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The Roanoke Star-Sentinel December 23 - 29, 2011

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Merry Christmas!

[Holiday Cheer]

Rasoul Sought Advice in Decision to Run for Mayor

A Very Merry Library

“No one sought me out to run,” said Sam Rasoul. Those he spoke to “outline the pros and cons” of his decision to run for Mayor, he said. Some were worried about it upsetting the Democratic council’s status quo. “I really had Local Politics to think long and hard about that … This is not an anti-David Bowers campaign.” Mayor David Bowers’ reaction to Rasoul’s announcement last week was one of acceptance. He said, “I get challenges every day and this is just another interesting challenge I’ve got to deal with.” It is up to the public on who they want as Mayor and “I’ve always found Roanokers to take that very genuinely.” Some have questioned Rasoul’s recent move from Botetourt County to Roanoke City. Rasoul confirmed his move from a Botetourt County rental to a Glade Creek apartment in the city’s Wildwood community. He lives there with his wife Layaly and two young daughters, Jennah and Amirah. He has lived in the Roanoke Valley since age three when he attended Greenvale School, a non-profit childcare center in Northwest Roanoke. After graduating from Roanoke College

Mary Jo Shannon

[

Christmas Past

P4– Mary Jo Shannon takes us back to a less distracted time when simple things meant so much more.

enny Marcus (right, on piano) and his band have plenty to be merry about and it’s not just the usual standing room only crowd that attended his annual holiday concert at Roanoke’s Main Library on Tuesday night. A Roanoke Physician by trade, Marcus has kept his considerable jazz skills alive by continuing to play regionally and releasing 18 CD’s to date. His latest release “The Jazz of Beethoven” is receiving strong reviews nationally and even stirring up a buzz in the New York City jazz scene. The accolades are well earned as Marcus has received recognition in two international song writing competitions and had his music featured on NPR’s “All that Jazz” and CNN’s “Heros” series. If you watch the Weather Channel you’ve also likely heard some of his work as you’ve taken in the forecast. If you’re looking for that perfect last minute gift or just some great tunes for the New Year you can pick up a copy of his new CD locally at Barnes and Noble or online at Amazon, CD Baby or iTunes.

]

> CONTINUED P2: Rasoul

Smoking Hot Pats Buying New Electronics This Season? Don’t Trash the Old Ones! P7– The Patrick Henry boys basketball team continues to dominate as it heads into the K-Guard Holiday Classic undefeated.

Electronics are once again dominating holiday shopping lists this season. In fact, analysts with the Consumer Electronics Association predict shoppers will spend six percent more on electronics this year compared to last – or about $250 per consumer. And for every new laptop, tablet, phone, TV, gaming system and scores of other gadgets, an outdated device likely will be replaced. For those old electronics, the question is, “Now what?” First off, do not throw replaced electronics in the trash. Electronic devices are comprised of a range of toxic components that can be harmful to human

health and the environment if discarded funds for a local organization. With the in the same waste stream as the rest of current economic climate most nonyour household garbage. Trashed elec- profits, schools and other organizations tronics, or “e-waste,” contain heavy met- are experiencing harder times. Not only als such as lead, mercury and cadmium, will recycling benefit an organization which can leach out of landfills and into in need, but the environment as well groundwater or nearby waterways. The by diverting the e-waste from the landfill. Contact your favorite good news is that there are nonprofit or other charitable several alternatives for disRecycling posing of your e-waste, inorganization to find an event cluding reuse and recycling. near you. One ideal method that is in keeping Another option is to look into elecwith the holiday spirit is to find a local tronics take-back programs. Many eleccommunity electronics recycling fund- tronics retailers, like Best Buy or Staples, raiser to properly dispose of your out- will accept your e-waste for free or a dated electronics while helping to raise small handling fee, regardless of brand

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P8– The Roanoke Valley housing market is heading in the right direction for sellers with sales / prices going up and inventory going down.

A newly renovated labor and delivery room at LewisGale Maternity Center.

State-Of-The-Art Technology And Quality Care Make Birthing Easier

P9– Legendary Jazz musician Don Pullen is finally honored in his hometown as The Jeff Center and the Harrison Museum team up for an exhibit and concert.

> CONTINUED P2: Electronics

Community Garden Program Expands

Upward Trend

Honoring Pullen

]

or condition. Several manufacturers, too, will take back retired products, although these take-back programs vary in terms of fees and conditions. A quick internet search of your local electronics retailer or manufacturers’ recycling policy will provide instructions for their take-back process. Many cities’ waste management divisions also have electronics recycling programs, though opportunities differ in size and scope. Some municipalities have designated e-waste collection sites,

Having a baby has gotten just a little easier for women in the Roanoke region thanks to a $2.5 million renovation to the Maternity Care Center at LewisGale. The 521-bed hospital in Salem, now boasts a state-of-the-art maternity care unit on the hospital’s second floor. The unit includes nine Labor-Delivery-Recovery-Postpartum suites that are 50 percent larger than they previously were, as well as eight postpartum suites and a physician sleeping suite. “We’ve put mom, baby and the whole family into the design of this unit. We’re not just focused on the patient. We’re focused on the whole family,” said Karen Henson, director of the Maternity Care Center. “This is family-centered care.” The rooms, which overlook Electric and Keagy roads in Salem, look more like a master bedroom than a hospital room. From the cherry colored hardwood floors and 37” flat screen televisions to the high-tech fetal monitoring systems, many postpartum > CONTINUED P2: Birthing

With the help of a five thousand dollar grant from Freedom First Credit Union, the Roanoke Community Garden Association plans to open its third plot to the public next spring. The 30 x 170 patch of land on 4th Avenue SE is being leased by local landlord Frank Roupas for one dollar per year. The RCGA had previously opened plots on 14th Street SE and in the northwest Roanoke City neighborhood of Hurt Park. Local residents apply for space in the community garden plots, which are (L-R) Joy Sylvester Johnson, Rod designed for those who do not have an Nunez Thomas Chapman, Mark Powopportunity to garden where they live – ell and Frank Roupas. they may reside in an apartment, have is a way of life. More than 1000 pounds rocky soil unsuitable for planning, etc. of fruits and vegetables grown at the Community Garden Association Di- larger 14th Street community garden rector Mark Powell, who got were given to several local started when he and wife Sylfood pantries last year. Beautification vja were just thinking about “It’s a great communitydoing their own gardening, building park,” said Powell, said the new plot in Southeast will also who has been involved with the Occupy be available to residents of the adjacent Roanoke movement and dabbled in Roanoke Rescue Mission who are in re- campaign management (Martin Jeffrey) covery programs. in the past. Some apply for and use gardens “for Some federal funding via HUD, the pleasure of joining others,” said grants and private donations have Powell, but most have no access to till- helped fund the RCGA, which must run able soil. A number are refugees and water supplies to > CONTINUED immigrants from other countries where the garden plots, P2: Garden growing your own food for sustenance

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> Rasoul

Page 2 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 12/23/11 -12/29/11

More rain is possible with another storm system Thursday into Friday morning. Temperatures remain above average with highs near 60 for the end of the week. For the weekend, many of us look to stay dry on Saturday and Christmas Day. Southside though may see a few showers on Sunday. Temperatures will top out in the low 50s.

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with a Business Administration degree in 2002, he completed his Masters degree at Hawaii Pacific University with a focus on International Business. Rasoul, now 30, said that while many of his friends left Roanoke after completing school, he chose to stay and contribute to an area that has blessed him with so much. In 2008 at age 27, he ran as a Democrat against Bob Goodlatte (R-6) and though he lost, he garnered 53% of the vote in Roanoke City. Since then, Rasoul has sold his video store and other smaller business ventures but he still owns the Lamplighter Mall. His wife had helped run those businesses but now their two young daughters keep her busy, he said. In 2009, he became the Chief Financial Officer at Kissito Healthcare headquartered at Valleypointe. They provide post-acute care for the elderly funded by private and government grants. They also partner with the Ministries of Health in Ethiopia and Uganda. “During these economic times Roanoke cannot afford to be complacent,” he said. With his financial skills he said he would make sure that “every dollar is spent as wisely as possible.” He believes Roanoke taxpayers expect it. With budget constraints coming from Richmond and Washington D.C. “we’re going to need some strong leadership to make sure we watch every single dollar.” Bringing jobs to Roanoke means going

Sam Rasoul to Richmond and the Virginia Department of Economic Development Partnership and advocating for why jobs should come to the Valley. “The Governor only cares about bringing jobs to Virginia to make themselves look good … But who’s making the case for Roanoke?” asked Rasoul. “The Mayor through that leadership really sets that tone … there is a lot more the city could be doing to make Roanoke a formidable regional player to attract more jobs.” Rasoul said that Roanoke City’s legislators if asked, “probably expect more of [Roanoke’s] legislative agenda.” At a breakfast with Delegate Onzlee Ware, Rasoul sought Ware’s advice on running. He also later met with Mignon Chubb-Hale, a big long-term care and geriatric advocate he said. Some influential Democrats believe in “not ruffling any feathers” but Rasoul said

> Birthing

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Ware was encouraging. Rasoul says that education should be another focal point for attracting business. “Our students are competing globally and our country has fallen way behind. Education is the only equalizer – so it is important that we maximize every tax dollar spent on education, to build the capacity [and] to ensure that every single child comes to school ready to learn, and receives a high quality education.” He plans to spend his time listening to Roanokers and learning more about their thoughts on improving the city. Councilman Sherman Lea said in a phone call that he thinks the Mayor needs to be vigilant – “[Rasoul] has shown through the last election that he beat Bob Goodlatte in the city. I’m surprised by it but I hope that nobody would underestimate him. That’s the thing about politics – you can’t underestimate your opponent.” Lea again reiterated that he is not running for Mayor and will seek another term for city council. The firehouse primary will be in February at William Fleming High School. Rasoul plans to formally announce his candidacy after the first of the year.

