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October 24, 2008

Community | News | Per spective

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At 98 ‘Mayor of Hollins’ continues to inspire Dr. Emma Bruce has just about seen it all

Palin to Speak Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will hold a rally at the Salem Civic Center on Monday. The time has not yet been conďŹ rmed.

Mary Emma Bruce has more aliases than most people, but at age 98, she’s had a little time to earn them. She’s been known as Dr. Bruce since May of 2004 when she earned an honorary doctorate from Hollins University. But before that she was affectionately known by many in the Hollins community as the “Mayor of Hollins.� Prior to becoming mayor she was simply known as Miss Emma, but while she was growing up among seven siblings in what was known as “Oldfields,� an African-American community in

Roanoke County, she was large brown eyes. Despite the lovingly called “little Emma.� fact that Dr. Bruce had only Dr. Bruce may stand just attained a high school edua tad bit under five feet, but cation, Dr. Fillinger put her she’s always had tall aspirato work as a lab technician, tions, and she’s certainly preparing labs and adminisachieved them. tering tests. “I was hired on as a house“Part of my responsibili! keeper at Hollins in the ties included catching snakes 1930s,� Dr. Bruce said. “But Dr. Emma Bruce in the creek and depositing when I met Harriot Fillinger, them live into clear containhead of the chemistry departers so the students could ment at Hollins, well, that was my lucky study them,� Dr. Bruce said. day.� No one else volunteered to do it, Dr. Fillinger immediately noticed an but the new lab technician was happy intellectual curiosity in the diminutive to accept the > CONTINUED black woman; that was in addition to challenge. And the sparkle of mischief in Dr. Bruce’s years later a re- P3: Bruce

[Campaign 2008]

Former U.S. Senator George Allen Stumps for Goodlatte, McCain

Kennedy Visit

P5– Ethel Kennedy signs autographs after speaking briey at the home of former State Congressman Dick Cranwell. Photo by Stuart Revercomb

Senator Barack Obama made a whirlwind tour through Roanoke last Thursday rallying thousands of enthusiastic Democrats at the Roanoke Civic Center. (Above) Obama looks into the camera as he drives home his message on “doing more for the middle class.� (Top Right) Protesters from a nearby Republican rally march outside as “Joe the Plumbers,� carrying a sign that reads: “It doesn’t take a plumber to know that Obama’s taxes stink.� (Bottom Right) Mayor David Bowers, flanked by Councilman Dave Trinkle and family and other members of City Council, extends a friendly wave as he waits for Obama to take the stage.

Obama Rallies Roanoke

Raiders Take off P7– North Cross Raiders continue to impress with another big win over Brunswick.

One big story about Barack Obama’s campaign stop at the Roanoke Civic Center last week was certainly that the Democrat became the first major party presidential nominee to campaign in the Star City since John F. Kennedy in 1960. High winds prevented Obama from making a previous stop here in February, when he was still battling Hillary Clinton for the Democrat nomination. With Virginia in play as a

Photo by Valerie Garner

George Allen and Bob Goodlatte rally the troops in Roanoke on Monday.

possible Democrat win for the first time in 40-plus years Roanoke has seen its share of attention from the party this fall. The other story from last Friday’s rally was how many schoolaged children showed up - from high school on down. Many had excused absences and some got extra credit for watching a slice of living history. That was the case with some government class students. At Glenvar High School a

list of student names with excused absences simply contained the word “Obama� in one column. City Council members Gwen Mason and Dave Trinkle sat in a front row seat with their schoolage children, joined by other members of council and Mayor David Bowers. Local college students also took the opportunity to skip school in some cases, > CONTINUED part of the P2: Obama

A “Victory 2008� bus rolled into the Crossroads K&W cafeteria on Monday morning, carrying State Senator Ralph Smith and Republican incumbent 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte, who is up for election next month. Former U.S. Senator and Governor George Allen joined them. Also on board was Kathy Terry, National Committeewoman for the Republican Party of Virginia. Asked about former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s endorsement of Democrat Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid Terry said, “it was not a surprise.� She felt he was pressured and speculated that Powell’s endorsement was politically motivated. Terry believed Powell – a Republican and George W. Bush’s first Secretary of State - waited late to pick the potentially winning side, in order to further his own personal political ambitions. Smith introduced Bob Goodlatte, who thanked the first term state senator for taking his conservative values to Richmond. Goodlatte then challenged the crowd to “carry the message� to those who seek freedom of opportunity, in contrast to those who believe that big government can solve all problems. “We have to turn that tide,� said Goodlatte. Allen was still pumped from Sunday’s Martinsville Speedway race, where Todd Palin, husband of Republican Vice-Presi> CONTINUED P2: Allen-Goodlatte

Safety Offenses Increase at Patrick Henry High School

Public Display P11– A piece of sculpture by Eldon Slick of Tucson, AZ is on display in front of Fire Station #7 on Memorial Ave.

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In 2003, amidst increasing public concern for school safety, the Roanoke School Board formed a School Safety and Discipline Task Force. In 2004 that task force offered its recommendations for improving security, and the School Board in turn increased the budget for school safety to 1.16 million around a 525,000 dollar increase. But over the following three years safety offenses at Patrick Henry High School have continued to rise, according to Safe School Information Resource figures (SSIR). Between the 2005-2006 and 20062007 school years at Patrick Henry, “weapons offenses� rose from 9 to 25, “offenses against students� rose from 65 to 74, “offenses against staff � rose from 31 to 51, “other offenses against persons� rose from 118 to 146, “alcohol, tobacco and other drug offenses� rose from 56 to 92, and “other offenses� rose from 463 to 1,189. In fact of the nine measured SSIR categories for school safety only one was down, property offenses, dropping from 36 to 33. Asia Jones, Executive Director of Student Services for Roanoke City Schools, points out that the figures may not be as bleak as they appear. The methods and manner in which safety

School - School Safety

Virginia’s accreditation standards require school report cards to include information about school safety. The Offense Categories that are listed are the same as the offense categories defined in the Safe Schools Information Resource (SSIR) available on the VDOE Web site.

School - School Safety Offense Category Weapons Offenses Offenses Against Student Offenses Against Staff Other Offenses Against Persons Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Offenses Property Offenses Disorderly or Disruptive Behavior Offenses Technology Offenses All Other Offenses

2005-2006 9 65 31 118

2006-2007 25 74 51 146

2007-2008 * * * *

56

92

*

36 26

33 2,675

* *

0 463

238 1,189

* *

Key: < = A group below state definition for personally identifiable results - = No data for group * = Data not yet available

The Commonwealth of Virginia provided the above data on Patrick Henry High School in a report released on Monday October 20th through the “Virginia School Report Card� program. The report covers all aspects of Patrick Henry’s success including accreditation, adjusted pass rates, school safety, percentage of students passing, AYP objectives, advanced program information, graduation/ dropout information and teacher quality. offenses are recorded at the state level can change from year to year. Each offense category, for instance “offenses against persons,� lumps together multiple types of safety offenses. “Offenses against persons� range from “kidnapping� to “hazing� under the SSIR. Offense types can also move between categories from year to year. That is to

say what counts as an “other offense� one year could count as a “weapons offense� the next (possession of toy guns made that switch in ‘06-‘07), or a completely new offense could be added to the umbrella of “offenses against students.� “There could be under one umbrella 15 offenses in one school year, and

the next school year under that same umbrella it could be 25 offensesâ€? said Jones. “The numbers that you’re comparing may not be comparing apples to apples.â€? Changes in data management do account for some major number increases. While “disorderly or disruptive behavior offensesâ€? at Patrick Henry rose from 26 in ‘05-’06 to 2,675 in ’06-’07, that increase largely reects the inclusion of “minor insubordinationâ€? in the ‘06-’07 tally (as opposed to more extreme offenses under the “disruptive behaviorâ€? umbrella, such as “inciting a riotâ€?). Still, not all increases can be explained by changes in data collection methods. As many specific types of offenses moved from “other offensesâ€? to more specific umbrella categories in the ’06-’07 SSIR figures, one might expect the “other offensesâ€? figure to drop. Yet that figure still rose at Patrick Henry in ’06-‘07 by over 700 incidents. One could also gauge the seriousness of Patrick Henry’s safety offense increases by comparing them to SSIR > CONTINUED P3: Safety

Page 2 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 10/24/08

TheRoanokeStar.com

> Obama From page 1

10,000 or so who came to the Civic Center. A large contingent of young people was positioned in front of the dais, within view of television cameras that included a crew from CNN, which went live before Obama spoke. His speech was standard stump material concerning jobs, energy alternatives, the economic crisis, ending the war “responsibly,� making college affordable (a big hit with younger audience members) and an administra-

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tion that engages more fully with the rest of the world. State party chair Dick Cranwell, 9th District Rep. Rick Boucher and U.S. Senator Jim Webb spoke for a collective 40 minutes before Obama appeared on stage for a half hour. “I’m pretty sure Virginians are ready for change,� said Obama to loud cheers, alluding to personal attacks he alleges the McCain campaign has made in TV ads. Obama said that wasn’t what voters were interested in: “You want to hear about how we’re going to attack the challenges [facing] the middle class. We now need a rescue plan for the middle class.� The responses from the highly supportive crowd were as one would expect. Michael Adhanas is still looking for programs that can help him pay for college. “I’m definitely hoping he can help me as far as that goes.� Kathleen Mayhim attends Radford University, where she is studying education. “Hiring new teachers and paying them more, that’s really exciting,� said Mayhim regarding one issue men-

tioned by Obama. Afterwards several Franklin County High School students, too young to vote next month, said they had come in part to prepare for the 2012 election – should Obama run again as an incumbent or as a challenger. “I’ve always had an interest in [politics],â€? said McKinley Robertson, 17, who liked Obama’s health care plan to cover more uninsured Americans. “I think he’s really got that straight. I think McCain doesn’t quite have it.â€? Robertson is an Obama campaign worker as well. Mike Smith (17) came to the rally with Robertson and stood just yards away from the candidate. “I’m really interested in going to college, that’s a big thing for me.â€? As an African-American, Smith, also canvassing and making phone calls, couldn’t help but reect on the historical significance of Obama’s bid for the White House: “Myself, I’m proud, we’ve come a long way, America. You never would have thought maybe 50 years ago anything like this would be going on. America and the world itself is changing.â€? It was the type of civics lesson that is perhaps better learned live, rather than reading about it in a book.

This is what raising $150 million dollars in one month, like the Barack Obama campaign managed to do in September, gets you: two high-powered staffers in southwest Roanoke County, for a few hours of discussion on the merits of electing Obama the next president. Dubbed “An Invitation to a Conversation,� the event at Holiday In-Tanglewood on Monday night was organized by a group of local women that support Obama. Most of the attendees (about 100 showed up) were women but men were well represented. Locally undecided voters were among those invited. There were also “some Hillary [Clinton] supporters,� said Gena Doyle, a Democrat operative from Salem. State Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke City) shared the dais with two heavy hitters from the Obama campaign, women that were also members of the Clinton administration. Attorney Etharin Cousin was a White House Liaison at one point, while Betsy Myers left a position at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to jump back into the political fray. She was Bill Clinton’s Director of the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives from ’95-’97. Myers, who studied leadership at Harvard, said her close dealings with Obama, even after political setbacks like the New Hampshire primary last spring, convinced her that, “Barack is authentic. What you see is what you get. A president is only as good as the legislation he can get passed.� After the panelists and several Roanokers (Carolyn Green, Betty Branch) made their pitch for Obama the group fielded questions from the audience on health care, jobs, educaBy Gene Marrano tion and other issues being debated by Obama gmarrano@cox.net and Republican opponent John McCain. “Peo-

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ple talking to people about the issues are important,â€? said Cousin. She also took a swipe at the war on terror, claiming, “the right place is not Iraq‌we have ignored Afghanistan.â€? Cindy Fithian, a statewide campaign officer, said she came out of the downtown Roanoke Obama office several weeks ago and ran into local artist Katherine Devine, who talked about a forum centered on the Obama candidacy. That led to the Holiday Inn mixer/meeting on Monday. “You will be the margin of victory in Virginia,â€? predicted Fithian, a Fairfax resident who has put her life on hold to work for Obama. She invited independent voters and “enlightened Republicans,â€? to join the Democrat camp on November 4. Polls may show Obama up by a few points on McCain in the state but many are not convinced: “Western Virginia is looking really good,â€? said Sen. Edwards, “[but] that doesn’t mean we let up – we don’t.â€? By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

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Mark Powell, a southeast Roanoke City resident who has been working locally for the Barack Obama campaign, got to meet the man who may be president up close and personal last week. “The Obama campaign asked me late last week if I could help out by driving a car in the Senator's motorcade to and from the event last Friday [at the Civic Center],� said Powell. “Of course, I agreed, and had a thrilling day, talking to campaign staffers, being briefed by the Secret Service, doing some breakneck driving and ultimately, meeting Barack Obama. It was surreal, let me tell you.� Powell introduced Indiana Senator Evan Bayh recently at a downtown rally, when Bayh filled in for Joe Biden. Obama stopped at a downtown beauty shop to shake hands on the way back to his speciallyappointed 757 at the airport.

