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The Roanoke Star-Sentinel January 27 - February 2, 2012

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Community | News | Per spective

Roanoke Misses Out On Solstas Lab Expansion Mike Keeler

Tough Biz P4– Mike Keeler tells the story of Williams-Sonoma and just how hard it can be for a corporation to come home.

Ax To Grind P6– Bishop E.W. Jackson brings his “Fix Washington Now” tour to Roanoke promising that he will clean up the Nation’s Capital.

Mobile Web P8– The Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau rolls out their new mobile website: visitroanokeva.com.

Perfect Score P9– Movie Reviewer Seth Childers gives a very rare perfect 10 to the movie “The Artist” saying that all the accolades are well deserved.

Few people know it but Roanoke has recently been involved in a high stakes economic play for 500 jobs. Solstas Lab Partners has dual headquarters in Roanoke and High Point, North Carolina with both locations being in play for a major Solstas expansion. Solstas’ Roanoke administrative headquarters is located in Carilion’s administrative building at Riverside. The Solstas name evolved from a merger of Carilion Labs in Roanoke and Spectrum Laboratory Network of High Point and now ranks as one of the coun-

Rasoul Making Run at Mayor’s Office

Sam Rasoul knows a thing or two about fighting uphill political battles. In 2008 he Sam Rasoul took on Bob Goodlatte, running as a Democratic challenger against the entrenched Republican Congressman from the 6th District. Predictably, despite an all-out effort, Rasoul, a Roanoke native, was steamrolled by Goodlatte, mustering just over 30% of the total vote count. Now he is taking on another daunting challenge: he wants to be the mayor of Roanoke City and is taking on incumbent David Bowers for the Democratic nomination. Local Democrats will vote in a firehouse primary that will be held on Saturday February 4th. The general election is in May. “We have a vested interest in the future of the Roanoke Valley,” said Rasoul, who moved his

> CONTINUED P2: Rasoul

try’s largest full-service labs. The com- phone call Monday. pany provides all lab services for Carilion Last Tuesday High Point City CounClinic hospitals. Solstas presently employs cil approved a $500,000 incentive pack400 in Roanoke and 721 in High Point. age. A few days later commissioners Since 2009 Solstas has grown from surrounding Guilford substantially making seven County approved another Employment acquisitions in Delaware, Ten$500,000 for a total of $1 milnessee, Alabama and Florida. lion. The state of North CaroIn addition to Roanoke and High Point lina may also kick in another $450,000, the company reached out to two other lo- said Thompson. High Point has a cap of cations for tentative proposals. The other $1000 per job in their economic developlocations were Knoxville, Tennessee and, ment policy. to a lessor degree, in Alabama, said RoaThe hiring would take place over a noke’s Vice President Bud Thompson in a five year period. The expansion would

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add $11.6 million to High Point’s local tax base. The average wage of the new jobs is over $45,000 annually, confirmed Thompson. The projection for the additional 500 jobs was based on their growth experience in High Point. “In two years they added 300 full-time equivalent jobs … we’re expecting the future to look like the past,” said Thompson. There would be consolidation from > CONTINUED P2: Solstas

[Local Media]

Bowers Takes Challenge Seriously

Capturing The “Joy of Roanoke”

Mayor David Bowers

n audience in the main studio of WDBJ-7 in Roanoke prepares to watch “The Hour of Joy” with former News Journalist Joy Sutton as host. “I always thought my Mom named me Joy for a reason,” Sutton said in a post-taping interview, “and that’s to bring happiness. So I always think of myself as the ‘Joy of Roanoke.’ I wanted something that was positive. I think there’s so much negative news. You turn on the TV and it seems like there’s nothing positive going on in your community, and I wanted to show people that there were inspi-

rational stories right in their own community - people that were changing lives, people that had stories just like them that were making a difference in our community. That’s what the show is about.” The editors and staff of the Roanoke StarSentinel couldn’t agree more with this program offering. Our only suggestion would be to run it in prime time. The first episodes are slated to begin airing on Saturdays from 1011 A.M. on WDBJ’s MY19 and Sunday from 6-7 A.M. on FOX 27. (See Full Story on Page 9)