By Valerie Garner info@newsroanoke.com

From page 1

women and their families may find they don’t want to leave. Each of the private rooms also has a sleeper sofa for overnight guests, replacing the older style reclining chairs that the rooms used to have. The rooms also include in-room refrigerators and walk-in showers and one of the rooms has a labor tub. To streamline the recovery process for moms who deliver by csection, a dedicated operating room suite for c-sections means new moms can quickly and easily move from the operating room after delivery into a postpartum suite to recover. In the past, patients have been required to spend about two hours in the recovery room. During that time they could not be with their new baby or significant other. “Patients are now brought back to the unit immediately after their c-section to facilitate that skin to skin contact and initiate breast feeding,” said Henson. “Women want to be with their babies immediately.” About 30 percent of LewisGale deliveries are c-sections. ! It isn’t all in the look of the center through. The renovation also included the installation of several security features designed to ensure that new moms can Professional rest a little easier.House Cleaning The centralized monitoring system transmits real-time date, including fetal heartbeat and contraction patterns, to each of the 1618 Roanoke three nurses’ stations on the unit and directly to theBlvd patients’ chart and permanent medical record. DoctorsSuite can alsoAaccess the stats via their smart phones, allowingSalem, them to monitor their24153 patients from Virginia anywhere. “This has allowed us to be able540-389-5252 to monitor from the bedside, which we’ve always been able to do, as well as outside of the room,” www.dustbunniescorp.com • gift certificates available said Dr. Christopher Kelley, an OB/GYN with LewisGale Regional Health System. “I can be in the office doing my daily work and still have the availability to peek in and make sure everything is going well with baby and mom.”

The larger rooms also help accommodate all of the staff members who have a job to do in the room during the delivery, he explained. A new infant security system also ensures that babies cannot be taken from the unit until they are discharged. In addition to security cameras strategically placed throughout the unit, the system also includes tamper-proof ankle monitors for the newborns. If the tag is loosened or removed, an alarm will trigger a lockdown, preventing anyone from leaving the unit. They have also instituted a visiting policy that requires visitors to be admitted to the locked maternity unit. According to a Centers for Disease Control report released in November, birth rates for women of all races and most age groups across the county have declined over the past three years to the lowest rate since record-keeping began in the 1940s. National experts blame the dismal economic picture for the decrease. That isn’t the case though for LewisGale where officials have seen the hospital’s birth rate nearly double during the last two years, from about 400 in 2009 to 800 so far in 2011. Officials hope the number will continue to increase now, thanks to the renovation. “Not only are [our patients] getting the new technology, they are getting the personal care thatHome the community ! General Repairs loves and has come to expect of us here at LewisGale,” said Henson. “That’s why they Complete come here.” Bathroom Remodeling • Tile Work Interior/exterior Carpentry Plumbing The maternity unit staff consists of about• 50 staff members inWindow/door installation • Hardwood Flooring cluding nine physicians and two internationally certified lactation consultants as well as a full-time onsite birth registrar. The unit was For a Free Estimate Call or email James last renovated in725-7343 1980. jss25@cox.net

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while others might host periodic events to collect e-waste. Typically municipalities contract with third-party e-waste recyclers that process the collected material on behalf of the city. Check your city’s website to learn about opportunities to drop off your e-waste or have it collected. Finally, consumers should look to see if e-waste recycling companies, such as those that contract with cities, have a facility nearby. These companies usually contract with organizations and businesses to handle large volumes of e-waste, but many welcome materials directly from individuals. Depending on the company, some accept electronics at their local facility at any time, some have designated days for public drop-off and others host periodic collection events with local partners. Unfortunately, however, there are some bad seeds in the e-waste recycling industry. Individuals, municipalities and businesses should take several important steps before selecting a recycler, thereby ensuring their e-waste is properly managed. For example, make sure the recycler is either Responsible Recycler (R2) or e-Stewards certified, which is one indicator that the recycler is adhering to environmental best practices. Also, even if

emerge.” A lowered crime rate, the greenway that runs through southeast and bike paths in the process of being designated are helping reshape the area’s imKARN age, according to RICHARD Powell. TV star and “home improvement guru.” He didn’t have much of a green thumb himself until he first tried gardening about four years ago. His mother told him he might be amazed by what happens when you plant a seed or two. “It’s personally been very satisfying,” said Powell. (See roanokecommunitygarden.org for more information or to make a donation)

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

From page 1 you think your electronic device has been cleared of personal data, be sure the recycler offers data destruction compliant with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to make certain all data is wiped clean. Lastly, ask with whom a recycler does business. Some recyclers don’t actually handle the recycling of equipment and only collect the material for recycling. Not knowing exactly where your electronics are being recycled could put you—and the environment—at risk. The best recyclers are those that “own the lifecycle,” offering a complete range of remarketing and recycling services internally, thereby eliminating reliance on subcontractors, and thus improving accountability and security. This holiday season when you are making room for your new electronic devices, remember there are plenty of homes for your old ones, but the garbage is not one of them. Steve Skurnac is the president of Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS). SRS operates 50 sites all over the world, including 14 facilities across the U.S. and Canada. To find the location nearest you, visit us.simsrecycling.com.

12/23/11- 12/29/11 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 3

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Shriners Support Apple Ridge Farm Kids

More than 50 Apple Ridge Farm children, parents and guests were treated to a special holiday celebration on Saturday, December 17 by the Aladdin Temple Shriners. Apple Ridge Farm President, Peter Lewis, said, “The party was a great success, and we were so pleased

with the Shriners tremendous support and grateful to all that made it possible.” Guests enjoyed punch, pizza and desert and fun educational games and holiday activities, including spelling and word searches. “Soulful Santa” also made a

special appearance and everyone received a free 5x7 photo with Santa. Christmas gifts and bikes were generously provided by The Daughters of Isis. “We are indeed blessed to have friends and supporters like the Shriners to help us ‘help kids grow’,” Lewis added.

Sneaky Exercise Gets Results

Many people dream about becoming fit and healthy without grueling exercise. Or you think of every excuse possible to avoid going to a gym or even exercising at home with a DVD or equipment. The expense! The hassle! The truth is that you will not maintain any weight loss or state of health without regular physical exercise. You must keep moving. The good news is there are many ways to achieve increased movement and exercise that can be creative, fun, and free. 1. Park as far as you can from the door or store. Park on the furthest end of the mall from your destination. Add steps to your day whenever possible. Every one helps. 2. Never take an elevator when you can take the stairs. You don’t need an expensive stair climber apparatus. Climbing stairs helps with aerobic conditioning as well as muscle building. Don’t take them too quickly at first and don’t do more than one flight at the beginning. Increase your tolerance gradually 3. Stop using your remote controls. Get up and change the channel or volume control yourself. 4. Stop using an intercom at work. Get up and communicate face to face. Get out of your chair at least every hour and walk around. If you can’t at least take a stretch break. 5. Walk instead of standing and stand instead of sitting to burn more calories. 6. Use every commercial break when watching television to stretch, do a few sit-ups or touch your toes. Never sit still to watch a commercial. 7. Instead of passively standing in line at the bank or grocery do isometrics. Without holding your breath just tighten your abdominal (stom-

Dr. Kenneth Luckay DO is the Medical Director at the Center for Medical Weight Loss located at 4515 Brambleton Ave in Roanoke. He can be reached at 398-1547 or Email: dr.luckay@cmwlroanoke.com.

