The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, VA) back issues from September 2007:
Tear up, tee it up.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Randy King Sep. 1--BLACKSBURG -- So they don't cry in college football? Well, they will today at Lane Stadium. As Virginia Tech's players huddle in the tunnel and listen to the pregame ceremony honoring the April 16 shooting victims, one can fully ...
Lightning delays Patrick Henry game: The Patriots and Bassett will attempt to finish the game on Monday afternoon.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Robert Anderson Sep. 1--Patrick Henry High School's football program has waited 46 years for a varsity football game to be played on campus. The Patriots will have to wait two more days. PH's long-awaited opening of Patriot Stadium was kicked off ...
BRIEF: Hokies blank Radford.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--RADFORD -- The Virginia Tech women's soccer team opened its season with a 3-0 nonconference victory over Radford on Friday at Cupp Memorial Stadium. Marika Gray scored two goals for the Hokies and Ashley Owens earned the shutout with five saves. No. 9 UVa 4, ...
What a drowner: At Patrick Henry's new stadium, school spirit and excitement brimmed -- right up until the game was called off amid lightning.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Amanda Codispoti Sep. 1--The players were warmed up, the sellout crowd was in a frenzy and the band was booming away. Then an announcement came over the public address system Friday evening -- a 20-minute lightning delay. Fans huddled under umbrellas or in ...
The messenger: a VT survivor's story: Derek O'Dell of Roanoke County returned to Virginia Tech on Aug. 16 -- four months after the shooting. The bullet wound in his right arm is healed. Other wounds run deeper.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Matt Chittum Sep. 1--The voice leapt above the hum from the waiting room television at Montgomery Regional Hospital. News of the shootings at Virginia Tech was not two hours old, and the network chatter was already relentless. But the voice ...
EDITORIAL: A doctor for Craig.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--For the 5,100 residents of Craig County, lack of access to health care isn't just some concept found in studies and reports. It's a way of life in this mostly poor, rural community that hasn't had the benefit of a constant physician in 30 years. Thankfully, that's all ...
Busch spills news on Gibbs' move.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 1--FONTANA, Calif. -- Kyle Busch confirmed Friday that Joe Gibbs Racing will switch to Toyota next season. The move gives the manufacturer a team that has won three series titles in seven years, but creates questions as to whether Gibbs cars ...
The Roanoke Times, Va., Aaron McFarling column: Now it's the Hokies' turn to thank all those who helped.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Aaron McFarling Sep. 1--BLACKSBURG -- As a kid, Jud Dunlevy would ride up with his family from North Carolina and find his seat at Lane Stadium. Then he'd boo the heck out of the opposing team. "Oh, yeah," the Virginia Tech kicker said of the ...
Corrections.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1-- The BCS National Championship college football game will be Jan. 7. The date listed in Sunday's college football preview section was incorrect. ---- The last name of UVa-Wise football player Kevin Jenkins, formerly of William Byrd High School, was incorrectly reported in the ...
Kaine weighs in on panel's report: The governor said there needs to be a balance between privacy rights and public safety.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Mike Gangloff Sep. 1--Again and again in the report from the Virginia Tech shootings review panel, one theme emerges: Share more information. It's far too soon to know how the report's many recommendations in this area will fare, but state and university ...
VDOT reins in access to bridge inspection reports: Over concerns that the reports reveal vulnerabilities to terrorists, state officials decided to restrict public viewings.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Jeff Sturgeon Sep. 1--Citing national security concerns, the Virginia Department of Transportation said Friday it will no longer release bridge inspection reports. VDOT public information officers had openly shared reports about most Virginia bridges after ...
Kaine vows action on Tech panel suggestions.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Michael Sluss Sep. 1--RICHMOND -- One day after receiving a critical report on the Virginia Tech shootings, Gov. Tim Kaine said Friday that he will push for action on many of its sweeping recommendations in the upcoming General Assembly session. Kaine said ...
The Roanoke Times, Va., Joe Kennedy's A Cuppa Joe column: Farewell to those who made this space great.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Joe Kennedy Sep. 1--About 11 years ago, Rich Martin, Wendy Zomparelli and I met in Rich's office to brainstorm ideas for a new column. Rich was this newspaper's managing editor, and Wendy was the editor. The first step was to think of a name. I blurted out "A ...
