2009; ... Alec Bradford stood in muddy boots on a recent Thursday morning,huddling against a cutting winter wind as he surveyed his herd. His quiet voice was almost drowned by the bang-clang of cow hornsagainst metal poles as the world's oldest cattle breed ate from around bale ...
BASSETT MAN DIES IN SINGLE-CAR CRASH
Mar 01, 2009; ... A 21-year-old man from Bassett died in a single-car wreck earlySaturday in Henry County, police said. Shedrick D. Barner was found dead after the crash, which wasreported about 5:20 a.m. on U.S. 220, about two miles from the NorthCarolina border, said Sgt. Rob Carpentieri of the ...
STAY QUIET ON THE PALESTINIAN FRONT
Mar 01, 2009; ... Mainline Protestant denominations -- Methodist, Presbyterian,Episcopalian, Lutheran, United Church of Christ -- have been in the forefront of criticism of Israel's incursion into Gaza and itsbuilding of the Wall. The Presbyterians have even tried to mountcampaigns of divestment from ...
MAY I RECOMMEND...
Mar 01, 2009; ... SEASONS AND COLOR OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS Text by Jessy Oberright, photography by Bill Booz III. MistyMountain Press, 64 pages, $9.95 paperback For anyone who has taken even a short hike on the AppalachianTrail, there surely must have been a moment when the desire ...
COSTING OUT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Mar 01, 2009 ... Slashing the state's budget dominated this year's GeneralAssembly session, but Virginia lawmakers did take a little time tovote to expand the state's list of capital crimes. They would have done well to do a cost-benefit analysis first. While legislators were busily adding to ...
WHERE THE ELITE EAT
Mar 01, 2009; ... This star-studded, name-dropping, luscious cookbook by the ownersof the famous New York City restaurant Tavern on the Green comes atjust the right time. Created by Mervyn LeRoy, the producer of the film classic "TheWizard of Oz," the magical, otherworldly Tavern radiates ...
A 'PICTURE BRIDE'S' STORY
Mar 01, 2009; ... Her parents wanted a boy, so they named her "Regret." When shetold her father she wanted to learn how to read, he beat her for"disgracing him." At 16, she fled her native Korea by pledging tomarry a man in Hawaii, sight unseen, enduring a ghastly journey insteerage only to discover her ...
FIELD GUIDE TO...VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETES PUT THEIR ALL INTO TRACK CHALLENGE
Mar 01, 2009; ... The Rector Field House at Virginia Tech is a little cozier than Iimagined. My youngest son and I recently attended the Virginia TechChallenge indoor track and field meet there. We found ourselvesright in the middle of the action, perched on the very edge of thetrack and, at one ...
BUDGET PASSES BOTH HOUSES
Mar 01, 2009; ... The General Assembly ended its 46-day legislative sessionSaturday night after passing a revised state budget that usesfederal economic recovery funds to avert deep cuts in essentialstate services. The compromise budget plan was finalized by House and Senatenegotiators about ...
CHORAL CONCERT SINGS PRAISES OF THE ARTS
Mar 01, 2009; ... More than 300 students from 37 high schools, as well as theirfamilies, friends and fans were present for the big event. In themoments before it began, anticipation grew and so did thetemperature as cheeks flushed and programs turned into fans. Thecrowd quickly occupied all available ...
OBIT - BECKNER, ELDRIDGE JAMES
Mar 01, 2009 ... Eldridge James Beckner, 82, of Salem, Va., passed away onThursday, February 19, 2009. Eldridge was born in Franklin County.He was the son of Covey Beckner and Teresa Greenwood Beckner. Heserved in the United States Army during World War II. He lived andworked as a carpenter in ...
OBIT - CHITTY, MAVIS ELIZABETH HAYES
Mar 01, 2009 ... Mavis Elizabeth Hayes Chitty, 83, of Roanoke, Va., and a recentresident of Carrington Place, Daleville, Va., passed away onThursday, February 26, 2009. She was preceded in death by herhusband, Michael William Gerald Chitty; and a brother, Robert Hayes.An accomplished watercolorist and ...