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> Allen - Goodlatte From page 1

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dential hopeful Sarah Palin, rallied the NASCAR crowd. When asked about a McCain/Palin win in Virginia Allen said, “we have to keep the pedal to the metal. If it were up to the folks voting in Martinsville yesterday we’d be in really, really great shape - those folks share our values.â€? Emphasizing that energy was a vital issue for national security and economic competitiveness Allen stated that “we are the Saudi Arabia of the world when it comes to coal ‌ our energy policies are cockeyed and inadequate.â€? Apologizing to the crowd for bringing up France, Allen also said that over 80% of the French’s electricity comes from nuclear energy and that John McCain knows full well that, “if the French can do

it so can America.� Roanoke’s own “John the Trucker,� who drives for Kroger, volunteered that he wants “American to be America again.� He chided the mainstream media and uses his CB radio to warn other truckers that “all the media is backing one person [Obama].� Allen and campaign staffers said they expect Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to swing through Roanoke soon. Sarah Palin is scheduled to hold a rally at the Salem Civic Center on Monday, October 27. As of press time no start time had been anBy Valerie Garner nounced. info@theroanokestar.com

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Cathy Ferguson (left) with pooches George and Virgil.

Wearing Politics On Your Vehicle Can Be Risky

Cathy Ferguson and her husband came from Franklin County to hear former Senator George Allen Monday morning at K&W Cafeteria on Hershberger Road. The brought their two Boykin Spaniels in the SUV. South Carolina hunters first bred the Boykin Spaniel as a retriever in the 1900s, said Ferguson. Their two male spaniels proudly bear the names, George and Virgil after President George W. Bush and Congressman Virgil Goode. Their strong feelings about politics was emblazoned on the back glass of their gray SUV. However, they don’t understand why someone would run a car

key down the side of their vehicle for exercising their first amendment rights. People even leave threatening notes on their SUV, said Ferguson. Besides the usual McCain/Palin and Goode car stickers the Ferguson’s had one in particular that seemed to aggrieve some people. It read, “Liberalism, Socialism, Communism, is there a difference?� Not deterred by the attacks on their car or mean looks wielded their way, Cathy appeased Virgil and George with some doggy treats as they happily scampered about the K&W parking lot. By Valerie Garner info@theroanokestar.com

10/24/08 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 3

TheRoanokeStar.com

> Bruce From page 1

porter from a local newspaper happened along into Dr. Bruce’s kitchen on a Tuesday afternoon to find her preparing to hang a slinky, garden snake on the clothesline in her garden for the neighborhood children to see. “To kill a snake that has entered your home, first you get out the bug spray and spray him ’till he don’t know what hit him,” Dr. Bruce directed, “then you beat the ole critter to death with a broom. You have to remember that it’s your house and your kitchen!” When the shocked reporter asked her how she had the nerve to do such a thing, Dr. Bruce’s quick reply was: “What you talkin’ ’bout?” Her audacious nerve and intellect is only surpassed by her wicked sense of humor which still hasn’t waned a bit, even as she approaches her centennial birthday. She was employed by

Hollins College for 47 years, but did not receive an appropriate salary or a retirement income to accompany her years of work in the science department. However, even though she was forced to work well into her eighties as a domestic for the professor’s wives and others, Dr. Bruce has never felt any animosity for the college. The professional staff and the students all loved her, and she loved them. That’s what is most important to her. “God has always been good to me,” Dr. Bruce said, “which is one reason why I’ve tried to do a little something for others.” Her faith led her to become an active member of First Baptist Church of Hollins where she served as superintendent, Sunday school teacher, secretary, and missionary. Her guest room and kitchen have long been filled with bags of cloth-

ing, books and supplies for the needy in both Roanoke and Africa. For years when she wasn’t sorting through the bags or enthusiastically playing a Gospel hymn on her upright piano, Dr. Bruce could be spotted tending to her beloved garden. She still loves to perch outside on her bench and watch the gold expanse of wheatgrass across the road blow all the way down to the cemetery where many of her loved ones are buried. She says she’d like to follow that breeze all the way up to the top of Tinker Mountain. “If someone would just take me up there to the top of the mountain, I know I sure could find my way back home,” Dr. Bruce said, sporting her distinctive grin. In her younger days, Dr. Bruce enjoyed picking blueberries on the mountain and she

can still make a first rate blueberry pie for her family-- son George (Sunny) and his wife Celestine, and the grandchildren George Jr. and Cynthia. At one time, when Dr. Bruce’s father had suffered an accident at work and she realized that there would be no money for college, she took a job looking after the young Pat Robertson and his brother at their palatial country home in Lexington. “The boys were called Taddy and Maddy, and I made them a different pie or cake each week,” Dr Bruce said, adding - “I tried to go down to see Pat a few years back at his television station, but they wouldn’t let me in.” When asked how she kept the faith and triumphed through years of discrimination and hardship, Dr. Bruce said she had mentors like Miss Ruth Hughes, a strict and proper school teacher who kept her as a boarder in

Roanoke while she attended Lucy Addison High School. “When Miss Ruth told me to get crackin’ on my studies,” I did it with no questions asked!” Dr. Bruce exclaimed. “I ate, studied, prayed, and went to bed at ’bout eight o’clock. After all, we didn’t have televisions, computers, cell phones, or other such distractions back then,” she said. Dr. Bruce said she wishes children could be disciplined today like they once were. Teachers and parents were highly venerated when she was growing up. Children were taught that self-respect and respect for others was the groundwork for any major accomplishment in life. School teachers and principals had a strap, and they weren’t afraid to use it. When Dr. Bruce retired from Hollins College in 1976, she was awarded the Algernon Syd-

ney Sullivan Award by the college because, by then she was lauded as a great humanitarian, like Sullivan himself. She has received so many awards through the years, in fact, that her mantle has become too crowded to hold them – along with the cards from well-wishers and precious photographs. “I think I’m doin’ pretty well for the young lady that I am,” said the “Mayor of Hollins,” sipping her morning coffee and expostulating about her many blessings. Her short term memory may be a little sketchy these days, but her long term memory is spectacular. And she’s managed to plant a long term memory of herself into a lot of hearts.

telling given that 2007-2008 was the first school year Patrick Henry students occupied the newly renovated, 54 million dollar campus. One of the major selling points for the 54 million dollar renovation was safety. The old campus Patrick Henry campus, with 11 buildings and around 100 doors, made policing arrivals and departures difficult. All the movement between buildings also made it easier for students to start fights outside and away from the eyes of teachers or security. At the new, single building style campus students arrive and exit from two main entrances stationed with security. The somewhat infamous measure of “caged lunches,” or Patrick Henry’s practice of locking students in for their 20 minute lunches, could also help reduce school safety incidents by keeping students better within eye shot of faculty. Asia Jones hopes a morale increase from the new building may also positively impact the environment.

“When you put on a new suit it makes you feel good,” said Jones. “I think when you’re in a multi-million dollar building that’s technology advanced and its bright and ergonomically developed, it makes you feel good.” Beyond morale improvement, Jones pointed to various programs in place she feels help to increase school safety. “Working with the community and involving the community be it from programs like Congregation in Action, to mentoring programs through area businesses, to involving parents to come in and have student support team meetings, also peer mediation, conflict resolution, other leadership activities like student government could identify things that cause friction all of these are steps towards a more peaceful environment de-escalation training that our employees take part in on annual basis,” said Jones. Jones, who became Executive Director of Student Services in December of 2007,

realizes many of these groups and ideas were already in play at Patrick Henry before her arrival. “I wouldn’t say that I’m doing anything greater or better than [previous administrators], but analyzing the data, having building-wide discipline programs, all of those things are what keeps us on board to move forward,” said Jones.

When asked where school safety ranked in comparison to other major issues affecting education, Jones said, “I think if you have one violent act, that’s too many. As an educator and as someone with student services, from the most minute name calling to the most violent act of an aggressive fight or assault, they’re all too many.” By that standard Patrick

Henry had 4,523 incidents too many during the 2006-2007 school year. Whether the 20072008 school year offered a major decrease in SSIR offenses at Patrick Henry remains to be seen.

By Mary Ellen Campagna info@theroanokestar.com

> Safety From page 1

data collected from other local schools. In ’06-’07 Cave Spring saw either very minor increases or decreases in almost all of the SSIR safety offense categories “weapons offenses” rising from 0 to 3 and “Other Offenses” dropping from 266 to 155. Take another Roanoke City school, William Fleming, and the numbers are much higher than those of Cave Spring but also a fair amount lower than those of Patrick Henry. The numbers at Fleming are also more stable. In ’06-’07 “offenses against students” rose by only one at Fleming, moving from 46 to 47. “Other incidents” rose from 669 to 721. Asia Jones notes comparing school to school has its drawbacks. “In my opinion when you compare any of our surrounding areas you’re looking at apples and oranges.” said Jones. “They do not have the same demographics.” The 2007-2008 SSIR information will not be available until the end of this year. That data should prove especially

Roanoke Republicans Respond to Obama

Senator Ralph Smith (R-Botetourt) and Delegates Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) and William Fralin (R-Roanoke) championed John McCain as the small business candidate at a press conference at Robert Young’s Towing on Friday. Speaking from a Snap-On battery load tester that served as his podium, Sen. Smith introduced himself as “Ralph the Mechanic” and highlighted his own journey from auto mechanic to small business owner. Sen. Smith argued that Barack Obama’s higher taxes on small businesses would increase the difficulty and reduce the incentive for future entrepreneurs. “People don’t work nights and weekends to build a business so they can reach $250,000 in revenue and pay higher taxes for government programs,” said Smith. “There aren’t enough ‘rich people’ to pay for all of Obama’s new spending.” "You're going to bust your tail so your children can have a better life," said Del. Griffith. "Obama's plan undercuts that dream." Robert Young’s Towing garage was chosen for the press conference site because, “Robert began his career as a tow truck driver and now you can’t drive very far in the Roanoke Valley without seeing his enterprise,” said Sen. Smith. “This is the kind of success that Obama’s higher taxes would threaten.” “Blue collar small businesses aren’t the only ones that would be threatened by Obama’s higher taxes,” said Del. Griffith. “Young mechanics, young lawyers, everyone trying to start and grow a business would suffer under Obama’s taxes.”

Federal bailouts of the financial sector and the market’s recent stumbles have dominated the headlines, but the recent exchange between Joe “The Plumber” Wurzelbacher and Barack Obama at an Obama

rally has pushed small business to the forefront of the debate. “Most Americans are employed by small businesses. This is where we should be focusing during tough economic times,” said Del. Falin.

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Page 4 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 10/24/08

We Will Live Through This!