At a fundraiser this week Incumbent Mayor David Bowers told his supporters to tell their friends to, “Vote for someone who can be mayor from day one … the city needs stability and continuity.” Some supporters then seemed surprised when Bowers later told them that if something were to happen to him any one of the city council members would be prepared to step in as mayor. Bowers avoided mentioning Sam Rasoul by name but the insinuation was clear that “being mayor from day one” lent itself to a criticism of Rasoul’s age and inexperience in local government. The fundraiser held at Fork in the City, owned by Vice-Mayor Dave Trinkle, was attended by about 70 people Monday eve> CONTINUED P2: Bowers

Roanoke City Annual Homeless Count – A Place To Call Home Forty dedicated volunteers assembled at Green Memorial Methodist Church Sunday afternoon for a two-hour training session preparing them to hit the streets Monday morning. Some of the six teams started as early as 4 a.m., with a cup of Starbucks coffee and a donut. The annual Point In Time (PIT) count of the homeless is being conducted this week. The PIT count obtains baseline demographic information about the homeless population in Virginia, explained Karen Michalski-Karney with the Blue Ridge Independent Living Center. They are canvassing Roanoke’s streets and shelters, taking with them a Vulnerability Index survey for the first time this year. Each client they encounter is asked 27 survey questions. They expect to encounter not only men but also women with children and entire families, explained Carol Tuning with Roanoke City Human Services. This is the first year for the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness project, “1000 Homes for 1000 Virginians.” It is an effort to find and place the most vulnerable, medically at risk, long-term homeless individuals into permanent households across the area.

Photo by Valerie Garner

Volunteers from last week’s “Point In Time” count of the homeless. “A lot of people don’t know what to College of Health Sciences. do [with them],” said Tuning. The Vulnerability Index survey goes The City of Roanoke has partnered further then the annual PIT count by with local agencies includprioritizing those individuing Blue Ridge Independent als that have been homeless Community Living Center, Trust House, the longest and are the most Council of Community Servulnerable. They started crevices, Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, ating a by-name registry of those living the VA Medical Center and Jefferson on the streets and in shelters.

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The volunteers are canvassing the Rescue Mission, RAM House, Turning Point, parks, the library and Roanoke City and County jails among other locations. The abandoned Ukrops building has multiple areas where the homeless call home. The open underground parking area is a favorite spot to camp. Each team has a site coordinator armed with a backpack. Besides flashlights, maps and clipboards they have McDonald coupons for the hungry, condoms to pass out and an air horn. To ensure volunteer safety unmarked patrol cars are patrolling in the area. One blast of the air horn brings an officer to any out-of-hand situation. At Sunday’s training session Tuning was urged to demonstrate what looked like an innocuous small toy-like horn. They soon heard an ear piercing blast that could have awaken the dead. The survey is completely confidential. A consent form is read to the clients. If there is resistance to the survey then volunteers were instructed not to push it. They can slightly jostle someone sleeping but if not awakened then they should be left alone. > CONTINUED P3: Homeless

> Solstas

Page 2 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 1/27/12 -2/2/12

Rain continues for Thursday into Friday morning before we dry out. Temperatures will top out in the upper 50s. Sun and clouds are forecast for the weekend. The western slopes of the mountains may see a snow shower Sunday afternoon. Highs will be near 50. Sun and clouds are forecast for Monday and Tuesday with temperatures Monday near 45 jumping to near 55 Tuesday.

the six acquisitions made in 2011. According to Thompson, no jobs would be transitioned from Roanoke to High Point. He expects that all of Roanoke’s IT and billing functions will remain here. They will continue to make the labs inside of Carilion Roanoke Memorial as efficient as possible, he said. “Our practice is to integrate labs onto the same operating system and information technology platforms,” said Thompson. Other eligible consolidation functions normally include billing and high-end testing. In any given week there are 160 to 180 job postings in their service area. Rob Ledger, Roanoke’s Economic Development Director, said Monday that he couldn’t release the incentives offered by the city to Solstas. He said they