OBIT - HUFFINE, MELVIN EDWARD
Mar 01, 2009 ... Melvin Edward Huffine, 88, of Roanoke, Va., left us to begin hisnew life in heaven on Thursday, February 26, 2009. He was born onApril 4, 1920, in Roanoke, Va. His parents, Boyd Henry and RosieHuffine; brother, Boyd Huffine Jr.; and sisters, Mary Meador andAnnie Mae Cannaday; preceded ...
OBIT - CROWDER, VICTOR L.
Mar 01, 2009 ... Victor L. Crowder, 56, of Roanoke, Va., went home to be with theLord on Thursday, February 26, 2009. He was preceded in death by hisgrandparents, Johnnie and Hunter Crowder. Surviving are his motherand father, Marie B. and William L. Crowder, of Roanoke; brother,William A. Crowder and ...
OBIT - ENGLAND, HARRY P. (PEEWEE)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Harry P. (PeeWee) England, 78, of Roanoke, passed away on Friday,February 27, 2009. He retired from the Salem Veterans AdministrationHospital. A United States Army veteran, he served in the KoreanConflict. He was a member of the Vinton Moose Lodge and Kazim Templeof the Shrine. Surviving ...
OBIT - BUSH, MARSHALL M. SR.
Mar 01, 2009 ... Marshall M. Bush, Sr., 84, of Roanoke, passed away Thursday,February 26, 2009. Mr. Bush was a Navy veteran of World War II. Hewas proceeded in death by his wife, Louise C. Bush. He is survivedby his son and daughter-in-law, Marshall M. Bush, Jr. and Ann M.Bush, of Roanoke and ...
OBIT - CLEMENTS, GLENNA RUTH
Mar 01, 2009 ... Glenna Ruth Clements, 86, of Roanoke, passed away, Saturday,February 28, 2009. She is the widow of Rufus Clements. She ispreceded in death by her daughter, Joanne C. Wheeler; her sisters,Emma Graham and Anna Gillespie; her brother, John Rice Jr.; and hergrandson, Craig. Surviving are her ...
OBIT - BOOTHE, MARLENE ALTICE SEVERA
Mar 01, 2009 ... Marlene Altice Severa Boothe, 74, of Roanoke, went to be with theLord on Friday, February 27, 2009. Marlene was born on January 11,1935, to the late George R. Altice and Sallie Parker Altice. She waspredeceased by a brother, Glenwood Altice; sister, June Barton; anda grandson, Donald S ....
OBIT - ELLER, DEBORAH KAY
Mar 01, 2009 ... Deborah Kay Eller, 56, of Salem, went home to be with ChristJesus on Friday, February 27, 2009. Deborah held degrees from bothMary Baldwin College and Hollins University. She served as theExecutive Director for many non-profit organizations including theWomens Resource Center in ...
OBIT - PORTER, ROBERT VINSON
Mar 01, 2009 ... Robert Vinson Porter, 88, of Smith Mountain Lake, Va., diedWednesday, February 25, 2009, at his residence. He was born August19, 1920, in New Jersey, a son of the late Frank Porter and LillianMabel Ashby Porter. Robert is survived by his wife, Barbara L.Porter; two daughters, Carol Welsh ...
OBIT - PHIPPS, MARY FROST
Mar 01, 2009 ... Mary Frost Phipps, 66, of Callaway, Va., passed away Thursday,February 26, 2009. Funeral services will be held 2 ...
OBIT - MARTIN, ROSCOE T.
Mar 01, 2009 ... Roscoe T. Martin, Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy,retired, 69, of Salem, Va., and Yadkinville, N.C., passed away onWednesday, February 25, 2009 at Forsyth Medical Center inWinstonSalem, N.C. Roscoe served his country for 20 years in theU.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in ...