December Notes

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE Many of us keep journals, but while doing so few of us pay much attention to selecting the most precise words, to determining their most effective order, to working with effective pauses and breath-like pacing, to presenting an engaging impression of a single, unique day. This poem by Nebraskan Nancy McCleery is a good example of one poet’s carefully recorded observations. he backyard is one white sheet Where we read in the bird tracks The songs we hear. Delicate Sparrow, heavier cardinal, Filigree threads of chickadee. And wing patterns where one flew Low, then up and away, gone To the woods but calling out

Clearly its bright epigrams. More snow promised for tonight. The postal van is stalled In the road again, the mail Will be late and any good news Will reach us by hand.

benefits of trees. Roanoke Urban Forestry Planner Helen Smythers says the city's Tree Stewards represent a wide variety of ages and backgrounds, with one thing in common: "They all share a love of trees," she says. Pre-registration is required by Jan. 17, 2012. There is no charge for the course due to a grant from the Virginia Department of Forestry and the USDA Urban and Community Forest Program. For more information including registration, contact Helen Smythers at 853-5225 or Helen. smythers@roanokeva.gov. Additional information can be found by visiting www.roanokeva.gov/ treestewards.

City Announces Holiday Trash Collection Schedule City of Roanoke offices will be closed on Monday, Dec. 26, for the Christmas holiday. As a result, collection of trash, mixed paper recycling, brush, and Christmas trees will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week. Residential/Commercial: • Monday's routes for trash, recycling, brush, and Christmas trees will be collected on Tuesday, Dec. 27. • Tuesday's routes will be collected on Wednesday, Dec. 28. • Wednesday's routes will be collected on

Thursday, Dec. 29. • Thursday's routes will be collected on Friday, Dec. 30. Central Business District: The Central Business District will be collected on a normal schedule. Residents are advised that in addition to the week of Dec. 26, there will be an opportunity to recycle Christmas trees with brush collections the week of Jan. 9. For more information, call 853-2000, and select option 1.

We’d like to extend a HomeTown welcome to Melissa Mason. Melissa joins HomeTown Bank’s Mortgage team as Senior Vice President and Mortgage Manager. With a twenty-year career in banking and the past ten years concentrated in mortgage, Melissa brings a wealth of expertise to HomeTown Bank. Melissa’s knowledge of the ever-changing industry and her personal service has helped hundreds of homeowners realize their dreams. Contact Melissa to discover why it’s good to be home. 540.278.1731 | mmason@hometownbankva.com

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For the fourth consecutive year, Roanoke Parks and Recreation is offering a Tree Steward course to educate and train the public on tree care. The 10-week course begins on Jan. 23 and meets on Monday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at the City of Roanoke Municipal Building at 215 W. Church Ave. Two additional Saturday field sessions will be required to complete the program. Upon completion of the program, participants will be expected to volunteer a minimum of 30 hours in the first year, and 20 hours in subsequent years. Volunteer Tree Stewards will help plant, monitor, and prune the thousands of trees that grow in Roanoke's parks and along its streets. They also help the public understand tree care and the

ach) muscles for a count of five or ten then relax. Do this many times and soon you will be on your way to a tighter tummy. 8. Purchase a pedometer if you can to count your steps. Try to set a long-term goal of 10,000 steps a day. The average person’s stride length is 2.5 feet. A bit over 2000 steps would be a mile and 10000 steps is 5 miles. At first try to increase the number of steps you take by 500 a day each week. Wear the pedometer a week to see how many steps you take a day. Most sedentary people only get 1000 to 3000 a day. How many steps do you take in a day? 9. A pint weighs a pound which makes a gallon of milk weigh around 8.6 pounds. Do some weight lifting in the kitchen by doing a few curls in the morning while getting your breakfast. You don’t need expensive weights. Be creative. 10. If you are able leave the laundry basket on the floor and do some deep knee bends while folding the wash. Do lunges while sweeping or mopping. Hover just above your chair for a moment and feel your thigh muscles engage before sitting down to a meal. Exercise and physical activity doesn’t require an expensive gym or equipment. Be creative and you can be on your way to a fitter, healthier you for 2012. Happy New You!

American Life in Poetry T

Volunteer Tree Stewards Needed to Help Care for City's Urban Forest

"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace." -Frederick Buechner Sunday School Classes for All Ages Begin at 10:00 AM Morning Worship Every Sunday at 11:00 AM

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Page 4 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 12/23/11 -12/29/11

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a two-week limit on the checkout date. How can they enforce that, I wondered? Very simply, it turns out. The library computer reaches into my e-book and—poof—it’s gone. They do give you a two day heads up it’s going to happen. We are a long way from being able to download for free an entire library for personal use, but it’s getting there. Amazing as it may sound, the Cloud is able to follow your progress in reading a book. If you download to your desktop and an e-reader, they “talk” to each other. That’s very convenient if you are reading at more than one site. On booting up the home computer to read, there appears a note saying that you had last read to page 256 at that location, but elsewhere you are now on page 310. Synch to the farthest page read, the machine asks? Out there in cyberspace something knows, not only what I am reading, but where I got it, how long I can keep it, what I paid for it and, if so, how much. Convenience at a cost; what else do they know? A trip down that road can lead to unbridled paranoia, but let’s not go there. Layered onto this matrix is the disturbing fact that reading is definitely on the decline. In 2007 Alan Fram reported in The Washington Post that slightly more than 25% of adults read not a single book that year. I’m surprised the figure wasn’t higher. A Gallup poll in 2005 showed that the average annual number of books read per capita fell from 10 to 5 between 1999 and the survey year. The National Endowment for the Arts reported that in 2002 43% of the adult population in this country read no book in that year. I feel myself slipping into the curmudgeon mode which is not my intention, but I will leave readers with two thoughts. First, a middle school teacher told me that as long as you read books you will never be alone. And second, our wonderful new library is worth our support and we can be proud of Roanoke County for getting this done. I will miss the aroma but trust books will not go the way of the pot-bellied stove.

Local Crossword

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Which is how it should be - especially if we have missed the chance to reflect on the great gift of “God with us” because of the hustle and bustle of it all. I try to do this and I also just try to use the days to rest. So no cooking or baking left for me - I play with the kids, read a good book and just soak it all in. Preparing this delicious soup by Alton Brown ahead of time helps to allow me to do all these things on the day after Christmas. It’s name is fitting, for it is a true Christmas gift that gives me the day off from my Elfish duties that have filled all the previous days. Merry Christmas to all you. My hope is that you find your quiet peaceful

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from the shell with a table knife. These pieces were covered with a tough brown skin that had to be peeled away before the coconut could be grated. When I was ten I was old enough to grate the coconut. Believe me, it’s difficult to grate coconut without grating your fingers! When we visited our aunt on the day after Christmas, we took her a slice of the coconut cake. Of course, we had a piece of her cake and although nothing was said, I’m sure the two sisters compared them, and each thought her own was better. Later, Mama would confide to me, “Geanie’s cake may look prettier, but I think mine tasted better.” Daddy usually cut a cedar tree from our rocky pasture for our Christmas tree. We decorated it with sycamore balls covered with the tinfoil from discarded cigarette packages, strings of popcorn, and our one storebought decoration – a string of colored lights. I suppose it looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but we thought it was beautiful with its tinfoil star on top and the multicolored lights aglow. On Christmas Eve we sat around our tree while Mama read the Christmas story from her big Bible. We sang Christmas carols – actually, we had sung carols throughout the days of preparation for Christmas, at home, at school and at church – but tonight in the glow of the tree and the white candles on the table, following the story according to Luke, the words seemed to have more meaning. We felt love in the room and we sensed the love of God coming to earth to live among men. And that is the same today and forever. Contact Mary Jo at maryjoshannon@ymail.com