EDITORIAL: John Warner's regrettable exit: Virginia's senior senator has played a valuable role in the Iraq debate. Now, he says he'll retire in 2008. The nation will miss him.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--The Republican Party needed U.S. Sen. John Warner to run for re-election. With Democrats holding the slimmest of majorities, the GOP is looking toward 2008 with hope of regaining Senate control, and the popular Warner had a virtual lock on his Virginia seat. Too bad. ...
ESPN in town for good reason.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Mark Berman Sep. 1--BLACKSBURG -- Under normal circumstances, ESPN's "College GameDay" would originate today from the campus of California, which hosts Tennessee in the big game of the day. But the most compelling story of the day will take place here, when ...
Tragedy returns fans early: Many Tech fans say they may have skipped today's game if not for wanting to help in the healing.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Mark Berman Sep. 1--BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech fans from the commonwealth and many other states will gather at Lane Stadium today for a game they have long been anticipating. But many of them felt drawn to the campus a day early. A steady stream of orange- ...
Director retires after years in mental health care: Jim Sikkema started at Roanoke's Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, a mental health organization, in 1975.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Jessica Marcy Sep. 1--Jim Sikkema was diagnosed with stage-three malignant skin cancer a month after becoming executive director of Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare. After the diagnosis, he visited the Rev. William Lee, pastor of Loudon Avenue Christian ...
The Roanoke Times, Va., Mark Taylor column: Squirrel opener sets the tone.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Mark Taylor Sep. 2--GOODVIEW -- Say squirrel hunting is kids' stuff and you probably wouldn't get an argument from the eight men dressed in camo and heading into the Bedford County woods at dawn Saturday morning. A lot of being a kid is carefree fun with ...
Vineyards reap an early harvest: The season's dry weather is a welcome turnaround for many vintners.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Christina Rogers Sep. 2--For many Virginia vineyards, the season's grape harvest came earlier than anticipated this year, but with mixed results. Crop yields are expected to be down for some early-budding varieties, including the state's most popular, ...
Drug case withholds comfort from some: Efforts to learn more details about court-ordered community service for three Purdue Pharma executives have led the victims nowhere.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Laurence Hammack Sep. 2--For those who suffered the misery of addiction or the heartache of a loved one lost to OxyContin, the sentence offered some comfort: long hours of community service for the men they hold responsible. At a July 20 hearing, U.S ....
In Hillsville, a carnival of rarities: Hundreds of thousands attend the Hillsville Labor Day weekend event.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Reed Williams Sep. 2--HILLSVILLE -- Hundreds of thousands of people. An Ecuadoran man playing "The Sound of Silence" on a pan flute. A woman cruising around in an electric wheelchair with a monkey on her lap. Glenn Jackson, 84, thinks the Labor Day Flea Market ...
Putrid effort sinks Cavaliers: UVa's offense manages just five first downs on the way to a thorough beating by Wyoming.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Doug Doughty Sep. 2--LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Wyoming left the Cavaliers gasping Saturday, and it wasn't from the altitude. On a gorgeous afternoon in Big Sky country, the Cowboys handed Virginia a 23-3 beating that was much worse than the final score indicated. ...
Opening day a strain: East Carolina makes the Hokies earn every yard they get, but Tech's defense remains stingy.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Randy King Sep. 2--BLACKSBURG -- Frank Beamer has always said that a team improves more from the first to the second week than at any other time in the college football season. Well, the Virginia Tech coach had better hope his bunch gets a whole lot better in ...
EDITORIAL: Montgomery supervisors strike out: The public shouldn't pay for private sports travel.(Editorial)
Sep 02, 2007 ... Sep. 2--When young local athletes perform well on the field and advance to a national championship, it is something the community can cheer. It is not, however, something to subsidize with tax dollars, as Montgomery County has decided to do. The county board of supervisors last ...
Kaine praises candidate's values.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Ruth L. Tisdale Sep. 2--ROCKY MOUNT-- More than 150 people gathered at the home of Anne Gravely on Saturday afternoon as Gov. Tim Kaine endorsed Democratic candidate Eric Ferguson for the 9th District House of Delegates seat. Kaine said he was endorsing ...
Buena Vista police chief retires.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Jay Conley Sep. 2--Whoever takes over the reins as police chief of Buena Vista will have some big shoes to fill. Lewis Plogger retired Friday after serving 17 years as the city's top cop and 34 years on the police force. Under his command, the ...