T

he election, the financial collapse, the unraveling of society, and all the other problems that face us: we will survive. It seems as though the campaign has been going on since I reached puberty but it’s only been eight years, at least for John McCain. In twelve (12) days it will be over, one way or the other. Everything that could be said has been said . . . a thousand times over so don’t expect any rehashing of what you already know. Here’s a little election trivia for you: The eighteen candidates (8 Democrat and 10 Republican) raised over 1.5 BILLION dollars in campaign contributions. Barack Obama accounted for a third of that. Interestingly, 750 million dollars were raised by the 16 unsuccessful candidates. Not much bang for the buck for those unhappy folks. In looking back over my columns of the past year, I was surprised to note that I had gloomily forecast many of the events that have come to pass. To wit, more time has been spent on covering the trivial trash about the candidates than on issues. When the issues have been discussed, no one has really gotten down to basics hard truths

of what we face in said Socrates in the the near term. The 5th Century BCE. subprime crisis reWords to that effect, ally was only the at least, and you first sign of a finanmight see examples cial cancer fed by of it in any mall topersonal, corporate, day. and governmental It’s easy to think greed. The war in that all the electoral Iraq has quieted machinations, but the assump- Hayden Hollingsworth all the financial tion that the surge frenzy, all the sowas the sole cause ignores the cietal ills are something that fact that the ethnic cleansing we either invented or caused. (the source of most of the kill- Not true. It’s been around as ing) had been completed by the long as recorded history. Just time of the infusion of troops. because it’s not a new phenomAll these topics have been the enon is no reason to underplay subject of previous screeds. the importance of our current Here’s what needs to hap- mess but it does give a differpen now: The budget must be ent perspective: the world has balanced, the treasury must be survived all this in the past; so refilled, public debt must be can we. reduced, the arrogance of ofA few indicators that this ficialdom must be tempered will happen are worth menand controlled, and the assis- tioning. Whoever is elected, in tance to foreign lands must be four more years we can correct curtailed lest we become bank- a mistake if one is made. Never rupt. Sounds like a plan to me; mind about 2004; maybe we the only problem is that it was will have learned our lesson. written by Cicero in 55 BCE. More importantly, despite all In a similar vein I recently the grandiose claims that both saw an apt description of a few sides are making there are teenagers: They are rude and others who wield even more ill-mannered, slovenly and power . . . 535 of them, in fact lazy. They have no respect for plus 9 Supreme Court Justices. their elders or their parents. We might hope that a majority They are interested only in in Congress will “temper and their personal pleasures. So control their arrogance,” and really be a check and balance on the Oval Office. A major hope, although I am far from convinced that it is true, is that most of us will see beyond our personal needs and understand the issues with enough clarity to accept that we have brought much of this upon ourselves. The best way to live through it is accepting responsibility with the same vigor we assign blame. Doing only the latter and ignoring the former is a sure recipe for continuing and repetitive disaster. Socrates and Cicero probably weren’t the first to put such a fine edge on the problems of their civilizations. We surely won’t be the last to deal with all these issues. It was 500 years after Cicero that Rome, the mightiest of empires, collapsed. Let’s hope that we can sustain ours at least till the next election.

Local Crossword

TheRoanokeStar.com

Costumes promote imaginative play

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hen my girls were little, playing dressups was one of their favorite past times. They would make anything a costume and create playtime adventures for hours. A sheer curtain became a wedding veil. An apron became the outfit for a waitress in a restaurant. Dark glasses made one a movie star. They loved the gateway of imaginative play with only a prop or two. Never did they know what they were missing in not having a television or the latest toys. I remember several Halloweens when I made them each a special costume. My oldest always wanted to be a princess or bride. That was easy with a pattern from the local fabric store. I was the one all mothers hated on Halloween. You know the type: mother makes the four year old a bride’s dress with veil and lace, elbow length gloves, and flowers in the hair. You might have thought she was ready to walk the aisle! We did get a lot of use out of the fancy dresses through the years, but really! My youngest had particularly creative ideas about what she wanted to be, and still does. One year she wanted to be a Christmas tree.

That was chalto use his mind to lenging for a three imagine, he is less year old body, but engaged and less I finally designed a able to construct dress adorned with imaginative play. cloth ornaments We control the enand with a wire vironment of our insert in the hem, children, and it fake packages tied is imperative that to her shoes and a we design their Diane Kelly star for a hat. On world for growing another occasion and imagining. she wanted to be a mocking Looking back, I wonder bird. It must have been the if my own creative strokes song, “Hush little baby, don't were inspiring for my girls. I say a word. Daddy's gonna hope so. The sheer pleasure buy you a mockingbird. And of pretending to be someif that mockingbird won't one is great fun for children. sing, Daddy's gonna buy you Whether you buy a cosa diamond ring.” that in- tume for Halloween or make spired her request. I made something out of what you a little blue suit resembling find at home, let them play footie pajamas and a match- and play and play. Let the ing hat shaped like a bird’s costumes wear out with use. head with a beak. I remem- Create a box, a big box, full ber her having to explain her of hats and scarves and preidentity, but proud of her un- tend wear. Encourage your common character. children to imagine, pretend, There is something won- and become someone they derful about a child who are not. Let them try to beloves to pretend. It is what a come those heroes and brides child does when he uses his and warriors that they hear imagination. If you want about in stories. Let their your child to have a healthy imaginations soar, and enand colorful imagination, courage them to create new make time for real play, and adventures with whatever make sure your child’s access they can find, everyday. to television, video games, and movies is limited. Then Contact Diane at fill his world with stories and dianekelly@gmail.com open ended play experiences. Whenever a child doesn’t have

Warning: Halloween can be Scary

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efore I begin I need to give do interpret scary things differently a disclaimer. Disclaimer: than adults. I own and display an 8 ft. With children under the age of tall blow-up Grim Reaper figure in 10, there is often great difficulty front of my house on Halloween for distinguishing between reality and all of the little children to walk unfantasy. This confusion makes it der in order to get candy. Now that easier for a child to be frightened I have gotten that off of my chest, than an adult and much easier for let’s talk about Halloween. Unlike that child to incorporate fear into any other holiday or festival, this their way of looking at the world. particular one appears dedicated Each Fall I have a few cases relatKeith McCurdy to scaring the dickens out of small ing to children being afraid of the children with the reward being a fistful of dark from being scared on Halloween or in a candy. As a kid, Halloween meant two things haunted house. As one 8 year old child told to me. On the one hand I got candy, on the me last year, “I keep thinking about that guy other I got to blow out candles in peoples’ chasing me with a chain saw”. Who wouldn’t? Contact Hayden at pumpkins. On some occasions I would get a No, it is not an epidemic, but when a young jhayden2003@cox.net good scare, but that really didn’t seem to be child is exposed to scary things, there can such the industry that it is today. be lasting effects. Just because something is It seems that one of the declines with cul- available, does not mean that it is appropriture is the notion that to be scary or fright- ate. ful, things have to be more gruesome and This Halloween, let’s not scare them too gory. Compare the original “Night of the much. When a haunted house says it is only Living Dead” to modern horror movies such for teenagers, don’t take the 10 year old. as “Saw” and its sequels or “Jeepers Creep- When your child wants to have friends over ers”. I’ll take a zombie that can’t walk too fast and watch one of the “Halloween” or “Saw” Find the any day of the week over that stuff. While movies, say NO. If you already have a child answers online: 13 13 many may enjoy this type of entertainment, that is sensitive to scary or frightful things, TheRoanokeStar.com let’s make sure we don’t use the same notion this is not the time to try to “toughen them Have a clue and with Halloween. up”. There are many other options for fun on answer you’d like to When we overload our brain’s ability to this night. Multiple churches offer “Trunk see? email: puzzles@ process events that are scary or traumatic, it or Treats” as well as Fall Festivals. The local theroanokestar.com becomes unhealthy. We have seen this clearly malls offer safe indoor trick or treating along in wartime and with children of abuse in the with games and other festivities. Throw a 37 37 development of Post Traumatic Stress Dis- party in your neighborhood and have a cosorder. There have been horrific things that tume contest. A good fright is one thing, but occur that are so far out of what our brains no chains saws, please. are used to processing that they begin to malfunction. Now, I am not suggesting that HalContact Keith at 57 57 loween is traumatic in this way, but children psycyou@msn.com

10/24/2008 Star~Sentinel Crossword

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www.CrosswordWeaver.com ACROSS ACROSS

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The Roanoke Star-Sentinel C o m mu n i t y | N ew s | Pe r s p e c t i ve Publisher | Stuart Revercomb | stuart@theroanokestar.com | 400-0990 Advertising Director | Pam Rickard | pam@theroanokestar.com | 400-0990 Production Editor | Stephen Nelson | stephen@theroanokestar.com | 400-0990 Technical Webmaster | Don Waterfield | webmaster@theroanokestar.com | 400-0990 The Roanoke Star-Sentinel is published weekly by Whisper One Media, Inc. in Roanoke,Va. Subscriptions are available for $44 per year. Send subscriptions to PO Box 8338, Roanoke,VA 24014. We encourage letters from our readers on topics of general interest to the community and responses to our articles and columns. Letters must be signed and have a telephone number for verification. All letters will be verified before publication.The Star-Sentinel reserves the right to deny publication of any letter and edit letters for length, content and style. All real estate advertised herein is subject to national and Virginia fair housing laws and readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Perspective

TheRoanokeStar.com

10/24/08 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 5

Two Kids and a Subaru

Preacher’s Corner

ave you lost your mind? and the grass was green. All was I can't control these two right with the world. kids by myself in public. Back at the office, my cell phone They're terrible when we're in the rang. drugstore for 15 minutes! How am I “I'm never taking them anywhere supposed to get them to behave for again!” shouted my wife. “I'm so an hour around other people?” embarrassed. They were horrible My wife Kelly was less than enthuafter you left. Forget it. I'm done. I siastic when I told her that Roanoke can't show my face there again.” Parks and Rec would be offering Boy, talk about a reality check. some free children's classes durBut in a day or two, my phone David Perry ing the day at the Grandin Court rang at work. Community Center in southwest “Do you think I should take the Roanoke, and that she should enroll our two boys back to the community center?” Kelly sons, ages 2 and 3. asked, sounding a little guilty for saying she'd Easy for me to say, I guess. I'd be safely never take the boys there again. enclosed in my office in downtown RoaOK, I thought to myself. “Sure, give it a try. noke, country music playing on the radio as Maybe last time was a fluke.” I typed e-mails and casually went about my It was. Kelly and the boys found their mojo day. Meanwhile, my poor old wife would be again and haven't looked back since. They've wrangling the Perry Boys, kind of a miniature had a blast singing new songs, dancing, colJames Gang with ball caps and runny noses. oring, drawing with chalk, playing on the So I dropped the subject. A few days went playground, baking, playing with beanbags by, and much to my surprise, what appeared and hula hoops, enjoying a snack, and doing on the refrigerator but a clipping from the story times with staff from the Roanoke Pubcity's parks and rec guide and a receipt show- lic Library. The kids always talk about the fun ing that Kevin and Seth Perry had been en- they have with “Mr. Mike” and “Mr. Steve,” rolled in “Toddler's Morning Out,” “Toddlers the two parks and rec leaders at the center. Know How to Have Fun,” and “Toddler's Best of all, they've improved their socializaReading for Pleasure,” not one, not two, not tion skills, and have learned how to interact even three, but four mornings a week at the with other children and adults in a public setGrandin Court center. ting. “I thought you weren't going to sign the Such are the ups and downs of raising kids up,” I said to my wife. young children in Roanoke. My family and She gave me an evil look. “I guess we'll give I are always on the go, always looking for a it a try,” she said. new activity or festival. In future columns, I Good old Kelly. She is always a glutton for hope to share more of our adventures as we punishment when it comes to the children. buckle up and hit the road, looking for fun A few weeks went by and the Big Day came, and affordable things to do. If you have sugwhen the Perry boys and their handler would gestions or ideas, e-mail me at dave@davidmake their public debut. I allowed enough perryonline.com. time for them to attend class and return On the Perry family calendar: the Grandin home, and called Kelly. Road Children's Holiday Parade on Nov. 22, “How'd they do?” I asked, trying to mask and checking out a hot tip: train watching on the fact that I was cringing on my end of the the pedestrian overpass between the Wacholine. via Tower and the Hotel Roanoke. Thomas, “Great!” Kelly said. “They had fun and be- eat your heart out. And be sure to check out haved pretty well.” the last weekend of the Pumpkin Festival on I fought the urge to ask if I had the wrong Saturday and Sunday at Sinkland Farms on number. Maybe we were wrong about the Rt. 8 in Riner; (540) 382-4640 or www.sinchildren. Maybe they were human, after all. klandfarms.com. I'll tell the story of our anRiding a wave of confidence in my chil- nual sojourn there in my next column. dren's ability to engage society, I decided to attend the second class to see things for my“Toddler's Morning Out” continues on Tuesself. day and Thursday mornings from 10-11:30 am The kids were behaving reasonably well. through Nov. 13. “Toddlers Know How to Have And the program was good—a combination Fun” continues through Dec. 10 on Wednesday of music, physical activities, and arts and mornings from 10-11:30 am. “Toddler's Readcrafts. The group of about eight kids and a few ing for Pleasure” ended Oct. 17. The Grandin parents were coloring when I headed back to Court Community Center is located at 2621 the office. I felt good. Kelly was getting out of Barham Rd. SW in Roanoke. There is no the house. The kids were meeting other kids. charge for these programs. For more informaThe sky was blue and the birds were chirping tion, call 853-5360.