by Leigh Sackett

Bedford, Virginia

36 38

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hristmases seventy or two could buy a handkeryears ago in rural chief or a comic book, a couple Augusta County – at of pencils or an eraser. And lots least in our family – were much of tempting candies and bubble simpler than Christmases today. gum. When our money was As soon as Thanksgiving was spent, we spent time – looking past, we children pored over the at the merchandise we couldn’t Sears & Roebuck catalog, study- buy and listening to the town ing the toys and trying to decide clock sound the hour. which we really wanted most. At twelve o’clock we walked a With crayons of different col- few doors down Beverly Street ors assigned to us, we marked to Wilson’s Drug store, where several, hoping that we would meet Santa would choose Mama and sit on one of them to bring bent wood chairs at on Christmas Eve. round, glass topped Each afternoon we tables and enjoy a huddled around the grilled cheese sandradio to hear Santa wich and a Coke read letters children before Daddy took mailed to him, care us home with our of WSVA, Harrisontreasures. burg, Virginia. Plain tissue paOn the Saturday per, usually white, before Christmas, served as gift Mary Jo Shannon we rode to Staunwrap. We didn’t ton in the back of use boxes, and the pick-up truck, with Daddy guessing the contents by feeling at the wheel and Mama beside the package added to the fun. him, to go Christmas shopping. We didn’t have Scotch tape but While Daddy shot the breeze used Christmas stickers—paper with friends in Worthington’s shapes with Santas, stockings, Hardware, Mama headed for wreaths or other Christmas Leggett and Montgomery Ward symbols, backed with a coating to buy gifts for her husband and of dried glue. They had to be children, her brother and her licked and applied to hold the sisters. My younger brothers, paper together, and the taste Frank and Clinton, were trusted was not pleasant. The only ribto my care. bon we used was the narrow, We paused often to gaze into crinkle type paper ribbon. store windows adorned with Food was, then as now, a cenChristmas trees and fake snow tral part of the holiday celebraand magnificent gifts for the tion. We children cracked the special season. A book store black walnuts gathered in the featured a Nativity scene with fall and Mama used them in the Holy Family and a man- her pound cake. A coconut cake ger filled with straw. At last we was also essential to her way made our way to the "ten-cent" of thinking, and she bought a stores – Woolworth’s and Mc- fresh coconut for that purpose. Croy’s – where we would do our I remember how she held it beshopping. (Yesterday’s ten-cent tween her knees and punctured stores or dime stores or "5 and the “eyes” with a hammer and 10s," as they were often called, nail so the water could drain are today’s Dollar stores.) Here into a cup. (This she would use we would find gifts for the chil- in the batter for the white cake dren whose names we drew at layers.) She used the hammer school, and for our teachers, our to crack the hard shell, and pried parents and each other. A dime the pearly white chunks of meat

he build-up to Christmas that is the Christmas season - or if you are focused on what matContact Hayden at ters most, Advent - can be very jhayden2003@cox.net full as we all know. So Christmas Day and especially the day after Christmas can have such a nice, welcomed, relaxed pace.

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happy New Year’s truly miraculous devices. The event will soon be dedicated e-reader will be a upon us: The open- relic within a few years as much ing of the new Roanoke County more versatile devices will conLibrary. One can scarcely imag- tain that technology, too. ine the complexities of moving It will be interesting to see tens of thousands of books, to how libraries handle this revolusay nothing of all the electronics tion. Will the hardback printed involved. There is one book become the Vickey thing that will be trola (a word that isn’t left behind: the woneven in the computer derful soft smell of old dictionary) of our day? books sitting silently Instead of a glitzy on the shelves. building, will all readSmell is one of the ing material be stored most evocative of in the Cloud, whatever memories and the lithat is? The idea of bebrary smell certainly ing able to download is one of them. A the latest New York Hayden Hollingsworth pot-bellied stove in Times best seller in the middle of a small five seconds is alroom marked my first visits to ready a reality but at a price. a library and in my mind’s eye The economics of who sets the that leapt into the present every price is an ongoing struggle time I went into the now-closed between publishers, electronic Electric Road headquarters. distributors, agents, and who The first trip into the new facil- knows who else. ity and a deep breath might ofI had assumed that libraries, fer a whiff of the past, but not which obviously have to buy likely. the rights to the e-book, would When the plans were con- have an unlimited supply of ceived for the new structure, every book they download, but e-books were the stuff of the not so. If that were true, then future. Not so this holiday sea- it would be the death knell to son. Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and the publishing industry; they assorted other e-readers will are already in a near-terminal find their way under millions state. One copy at a time, just of Christmas trees. It takes a like a hardcover book, is what little getting used to the feel of the library has told me. And reading from one, but they are just like a “real” book, there is

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time this season too. 1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4inch thick on bias Vegetable oil, as needed 8 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound red kidney beans, soaked at least 4 hours and up to overnight 2 quarts chicken broth 1 pound red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 6 ounces fresh kale, approximately 4 handfuls 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Place the kielbasa into a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, approximately 15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy. Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Evenly distribute the kielbasa between 8 soup bowls. Laddle the soup into bowls and serve.

Perspective

NewsRoanoke.com

The Preacher’s Corner - Christmas Musings

By Joe Lehman

he feast of Christmas is both magical and mystical. And there’s much that helps make it so. The most obvious are three: In Christmastide, there’s the exchange of gifts. Who doesn’t like giving and receiving gifts? And God’s gifts at Christmas are some humanity has wanted and needed for centuries: the gifts of a savior to deliver us and of reconciliation with God and of our being able to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. Secondly, Christmas is the fulfillment of a promise that God had spoke long ago to us. God is faithful. Thankfully for us! And, thirdly, there’s a child in our Christmas celebrating. (Events with babies in them are usually happier, livelier and more memorable unless the baby is fussy or screaming or has a dirty diaper!) Yes, our feasting these days is magical and mystical. However, we must not forget that Jesus God’s gift and promise - became flesh in a time and place that looked and felt more like a normal day for most of us than the romantic, warm and magical moment we see in our mangers or experience in our candlelight Christmas services. Pondering this can reveal some other less obvious reasons why this time is so special to so many. 1. Mary and Joseph and their people lived fearing that their lives might be disrupted and changed at any moment. Into their oppression, Jesus the savior was born and died. Into disorder, God appeared- “pitched a tent” - and stayed. Into chaos and darkness, God said again LET THERE BE LIGHT. This light shines today… in Afghanistan, in our Holy lands and sacred spaces, and in this gray time for some around us… bringing hope to estranged families and warring nations and to

those us who are wrestling with ourselves. Where there is oppression, there God is - tending to the brokenhearted! Now, that’s a Christmas gift. 2. We can’t forget that the holy family finding shelter temporarily in a stable were travelers who were not welcomed and were not seen as having any personal or particular need. Our glamorized and ordered manger scenes don’t show inhospitality. They don’t exude awful odors. They don’t reveal the pain or panic of parents being homeless. Nor, from them, do we hear the anguished cries of things not being perfect! But, if God can be at home in a place like that, then God can be at home in our confusion and noise and even in the mess we may call “our lives”. That’s another wonderful gift of Christmas! 3. It was through believers that Christ was born to the world. They heard God’s promises, hoped and looked to God with trust. They prayed, sang, and worshipped. Today, through faithful people the savior and his gifts still come to an unbelieving world . That makes us a gift of Christmas! 4. The Christ-born-in-time is the Eternal Word of God bringing life and peace and freedom. Because of him, every good word we speak is a sacred word, too. What a gift that is for others! And every ugly word spoken about and against another is a sacrilege - a violation of one of God’s holy ones! Yes, into a time and into lives like ours, God came and made a home so that we might be at home with God. Now, that’s profoundly magical and mystical. A blessed new year to all! Joe Lehman is the Pastor at Our Lady Of Nazareth Catholic Church. Visit them on the web at www.oln-parish.org

Another Christmas Tree War

You can always tell what you think of the giver by how well you take care of his gifts. -- Rev. Joel Hunter

here do things come from in the United States, these days? China? Jesus? The free market? In the surface ruckus of sales, economic numbers and politics, there’s little time for wondering about the underground source of anything - eggnog and greenery, creek water and birds, foxes and hen-houses and hogwash. In my native Appalachians, though, walking the faded December hills, it’s quiet enough to inquire down into the source of trees and wildlife, pasture and aquifers that sustain us. Old carols and preachings in this hilly part of the Bible Belt convey that our lives are rooted in providence - from rainfall to the air we breathe the very source of our supply. Each summer, however, politicians visit these mountains to stand high on a platform at a fiddler’s convention and tell us the source of peoples supply is now supply-side economics. Money produces life, they figure - the largest collections of it trickling down a supply to the poor, like manna from heaven. This supply, were told, comes partly from big coal, the outfits exploding our mountaintops to fetch out buried seams. They like to go at it licketysplit, with relatively few actual miners and no thought for the vanishing forest and wildlife, the creeks buried under rubble or the ruin of ancient mountain ecosystems. Lawmakers have worked hard this year to help them, striving to hamstring surfacemining laws and EPA regulations that protect life. Big money running roughshod over Appalachian life is an old story. Today, however, its cause has been strangely hitched to a pro-life platform. How can pro-life be positioned against planetary life? Because life has been reduced to nine months, said Sister Clare, a Catholic nun who moved to these mountains to help children. Even those prenatal months can be mentally severed from a livable world, Clare said, because political micro-targeting distracts people from seeing life’s bigger picture. My friend Mrs. Osborne of