Phyllis Long lived a life of love: The Blacksburg resident was cheerful and generous, friends and family said.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Lindsay Key Sep. 2--"Love." That was the last word 65-year-old Phyllis Long of Blacksburg spoke before she died from cancer Aug. 18. For Reggie Tuck, the Blacksburg United Methodist Church pastor by her side in her final hours, Long's last word was an ample ...
Fast is theme of night for Scites: After a speeding ticket on his way to Motor Mile, Davin Scites gets the win in the Late Model race.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Jared Turner Sep. 2--RADFORD -- Davin Scites was the recipient of a speeding ticket en route to Motor Mile Speedway for Saturday night's Late Model Stock race. It's safe to say he left all of his gremlins behind on the highway. Turning in one of ...
Corrections.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Sep. 2--Roanoke's 27 days of temperatures at or above 90 degrees in August was four more than the previous highest number of such days in a month, 23 in July 1987. The margin between the new record and the old one was incorrect in Saturday's Weather Journal column in the Virginia section ....
Rudd reaches milestone.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 2--FONTANA, Calif. -- Ricky Rudd jokes that his latest NASCAR achievement means one thing -- that he's old. He turns 51 in less than two weeks. That doesn't cloud the fact that Rudd will make his 900th career start in NASCAR's top series ...
Roanoke draws artistic pair from the West Coast: Arts and culture.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Kevin Kittredge Sep. 2--Young creative types who think the only good view of Roanoke is the one in the rearview mirror should have a talk with artist Suzun Hughes. She's not hard to find. She's the middle-aged lady with the pink hair who just moved here from ...
Va. helps other states' police investigate truck driver: The man, charged with killing a woman and attempting to kill a girl, drove trucks owned by a Fancy Gap company.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Neil Harvey Sep. 2--Virginia State Police are participating in the investigation of a North Carolina truck driver charged with killing a New Jersey woman and attempting to rape and kill a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl. He is also suspected of other violent crimes, ...
Career day for Tech TE.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Randy King Sep. 2--BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech's struggling offense had one Wheeler dealer in Saturday's season-opening 17-7 victory over East Carolina at Lane Stadium. Sam Wheeler, a redshirt sophomore tight end from Blacksburg, recorded career highs for ...
Area priests see little demand for Latin Mass: Church leaders likely would need special training to perform the old-style ceremony.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Pamela J. Podger Sep. 2--Several Roman Catholic priests in Southwest Virginia are thankful demand for the old-style Latin Mass hasn't emerged here because they are already stretched thin trying to serve rural parishes. This summer Pope Benedict XVI allowed ...
Payday lenders put their 2 cents in: Lenders' payments to lobbyists and campaigns will likely grow as the General Assembly considers reform.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Mason Adams Sep. 2--The payday loan industry came under fire from state legislators during the 2007 General Assembly session, and to find shelter it spent more money on lobbyists and campaign contributions than at any point in its short history in Virginia. ...
Political strife turns personal on Web sites.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Ruth L. Tisdale Sep. 2--Political tensions have gotten personal and spilled over onto well-known blogging sites. Involved in the war of words is Franklin County Democratic Chairman Joe Stanley and bloggers from the conservative Old Dominion Blog Alliance. ...
Hokies come together after tragedy.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Mark Berman Sep. 2--BLACKSBURG -- They cheered. They wept. A game Virginia Tech football fans have eagerly anticipated for months finally arrived Saturday, and with it came mixed emotions. The first Tech football game since the April 16 shootings ...
Art meets science at Virginia Tech.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Christian Trejbal Sep. 2--John Wood touched the moon. Now he's a painter. Go figure. The Roanoke-born scientist graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in geology in 1954. After earning a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he went to ...
EDITORIAL: What might have been at Virginia Tech: University officials made some mistakes on April 16, but a state investigation reasonably concludes they couldn't have stopped Cho. Then.(Editorial)
Sep 02, 2007 ... Sep. 2--It was no whitewash, as families of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings had feared. The report by the governor's panel that investigated the April 16 mass murder by Seung-Hui Cho criticizes the actions and inaction of university officials in the months before ...