Trust in God must be lived in prayer and actions

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Home Economics: Reaping what the season gives us

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ven though the ground when the five months of perpetual gets further from our wood stove feeding loom ahead of hands with every passus, the wood is already there--dry, ing year, we've decided to continue split, stacked and close at hand. heating our Floyd County home Our woodpile demands attentivewith firewood as long as we can. ness to the calendar and weather Every fall I have to explain this with an urgency and care unknown logic to myself one more time, just to someone who simply turns up a as I find myself standing in garden thermostat and pays a heating bill. mud in the humid heat of early AuHeating our home with wood and gust blowing the gnats out of my kindling our internal metabolic Fred First eyes, questioning the economy of fires with summer's produce unites being a grower of vegetables. It would be so our lives with the biology of wood and living much easier just to pay and be a consumer. soil, with our temperate leafy ecosystem and But we garden; then we gather wood—two the climate of changes in the year ahead. We self-inflicted, mostly-agreeable burdens in will stay warm and full only if we are vigilant our year that are not all that different in their and prepared, aware of need in a larger frame end products or purpose, or in their impact than the moment's comfort. Living out our on our lives for good. parts of these cycles gives us a 'bigger-picture' Growing vegetables and cutting firewood perspective. I count this among the healthy give us the illusion of independence and con- benefits that come from our investments in trol over our needs. But in truth we are ut- manual labor on this land. terly dependent on the workings of sun-heat, The garden of this year is past. Lessons rain-sap, and soil-plus-time. We will carry in the cold months will come from wooded the heavy pieces of wood one by one from hillsides of Goose Creek; from the splitting forest to the truck to woodpile to stove; we and stacking and stoking that will keep fires stoop, bend, tug, water, hoe, weed, lift, and throwing flickers of flame through the glass harvest each of a dozen varieties of prolific door of the wood stove into this warm room root and fruit that nature makes of her own from late September until mid-April. Then, secret raw materials. as the days lengthen in the spring and the Our comfort over the winter ahead that will soil thaws through snow-drenched mud to come from filled canning jars and firewood's crumbling dark loam, the garden's care will warmth depends on the internal wisdom of become the focus of our labors once more. roots, trunks and leaves. It relies too on the Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. And so it goes. integrity of our woodcutter's tools and garWe have come to a changing of the guard. dening utensils and on the strength of these Our garden is hibernating, and it is time to go bodies of ours. All must work, together— hunt the bare bones of walnuts, locusts and nature, tool and human hands. Our neatly oaks. It is hard work. It is good work. It is our stacked woodpile and the yellow, green and economy, what we do, and in my ledger, there gold canning jars lined up like functional art is no better pay for a day's work than this. in the cool dark of the cellar are testimony that for one more year, we have lived in a From Fred’s Floyd County memoir,” Slow precarious harmony with our wits, our own Road Home ~ a Blue Ridge Book of Days” bones and with the land that somehow sustains us. Contact Fred at Harvesting a winter's-worth of stove wood fred1st@gmail.com begins at least a full year ahead of need so that

By Pastor Tom Oster

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n God we trust” - at least that’s what’s engraved on our currency. When terrorists flew two aircraft into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans, our nation gathered at the National Cathedral to pray. There, for a few hours, it seemed like we knew where to turn in a crisis. Touch our lives, and the lives of those we love, and we cry out to God in prayer. But touch our retirement plans and we will quickly pass legislation authorizing our government to throw $700 billion dollars at the problem. I guess there’s no liquidity in prayer. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way…” This opening line from Psalm 46 reminds us where our hope is to be fixed, whether we’re facing tragedy, financial crisis, or a presidential election. ‘In God we trust’ needs to be more than just four words on the circumference of the coins in our pockets. It means a life of prayer and a life of commitment. One of the great challenges for the Church in an election year is to teach Christians how to do these two things at once. First, to vigorously confess that God is our strength, our everpresent help and our fortress in a life of prayer.And then second, commitment means we resist the temptation to reduce complex issues to simple, right and wrong, black and white, digital choices, that tend to keep us at a safe, objective distance. Strong faith doesn’t have to have a simple mind. Trust in God doesn’t cancel out our need to read and study the issues, listen to the candidates, debate with

others (respectfully!) in the public square, serve, recruit, pray and vote. The U.S. Constitution actually doesn’t contain the phrase “the separation of church and state”. Exempting ourselves from the drama of democracy is not a necessary corollary of trusting in God, nor was it ever the intention of our Founding Fathers. But is it okay to get involved in that drama passionately? Does having a lot of ‘trust in God’ mean that we shouldn’t get so worked up about politics? Does trust in God necessarily have to lead to quietism? Arguably one of the best summaries of Jesus’ teaching is His opening line: “Repent and believe the good news, for the Kingdom of God is near.” Following Jesus means our greatest passion should be to seek first the Kingdom of God. (You might want to read that last sentence again.) So, while we energetically enter the political process in the United States of America, we should retain a crystal clear distinction between it and the Kingdom of God. Historically, whenever the church forgets that distinction and cozies up too close to the State it has been the Church that has caught the flu and become bed-ridden! I understand why our lawmakers passed the $700 billion bail-out bill. It feels good to do something in a crisis – anything. They are law-makers; that’s how they respond to problems. It’s what they do. I understand that in contrast, a Prayer service at the National Cathedral doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything. Really; I do understand. Prayer doesn’t give anything close to that visceral sense of accomplishment when you actually do something (?!). But prayer should be our first response

to a crisis. That’s not the only thing, but it’s the first thing we do when we are a people who ‘trust in God’! The prophet Jeremiah told the people of God to “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jer. 29:7). Last Sunday I figured there was enough justification in all of this to pray out loud - and at length - for both John and Cindy McCain and Barak and Michelle Obama. Certainly, if you throw in Jesus’ command to “love your enemies and pray for them,” everybody should have been able to get some traction and join in those prayers, but as the saying goes, ‘you could have heard a pin drop!’ My only regret was that it was the first time our church had prayed for these people. Why hadn’t we been praying for them? What did that communicate about our actual, working beliefs about God, about our trust in God? Sometimes our omissions speak as loudly as our actions. So maybe tonight, at the dinner table, have someone pull out a penny, a dime, a nickel or a quarter and find where every one of them has the words “In God We Trust”. And then take this opportunity to discuss the two components of trust, what they mean, and why the United States of America still keeps those words on our coins 232 years later.

Tom Oster is Lead Pastor at Christ Our Redeemer Church that meets at 10:00 AM at the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 1701 Memorial Ave. (Just around the corner from the Grandin Theater.) Visit them on the web at www.christourredeemer.com

Ethel Kennedy and party royalty praise Obama in Vinton She just turned 80, as son Max Kennedy pointed out much to her chagrin, but Ethel Kennedy had the enthusiasm of someone much younger when she spoke on behalf of Barack Obama on Tuesday afternoon in Vinton. State Democratic Party chairman Dick Cranwell hosted the event at his home, and at least 50-75 turned out. Max Kennedy did much of the talking, after Cranwell introduced Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert Kennedy (assassinated while campaigning for president in 1968), as "an icon of American history," and as someone who "persevered. She kicked down a lot of doors in her time." Max Kennedy, one of 11 chil-

dren, called Virginia "so vital for this election. I know if we win Virginia [Obama] will be the next president." He called Obama "a man people could trust." His mother told him five years ago that Obama would be president some day. The Kennedy family, long time allies of the Clintons, caused a stir when they backed Obama over Hillary Clinton. Max Kennedy, a UVA graduate who has just finished writing a book about World War II, also said Americans need to become more involved: "we have become the best entertained and least informed group of people." Ethel Kennedy has done a number of events for Obama

this year. "I've never seen my mother more interested in a campaign," said her son. Ethel Kennedy compared Obama to her late husband and to brother-in-law John F. Kennedy: "he's in the corner of the people who need him most." She praised his "integrity, courage [and] his love of our country." How would Bobby feel about seeing an African-American perhaps poised to become president, 40 years after his death? "He'd be clapping and dancing on the moon," said Ethel Kennedy. "Very proud of our country. Things have changed enormously." By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

Enjoy our Sunday Brunch! Open at 10:00 am

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Irish American Breakfast

(2 eggs, sausage, Irish rasher, bacon, potatoes, tomatoes and a biscuit)

Egg Biscuit with Irish Potatoes

(Build it as you like it with cheese, sausage, bacon, tomato, ect.)

Stay and watch the NFL in a smoke free environment! Located at West Village on 419 - 3555-D Electric Road, Roanoke (540) 904-5466

Page 6 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 10/24/08

TheRoanokeStar.com

The Recipe of the Week

[At the YMCA]

from The Happy Chef by Leigh Sackett

Mini-Caramel Apples I have always LOVED Halloween with a passion. When I was little I remember being featuring

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so fascinated by the whole thing - the school parties, the trick or treating with the crowds in the street, the Halloween specials on TV, the decorations, the candy, the mystery and excitement of scary things that go bump in the night! When I was in elementary school my mother would dress up as a witch and stand in a graveyard near our school stirring a caldron full of dry ice. I would spot her up on that hill as I marched with my class, decked out in our costumes at our annual Fort Hill School Halloween parade. My Halloween memories are so vivid. Maybe because everything is so out of the ordinary and magical, you feel a sense that anything can hap-

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pen. Ghosts may be hiding in the bushes, the house on the hill may really be haunted, wizards may exist and cars may fly . . . But as I have grown older I have come to realize that each day, not just the Halloween season, is exciting and magical - anything can happen and it does! Create a little extra magic in your day even if it is just you and your kids by making these yummy and magical apples, a new twist on a classic Halloween treat! 4-inch lollipop sticks Melon baller Granny Smith apples (one apple makes about 8 mini apples) Butterscotch, peanut butter or chocolate chips or caramel squares Chopped nuts, nonpareils, sprinkles, shredded coconut (optional) Small paper candy cups First, cut the lollipop sticks in half at an angle (the pointy end will go into the apple pieces easier). With the melon baller, scoop little balls out of the apple. Each ball should have a section of apple peel. Push half of a lollipop stick into the peel of each ball. Pat the apple pieces dry. Melt the chips or caramel according to the package directions. Dip and swirl the mini apples in the melted chips, then roll the apples in nuts, sprinkles, nonpareils, or coconut, if desired. Place the mini apples in paper candy cups to set. Refrigerate the apples made with caramel . Happy Halloween!

Salem Family YMCA Branch Director, Mark Johnson, highlights the details of the facility's renovation and expansion project during Monday's "Grow The Y" capital campaign kickoff. Projected costs for the Salem Y project are $2.5 million and will include the addition of an indoor ground level track, a new wellness center, larger group exercise and cycling centers, new and expanded programming space for children and teens and an adult lounge. The Salem YMCA opened in 1996 as a branch of the YMCA of the Roanoke Valley.