Grayson County heard FOX News warn Christians, this year, of attacks on Christmas trees. She wasn’t sure if they meant a tax or attacks, but was concerned. After all, the Osbornes live flanked by neighboring slopes of Fraser firs, pines and spruces - Christmas trees harvested each year and trucked away to cities. But FOX, it turned out, was not worried about the actual living source of these trees. They were fighting a war over the already-dead ones - the kind propped up in a studio for display, urging that everyone call them Christmas trees instead of holiday trees. This was hogwash, a Baptist minister told me - a way to rile up Christian voters for next year’s election. If you could get people squabbling over little dead trees, he said, they would not worry about the living. Still, we do worry. These days, our mountain woods are under so many attacks, it’s hard to keep even little fir trees alive and pretty enough for somebody’s church or mall or campaign office. Here is the real war - not just on the Christmas tree but the whole Eastern hardwood forest, up and down the Appalachians. It’s a war of new insect invasions - beetles, borers, gypsy moths and aphids.. These are accompanied by strangely persistent droughts and constant drifts of soot

from coal-burning power plants, acidifying our mountain soil and weakening the trees hardiness. Tree farms are now so disease-prone, they require frequent doses of strong pesticides. Deer, rabbits and birds regularly die among the rows, sometimes even a hapless hunting dog. Mrs. Osborne worries that the chemicals will leach into her family’s well. These ground-level troubles never show up on FOX news, in campaign debates or among the Christmas tree lights. They are troubles rooted in a climate off-balance, in unchecked power plant emissions and ecosystems gone haywire: actual life issues many lawmakers want to keep under the surface, while voters fuss over superficialities. The Baptist preacher calls this “hogwallering.” Like the Christmas tree, he said, it has nothing to do with Jesus. He does think faith and politics can be rooted in life, like trees. But cut off from any connection to the humble soil, they’re dead. You can prop them up and add lights and they might look alive, but life has a deeper source than what appears on the surface. Liza Field teaches English and philosophy in the Virginia Governors School and Wytheville Community College.

12/23/11 -12/29/11 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 5

Celebrating Marriage

e have just cele- spouse. When the parents brated Thanks- have a solid investment of giving and are time in the marital relationnow upon the very Eve of ship, the children benefit Christmas. How about cel- more than if their interests ebrating a little marriage in are center stage. Mutual inithe process? Other than our tiation and pursuit works to individual relationship with counteract the busyness of God, it is our highest call- life that we often get caught ing to be “one flesh” with our up in to the detriment of the spouse . . . So how do we do relationship. that? There are thousands of The second characterisbooks on marriage, tic I observe is that annual retreats, they seek to affirm workshops and semeach other daily. It inars that all claim to is easy being as imshow us the way to perfect as we are to happier and healthifocus on the negaer marriages. I often tive, and we all have wonder which ones negative. The probare right. lem is that whatever Working with so we focus on grabs Keith McCurdy many families and hold of our attencouples over the tion. It expands in years, I have learned there our reality and before long are no magical answers. it is all we see, missing or Three characteristics, how- taking for granted positives ever, have consistently stood about each other. When we out to me that are present in seek to affirm, we are saying couples that are better con- that above all else, we will see nected. Yes, there are always the positive and the good. fluctuations and I believe We will encourage each oththat marriages go through er and “assume the best” by seasons, but when these char- not reading negatively into acteristics are sought, things comments or actions without seem to work a little better. seeking understanding. We When these things are lack- need to share what we appreing, it is a tougher road. ciate daily like a vitamin for First of all, time together the health of the marriage. is a priority. Whether it is a The third characteristic is date night, watching a favor- an ongoing demonstration ite weekly show or trips away of affection. I remember together, there is a clear ef- having a kid tell me once, “I fort on both sides to pursue know they love me, they are meaningful time together. supposed to. But you know One of the biggest obstacles what, if they showed me evto this is family. It is all too ery once in a while it would common for us to put our be easier to believe.” Spouses children or their activities are not much different. We ahead of time spent with our may “know” our spouse loves

us, but hearing and seeing it on a regular basis makes a significant difference. How often do we tell our spouse that we love them? When is the last time we sent love notes or cards just for the heck of it? Regular demonstration of affection says that no matter what is going on in the relationship, the other person is always valued and cared about. Think of affection as something that needs to be consistently renewed to have the most impact in the relationship. It is important to remember that in a relationship, whether it is with a spouse, child, friend, etc . . . there is never neutrality. If we are not pursuing, we are rejecting. If we are not affirming, we are tearing down. If we are not being affectionate, we are neglecting. It is often the subtle slide into this “neutrality” that can be toxic. To me it is amazing when I see these healthy things happening in a marriage. Communication is better, conflict is less frequent, and obstacles are not as big. So, instead of waiting for the New Year to make a resolution, try one now. Take a look at these three characteristics and see how you are doing. Make a commitment to strengthen them in your relationship and enjoy the outcome. It would make a great early Christmas present to your spouse. Contact Keith at psycyou@msn.com

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first in the nation to be mandated in public schools. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teen drivers have limited experience driving. This curriculum will give them information to make safe and smart decisions, driving around large trucks,â&#x20AC;? said Janet Brooking, Executive Director of DRIVE SMART Virginia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re delighted to bring this program to Virginia, and that our safety partners recognize the need to make this a priority.â&#x20AC;? In the U.S. between 2005 and 2009 nearly 4,000 16-to-24 year-olds were killed in crashes involving large trucks (DOT). In Virginia the number of traffic

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crashes decreased from 2009 to 2010. However crashes involving commercial vehicles increased 26% during the same period. A recent Virginia Tech Transportation study found that 78% of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles were caused by passenger vehicle drivers. Those crashes were largely due to a lack of awareness and understanding about the special considerations involved with sharing the road with trucks. Roughly onethird of fatal crashes involving a car and a large truck occurred in one of the blind spots surrounding the truck, according to the American Trucking Associations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re delighted to have this tool,â&#x20AC;? said Vanessa Wigand who oversees driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education training for the Virginia Department of Education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Sharing the Road with Trucks curriculum will help young drivers better understand the dangers associated with driving around and passing trucks.â&#x20AC;? The Sharing the Road curriculum includes information about: â&#x20AC;˘ No zone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; front, rear, left and right, areas around the truck where crashes are most likely to occur â&#x20AC;˘ Passing - drivers should signal and move steadily around the truck â&#x20AC;˘ Merging â&#x20AC;&#x201C; truck blind spots make it difficult to see passenger cars â&#x20AC;˘ Stopping distance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for trucks, 40% greater than car â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will be a valuable resource for driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education instruction in Virginia," said Dale Bennett, President and CEO of the Virginia Trucking Association. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Virginia's trucking industry works hard to reduce the number of crashes involving commercial vehicles, especially those involving teen and younger drivers, and this curriculum is designed to help us do that.â&#x20AC;? DRIVE SMART Virginia is a traffic safety non-profit organization created in 1995 with the goal of making Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roadways the safest in the nation. Additional partners include Virginia Department of Education, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Virginia Trucking Association and the Virginia State Police. Find DRIVE SMART Virginia

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United Methodist Community Outreach Program Celebrates Christmas

Children, family, and friends from the United Methodist Community Outreach Program gathered last Thursday for a Christmas celebration. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;C.O.P.â&#x20AC;? serves approximately 120 children and 40 youth residing in the inner-city neighborhoods of Roanoke. It provides tutoring and homework help, age-level Bible study, enrichment activities, and summer camp opportunities. It also offers hot meals, school supplies, used clothing and other practical assistance. The children meet at four United Methodist Church locations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Trinity, West End, St. Paul, and Fairview. All of the children and youth received Christmas gifts donated by local church members.

Dickens Concludes With Snow!

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net The final night of the Dickens of a Christmas celebration included arts and crafts vendors occupying the previously-empty middle stalls at the City Market building, and trucked-in snow from North Carolina on short Market Street. The snow allowed for some sledding and even a little snowfall at one point. Dickens of a Christmas is a program organized by Downtown Roanoke Inc.

Penn Forest Live Nativity The Three Wise Men make their way to Bethlehem as part of the annual live Nativity reenactment at the Penn Forest Church of God in southwest Roanoke County. The nativity features live animals - like the camel seen in this photo. By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

County Public Schools To Hold Kindergarten Registration

Roanoke County Schools will hold registration for upcoming kindergarten children, and children presently enrolled in private kindergarten who will attend first grade in public schools during the 2012-2013 school year. All children who will be five years old on or before September 30, 2012, are eligible for kindergarten. Parents should register their children at the elementary school in their home area on Thursday, January 19 and Friday, January 20 from 9:00 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3:00 p.m. Parents should bring the fol-

lowing information when registering their children: - childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth certificate. - childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social security card. - childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immunization record. - proof of residency (a mortgage, a pending contract, a copy of a lease, or a property tax statement will be accepted as proof of residency) Note: A driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license or vehicle registration will not be accepted as proof of residency. Schools must have the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical and immunization record on file prior to the first day of school or students will not be

allowed to attend school. Pupils who are presently attending kindergarten in Roanoke County Public Schools are not required to register. Children currently enrolled in a Roanoke County Public Schools preschool program who are eligible for kindergarten must go through the registration process. If the date of the current physical and immunization record on file exceeds 12 months prior the first day of school, an updated physical and immunization record is required before the first day of school.

