Roanoke News

In his backpack he carried a final note to his family and a crude, homemade gun fashioned from a piece of steel pipe, a shotgun shell and a nail rigged as a firing pin.

And here we were, barely a week ago, worried that Roanoke Mayor David Bowers would be denied the excitement of competition as he seeks another four-year term.

Monday, February 13, 7-8 p.m. Southern States Roanoke Co-op sponsors Fruit Tree Pruning: A free presentation by VA Co-op Extension, Roanoke.

With challengers beginning to emerge for the incumbents on the Roanoke City Council, it appears we may have a more interesting municipal election season than we had first anticipated .

As a growing number of boaters are meeting mandatory boater education requirements, demand for classes and attendance at those classes is also on the rise.

Last week I updated you on the latest concerning the grocery store, restaurant and cafe planned for the Sixteen West development on Church Avenue in downtown Roanoke.

My last trip to Roanoke, on official hot dog business, was for the famous Roanoke Weiner Stand , which was delicious.

School administrators around the region say not having any snow days could cause future problems for kids in the classroom.

A few hundred get to decide I-581 will have sound walls. But who will decide what they look like? Only people living in homes near the highway had a say in whether the Virginia Department of Transportation will need to build the high barriers once work begins to complete the Valley View interchange.

Sysy Morales, 28, of Roanoke, Virginia, learned she had Type 1 diabetes at age 11.

With Evan Friedell of Jimkata. Streaming music: The title cut to new EP "Ghosts And Killers" and "Roll With The Punches" In a world of country music performers who wear their patriotism on their sleeve, Aaron Tippin stands out.

Roanoke businessman Mark Lucas said this week he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Mayor David Bowers this spring.

Congenital heart diseases are the most common form of birth defect, occurring in 1% of live births according the the American Heart Association.

A special prosecutor has been named to handle the case involving a Botetourt County school teacher appealing a conviction of assault and battery against a student.

What influences your personal style? "I really like the way men dressed following World War II.

Homeowners will have a chance to get professional one-on-one advice about home-energy efficiency at a speed dating-style event tonight.

When you get to be 90 years old, getting out of bed in the morning can be an act of defiance.

Gov. Bev Perdue said today she will make a major jobs announcement in High Point at 2:30 p.m. The governor's office did not specify which company was involved in the news, but it is likely to involve an economic-development project involving Solstas Lab Partners.

Talk about your wide-ranging triple-bills. The New Orleans groovemeisters of Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk hit Growler's on Friday, with blues-and-soul rocker Jamie McLean Band and Roanoke electro-jammers Funk Punch.

A A new library plan for Roanoke enters circulation and will offer patrons more of what they want: neighborhood spaces and programs.