FloydFest 8 Kicks Off on Thursday

The region's annual four-day live music festival, FloydFest starts on Thursday, the 23rd and runs through Sunday the 26th.

Four-day, three-day or daily tickets are still available for the Woodstock-style event that features dozens of local and national acts. Headlining this year is Blue Traveler.

You can buy and print tickets on-line from the comfort of your own home or, if the boss isn't looking, your workplace. Tickets are transferable to someone else. If you lose your ticket, they'll let you reprint it. The hippie folks are very laid back that way.

You can also buy tickets at the gate, but you'll pay more.

Click here to go to the website for the full schedule of performers, hear their music, buy tickets, get parking and camping information and all the details.

Let He Who is Without Sin Cast The First Stone

Vinton Pastor Sentenced In Child Sex Abuse Case

(From The Roanoke Times)

"A former assistant pastor of a Vinton church was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl.

Daniel Silverman, who had earlier pleaded no contest, maintained his innocence to the end — saying he would rather be branded a sex offender and face a prison term than subject the girl to the emotional trauma of testifying against him.

"I would rather plead no contest than put her through that," Silverman told Roanoke Circuit Court Judge James Swanson.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Leach disputed the innocence claim, noting that Silverman had confessed to a police officer and a social services worker following the offense last summer.

Silverman, 43, was the assistant pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Vinton. In an unrelated case, a former deacon of the church was convicted recently of child molestation. Dean Harold Stone was sentenced to 48 years in prison for 12 felony sex crimes involving three young girls.

Neither of the cases occurred at Heritage Baptist or were directly connected to the church."