roanoke.com - Local news from the New River Valley

The grocery store chain hopes to build its first Blacksburg gas station at KFC on University City Boulevard.

| Lerone Graham

lerone.graham@roanoke.com, 381-8621

BLACKSBURG -- The applicant for a new Kroger gas station addressed a handful of residents during an open forum Wednesday about the proposed business -- with traffic being the main topic.

A new 222-acre nature preserve in Ellett Valley was dedicated Thursday in honor of a couple who paid "peanuts."

| Katelyn Polantz

katelyn.polantz@roanoke.com, 381-1669

Evelyn Blake, 89, had dreamed of owning this property.

The lush Montgomery County forest -- with its bubbling Mill Creek, untouched trees, dense undergrowth and a few cabins about six miles north of Blacksburg -- drew her and a friend for an escape from undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech in the 1940s.

Montgomery Co. leaders said they aren't concerned about early delays in shuttling students to Christiansburg.

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

CHRISTIANSBURG -- If late school buses continue to roll into Blacksburg Middle School next week, as they had each day through Thursday, Principal John Wheeler said he might worry.

Clinton Claude Quesenberry, 46, was convicted in April of 149 counts of possessing pictures of young girls on his computer.

| Shawna Morrison

shawna.morrison@roanoke.com, 381-1665

A Dublin man was sentenced Wednesday to spend about 19 years in prison for possessing child pornography.

The mayor, town manager and others hope to improve the town's reputation as unfriendly to business.

| Lerone Graham

lerone.graham@roanoke.com, 381-8621

BLACKSBURG -- Future goals were a key focus for the Blacksburg Town Council during Tuesday's quarterly work session.

Officials say water tests of little concern

The town's water supply in July failed to pass contaminant level guidelines set forth by the Commonwealth of Virginia Waterworks Regulations, according to a town release.

Horticulturist Barry Robinson, who has been with Virginia Tech's extension office since 2004, has been told his last day will be Sept. 10.

| Tonia Moxley

tonia.moxley@roanoke.com, 381-1675

Apple tree lovers alert!

The sole bud grafting workshop to be offered in Montgomery County this year is set for 6: 30 p.m. Tuesday.

A Blacksburg woman said she took drugs before falling asleep in bed with her daughter.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- A Montgomery County prosecutor said Tuesday that a Blacksburg woman's drug use and the death of her baby were linked, though he didn't know exactly how to "connect the dots" between them.

The TV and movie star will discuss her career and her role in the play "Persephone," which is directed by a professor.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

Actress Julia Stiles, well-known for her television and film roles including the Jason Bourne series, will appear at Virginia Tech on Monday.

Six positions have been lost because of state budget shortfalls.

| Katelyn Polantz

katelyn.polantz@roanoke.com, 381-1669

Two Montgomery County offices have cut six staff positions since July, and three employees will be laid off by the end of the year, officials said this week.

After 33 years, Ann Fisher will step down Sept. 30 and Toni Cox will take her place.

| Amy Matzke-Fawcett

amy.matzke-fawcett@roanoke.com, 381-1674

Longtime Radford Public Library Director Ann Fisher will retire this month after three decades.

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

Pulaski County's juniors and seniors could get the chance to take classes in firefighting and receive training as emergency medical technicians next school year.

Crews will add lanes to a mile of road and get rid of a sharp "S" curve on U.S. 221 in Back Creek.

Crews paid by federal stimulus dollars will soon tackle the widening and realignment of U.S. 221 in the Back Creek area of Roanoke County -- a job some residents requested more than 25 years ago to alleviate wrecks and backups.

Supervisors want to hear the financing options before voting on the $124.6 million proposal.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors didn't reach a decision Monday night regarding the county school board's proposal to spend $124.6 million on its buildings.

William Lewis will be responsible for boosting the hiring and recruitment of minorities.

Virginia Tech has announced the hire of a new vice president for diversity and inclusion responsible for boosting hiring and recruitment of minority faculty and increasing minority student enrollment.

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors on Monday approved an agreement with Carilion Clinic in Roanoke to create a joint division of health sciences within the university.

Carilion Clinic CEO Ed Murphy addressed the board about the research and health care potential of such a collaboration, which would combine Tech's interdisciplinary science and engineering programs with health initiatives such as Tech's new masters of public health and the new Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

MONTGOMERY CO.

Parks and recreation board has open spot in Blacksburg

The parks and recreation advisory board in Montgomery County is seeking a new member from Blacksburg.

The county Board of Supervisors will appoint an applicant from District F to serve for three years.

After a tumultuous summer of relocation and debate, students and teachers get to work in two separate towns.

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

CHRISTIANSBURG -- After a summer's worth of debate, complaints and renovation, Montgomery County's plan to shift nearly 2,000 students around is in motion.

School that combined two smaller schools to make Eastern Montgomery is "bigger than Walmart," a first-grader brags.

| Caleb Fleming

caleb.fleming@roanoke.com, 381-1627

ELLISTON -- Students poured into Eastern Montgomery Elementary School for the first time Monday morning, captivated by its size and untrodden hallways.

Supervisors want to hear the financing options before voting on the $124.6 million proposal.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors didn't reach a decision Monday night regarding the county school board's proposal to spend $124.6 million on its buildings.

That decision may take weeks because the board is divided, board Chairwoman Annette Perkins said.