The Roanoke Times, Va., Aaron McFarling column: This is the offense they're taking to LSU? Surely, you jest.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Aaron McFarling Sep. 2--Virginia Tech's offense was baiting LSU. That's all this was. Those guys knew the Tigers had Saturday off. They knew that LSU's players and fans would be sitting around watching the game, evaluating their next opponent. A ...
Scam artists can be sophisticated or primitive: Either way, the senior population is more at risk, a police officer warns.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Jared Turner Sep. 2--CHRISTIANSBURG -- No one is immune to identity theft. Senior citizens, more so than younger populations, however, are at risk. That was the message delivered by Christiansburg police Sgt. Kevin Tucker during an identity theft seminar last ...
Keydets blank Lock Haven: Despite the shutout, VMI shows evidence of being a young team with much to learn.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Katrina Waugh Sep. 2--LEXINGTON -- When linebacker Joe Taylor lined up in the wrong position, Nat Jackson figured it was crafty strategy. "When we're practicing, I can never figure out where he's going to be," Jackson said. In truth, Taylor is just ...
Avs win, but settle for 2nd: Bud Norris is a winner in his debut for Salem, however, Kinston takes the Southern Division.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Katrina Waugh Sep. 2--At least he didn't have to introduce himself to his teammates. With less than a week left in the Carolina League season, Bud Norris was called up to the Salem Avalanche and dropped directly into a race for a division championship. ...
Pirates open eyes with effort: ECU's physical defense, led by linebacker Quentin Cotton, limits Tech to 33 yards rushing.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Mark Berman Sep. 2--BLACKSBURG -- East Carolina didn't credit some complicated scheme for its success stuffing the Virginia Tech running game. "We didn't play any new looks today," ECU coach Skip Holtz said after his team opened the season with a 17-7 loss at ...
Eagles' plans exclude Slough: The veteran Franklin Co. baseball coach is unsure why he lost his position.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Robert Anderson Sep. 2--ROCKY MOUNT -- Franklin County recently held a back-to-school pep rally to drum up spirit among its teachers and other employees. Seated on the front row of the gymnasium at Franklin County High School was 20-year teaching veteran F.L ....
Bruins, Spartans play thriller: After playing all night on Friday, Giles hangs on to defeat Blacksburg after six overtime periods.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Ray Cox Sep. 2--PEARISBURG -- When Blacksburg and host Giles passed the third overtime in a mind-twisting epic of a football season opener and the score was still tied with no end in sight, Spartans coach Steve Ragsdale started thinking for the first time in his long ...
OPINION: Characters add some spice to elections.
Sep 02, 2007 ... Byline: Dan Radmacher Sep. 2--Starting last week and going through mid-October or so, up to 68 candidates for elective office will walk through our doors to be interviewed as The Roanoke Times Editorial Board tries to figure out who to recommend in the 28 contested elections ...
EDITORIAL: Waste, fraud, abuse and persecution.(Editorial)
Sep 02, 2007 ... Sep. 2--At least $8.8 billion is missing of the $30 billion that the U.S. government has paid to rebuild Iraq, according to a government reconstruction audit. Yet some Americans who have stepped forward to report corruption have been punished. An Associated Press investigation ...
First things first at Ferrum: The college's first female president has gotten a warm reception, and is making her mark.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Ruth L. Tisdale Sep. 3--FERRUM -- Nothing is too unimportant at Ferrum College for President Jennifer Braaten. She has overseen the construction of new dormitories and the renovation of buildings. She has had a hand in the college's dramatic ...
Down to 1 for Junior, Chase: Dale Earnhardt Jr. places fifth, but is 128 points out of the final transfer spot for the Chase.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 3--FONTANA, Calif. -- One chance. That's all Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to make NASCAR's Chase for the Nextel Cup. It's not a very good chance at that. Still, if a wild set of circumstances happen Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, ...
Hall of Fame Racing adds owners.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 3--FONTANA, Calif. -- Hall of Fame Racing has become the latest NASCAR Nextel Cup team to add new owners as the sport's surge for more money continues. Two executives with the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team will be the principle owners of ...
Sewell to remain starter at QB: Al Groh says Jameel Sewell's mechanics and reads need to be better.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Doug Doughty Sep. 3--CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On one side of Virginia's grounds, there was a call for football coach Al Groh's head Sunday. On the other, Groh was showing a little forgiveness toward sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell. Sewell, replaced ...