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Sports

Is your team not getting enough coverage? Please send in your pictures and relevant subject / game info and we’ll feature the next week! info@newsroanoke.com - Deadline is 5PM Tuesday.

Patriots Down Mountaineers In Lady Knights Fall To Auburn 4329 In Non-District Girls Basketball Battle Of Unbeatens

In the early going it was Alleghany’s size that was a factor. In the end it was Patrick Henry’s press and speed. The press and speed won out. Reverting to a full-court swarming press that led to numerous breakaway baskets, Patrick Henry blew out Alleghany 66-37 Monday night on the Woody Deans Court at

Auburn jumped out to a 22-15 halftime lead, and the Eagles held on to defeat Cave Spring 43-29 in girls basketball Tuesday night at Cave Spring. The Lady Knights got to within striking distance early in the fourth quarter, but Auburn pulled away down the stretch for the win. Taylor Asimakopoulos led the Cave Spring scoring with 6 points.

PH #34 Austin Dunnithon towers over an Alleghany defender as they battle for a rebound Monday night.

Patriot #10 Darius Cunningham sidesteps a Mountaineer defender as he drives the baseline for a PH score. PH. Both teams had entered the contest with a perfect 5-0 record. In the early going Alleghany’s size seemed to throw off the Patriot attack down low. The Mountaineers led 13-10 after one quarter. At that point, few in the crowd would have expected the Mountaineers to only score 13 points in the

next two quarters combined. PH went to the full court press to open the second quarter and Alleghany turned into an ocean of turnovers. The first Mountaineer points came with only 1:51 left in the half and, by that time, PH had rolled to a 26-13 lead. Alleghany kept it reasonably close by scoring the last 8 points of the half to trail 26-21. Patrick Henry head coach Jack Esworthy went to substitutions and two quick timeouts to start the third quarter after Alleghany closed to 26-24. “I was looking for five guys who would go get it,” Esworthy said in the Patriot locker room afterward. “Five who wanted to play defense and take it to the hole.” Esworthy got the results he wanted.

Allegheny only scored two points the rest of the quarter as the PH press scored dividends. The Patriots opened a 46-26 cushion after three, and kept the hammer down with a 20-11 advantage in the final frame for the 29-point win. “We allowed them to dictate the play in the first half,” Esworthy added. “We dictated the play in the second, and they had trouble with our pressure.” Marcus Banks led the Patriots in scoring, with 21 points. Christian Kirchman added 8, with B.J. Hamlett, Darius Cunningham and Jamel Tucker picking up 7 points each. By Bill Turner info@newsroanoke.com

NFL Rushing Star Addresses Roanoke Valley Sports Club A four time thousand yard rusher – in consecutive seasons – Chris Warren ran and caught passes that totaled around 10,000 yards in the NFL, mainly for the Seattle Seahawks. Believe it or not, he went from tiny Division III Ferrum College to pro ball, after beginning his college career at Virginia. Warren, now back at Ferrum to complete his degree and to help coach running backs for the Panthers, addressed the November meeting of the Roanoke Valley Sports Club. A number of Roanoke-area alumni were on hand to pepper Warren with questions on life in the National Football League – like who hit him the hardest as he came across the line Chris Warren with the ball? (Count former Packers and Eagles defensive end Reggie White among that ally does for the average running back. “I’ve bunch.) Warren played 11 seasons all told in been lucky,” said Warren, who was drafted in the NFL, the first eight with Seattle, the last the fourth round of the NFL draft by Seattle. three with Dallas and Philadelphia. That was even after he didn’t make it back to Ferrum head coach Dave Harper, who just campus to work out for the Seahawks after completed his first season on the job, spoke his car broke down – instead the Seattle confirst about the soon-to-be completed Hank tingent came to the rest stop where he was Norton Center, which will house football waiting for help and worked him out right training facilities and space for other outdoor there. sports at the school. Harper sees the Norton Warren is enrolling in classes at Ferrum Center (named for legendary Panthers coach and wants to set an example for other student Hank Norton, whom Harper played for) as athletes by finishing his degree. He’s got about being a big asset when trying to recruit foot- two full semesters to go. “Ferrum College ball players to the small private school (less means the world to me,” said Warren, who than 2000 students), which is twice as expen- feels coaching is the “perfect” way for him to sive to attend as many state colleges or uni- give back to the community at this point in versities. time. Roanoke Valley Sports Club meetings “The two things you have to sell [to re- will resume in January. Call President Dave cruits] are the facilities and the weight room,” Ross at 774-1080, or Tom Marchi at 588-2969 said Harper, who played with Warren at Fer- for more information. rum in the late ‘80’s, returned as an assistant coach in 1991 and has never left. “Be yourBy Gene Marrano self,” Norton often tells him during their gmarrano@cox.net weekly phone conversations, “and that’s what I try to do.” (Jim Hickam, the longtime Northside coach until being let go several years ago, also joined the Ferrum staff after that and just recently retired.) As for Warren, “he’s effortless…he was an unbelievable teammate,” Harper carpetroanoke.com Licensed & Insured recalled for the Sports Club audience. “His [NFL] stats REPAIRS – NEW SALES - EXPERTS speak for him.” Harper and Warren are the only two athletes to have their numbers retired by Ferrum College. He holds the school records for total rushing yards and most points scored, in a season and career-wise. The three-time Data Transfers NFL Pro Bowler also scored Training 57 touchdowns as a pro. Disaster Recovery Warren played with quarWireless Setup and Security terbacks like Warren Moon and Troy Aikman during his NFL career, which lasted Bridgebyte Computers LLC www.bridgebyte.com about twice as long as it usu-

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Wild Bill’s Weekly Sports Roundup

Happy holidays to everyone time to play PH is not 24 hours Among these are the price as this will be the final edition after you played on the road of tickets, the price of gas, the before Old Saint Nick departs against anyone. The Spartans price of hotels, the price of the North Pole to hopefully pay get a second chance to redeem airfares, Tech miserable pera visit to all my faithful read- themselves. The K-Guard Holi- formance against Clemson ers. day Classic will give answers. (twice), bad seat location, bad I truly appreciate all #3 - William Flem- BCS selection process, bad ofthe great comments ing: The Colonels (4- fensive coordinator, bad play passed along in the past 2) move to third after calling and the classic yet reliyear, and even (mostly) knocking off Cave able, “I’d rather spend the monenjoy the barbs when Spring and staying ey on something else.” Hey, I’m you don’t agree with close with Christians- not making this up. everything we mused burg despite missing The amazing thing about all about here in the 21 straight shots. The this was the story on how great Bill Turner wide, wide world of Colonels are young, Tech traveled. This will be the sports of Roanoke but Mickey Hardy third straight year of lackluster Valley sports. may have a sleeper. Hokie ticket sales. The last time We’ll open this week with #4 - Cave Spring: The people fell for a pitch similar to a look at high school basket- Knights took down Northside this, aluminum siding was the ball. Teams take the Christmas at home and James River on the rage. break before two prominent road to improve to 5-2. With So, how do you top that? Tech holiday tournaments hit our three football players back, finalized next year’s schedule area between Christmas and Cave Spring gains some bulk by adding to its home lineup a New Years Day. to go with the scoring prowess game with - hold on to your hat The K-Guard Holiday Classic of Amin Abuhawwas. Another - Austin Peay! If you’re not faplays at the Salem Civic Center team to watch in the K-Guard. miliar with the Governors, join Wednesday through Friday, #5 - Hidden Valley: The Ti- the crowd. They are a Football December 28th-30th. Wednes- tans (3-2) picked up a quality Championship Subdivision day’s opening games include road win at Franklin County member, finishing second to Salem-Alleghany (3:00 pm); to avenge a home loss to the last in the powerful “Ohio ValHidden Valley-William Flem- Eagles two weeks ago. A lot of ley Conference” with an overall ing (4:30 pm); PH-GarField questions remain with the Ti- 3-8 record. (6:00 pm) and Cave Spring- tans and head coach Troy Wells I still say Tech will stew Broadway (7:30 pm) may be as mysterious as Orson Michigan. Oh, well....Merry The Northside Classic will be Wells before we figure out their Christmas. the same three days at North- strengths. side High School as eight teams Next, the requisite Sugar Send your inquiries to: info@ get together for the varsity Bowl update, where more info newsroanoke.com championship competition. leaks out daily on the lessNow, let’s take a look at this than-stellar Hokie ticket sales. week’s “Big-11” Top-5 among The Hokie faithful are circling By Bill Turner our local squads. the wagons each day, giving info@newsroanoke.com #1 - Patrick Henry: The Pa- reasons they aren’t heading to triots firmly hold down the top New Orleans. spot for the second straight week. The Patriots have been How Does Guaranteed Income Sound? too quick for every opponent Ask me how annuities can help. in starting 6-0. PH blew out Salem and Alleghany in the past Don Lilly Agency | 540-989-1931 week, giving both teams their first loss of the season. #2 - Salem: The Spartans (51) stay at #2 despite the home court 22-point loss to Patrick Underwritten by United of Omaha Life Insurance Company, Henry last Friday. As pointed Mutual of Omaha Plaza, Omaha, NE 68175-0001 out in last week’s column, the AFN41703