“Mummies� to take the stage in support of RCPS!

Get ready to rock the house down with an unbelievable band out of Nashville, Here Come the Mummies. This group is full of funk and is best described as a cross between Barry White and George Clinton. Prepare yourself for two sets of amazing, funky deep bass riffs, big horns, booming percussion and a performance that will blow you away, this Friday, October 24th at 9:00pm, at Awful Arthur’s Towers. Come ready for a raucous good time this Friday and help Valley Forward do something good for the community at the same time. We’re hoping to raise up to $7500 from the event to go toward the purchase of grand pianos for each of the Roanoke City High Schools. Tickets ($25) are available at area Awful Arthur’s locations, Fork In The Alley, Q99/K92 studios on Electric Road or the downtown StellarOne Bank branch on Market Street. Checks accepted made payable to G J Productions. See www.mummiesfundraiser.com for online ticket sales and more information

Tanglewood Trick-or-Treat

Tanglewood Mall is pleased to announce that their annual Halloween event, Tanglewood Trickor-Treat, will be held on Friday, October 31 from 5-7:30pm. This night of Halloween fun for families includes trick-or-treating with mall tenants from 5-7:30pm, games and other activities from 5-7pm, and a Costume Contest at 6:30pm. STAR Country’s Brett Sharp will emcee this year’s Costume Contest. Children ages 12 and under are encouraged to register for the chance to win mall gift cards. Registration begins in Center Court at 6pm, with the contest at 6:30pm. Judges include Betty Perry, owner of Perrywinkle Toys; Iris Kaltenbaugh, manager of Global Management Solutions; and Mandy Williamson, office manager of Small Smiles Dental Center. Tanglewood Trick-or-Treat is hosted by Tanglewood Mall in partnership with Roanoke County Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Star Country Radio, and Small Smiles Dental Center.

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For at least the last 25 years, the graduation rate for Roanoke City Public Schools (“RCPS�) has hovered in the 50th and 60th percentile. This compares to a state average of 81%. The translation is that over at least the last quarter of a century, close to half of the young people in the City have voluntarily elected not to receive a basic education in the form of a high school diploma. A high graduation/low dropout rate is the end result of a school division providing a quality education, a community fully investing itself in the importance of a basic education, and all students having an understanding and expectation that they will attend and graduate from high school. Can the school division do more? Yes. In every school system, there is always room for improvement. The school division must hire the right personnel for our urban district, and then we must value and support those individuals who have chosen to devote their professional lives to the education of our children. On the strength of outstanding and committed teachers, principals, and support personnel, RCPS is offering all of its students a quality education. It is further incumbent on RCPS to be innovative and to implement programs and strategies directed at students (and parents) who might not currently appreciate the value of a basic education. This year, the school system opened the Forest Park Academy, a unique facility focused on graduating school children who are overage and/or under-credited, and thus at greater risk of dropping out. In addition, the school system continues to expand its outstanding relationship with

Virginia Western Community College (“VWCCâ€?). VWCC offers both associate and technical degrees with which a graduate likely can fill one of the more than eight hundred $35,000+/year jobs in the Roanoke Valley that remain vacant because of the absence of qualified applicants. RCPS is on the cusp of announcing additional initiatives with VWCC that will open even more opportunities for Roanoke City students. Can the community do more? Absolutely. It has been gratifying to see the public discourse over the last two municipal elections focus positively on education, and the value of education. Roanoke City, for the first time in 26 years, has pledged to adjust its funding formula so that additional resources are directed at Roanoke City schools. However, additional money is not the sole answer for increasing the level and quality of community involvement. In that regard, area businesses such as Boxley Materials, Carilion, Kroger, Lowe’s, Q99, Shenandoah Life, Trane, Wachovia, Wal-Mart, and many others are aiding the school system by stepping up with much-appreciated financial, personnel, and material assistance. Diverse places of worship such as Second Presbyterian, Christ Episcopal, Central Church of the Brethren, Beth Israel, First Christian, Greene Memorial, St. Mark’s Lutheran, and Jesus is Lord Assembly have for many years been providing a steady ow of volunteers, materials, and food to area schools, especially those where most of our students receive free and reduced-price lunches. Area PTAs have seen a rise in their membership, in-

creased involvement in the school system, and increased community programs such as the recent internet safety presentation. The Roanoke Education Association and its hundreds of members are working hand in hand with the school administration every day to better the school system. Can our students do more? Of course they can, and they must. While a significant number of students go to school, stay in school, do well in school, and finish school, the number of students who voluntarily choose not to do so is unacceptably high. ALL students must go to school, stay in school, do well in school, and at least complete a basic education. These expectations – which parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbors need to communicate at every opportunity, from the earliest age up through graduation - should and must be nonnegotiable. Our youth MUST become focused on their education. With a free and reduced-price lunch population of 68% for RCPS students (compared with a 29% state average), our students’ futures depend upon their education. On behalf of this school system, its students, and for the future of this wonderful City, please set the expectation from this day forward that ALL of our students will graduate from high school. We must all do our part to ensure that they do. Remember, together, anything is possible.

David Carson – Chairman: Roanoke City School Board

Send sports pictures, announcements and story ideas to info@theroanokestar.com

Sports

10/24/08 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 7

Photos by Bill Turner

PH place kicker Dominic Alexander (above) has a first quarter field goal attempt blocked by an Eagle rusher. Patriots tight end #84 Kyle Smith (right) rumbles through the Eagle line.

Patriots Fall To Franklin County On Saturday the Patrick Henry Patriots fell to the Franklin County Eagles 40-12. The loss drops the Patriots to 1-6 on the season, and 0-2 in the Western Valley District. “They were the better team on Saturday,” Coach Bob Gray said. “They just executed better than we did.” The Patriots’ third straight loss was due in large part to an inability to stop the run. Franklin County running back Justin Seay rushed for over 200 yards and had 6 scores for the Eagles. Photos by TJ Witten “They won the line of scrimmage, and as a reNubian Peak (above) outraces the Cave Spring defense for one of his three touchdowns. sult we couldn’t get them off the field,” Gray said. (Top) The Pulaski County defense left little room for the Cave Spring rushing attack all night. After a missed field goal on their first possession, the Patriots allowed two Seay touchdown runs and found themselves in a 13-0 hole early in the second quarter. Patrick Henry responded with a long drive resulting in a Darren Thomas’ score Who is that guy? Pulaski County tailback Nubian Peak has already committed to Virginia to bring the team to within 13-6. Tech, but Cave Spring football fans probably wish the senior was already gone. Peak scored However, the Patriots couldn’t hold the mothree touchdowns, rushed for 120 yards on just 9 carries and caught two passes for 33 yards mentum, allowing two big plays to put the game as the Cougars crushed the Knights 42-0 last Friday in River Ridge District action at Bogle out of reach. With a little over a minute remaining Stadium. Cave Spring fell to 2-5, 0-2 in the district. No Knights player had more than 13 yards in the first half, the Patrick Henry defense allowed rushing; quarterback Josh Woodrum managed just 37 passing yards.

Cave Spring Football

Franklin County to drive the length of the field and score on another run by Seay, leaving them down 19-6 at the half. And on the first play of the third quarter, Seay rumbled over 80 yards en route to yet another score and an insurmountable 26-6 lead. “That drive right before the half killed us,” Gray said. A touchdown run by Kyle Smith later in the third quarter ended the scoring for the Patriots. “Everyone’s frustrated right now,” Gray said of his team. “Don’t get me wrong, the guys are playing hard and nobody’s giving up, but the bottom line is we all want to win.” The Patriots face E.C. Glass on Friday night, still searching for their first win in Western Valley District competition. “We’ve just gotta regroup,” Gray said. “We have three games left to play, and we’ve gotta find a way to play better and get better results for our seniors.” Kickoff in Lynchburg is scheduled for 7pm.

Colonels Continue Winning Ways

Photo by Bill Turner

North Cross receiver #7 Sid Brown streaks to the end zone for a Raider TD.

Raiders remain red hot Another week, another impressive win: The North Cross Raiders keep rolling on the gridiron, Photo by Bill Turner topping Brunswick Academy 41-6 last weekend. Tyler Caveness racked up 163 yards rushing; Sid Christine Wadstrom performs with double flaming Brown caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception 35 yards for another score. Over batons at halftime of the North Cross homecoming the next two weekends North Cross finishes with away games at Hampton Roads Academy and football game Saturday. Roanoke Catholic before the playoffs get underway.

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The William Fleming Colonels scored 20 unanswered points in the second quarter en route to a 20-17 victory over G.W. Danville on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Colonels improve to 6-1 overall on the season, and 2-0 in Western Valley District play. “It was a pretty tight game, but I thought our defense carried us,” Coach Rob Senseney said. The Colonels fell behind early after Eagles running back David Wilson broke free for a long touchdown run in the first quarter. Wilson, who has committed to play for Virginia Tech, combined with running back Tahron Goods for well over 200 yards on the ground for G.W. Danville. “They’re obviously a real run-oriented team,” Senseney said. “But we tried to limit them as best we could.” The Colonels’ no-huddle offense was brilliant for much of the contest, going to the air early and often against the Eagles. Quarterback Derek Brown connected with A.J. Johnson for all three Fleming touchdowns, and finished with over 250 yards passing. G.W. Danville continued to chip away at the lead, however, and were driving in William Fleming territory late in the fourth quarter. But on fourth down, the Colonels sacked G.W. Danville quarterback Tim Moore to preserve the victory. William Fleming seeks their third straight victory on Friday night against the Halifax County Blue Comets. “They throw the ball really well, and they’re very well coached. It will be a tough game,” Senseney said. Kickoff in Roanoke is scheduled for 7:30pm. By Matt Reeve Matt@theroanokestar.com

Page 8 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 10/24/08

Sports

Send sports pictures, announcements and story ideas to info@theroanokestar.com

Vikings pass their New Titans’ coach struggling with cancer football test

Last Friday the Northside Vikings football team passed their first test in their quest for a Blue Ridge District title when they downed the Alleghany Mountaineers 27-13. Northside (4-4 1-0) used mainly a running attack mixed with some Ryan Keith passes to down Alleghany. The Northside defense bent but didn’t break. “”We played solid defense and didn’t give up the big play. We didn’t have any mental mistakes,” noted Coach Burt Torrence. The football players at Northside have had to learn a new offense installed by Torrence, however he said, “it takes time for a new offense to mature and we are now reaping the benefits.” This Friday Northside will attempt to take another step toward that title when the host the William Byrd Terriers. The Terriers (5-3 1-0) are led by quarterback Der-

rick Palmer and Torrence knows that containing Palmer will be the key to a victory. “”We have to play at a high level and match their intensity,” said Torrence. The Vikings will bring a totally healthy team to face Byrd, which will help: “they (Byrd) are a physical football team.” Defense will be another key to victory - Torrence knows Byrd has some players that can hurt them and they need to execute. While a 4-4 season is an improvement over last season, Torrence is sure his kids are not satisfied; they want to play on after the regular season is over. “”I’ve told them to work hard and good things will happen. The motto all year has been to finish the game,” said Torrence. He will expect nothing less Friday night.

Brenda King, the new girls basketball coach at Hidden Valley High School, recently discovered that she has Stage Four cervical cancer. King lost her husband to cancer just three years ago. She has a daughter at Hidden Valley Middle School and a son at the University of Virginia. “It goes without saying that this is extremely difficult on the whole family,” states a release from the school. “The Hidden Valley community is pulling together to support Coach King and her family in any and every way that we can.” King replaced Mike McGuire over the summer after he departed for an assistant coaching position at the University of Richmond. Hidden Valley is now selling rubber wristbands that say "Fight Like a King" as a show of support for their ailing coach, who is now undergoing chemotherapy. All proceeds from the sale will go directly to King and her family. Wristbands may be purchased from any basketball team member or by dropping by the front office. Hidden Valley is also selling t-shirts, at $10 each. Please email Tara Smith at tsmith@rcs.k12.va.us. All profits from the sale will go directly to King and her family. A bank account has also been set up for financial donations to the family. Checks should be made payable to Brenda King. Checks may be dropped off at HVHS or at the Stellar One - Oak Grove Branch. HVHS is also making special gift boxes for both of her children and is asking for donations. King’s daughter is an 8th grader and plays both volleyball and basketball. Her son is a freshman

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Northside (left) battles Alleghany at the net.