OBIT - HUNT, NATHANIEL LEWIS
Mar 01, 2009 ... Nathaniel Lewis Hunt, 77, of Roanoke, Va., passed peacefully andquietly on Thursday, February 26, 2009, at Friendship RetirementCommunity. "NAT," as he was affectionately called was born to LottieAcey Hunt and the late Colston Lewis Hunt on November 9, 1931, inRockbridge County, Va. He ...
OBIT - LOWE, KIRKLAND J. JR. (KJ)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Kirkland J. (KJ) Lowe Jr., 56, of New Castle, Va., passed away onThursday, February 26, 2009. He was a Navy veteran of Viet Nam andwas a graduate of Virginia Western Community College. He retiredfrom Norfolk Southern with 17 years of service. He later retiredfrom Applied Management ...
OBIT - NICHOLS, VIOLA ALDENE CONNER
Mar 01, 2009 ... Viola Aldene Conner Nichols, 75, of Roanoke, Va., passed away onFriday, February 27, 2009, at Richfield Care Center. She was bornMarch 22, 1933, to the late Guy and Nellie Poff Conner of FloydCounty. She was also preceded in death by her sisters, Dessie Connerand Annie Dowdy; and her ...
OBIT - CREASY, SAMUEL BUFORD JR. (S.B)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Samuel Buford (S. B.) Creasy, Jr., 83, of Bedford, passed awayFriday, February 27, 2009 at Bedford Memorial Hospital. He was bornon Friday, August 7, 1925 in the Bunker Hill Community of BedfordCo., a son of the late Samuel Buford Creasy, Sr. and Ariadne WithrowCreasy. S. B. worked with ...
OBIT - REYNOLDS, WALTER R. SR.
Mar 01, 2009 ... Walter R. Reynolds, Sr., 92, of Christiansburg, passed away onThursday, February 26, 2009. He was born on August 21, 1916, inPilot, Va. to the late Edgar Green, Sr. and Katie (Calloway)Reynolds. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Louise Reynolds;sons, Allen Cecil Reynolds and ...
OBIT - MORGAN, WOODROW WILSON
Mar 01, 2009 ... Woodrow Wilson Morgan, 90, of Bedford, passed away Friday,February 27, 2009. Graveside services 2:30 p.m ....
OBIT - LAWHORNE, EDWARD DEAN
Mar 01, 2009 ... Edward Dean Lawhorne, 47, of Huddleston, died Thursday, February26, 2009. Memorial services 2 p.m. Sunday, at ...
OBIT - WILKERSON, JAMES E.
Mar 01, 2009 ... James E. Wilkerson, 75, of Bedford, passed away Saturday,February 28, ...
OBIT - NESTER, GARLAND DANIEL
Mar 01, 2009 ... Garland Daniel Nester, 64, of Montvale, passed away Friday,February 27, 2009 ....
OBIT - ROACH, ROY LEE
Mar 01, 2009 ... Roy Lee Roach, 63, of Huddleston, passed away Wednesday, February25, 2009 ....
OBIT - REED, MARVIN GRAY
Mar 01, 2009 ... Marvin Gray Reed, 83, of Christiansburg, passed away on Friday,February 27, 2009. Marvin was born on July 30, 1925.He was precededin death by his father, Harley E. Reed; his mother, Lilly MyersReed; his sisters, Dorothy Crismond, Juliette Heinline; and abrother, Douglas Reed. He is ...
OBIT - IRVING, EDWARD WAUGH JR.
Mar 01, 2009 ... Edward Waugh Irving Jr., 84, of Roanoke, passed away Friday,February 27, 2009. He was born October 25, 1924, the son of EdwardWaugh Sr. and Annie Lewis Irving, ancestor of General Andrew Lewis.He graduated from Jefferson Senior High School, attended RoanokeCollege, and graduate from ...
OBIT - JOHNSON, JAMES WILLARD (JIMMY)
Mar 01, 2009 ... James (Jimmy) Willard Johnson, 77, of Sydnorsville, Va. passedaway Saturday, February 28, 2009. He was born January 13, 1932, ason of the late Charlie Vestal Johnson and Mattie Martha McKinneyJohnson. He was also preceded in death by five sisters, Ruth Young,Mary Martin, Elsie Lamkin, ...