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New Regional Economic Development Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association Installs New President and Officers for 2012 Program to be Launched Virginia Tech's Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement is launching a new program, Engaging Your University in Regional Economic Development, on May 21-23 at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. The program is designed for individuals, institution-community leadership teams, and organizational teams responsible for engaging the assets of the university in regional economic development activities. The three-day workshop will allow participants to develop an institutional and region-wide perspective in organizing their efforts with a goal of creating tangible results. Sessions will include resource development for economic engagement, defining and implementing university-based economic engagement efforts, and developing action plan reports that move from theory to practice. “Today it is more critical than ever for universities to serve as innovation hubs for new business development and expansion and to contribute to regional job retention, job creation, and workforce development strategies,” said center Fellow Jeri Childers. “Universities across the nation with regional organizations are demonstrating the collective impact of regional economic develop-

Brad Graham of Graham Construction, Inc. was installed as the 58th president of the Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, Inc. (RRHBA) during the Installation of Officers held on December 8, 2011. As RRHBA’s chief elected officer for 2012, Mr. Graham will oversee the work of the fourth largest home builders professional trade association in Virginia. Other elected 2012 RRHBA officer positions are: Pete McKnight - Vice President, McKnight & Company Gary Judd - Secretary, 84 Lumber Company Frank Caldwell IV Treasurer, L. H. Sawyer Paving Co., Inc. Brenda Giles Vice President/ Associate, SERVPRO of Roanoke, Montgomery & Pulaski Counties For more information about the Engaging Your Neal Frank-Rempel ImmediUniversity in Regional Economic Development ate Past President, Zia Construcworkshop, contact Jeri Childers at 540-767-6145 tion & Remodeling, Inc. ment. There are natural links between university strengths and the needs in communities and regions — locally and globally. By working collaboratively, campus-community partnerships can build a regional plan that generates positive results.” The new program offering is in partnership with Transformative Regional Engagement Networks (commonly referred to as TRE Networks) and is part of the award-winning Engagement Academy for University Leaders executive leadership portfolio. Virginia Tech's Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement develops educational conferences and programs that match university expertise to outside audiences. The center was established in 1994 to foster economic and workforce development with special emphasis on executive education initiatives that connect university research to the needs of Virginia's leaders, organizations, and communities through conferences, workshops, and seminars.

(L to R, staggered): Officers Brad Graham, Gary Judd, Brenda Giles, Neal Frank-Rempel, Frank Caldwell, IV, and Pete McKnight. The Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association (RRHBA) is a non-profit, professional trade organization with over 345 member firms dedicated to being the respected voice of the residential and commercial building industry. Since 1955, the RRHBA has

served the counties of Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Roanoke; and the cities of Roanoke & Salem. RRHBA is affiliated with the Home Builders Association of Virginia (HBAV) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Roanoke Housing Market Sees Increased Sales, Tightening Inventory

The greater Roanoke real estate market has continued to experience some stabilizing trends compared to November of last year, according to The Long & Foster Market Minute reports, including increases in sales versus year-ago levels in many areas. Inventory also decreased across the region, which includes Bedford, Botetourt, Franklin, and Roanoke counties, as well as the city of Roanoke. The Long & Foster Market Minute reports are compiled from data from all residential real estate transactions within specific geographic regions. The number of homes sold in November increased in several areas of Roanoke compared to November 2010. The number of units sold in Botetourt County increased by 43 percent from the prior year. The number of units sold in Roanoke City and Franklin County increased in November.

In November, active inventory was down throughout the area versus year-ago levels, with Botetourt County and Roanoke City tightening significantly by 29 percent and 23 percent, respectively. Other counties in the region saw decreases ranging from 10 percent to 17 percent. According to this November’s data, median sale price decreased for many areas in the greater Roanoke region in November as compared to the same month last year. Sales prices in Bedford County increased 6 percent compared to one year ago. The average number of days a house remained on the market before going under contract varied throughout the region, with days on market (DOM) indicating that many homes are selling in approximately four months, on average. According to the data, DOM in November was 110 days in Roanoke County, 107 days in Roanoke City, and 102 days in Bedford County. DOM was higher in Franklin and Botetourt counties at 174 days and

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146 days, respectively. “As we round out what has been a challenging year for real estate, it’s more important than ever for consumers to have as much information as possible to support their buying and selling decisions,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer of The Long & Foster Companies. “Because every real estate market is different, national housing data may not

support local buyers and sellers as they look to make well-informed decisions pertaining to their homeownership goals. For example, we are continuing to see some very positive trends in the greater Roanoke region, including increased sales and tightening inventory throughout much of the region. For consumers, these dynamics could signal an ideal opportunity to buy or sell real estate.”

Francis To Chair Roanoke Regional Chamber The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, Western Virginia’s largest business organization, has elected officers and directors for 2012. John Francis, Jr., executive vice president of First Citizens Bank, has been elected chair. Other officers are: Dan Motley, Norfolk Southern Corp., chair-elect; Ken Lanford, Lanford Brothers Co., past chair, Barry Henderson, SunTrust Banks, vice-chair membership; Harvey Brookins, Wells Fargo, vice-chair economic development; Melinda Chitwood, Brown, Edwards & Company, treasurer; John Parrott, Rutherfoord, vice-chair at large; Vickie Bibee, Scott Insurance, vice-chair of public policy; and Joyce Waugh, Roanoke Regional Chamber, president and secretary. New members of the 2012

John Francis Board of Directors are: Garry Norris, Express Employment Professionals; Ted LeNeave, American HealthCare; Jonathan Hagmaier, Interactive Achievement; Tamea Woodward, EastWest DyeCom/ Global Metal Finishing; Scott Hodge, AECOM; Roger Elkin, Hall Associates; Steve Strauss,

Strauss Construction; Ryan Patterson, BB&T, Backbone Club representative; Betsy Head, Home Instead Senior Care, and Leonard Wheeler, Wheeler Broadcasting. Continuing to serve on the board are: Steve Cronemeyer, Verizon; Beth Doughty, Roanoke Regional Partnership; Greg Feldmann, StellarOne; Bill Figaro, Grow, Inc.; Victor Giovanetti, LewisGale Regional Health System; Nancy Oliver Gray, Hollins University; Landon Howard, Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau; Joe Jones, Appalachian Power; Penelope Kyle, Radford University; Todd Leeson, Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore; Sean Luther, Downtown Roanoke, Inc.; Michael Maxey, Roanoke College; Thomas L. McKeon, Roanoke Higher Education Center; Joe

Miller, E.J. Miller Construction; Jeff Parkhill, Hughes Associates Architects; Sarah Powell, Advance Auto Parts; Ken Randolph, Rockydale Quarries Corp.; Robert Sandel, Virginia Western Community College; Kay Dunkley, Virginia Tech; Watts Steger, Bank of Botetourt; Wayne G. Strickland, Roanoke ValleyAlleghany Regional Commission; and Chad E. Sweeney, Roanoke County; F.B. Webster Day, Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC; Dale Lee, RGC Resources, Inc.; Curtis Mills, Carilion Clinic; Todd Morgan, MB Contractors, Inc.; and Todd Putney, Medical Facilities of America. The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce was established in 1889 and has over 1,200 members in 42 localities.

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Arts & Culture

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Roanoke Native & Jazz Great Don Pullen To Be Honored With Exhibit / Concert

The Jefferson Center and the Harrison Museum of African American Culture have announced that they will open an arts exhibit celebrating one of the most extraordinary and innovative jazz pianists and composers of the 20th century, Roanoke’s native son Don Pullen. The exhibit honoring the life and work of Don Pullen officially opened at the Jefferson Center on December 16th. The exhibit will remain open to the public through the Don Pullen Tribute Concert on January 14th. Pullen was born in Roanoke on Christmas day 1941 to a musical family. His father played guitar and tap danced, his mother was the choir director at her church and Pullen’s inspiration on piano came from his cousin, Clyde “Fats” Wright; Pullen’s childhood home was filled with music. Although the family did not have a record player and there was no local radio station that played “black” music, the Pullen family made their own music, constantly singing in the house. Pullen sang in his elementary school choir at Harrison Elementary. In 5th grade, around the age of 10, he began piano lessons. Along with classical training, he played blues, rhythm & blues and played for local church choirs, including his mother’s church, Sweet Union Baptist. While he was attending Booker T. Washington Jr. H.S. Pullen co-led a band with saxophonist and best friend Byron Morris. Later, while attending Lucy Addison High School he also played for the high school

Don Pullen choir. Pullen attended Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina on an academic scholarship, intending to become a doctor. However, soon after his arrival John Holloway, a local music teacher and bandleader, invited him to join his band; an experience that allowed him to learn many of the jazz standards at the time and otherwise broaden his musical scope. It was during this experience that Pullen became aware of the music of Ellington, Miles Davis and many other jazz giants. Pullen’s attention soon shifted from medicine back to his calling in music. After college he went to Chicago for two important weeks with Lenny Martin, a gifted bassist from Roanoke who had introduced him to the music of Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. While in Chicago he met Muhal Richard Abrams and in that short time Muhal affirmed his playing and gave him the confidence to continue in the musical direction he had begun to develop.