EDITORIAL: OPINION.(Editorial)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Sep. 3--DEBBIE MEADE President and Publisher DAN RADMACHER Editorial Page Editor ELIZABETH STROTHER LUANNE TRAUD CHRISTIAN TREJBAL LESLIE TAYLOR Editorial Page Staff Please write: ...
3 teens die as truck runs off road in Carroll County.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Neil Harvey Sep. 3--Three teenage girls were dead and three others hospitalized after a single-vehicle accident Sunday in Carroll County, Virginia State Police reported. Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Conroy said the crash occurred about 4 p.m. near Cana, a ...
Man charged with fondling girls in store.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Neil Harvey Sep. 3--A man arrested by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office over the weekend has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery. About 5 p.m. Saturday, officers were called to the Goodwill store on U.S. 221 in Bedford County because a ...
Conquering fear: PHOBIA: A fear that is frequent, intense and lasts at least six months. Virginia Tech wants to help you erase it.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Beth Macy Sep. 3--Eileen Yost couldn't go to sleep when a nighttime thunderstorm was forecast -- even if there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Ten at the time, she watched The Weather Channel constantly. At home, she would crawl into bed with her mother. When a ...
Fugitive removed from roof.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Neil Harvey Sep. 3--A cornered Salem fugitive took flight in Roanoke County on Sunday, but heights eventually got the best of him. The incident began about 3:30 p.m. when, according to county police, an off-duty Salem detective spotted a suspect wanted on ...
Vegas likes LSU even more now: The wagering line on the Virginia Tech-LSU game nearly doubles.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Byline: Randy King Sep. 3--Virginia Tech's next win will mark the 200th victory of Frank Beamer's college football coaching career. In order for Beamer to reach the milestone Saturday night at LSU, the Hokies will have to pull off one of their biggest upsets ever. ...
EDITORIAL: Labor Day by the numbers: As Americans enjoy picnics and a long weekend, they should reflect for a moment on the workers they honor today.(Editorial)
Sep 03, 2007 ... Sep. 3--There were 152.8 million American workers 16 and older in May -- 82.1 million men and 70.7 women. 7.1 million potential American workers were unemployed in July -- 4.6 percent of the work force. GREATEST NUMERICAL DECLINE 1. Farmers and ranchers ...
Roanoke's schools see budget windfall: Officials say the school system has some $5 million for needed supplies and repairs.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: David Harrison Sep. 4--Roanoke schools ended the last fiscal year with an unusually large budget surplus, a windfall that school officials plan to spend on textbooks, roof replacements and furniture. The school system closed its budget year, which ended June ...
Southwest Virginia voters must decide 3 contested races.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Mason Adams and Ruth Tisdale Sep. 4--BUENA VISTA -- Labor Day has traditionally served as the official kickoff for fall political campaigns. This year there are no statewide races, but all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for election. ...
Riner 4-H club could disband amid larger dispute over religion: The Horse Power 4-H Club was founded in 2004.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Albert Raboteau Sep. 4--RINER -- A 4-H club created to give children the opportunity to ride and care for horses may fold for lack of parent volunteers to lead the organization, which comes in the wake of a dispute over whether members of the club can meet in a church or ...
EDITORIAL: A grocery store for Northwest: Roanoke's inner city needs the economic and community benefits of a supermarket.(Editorial)
Sep 04, 2007 ... Sep. 4--Grocery stores, both chains and independents, have largely abandoned Roanoke's inner Northwest core. One grocery tenant after another moved into a former Kroger store that occupied a site near 19th Street and Melrose Avenue, only to shutter the doors after a short time ...
Johnson ends Hendrick drought.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Dustin Long Sep. 4--FONTANA, Calif. -- One race won't return a team to dominance, but car owner Rick Hendrick felt better about his title hopes after Jimmie Johnson's victory Sunday night at California Speedway. Johnson's series-high fifth victory of the year ...
Fish, faces could take teens to top: Two area students are in the running to be America's next top young scientist in a nationwide competition.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Jessica Marcy Sep. 4--What do facial recognition and anesthetizing fish have in common? The distinct subjects could make a Southwest Virginia teenager "America's next top young scientist." Karl Sorenson of Blacksburg and McKennon Flint of Roanoke ...