OBIT - SHORTER, PHILIP EARL (P.E.)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Philip Earl (P.E.) Shorter, 84, of Roanoke, passed away onFriday, February 27, 2009. He was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army, stationed in the South Pacific for three years. Mr. Shorterwas a longtime active member of Greene Memorial United MethodistChurch since 1953, where he was ...
OBIT - DILLON, MARY RIGNEY
Mar 01, 2009 ... Mary Rigney Dillon, 65, of Wirtz, passed away Friday, February27, 2009. She was born April 29, 1943, a daughter of the late Acieand Connie Mae Rigney. She was also preceded in death by herhusband, Floyd Dillon. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law,Penny and Frank Basham (Davis); ...
OBIT - PARKER, DIANA MEDLEY
Mar 01, 2009 ... Diana Medley Parker, 50, of Pulaski, died Friday evening,February 27, 2009 in Pulaski Community Hospital. She was born July2, 1958 in Washington, D.C. and is the daughter of Shirley DavidMedley and Bennett R. Medley. She is preceded in death by herpaternal grandparents, Abraham and ...
OBIT - WHITE, EULA MAE
Mar 01, 2009 ... Mrs. Eula Mae White, 81, of Rocky Mount, died Friday, ...
OBIT - HEINZER, SIGRID URSULA
Mar 01, 2009 ... Sigrid Ursula Heinzer, 85, of Bend, Ore., formerly of Roanoke,Va., passed away February 23, 2009. She was preceded in death by onegranddaughter, Stephanie. She is survived by her husband, HansHeinzer; son, Dieter (Vanessa) Heinzer; grandchildren, Valerie(Marcus) Gee, Hans (Brooke) ...
OBIT - CRADDOCK, FRANCIS DALLAS III (FRANK)
Mar 01, 2009 ... July 20, 1938 January 13, 2009 Francis (Frank) Dallas CraddockIII, 70, of Lynchburg, Va., died January 13, 2009. Frank was born inRoanoke, Va., son of Francis Dallas Craddock Jr., and Virginia A.Craddock. Preceding him in death were two sisters, Virginia (Mrs.Richard Felding) and Loretta ...
OBIT - GEORGE, LUCY ADELAIDE HUMPHREYS
Mar 01, 2009 ... Lucy Adelaide Humphreys George, 81, of Richmond, Va., died onSunday, February 22, 2009, after an extended illness. Originallyfrom Salem, Va., she was the daughter of the late Mary CletusLittreal and Horace Francis Humphreys. She was predeceased by hersister, Alice Bernice Humphreys; and ...
OBIT - OQUINN, EVA STANLEY
Mar 01, 2009 ... Eva Stanley OQuinn, 93, formerly of Hillsville, Va., went to bewith her Lord on Thursday, February 26, 2009. Mrs. OQuinn was bornin Hillsville, Va., to the late George Wesley and Martha JoannaBeasley Alderman. In addition to her parents, she was preceded indeath by her husbands, Maston ...
OBIT - WEISEND, ANN BOGGS
Mar 01, 2009 ... Ann Boggs Weisend, 82, of Blacksburg, Va., died on Friday,February 27, 2009, at Montgomery Regional Hospital. She was born inHopewell, Va., on September 23, 1926, to the late Lewers and RheaJames Boggs. She was preceded in death by her husband, WendellHolmes Weisend. She graduated form ...
OBIT - BLANKENSHIP, BERTIE LEE
Mar 01, 2009 ... Bertie Lee Blankenship, 86, of Galax, Va., passed away Friday,February 27, 2009, in Sunbridge of Alleghany. Mrs. Blankenship wasborn in Wythe County, Va. on December 4, 1922, to Charles and NellieClark Repass. In addition to her parents she was preceded in deathby two daughters, Dena ...
OBIT - YOUNGER, WALTER
Mar 01, 2009 ... Walter Younger, 67, of Chatham, Va., passed away Friday, ...