Northside volleyball team finishes strong The Northside lady Vikings volleyball team closed out the regular season Tuesday night with a victory over the Alleghany Mountaineers. Northside (11-9 5-1) finished off Alleghany 25-8, 25-16 and 25-12. The Vikings, on senior night, were led by seniors Samantha Barney and Vanessa Chapman with eight and seven kills respectively. Senior libero Molly Deacon had six digs for the Lady Vikings. Coach Amy Crawford was able to bring some players off of the bench late in games one and two; however, game two was in doubt midway through the contest. With the game tied at 14-14, Northside was able to score 11 of the last 13 points to win going away. The third game was differ-

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at UVA and plays baseball. Any items may be dropped off at the Hidden Valley front office. In addition, HVHS will be holding a Student versus Faculty Basketball Game on October 31st at 2:00 PM, for the student body and any guests. Tickets are $2.00. All ticket sale proceeds will go to the family. King moved from Pulaski County High School to Hidden Valley after McGuire, who won two state championships, announced he would be leaving. By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

Maroons Defeat Southern Virginia on Senior Night

By David Abraham info@theroanokestar.com

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Photo by Bill Turner

Titans’ Coach Brenda King at a camp over the summer.

ent story, at least early on, until Northside began to score often and took the match in three games from the Mountaineers. It appeared as though the Vikings won easily, however, Crawford wasn’t exactly convinced. When asked about her girls making it look easy, she sighed and replied, “It sure didn’t feel that way.”” She further noted that senior night is always emotional.” Heading in to the Blue Ridge District tournament, Crawford was cautious about her chances noting, that she was awaiting the outcome of the Lord Botetourt/ William Byrd match to determine what school the Vikings would play in the first round. By David Abraham info@theroanokestar.com

Roanoke College defeated Southern Virginia, 3-0, Monday evening at the Bast Center on Senior Night. The Maroons are now 22-3 on the season and are winners of nine straight while the Knights dropped to 20-9 to end the regular season. Several former local high school standouts helped propel the Maroons to victory. Southern Virginia, the seventh 20-win school Roanoke has faced this season, was swept for the first time in the series since 2006 as the Maroons won their second-straight match over the Knights. Roanoke is now 6-8 in the series against SVU. Before the match, seniors Marcy Conner (Hidden Valley High School) and Lauren Reznik were honored as both are four-year letter winners and co-captains of the team. In their four years at Roanoke, they have compiled a 71-43 overall record and have improved their record in each of its last three seasons with back-to-back 20-win campaigns. The women won in three sets, 25-17, 25-19 and 25-22. Conner had a solid ending to a great career in the Bast Center as she finished with eight kills and four blocks (two solo). Maggie Wagner (Cave Spring) had eight kills and 15 digs to pace the Maroons. Kelsey Largen (Cave Spring) had seven kills, five digs and two block assists while Emily Martin led Roanoke with 17 digs. Caitlyn Long (Cave Spring) ended the night with four kills, 28 assists and 10 digs. Long, who is currently seventh in the ODAC in digs, moved into sixth in single-season digs at Roanoke with 330. She is one ace away from moving into seventh all-time in that category with 104 for her career. Conner moved into ninth in career games played with 330 and seventh in career matches played with 111. The women will travel to Greensboro, NC on Friday to face Guilford in their final ODAC match of the regular season. The Maroons are currently 12-8 all-time against the Quakers, but have won the last 10 meetings.

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Drum Major Megan Walker and the Terriers Marching Band perform in regionals.

William Byrd places second in regional marching band competition

Losing out by less than one point, the William Byrd Marching Terrier Band placed second in their size category at the regional USSBA marching band competition recently. The Grayson County High School marching band took first in the Class III category. Bands are judged on music, visual, effect, color guard and percussion. The individual scores are then totaled to determine final score and winners. The seventeenth annual Bassett Invitational featured 12 bands from Virginia and North Carolina, competing in five size classes. The Wake Forest University Band and Bassett High School’s marching band provided exhibition programs. William Byrd will compete next at the USSBA Virginia State Championship on Saturday October 25 at Salem Stadium. Currently there are 22 marching bands signed up to compete, with the first band starting at 3 pm. By David Jones • info@theroanokestar.com

10/24/08 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 9

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letters

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American Way of Life at Stake

Politics has no place in for students not to wear proChristian clothing of specific schools

Dear editor, We have an extremely important presidential election this year in-that we will be voting to become a nation of socialism like Europe or continue our founding fathers dream of capitalism. The recent bailout of Wall Street and Senator Obama's plan to tax the wealthy to give to the poor is frightening to say the least. Not only the presidential election but the congress even more so given that Pelosi and Reid are more than ready to back his socialistic mantra. Here is the definition, see if you can see the congress and Obama in it: So-cial-ism 1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, 2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state 3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done. If Obama has his way, the wealthy will have little or no incentive to build their business, put more people to work or expand. On the other end, many people now working to make their way and improve their lot in life will likewise have no incentive because they can sit back and wait for their government check. Think very, very carefully before you go to the voting booth. Our very way of life is at stake.

Dear editor, Ms. Kitty Boitnott, a former Roanoke County employee in the school system, recently distributed a pro-Obama letter of action to all teacher union members and association members calling for partisan political activities on Roanoke County and Virginia school property. On September 30, 2008, Ms. Kitty asked teacher union members to take the following actions in this exclamation-filled and ecstatically enthusiastic letter: “WEAR BLUE - don’t wear an NEA for Obama shirt to school, but wear something blue REGISTER TWO VOTERS OR talk to two people who may be on the fence/ or a McCain supporter and sway them to become a Obama Supporter). LET’S MAKE OBAMA BLUE DAY a DAY OF ACTION!!!!” “BARACK THE VOTE!!!!” “Please forward this to everybody who may be interested in participating!!!!” Clearly, school property activities are encouraged by the overt call to wear Obama Blue shirts or clothing to school. The implication for teacher union members to take partisan political actions on school property is unambiguous. The call to arms, “Let’s Make Obama Blue Day a Day of Action!!!!” focuses specifically on taking pro-Obama actions on that designated day, including “talking to two people who may be on the fence” or (horrors or all horrors!) a “McCain supporter and sway them to become a Obama supporter”. Ms. Lange, based on what your own teacher union members are doing on school property in the Roanoke Valley and in Virginia, I see no reason

Paula Doss Roanoke

colors and designs and to discuss pro-Christian ideals and to save souls on school property. Do you?

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Wal-mart sneaks back into a community Dear editor, Here’s a dilemma for you to ponder. If a big corporation wants to buy your land and a number of your neighbors are willing to do the same at a nice profit, would you be willing to sell your land if it was a real detriment to your community? Most of us would say yes to the right amount of money. Wal-Mart definitely has the right amount of money to entice you into selling your property at what would seem to be an exorbitant price. But is it? Consider that Wal-Mart will profit many thousands of times over the price it pays for the land and could care less about the communities it chooses to wreck. The community of Clearbrook does not want this Wal-Mart superstore as the residents have made abundantly clear. That our elected officials disregarded the voice of the citizenry and violated previous zoning restrictions by issuing special building permit makes one wonder who else is profiting from this? Supervisor Moore was notified by email Monday, October 13, 2008, that Walmart’s permit had been extended prior to her meeting with County Officials and her assurance that a decision would not be made until after October 24th.

available with pictures, 10 weeks, price $600, for more details contact adrian cole. At cole1063@ gmail.Com > Help Wanted After School Program Coordinator Part time elementary coordinator for Presbyterian Community Center after school program. Requirements: combination of education, experience equivalent to bachelor degree in counseling, education, childhood development or related field. Experience working with atrisk children preferred. Resume to: PCC, 1228 Jamison Avenue, Roanoke, 24013 and/or call 540982-2911 for Tom MacMichael pathways@pccse.org Part-time Dining Room Assistant Are you looking for a part-time position with great hours in a professional work environment? Shenandoah Life has an opportunity for you. We are seeking a high-energy, customer focused, individual to join our Corporate Services staff. This individual will assist the dining room staff with the preparation of food services. Qualified candidates must have a desire to provide quality customer service and have good communications skills. Candidate must be able to lift up to 25+ lbs and stand for long periods of time. Previous experience with or knowledge of food service is preferred. Part-time hours: 20-25 hours a week between hours 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. with regular hours of 8:00-1:00 p.m. Starting salary $10 + 401K benefits. If customer service is your priority and have a strong work ethic, submit your resume today to: Shenandoah Life Insurance Company, Attn: HR Job # 1030-07, PO Box 12847, Roanoke,VA 24029, Fax: (540) 857-5915 or Email: human.resources@shenlife.com. or visit our website at www.shenlife. com.We are pleased to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Penn Forest Elementary Annual Pumpkin Sale Lots of fun games and crafts planned for the kids, a hayride, inflatables and in the past we’ve had a petting”zoo.” A preorder BBQ dinner sponsored by Pitt Boss BBQ on Brambleton Ave. will be offered and we also offer preorder pumpkins for sale and set up our “pumpkin patch” in front of our school. When- 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Where- Penn Forest Elementary Downtown Neighborhood Association Meeting The October meeting is very important… we are hoping to create a mission statement, adopt basic bylaws, establish neighborhood boundaries, elect officers, discuss a dues structure, and make plans for future meetings. Our friends from DRI, the DNA Steering Committee, and members of city staff will be attending the meeting. Remember, this organization is for downtown residents and merchants alike, so we want everyone to participate.. When- 6 p.m.Where- 309 Market Street, Suite 204 For more - Please RSVP by Monday October 20, 2008 faye@quality-cost.com

> Oct. 24

Brown Bag Lunch/Artists Talk Artists: Ann Glover, Chris Gryder, Gerry Bannanand Kurt Ernest StegerHear the artists describe their own works as they respond to questions ranging from techniques to subject matter When - Noon - 1 p.m. Where - 2nd Floor Galleries Center in the Square For more - www.theartscouncil. org

> Oct. 25

Family Gaming Day

Roanoke Public Libraries now invite not just the teens to enjoy gaming at the library! A new program, Family Gaming Day, starts Saturday, October 25.Try your hand at the Wii, Guitar Hero, and any of the other hit games that the library offers. And if you don’t like computer games, don’t feel confined, we also have board games and other timeless family games. When - 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. Where - Roanoke Main Library For more - 853-2955

Research Technician for Aerial Operations sought by Summit Helicopters, Inc. Pilot a helicopter to spray herbicides for the forestry, utility, and natural resources industries in its Cloverdale,VA office. Qualified candidates will have a Bach’s in Bio Aeronautics, Aeronautical Engin or related and 6 mnths of rltd exp, including organizing and planning > Oct. 31 agricultural aircraft operations and Downtown Employee will have FAA comm pilots license Halloween Costume Con- and at least 250 hrs of flight time. Mail CV and salary reqs to: Summit test Helicopter, Inc. Ref. RK/RTAO/JF, Great prizes will be awarded for 595 Cougar Drive, Cloverdale, VA the scariest, funniest and most 24077. No calls please. Equal Oporiginal costume. No entry fee. portunity Employer.