From Chicago, Pullen’s travels led him to New York, where he was soon introduced to avantgarde saxophonist Guiseppi Logan with whom he would record two albums, along with drummer Milford Graves. Pullen and Milford Graves then formed a duo, recording two self-produced/distributed albums on the SLP (Self-Reliance Program) label, the first album having hand-painted covers by the duo, which remain collector’s items to this day. He and Milford also often created music for the plays of Amiri Baraka (Leroy Jones) in the exciting atmosphere of the Black Arts Theater in Harlem. In addition to piano, Pullen played a Hammond B-3 organ as he led the R & B house bands in singers’ clubs throughout the area. He was an arranger for King Records and worked with artists such as Arthur Prysock, Ruth Brown, Big Maybelle, Irene Reid, Jimmy Rushing, and played with Nina Simone. Pullen played organ on three albums for alto saxophonist Charles Williams, which featured several of his compositions, including the title track on “Trees & Grass & Things.” He also appeared at times with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The Jefferson Center exhibit includes paintings, photographs highlighting Pullen’s childhood years in Roanoke and his performances as a touring musician, a video documentary featuring Pullen, as well as letters of support from Pullen’s family, friends and fans collected during a movement in New York City to memorialize the late jazz great.

Two New Winter Exhibitions Opening at Eleanor D. Wilson Museum The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum will kick off its 2012 season with two new exhibitions: Bayous and Ghosts: Work by Margaret Evangeline and Hunt Slonem, and Treasures from the Vault will both open on Thursday, January 12. Bayous and Ghosts features work by internationally recognized artists and friends Margaret Evangeline and Hunt Slonem. With ties to the American South, both artists are inspired by romantic aesthetics that originate particularly in Louisiana and play into the larger history of the United States. Their shared vision as artists and friends dovetail into their evocative and painterly work. Margaret Evangeline is a New York based, Louisiana born painter who experiments with resistant materials. Fluctuating between creating works with aluminum punctured with bullet holes and

Hunt Slonem’s “Albania Plantation.” heavily worked oil on canvas paintings, she is often inspired by beloved authors of the South coupled with an interest in beauty and wreckage. Hunt Slonem is a New York and Louisiana based artist whose fascination with exotica and spirituality pervades his work. Inspired by various legends of history and Victorian gothic, the exhibited paintings focus on his beloved historic plantation along the Bayou Teche. Evangeline’s and Slonem’s shared vision as artists and friends dovetail in the evocative and painterly work featured in the exhibition.

12/23/11 -12/29/11 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 9

Reynolds Homestead Gains Help to Improve Care of Its Collections

Virginia Tech's Reynolds Homestead has been chosen to receive a site visit from experts designed to improve the care of its holdings, which include furniture, art, glassware, and the R.J. Reynolds Collection of tobacco paintings from the 1930s and 1940s. A needs-assessment team of museum and library professionals will spend a half-day touring the historic property in Critz. Following the visit, they will offer ideas to improve collections care over the next two years, with suggested resources to help accomplish the recommendations. The Circuit Riders project is a statewide effort aimed to help Virginia's museums, libraries, and James Chapin oil painting, part of the permanent R.J. Reynolds Collection at the Homestead, was used in 1940s advertising.

The living room of the Reynolds Homestead shows how the Reynolds family decorated their formal spaces in the historic home. archives. Sponsors are the Virginia Association of Museums, the Library of Virginia, and the Department of Historic Resources with underwriting from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. An article in Outreach NOW magazine shows

the historic home, constructed in 1843; a period dress; and pages from the Reynolds family photo album. Many of the oil paintings, used in marketing, were done by prominent artists and illustrators of the time, including James Ormsbee Chapin, Clarence Holbrook Carter, Georges Schreiber, and John Philip Falter. Julie Walters Steele, director of the Reynolds Homestead, said, "It is imperative we ensure these facilities and collections are meticulously maintained to continue to provide opportunities for the public to experience the rich cultural heritage of the region for many generations to come." The Reynolds Homestead is the site of the original home of tobacco manufacturer R.J. Reynolds. The home is open for public touring. For more information about the collections, contact Lisa Martin, Senior Program Manager, (276) 694-7181, ext. 22. By Andrea Brunais info@newsroanoke.com

Return Your Gifts, See A Dinosaur

Science Museum of Western Virginia to hold extended hours between Christmas and New Year at Tanglewood. The Science Museum of Western Virginia will be open for special, additional hours during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. “We wanted to make the museum available for families with out of town guests or children on vacation from school,” said Carissa South, Director of Development and Marketing. “We also thought that people returning gifts or looking for postChristmas sales might want to enjoy the Museum as a break from their shopping.” The Science Museum of Western Virginia moved in June from its long-time location inside Center in the Square to temporary space in Tanglewood Mall, where it will continue to serve the

public until renovations to Center in the Square are complete in Spring 2013. “We have plenty of exhibits for people to see, and we’ll have animal demos, too” said South. “We want people to take advantage of the extra hours and come see all the Science Museum has to offer.” The museum will be open Monday, Dec. 26 – Friday, Dec. 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 31 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The museum is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Museum will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. For more information, please visit www.smwv.org.

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Darragh Park’s “One Night the Empire State Building was Blue.” Slonem and Evangeline will give a joint lecture discussing their exhibition at the museum at 6:00 pm on Thursday, February 16. A reception will follow. A collaborative reception with the Hollins Theatre department will immediately follow at the museum, and will include Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey. This event is organized in partnership with, and is the opening event for, the Marginal Arts Festival. Treasures from the Vault, a continuing exhibition series, will showcase many of the new works given by generous donors to the museum’s collection in 2010 and 2011. This edition will feature works created in a variety of media and styles, from such varied artists as Jack Beal, Tanja Softic, Fiona Ross, Suzanne Fields, Margaret Evangeline, Hunt Slonem and others. Wilson Museum Director Amy Moorefield commented, “We are fortunate to have received several gifts created by important artists who have contributed greatly to the global artistic landscape.” Treasures from the Vault underscores the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum’s mission as a repository of significant works of modern and contemporary art. Moorefield will present a lecture entitled “Why Should University Museums Collect?” on Thursday, January 12, the evening that both exhibitions open, in the Niederer Auditorium of the Visual Arts Center. The lecture will begin at 6:00 pm and be followed by a reception.

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The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op has released figures from a year-old program that allows shoppers who use their own grocery bags to fund local charities while preventing thousands of disposable paper and plastic bags from landing in local landfills. Just a year after launching the program, the Co-op estimates the program has kept nearly 60,000 bags out of the trash, while nearly $5,0000 has been contributed to local charities. Co-op Director Bruce Phlegar says the program is straightforward. “If shoppers opt to use their own, reusable shopping bag it saves the Co-op money that would have been spent on traditional paper or plastic grocery bags. We wanted to help the environment and local charities, by channeling our savings to agencies that need and deserve extra income.” Phlegar explained that customers receive a poker chip every time they use their own bag instead of one provided by the store. Customers drop their chips into bins near the exit. Each bin is labeled with the name of a local not-forprofit organization. At the end of the month, the Co-op pays the charity a nickel for every chip. The charities are changed every month and cover a wide range of agencies from the arts to social agencies to those who help animals. Not surprisingly, Toys for Tots has been the most popular during the holiday season. “What’s interesting is that children really think about

The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op’s “Raising the Ante” station where “charity chips” are deposited. which organization most deserves that nickel. They ask their parents lots of questions, forcing the parents to think about the various causes more than they might have,” said Phlegar. Phlegar says the Co-op has been tracking the numbers for just over a year, and each month has seen an increase in re-usable bags. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op has served the Roanoke Valley since 1975, providing the community with nutritious food choices and earth-friendly products. Roanoke Natural Foods supports sustainable environmental

practices, local organic farmers, local businesses, and its surrounding community. Products at Roanoke Natural Foods contain no artificial colorants, preservatives, or additives. In addition to providing families with highquality organic and natural products, Roanoke Natural Foods supports local efforts to preserve the integrity and health of our natural resources and community.