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From Roanoke Railhouse Brewery: Roanoke’s oldest brewery is for sale. “I’ve taken it as far as I can,” said Steve Davidson, founder of Roanoke Railhouse Brewery. “The biggest goals I had have been accomplished.” The brewery, which opened its doors in 2009, has two assets that anyone who wants to get into the brewing business may find attractive, according to Davidson. “We have a fully capable brewing operation and appropriate amounts of cold storage, plus our Franklin Road Taproom,” said Davidson, “But a new brewer will want our licensing and our signature recipes.”
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From Roanoke County: The Roanoke County School Board has elected Mike Wray as the 2016 board chairman. Wray, who represents the Cave Spring District, was elected to the board in November 2015 and is serving his first term on the board and his first term as chairman. Wray previously served on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors from 2004-2008, serving as board chairman in 2006. “I appreciate the support of the board members. I look forward to serving the citizens of Roanoke County. We have a lot of things to work on this year,” Wray said. The school board also elected Vinton District representative Tim Greenway to serve as Vice-Chairman. Greenway was elected to the school board in November 2015 to fill the remaining unexpired term for the Vinton District seat.
The first puck won’t drop until October but the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs are already on track to sell 611 season tickets by Jan. 16, meeting their initial goal. The new professional hockey team is expected to surpass its goal following the Guns ‘n Hoses charity hockey game, to be played at the Berglund Center on Jan. 16. The goal of 611 season tickets was announced when the team name and logo were unveiled – a number honoring the refurbished locomotive at the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The museum is one of three charities, along with Angels of Assisi and Guns ‘n Hoses (Muscular Dystrophy Association), splitting a $10 donation from the Rail Yard Dawgs for every season ticket sold through Jan. 16. Continue reading for ticket details. Continue reading
From Virginia State Police: Rocky Mount, Va. – Virginia State Police Trooper J. D. Eames is investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash that occurred on January 6, 2016 at 8:37 am. The crash was on Route 619 (Sontag Road) one half mile east of Route 902 in Franklin County. A 2010 Ford F-150 was traveling eastbound on Route 619, one half mile east of Route 902 when it crossed the center line and sideswiped a 1991 Chevrolet S-10. The S-10 then left the roadway and struck an embankment and overturned. The 2010 Ford was driven by Paul Wayne Mattox, 26, of Rocky Mount, Va. Mr. Mattox was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured at the time of the crash. The 1991 Chevrolet was driven by James Edward Hodges, 72, Rocky Mount, VA. Mr. Hodges was wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. The Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction Team was call to assist with the investigation. The crash remains under investigation.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Appalachian Power Company customers in Virginia are getting a break on their monthly bills. The State Corporation Commission said Wednesday that it approved a two-phase decrease in the fuel rate requested by the utility. The fuel rate is the portion of the bill that pays for the cost of fuel used to generate electricity. The first reduction applies to all service on or after last Oct. 1. It results in a $3.67 savings for a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. Another reduction takes effect Feb. 1, slashing an additional $2.85 from the bill.
DANVILLE, Va. (AP) _ A high school employee in Danville has been indicted on child pornography charges. Media outlets report that 58-year-old Michael Nelson Edwards was indicted by a Danville Circuit Court grand jury this week on 100 counts of possession of child pornography. Danville police say in a news release that investigators confiscated a computer and hundreds of printed images during a search of Edwards’ residence in September. Edwards was a teacher’s aide at George Washington High School and was suspended from his job the day the search warrant was executed. Edwards was being held in the Danville City Jail. It wasn’t immediately known whether he has an attorney.
From Virginia State Police: Senior Trooper T. W. Flight is investigating a single vehicle fatal crash in Montgomery County. The crash occurred on January 6, 2016 at 4:00 pm on Route 460 at the Route 643 Overpass in Montgomery County. A 2003 Ford Focus was traveling east on Route 460. Changing from the right lane to the left lane, the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and struck the bridge. The Focus was driven by Richard James Machen, 29, of Christiansburg, Va. Mr. Machen was wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Tim Guthrie
Mike Crawley
From the City of Salem: Salem Police Chief Tim Guthrie announced his retirement in a staff meeting this morning after serving Salem’s citizens as a valued member of the Police Department for the past 34 years. His departure, which has been in the works for the past several months, will take effect at the end of January. Salem City Manager Kevin Boggess immediately appointed Mike Crawley to the position of Police Chief for the citizens of Salem. Crawley, 42, began working with the Salem Police Department in December 1999 as a Patrol Officer and was voted Officer of The Year by his peers just three years into his law enforcement career. Crawley’s first order of business was appointing Lt. Derek Weeks as Salem’s new Deputy Chief. Weeks, 41, began his law enforcement career serving four years with the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office before joining the Salem Police Department in 2001 as a Patrol Officer.
News release: The Virginia Board of Education is honoring 55 Title I schools and one school division for raising the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students. The awards are based on student performance on Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. Each school and division will receive a certificate celebrating its status and achievement. The board recognized nine schools as Title I Highly Distinguished Schools, including Snow Creek Elementary in Franklin County. To qualify for the distinction, schools must exceed all state and federal accountability benchmarks for two consecutive years and achieve pass rates on reading and mathematics SOL tests at or above the 85th percentile.
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News release: Kroger will have a job fair January 15, seeking to fill approximately 700 jobs in its stores in the Mid-Atlantic Division. Interviews will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on January 15 in all Kroger stores in western Virginia and West Virginia. Those interested may apply online at and/or come to any Kroger store in western Virginia and West Virginia. No appointment is necessary. Kroger has both part- and full-time openings.
Click here for the Kroger jobs website.
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