> Oct. 29

Going to the Dogs Block Party $20 tickets (in advance, you also get a free wine or beer ticket for those of age), Delicious BBQ and Veggie buffet from Trio, Cash Bar (Beer & Wine), Raffle Items from Roanoke Print Works, Block Party - blocked off, Music, the works! Stores open late and 10% of all proceeds to benefit the animal charities. Buy your tickets in advance at TRIO, BlackDogSalvage or Roanoke Valley Print Works When - 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Where - Market St. Downtown Roanoke For more - 853-2955

> Oct. 30

Roanoke Public Libraries to Host Session on America’s Economic Crisis Economist Michael Paslawskyj from the FDIC will discuss the growing economic crisis that is gripping the United States and Virginia. dmission to this session is free, but space is limited. If you are interested in participating, please RSVP by calling Diane McGuire (Branch Manager of Raleigh Court) at 540-853-2240 or Tommy L. Waters (Assistant Director) at 540-853-2785. When - 6 p.m. Where - Raleigh Court Branch Library

When - Registration open at Branch Manager 11:30 a.m. Contest at 12:15 p.m. Scottrade is looking for a Branch Where - East Market Square Manager to open the new office Tanglewood - Trick or Treat The night includes trick-ortreating with mall tenants, games and activities, and a Costume Contest (for ages 12 and under). Made possible through partnership with Roanoke County Parks Recreation & Tourism, Star Country, and Small Smiles Dental Center. When - 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Where - Tanglewood Mall For more- www.shoptanglewood.com

> Oct. 31 - Nov. 2

Have an item for the calendar? email it to submissions@ theroanokestar.com

in Roanoke. Please apply if you are customer service oriented with 3-4 years online brokerage experience. Salary plus bonus & excellent benefits. WWW.SCOTTRADE.JOBS Administrative Assistant Local church is seeking a part time (20-25 hours) Administrative Assistent. Office and computer skills required. Call 345-1402

Data collector Position available with CoWorx Staffing Services. Position is responsible for collecting retail pricing in grocery, office, pet and mass retailer locations. Prior grocery, merchandising, inventory, mystery shopping or 10-key experience helpful. For more details concernCel- ing number of hours and pay call

Dollywood Harvest ebration - Bus Trip The Singles Travel Club (couples welcome too!), is sponsoring a bus trip to Dollywood, Country Tonite and The Smokey Mountains on Friday, October 31 Sunday, November 2, 2008. Where- Passengers can board the bus at the Bonsack Walmart, Route 460, Troutville; and at Hardee’s, 2038 W. Main Street, Salem (Exit 137). Cost- The price per person of: $295 double occupancy; $275 triple occupancy; $265 quad occupancy; or $365 single occupany includes: Roundtrip motorcoach transportation, 2 nights lodging, 2 breakfasts, admission to Dollywood, ticket to Country Tonite Theatre, a riding tour of Smokey Mountain National Park and a tour host. For more- call (540) 366-2888.

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Art Lessons private art lessons drawing ,painting and sculpture ages 6 and up call Katherine Devine 427-5919 devinestudios@yahoo.com

Cool Cheap Stuff Place your ad in Cool Cheap Stuff, for items costing $150 or less, free! Ads are published for 1 week. If item doesn’t sell feel free to run it again! Cool Cheap Stuff is available to private individuals who advertise one item costing $150 or less. Cost of item and telephone number must appear in ad copy. First 10 words are free. Additional 10 words are $5.00. Some restrictions apply. Limit 8 Cool, Cheap Stuff ads per month! Honda Lawnmower HR173 $100.00 540-342-2183 Double Mattress, Boxsprings and Frame Serta Perfect Sleeper $40.00 540-342-2183 World Book Encyclopedias 60’s and 70’s Yearbooks $10.00 540-342-2183 Girls Huffy Bike for 5-6 year oldLike new - $10.00 Contact Kimberly: 761-4657 Antique Round Top Wooden Trunk $95.00 540-343-1473. Antique black child’s rocker $45.00 540-343-1473 Matching sofa and chair - early American style - good condition Wood trim $150 540-363-3986 Hardwire rotating container with center hole, 44 in. diameter, ten slots $20 540-563-0589 > Haiku ads Strumming a six string want to improve but need help Lessons are your hope Call Greg @ 540-354-2049

Want to learn Chinese? Learn it from a Taiwanese. Call us right away! Call Deborah, 776-3087 Children’s filled aprons, Krayon keepers, crafts, quillows... And ‘has beens’ galore. Emily,Vendor 1806, 725-1464, emilym@cox.net I repair the tabs or whole shingles. You provide material and ladder. 7 dollars per tab. Robspad@hotmail.com spinet Piano in excellent condition Would you like to play? Call Peggy@342-2183 or pae-onia@juno.com Real good condition Dot Matrix printer for sale No longer needed Call Crystal @ 989-6138 Self-defense lessons Free for women and children Fun and practical Call 345-7365 Junior Achievement Needs you to help us teach kids! Call us now at 989-6392 For teens and adults, On-going Painting Classes, With retired artist Call Janet Wimmer, 977-1681 or e-mail janet.wimmer@gmail. com FREE!!!! We’ll run any ad from a private party written in traditional Haiku form (5,7,5 syllabic format). Telephone number at the end of the listing is excluded from the format requirements. Email info@ theroanokestar.com

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Page 10 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 10/24/08

TheRoanokeStar.com

Law enforcement agencies tackle New therapy landlord-tenant rights for felines at Veterinary Teaching Hospital

Roanoke City’s Fair Housing Board held a second session recently concerning Virginia’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This one was geared towards law enforcement agencies – and the result was a packed room at the Roanoke Higher Education Center, with about 70 police and sheriff ’s department representatives among the 90 or so registered. Many were from the city, with others from Roanoke County, Lexington, Blacksburg, Pulaski and as far away as Rural Retreat. Fire and rescue, building and housing agencies, and city and county code enforcement officials were also in attendance. The first time the Fair Housing Board held the seminar less than 30 registered for the event. “We have just been amazed by the response,” said Karla Turman, a Town of Vinton code enforcement officer and a board member. “There's definitely a need for this type of education.” In short – just what are the right of tenants versus those of the landlord? When does law enforcement get involved, in order to evict a tenant for example, or when is heading to court the best option? Roanoke Legal Aid Society attorney David Beidler returned for a second time to go over some of the intricacies of the state law – which is not always black and white. Beidler typically defends tenants on the lower end of the income scale. Joining him this time was Grimes Creasy, a Roanoke attorney and member of the Fair Housing Board, who typically defends landlords or property owners. Creasy pointed out that a tenant is granted certain rights when they sign a lease to rent an apartment or house: “they get to be left alone.” That means landlords have very limited access to

that property and cannot kick tenants out “without due process.” The Landlord and Tenant Act requires a five day grace period on overdue rent before landlords can file a summons. “There is often two sides to every story as to why rent wasn’t paid,” noted Creasy to the law enforcement-heavy audience. “You all are put in [the middle of] this predicament,” he added. “Landlords cannot legally cutoff water, electricity and other services,” said Creasy, who warned about getting too involved in “this otherwise civil matter.” There were questions about squatters, girlfriends who move in but are not on the lease and friends who crash at someone’s apartment and wind up there long term (a Blacksburg officer said it wasn’t uncommon in that college town). Court action, rather than hauling someone away in handcuffs, was the “safe call” according to Creasy. Unauthorized guests can be asked to leave or may be required to be put on a lease after a reasonable period of time. Unlawful detainers can be filed in court to help force out an unwanted guest, but in most cases a landlord can’t bar the friend of a tenant just because they do not like them. Law enforcement agencies that get in the middle of landlord-tenant disputes may be “stepping outside the

boundary …and run the risk of personal liability,” said Beidler, noting that evidence of drugs, guns or other dangerous situations does allow for immediate intervention by law enforcement in many cases. The Roanoke City police department will often send a letter to landlords asking them to evict a tenant if they find evidence of drugs while on an authorized search or sweep. Adjacent tenants and neighbors can also file a public nuisance claim, in groups of five or more, something Beidler termed “a very powerful tool.” There are even parents who want their children to leave home when they turn 18, but have to file trespassing charges with a magistrate to make that happen. Beidler pointed out however that parents may have “continuing legal obligations,” if that 18 year old is impaired physically or mentally. The Legal Aid Society can be reached at 344-2080 for more information on some of the sticky issues concerning landlord and tenant rights. The bottom line: use the courts where possible to solve a landlordtenant dispute. “It’s not your job to determine who’s right or wrong,” said Creasy, addressing the room full of law enforcement officers.

The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary Teaching Hospital (vetmed.edu) has introduced a new radioactive iodine therapy for an endocrine disorder that commonly affects older cats. Feline hyperthyroidism is caused by a benign goiter of one or both thyroid glands that, in turn, causes an elevation of thyroid hormones, according to Dr. David Panciera. Cats suffering from feline hyperthyroidism may eat, drink, and urinate more than normal, lose weight, be hyperactive, suffer coat quality issues, have an elevated heart rate and other clinical signs. "This is one of the more common disorders we see in geriatric cats," said Panciera, who is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. There are both medical and surgical approaches to managing the problem, he said, but there can be side effects and complications from each. The medical therapy is generally quite effective; however, compliance issues often undermine the medical approach. "It can be quite difficult to get owners and their cats together and agree on whether or not they should be taking their medications," quipped Panciera. Radioactive iodine therapy is an extremely effective treatment for

Roanoke Public Libraries will host an information session on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m., at the Raleigh Court Branch Library, where economist Michael Paslawskyj from the FDIC will discuss the growing economic crisis that is gripping the United States and Virginia. The crisis has caused a downturn in our markets: high oil prices, which led to both high food prices and global inflation; a substantial credit crisis leading to the bankruptcy of large and well established investment banks as well as commercial banks; increased unemployment; and the possibility of a global recession. What can be done to turn this crisis around? What caused the economy to fail? Paslawskyj is a native of New Jersey and has recently relocated to Atlanta. He is the Regional Economist in the FDIC's Division of Insurance and Research for the Atlanta regional office. He joined the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) in January 2008 and is responsible for surveying economic conditions and highlighting economic risks to financial institutions within the seven-state Atlanta region. Admission to this session is free, but space is limited. If you are interested in participating, please RSVP by calling Diane McGuire (Branch Manager of Raleigh Court) at 540-853-2240 or Tommy L. Waters (Assistant Director) at 540853-2785.

treating feline hyperthyroidism, Panciera notes. The iodine destroys the diseased tissue, while healthy thyroid tissues are not affected. Candidates for the radioactive iodine therapy should be relatively healthy cats that have been off their feline hyperthyroid medications for at least two weeks, and the treatment usually involves hospitalization for three or four days. Upon admission, patients are provided with a comprehensive health evaluation and a thyroid scan is done to ascertain the extent of the problem and to develop a therapeutic approach. Once the agent is injected, the patient must be kept in isolation for three or four days while the radioactive agent is cleared from the body. The college's Veterinary Teaching Hospital (located on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg) is ready to provide the service and looks forward to referrals from community practitioners throughout the region, according to Panciera.

A. Byron Smith And Friends Host A Groundbreaking Ceremony

Local business leader and community activist A. Byron Smith will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 11 AM, to mark the construction of a new 7,600square-foot office building and maintenance facility. The ceremony will take place at 1818 Centre Ave. NW in Roanoke. The building, scheduled for completion in summer of 2009, will house the operations of Mr. Smith’s three businesses – home heating oil, real estate and bail bonds. A special room in the building will be devoted to the work of Mr. Smith’s late wife, Miriam Smith, founder of Roanoke's first public school of nursing at the African American Burrell Memorial Hospital. The lower level of the building will be used as a garage for Mr. Smith’s home heating oil vehicles. AdditionBy Gene Marrano ally, a significant portion of the building will gmarrano@cox.net be available for lease.

Explaining the economic crisis

Dr. David Panciera and one of his patients.

A lifelong community activist and small business owner, Mr. Smith, 89, has been a pillar of the Roanoke Valley. In the 1930s, at age 17, he was recruited by Virginia Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company and later became a top selling agent with the company. During the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, Mr. Smith helped end racial segregation in Roanoke by sitting on a bi-racial committee that helped dozens of lunch counters be peacefully integrated; he also fought against the city for using the Washington Park as a public garbage dump. In addition to Mr. Smith, other participants of the Oct. 25 groundbreaking ceremony include Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, Rev. David L. Chapman, pastor of High Street Baptist Church, and Adam Cohen, co-owner of Structures Design/Build. The event is free and open to the public.

Maroon cards welcomed at Salem merchants A small but growing list of Salem businesses have signed up for the college’s “Maroon Card” off-campus program. Students can fill their tank at Sheetz, visit Salem Pizza or Mac and Bob’s for dinner, pick up a prescription at CVS or stop by Yummy’s for a late-night snack—all without a cent in their pockets. So long as money has been pre-loaded to the Maroon Card, all of these businesses will be happy to accept it in lieu of cash or credit cards. Alcohol, tobacco and firearms purchases are off-limits to card users, but almost any other items are allowed. Senior Warner Whatley supports the new program, saying, “I think it’s a good thing because it allows parents to regulate where their students are spending money offcampus.” The cashless shopping initiative is made possible by the software capabilities of the Black-

At Your Service!

board program students have been using academically for several years. Emily Messenger, the college’s business affairs comptroller, said, “We knew the Blackboard software program had the capability [to accommodate off-campus shopping], so that was one of the reasons we chose it.” Campus officials have been working hard to get the program up and running, and it debuted during earlier this year. More than $35,000 has been spent at these local merchants through the Maroon Card program so far this year. Students may not use meal swipes at off-campus locations and must make sure that money loaded onto their cards is deposited into the Maroon Money fund, not the bookstore or dining funds. Deposits to the account can be made in person at the business office; parents and students also can load money online.

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arts & culture

Art In Roanoke - “Second 2173 Bennington Street Chances” Installed at atRiverlandRoad/Rt.1 6 New Retail Center Fire Station #7 2,000 square feet available

10/24/08 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 11

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The sculpture “Second Chances” is the last in the series of the public art exhibits to be installed in Roanoke city. It portrays escaping fish from the mouth of an 8-foot tall pelican made of steel, copper, brass and aluminum. This temporary piece will remain at Fire Station #7 located at 1742 Memorial Avenue until April 2010, and is available for sale by artist, Eldon Slick of Tucson, Arizona. The sculpture proudly wears the Fire Station #7 badge duly noted by the crew on duty Saturday. Slick was sipping coffee and chatting with the 30 plus people who attended the Saturday morning “Meet the Artist” reception saying that this sculpture “depicts the second chance we all have in life.” Food was provided by the Village Grille. At 63, Eldon, admitted to being a “child of the 60s.” He said his siblings were physicists and doctors and he just did not fit that mold. Slick is a self-taught sculptor, painter, and writer with 40 years in the fields of metal arts, commercial design, painting, and publishing. He owns a fine art, commercial design, and fabrication business, with emphasis on public artworks. BOL 08Fire Chief David Hoback, On hand was the City Manager Darlene Burcham, BOL 08 Battalion Chief Dale Barker, Doug Jackson Chairman of the Roanoke Arts Commission, and Susan Jennings Roanoke City’s Public Art Coordinator. Six other Station #7 Fire and EMS crewmembers stood patiently with Chief Hoback and Photo by Valerie Garner Battalion Chief Barker while Doug and others snapped pictures of them with the The “Second Chances” sculpture at Roanoke City fi re station number 7. sculpture. The youngest art admirer was Rowan Gilmer, who while hoisted on his father’s Contact Tom Branch or Mike Branch Contact shoulders delighted as artist, Eldon Slick moved the Pelican’s mouth as the fish By Valerie Garner • info@theroanokestar.com 4552 Franklin Road, S.W., Roanoke, Virginia 24014 Tom Branch or Mike Branch BOL 08 BOL 08 Road, S.W., Roanoke, Virginia 24014 inside attempted to escape. Phone: 540-774-1208 | Fax: 540-774-13594552 | Email:Franklin bmc@branchmgt.com BOL 08 Phone: 540-774-1208 | Fax: 540-774-1359 | Email: bmc@branchmg

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Space Available Roanoke Arts Festival Space Available Space Available Branch Management Corp. specializes in unique solutions to meet your needs. specializes Presents World Premiere Of Branch Management Corp. in unique solutions to meet your needs. | Selling Expanding | Downsizing | Ownership | Leasing Space Available Expanding | ‘Bull: A Puppet Musical’ have available, For more information on these and other properties thatDownsizing we Space Available Branch Management Corp. specializes in | Ownership | Leasing | Selling Contact Tom Branch or Mike Branch 4552 Franklin Road, S.W., Roanoke, Virginia 24014 Phone: 540-774-1208 | Fax: 540-774-1359 | Email: bmc@branchmgt.com

Contact Tom Branch or Mike Branch Contact Tom Branch or4552 Mike Franklin Branch Road, S.W., Roanoke, Virginia 24014 Phone: 540-774-1208 4552 Franklin Road, S.W., Roanoke, Virginia 24014| Fax: 540-774-1359 | Email: bmc@branchmgt.com Branch Management Corp.Phone: specializes in unique to meet yourbmc@branchmgt.com needs. 540-774-1208 | Fax:solutions 540-774-1359 | Email: Expanding | Downsizing | Ownership | Leasing | Selling

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pleaseManagement visit today! Branch specializes inon unique solutions meet your needs. Forwww.branchmgt.com moreCorp. information these andtoother properties Branch Management Corp. specializes in unique solutions to meet your needs. visit| Leasing www.branchmgt.com Expanding | Downsizingplease | Ownership | Selling Expanding | Downsizing | Ownership | Leasing | Selling Hollins at Palmer ed For more information on these and other properties that we have available, Business Center 802 Kerns Avenue For morerinformation on these properties that we have available, ty please visit www.branchmgt.com today! other and 24 acrestu r For Sale or Lease a e please visit www.branchmgt.com today!

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Kids of all ages will enjoy a new genre for the Roanoke Arts Festival – a puppet musical performance by Roanoke-based Thistledown Puppets. “Bull: a Puppet Musical” debuts at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 with a second performance at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9. Both performancHollins at Palmer Hollins at Palmer es will be at the Dumas Center in downtown Roanoke. Tickets are Business Center Hollins at Palmer Business Center 802 Kerns Avenue 802 Kerns Avenue 802 Kerns Avenue Hollins at Palmer 24 acres $10 for adults and $5 for children under 5. Tickets are available24atacres Business24Center acres For Sale or Lease For Sale or LeaseFor Sale or Lease Build toCenter Suit Build to Business Suit 100,000 sq ft 100,000 sq ft Build to Suit Will Subdivide Will Subdivide www.RoanokeArtsFest.org. 100,000 sq ft 24 acres Will Subdivide Thistledown Puppets are comprised of talented writers and pupBuild to Suit Will Subdivide peteers who have taken the classic art form of puppetry to a whole 20 Jubal Early Hwy - 2,873 sq. ft. new level. This family-friendly puppet company is dedicated to en1.25 acres / corner lot tertaining and inspiring the child in everyone. Their art and design Intersection of Rt. 116 & 122 Street background is used to concept puppet characters and construct2173 Bennington2173 Bennington Street Buck Mountain Road at Riverland Road Rt. 116 Buck Mountain Road at/Riverland Road / Rt. 116 puppets that do everything from smile to bat their eyes. And they New Retail CenterNewContact 4.45 acres 4.45 acres Retail Center Tom Branch or Mike Branch Zoned C2 2,000 square feet2,000 available Zoned C2 square feet available use their creativity to write scripts to perform for people of all ages 2,725 sq ft sublease available 4552 Franklin Road, S.W. , Roanoke, Virginia 24014 2,725 sq ft sublease available will appreciate. 2173 Bennington Street Ph: 540-774-1208 | Fax: 540-774-1359 | Email: bmc@branchmgt.com Buck Mountain Road The world premiere of “Bull” is based on the comicatbook the team Riverland Road / Rt. 116 2173 Bennington Street 4.45 acres New Retail Center wrote. The reader is given a glimpse into a world where the characat Riverland Road / Rt. 116 Zoned C2 square feet available ters don’t belong. It’s a strange view of life on a farm,2,000 which consists New Retail Center 2,725 sq ft sublease available 1354 8th Street Blue Ridge Drive feet available mainly of a desire to live life OFF the farm. “Bull” parallels modern2,000 square 1354 8th Street 26,000 sq ft available 3.236 acresBlue Ridge Drive 26,000 sq ft available 3.236 acres life and the way we all wish we were somewhere else. Just like the anWill Subdivide 2,725 sqBuild ft sublease available to Suit Will Subdivide Build to Suit Will Subdivide imals in this comic strip, we all look toward someone or something Will Subdivide else and wish we were THAT when in truth THAT isn’t any better

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You can learn more about Thistedown Puppets and the upcomOld Rocky Mount Road ing premiere of “Bull: a Puppet Musical” at www.thistledownpup- Peters Creek Road 10 acres 4.9 acres Peters Creek Road 1354 8th Street Old Rocky Mount Road Blueannual Ridge Drive Build to Suit pets.com . This is just one of the many events of the second Great office location 10 acres 4.9 acres Will Subdivide 26,000 sq ft available 3.236 acres Build to Suit Roanoke Arts Festival. For tickets and a complete festival calendar Great office location Will Subdivide Will Subdivide Blue Ridge Drive Build to Suit including some free events, visit www.RoanokeArtsFest.org. 3.236 acres Will Subdivide “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring such a classic, yet enchantBuild to Suit ing art form to this year’s festival,” says Festival manager Rick SalzWill Subdivide berg. “Thistledown Puppets is such a talented group of artists with a gift for charming people of all ages.”

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“Eden” pays dividends for local non-profits

Peters Creek Road 10 acres Build to Suit The Cast and Crew of Logos Theatricus (Theatre of the Will Word) Subdivide

and Our Lady of Nazareth Parish performed an encore performance of Stephen Schwartz’s musical, “Children of Eden” on the Shaftman stage at the Jefferson Center in early September. Logos Theatricus is a local non-profit theatrical company, whose mission is to produce and perform quality theatrical shows that inspire and touch the heart, while raising money for local charitable organizations. The September shows raised over $10,000 dollars, to be divided equally by the West End Center for Youth and the Roanoke Rescue Mission. Those funds will be presented to the charitable organizations on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at the Roanoke downtown library auditorium on Jefferson Street, at 6:30 pm. Logos Theatricus first produced and performed the show in September of 2007 at William Fleming High School. Last year’s benefactors were RAM House, Interfaith Hospitality Network and Acts 2 ministries. This latest production of “Children of Eden” was also an ecumenical effort of close to 100 people throughout the Roanoke Valley. The cast was multi-denominational, multi-ethnic, and multigenerational, representing over 15 churches and students from various elementary, middle, high schools and VA Western Community College. The local charities were chosen by cast members.

Third Annual Jazz Café to Feature David Wiley The 3rd annual Jazz Café will be held on Thursday, November 6 from 7pm-9pm. This event will be held at Saint Johns Lutheran Church, 3608 Brambleton Avenue. The cost of a single admission ticket will be $10.00 per person. This year, the Jazz Café will feature performances by the Cave Spring High School and Middle School Jazz bands and David Willey, Music Director of the Roanoke Symphony. “We are really excited about this Café because David Wiley has agreed to perform. This should be a great event”, said Brian Quakenbush, the CSHS Band Instructor. This event is open to all Cave Spring High students, band parents of middle and high school students, and the general public. The Advanced Marketing students at Cave Spring High School are assisting the bands in promoting their Jazz Café for the Cave Spring High School and Cave Spring Middle School Band Classes. The Jazz Café is an alcohol-free alternative to jazz bars.

UNDERSTANDING A VOLATILE ECONOMY

Peters Creek Road 10 acres Build to Suit Will Subdivide

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4.9 acres Roanoke Public Libraries hosts Great office loc Economist Michael Paslawskyj from the FDIC to discuss the growing economic crisis that is gripping the United States and Virginia.

What can be done to turn this crisis around? What caused the economy to fail? Raleigh Court Branch Library Thursday Oct. 30 6:00 p.m. Admission is free, but space is limited. Please register by calling 540-853-2240 or 540-853-2785.

Local Crossword

Page 12 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 10/24/08

TheRoanokeStar.com

10/24/2008

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