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From page 1 offered them several buildings and/ or sites he could not name until Solstas communicates their decision. Ledger did say that, “we are extremely interested in it and we would do everything in our power to make it happen.” He said they explained the kind of incentives they would be eligible for but it never went any further. Thompson shared that Roanoke provided a tentative proposal that was 40 percent less than that of High Point. That wasn’t the only reason for the more rigorous approach for expansion in High Point. “Since a substantial portion of our corporate activity resides in High Point it makes sense to build off

> Rasoul of Roanoke

young family back from Botetourt County to the city, making him eligible for elected office. He made his formal announcement to seek the Democratic nomination in mid -January at the Rasoul for Mayor campaign headquarters located in the former Cantos Booksellers store on Campbell Avenue. At age 30 Rasoul is the chief financial officer for Kissito Healthcare and a small business owner himself with a wife and two young daughters at home. He is running against Bowers and a trio of City Council candidates that made a big show of solidarity when they made a joint announcement a few weeks ago. He hopes to draw more young people to the voting booth and is campaigning on a platform of jobs, support for education and fiscal discipline. On his campaign website (samforroanoke.com) Rasoul is encouraging two-way dialogue via something called “Roanoke 360,” asking for feedback on issues Roanokers wants to see addressed. He’s posted initiatives used by localities around the country and ideas that began right here in Roanoke. Visitors to the website will be asked to choose their favorites. “I’ve pledged half of my salary as mayor, which isn’t much, to jumpstart whatever ideas people vote on,” Rasoul notes. “That’s how we gain the trust of citizens, by getting

> Bowers ning. Bowers took issue with Roanoke coming in second as having the most “sensitive” men (in a recent survey by Chemistry.com) - “how about changing that to having the most “sensible” Roanoke City government.” He praised the “sensible” city manager and the “sensible” city council. Bowers said that he takes the challenge of his opponent seriously. “It is a real serious threat -nothing is in the bag,” he told the crowd of supporters. He cautioned them to not become complacent. Bowers said he has heard that his opponent has a large bankroll and a high-powered campaign manager determined “to throw me out of office.” Many of his supporters raised their hand when asked if they had received Rasoul’s robocalls. “[Rasoul] is going around town with a message that I don’t like and I reject – he’s talking about two Roanokes … that’s in the past,” said Bowers. His message is that there is cooperation and unity at every level in the city including the diverse neighborhoods. Bowers said he will keep a positive tone as he campaigns. He called his opponent “a charming and

of that infrastructure that exists there,” he said. “As a growth oriented company, if things go the way we expect them to, jobs will be created in a lot of different communities,” said Thompson. Placing future jobs will coincide with the best interests of the company. “We have high aspirations for future acquisition” and he expects the Roanoke Valley to benefit from that growth. Another point Thompson made was that the Triad region provided better recruitment for certain jobs. They also have a higher unemployment rate making it easier to recruit entrylevel positions. He also believed that pulling in employees willing to relocate would be easier since

there would be more opportunity of employment for a spouse. Thompson was quick to point out that the Virginia Tech Medical School and Research Center, along with other enhancements, will make Roanoke more attractive for certain kinds of positions in the future. Thompson made clear that there is no final agreement with High Point yet. Solstas will scrutinize the proffered conditions and benchmarks the company would have to meet in order to receive the grants. He doesn’t expect any problems but it will be two to three weeks before they decide. If given final approval, construction of the expansion is slated for mid-year. By Valerie Garner info@newsroanoke.com

From page 1 them involved.” Micro urban farming, technology upgrades for city government, skills training for troubled youths and promoting green jobs are ideas promoted via Roanoke 360. Rasoul, who attended Roanoke College, believes his background as a financial officer will be an asset to the city, as the mayor deals with the city manager and budget directors. He has already sat down with Roanoke City Manager Chris Morrill and others, picking their brains on issues related to the budget in lean tax revenue times. Bowers, the long time City Council member and mayor during two separate tenures, is an attorney by trade. “I’ve managed multi-million dollar budgets and I feel like I’ve got some skills to manage the [budget] challenges coming ahead,” said Rasoul, who also was on hand to greet Tim Kaine when the former Governor and current U.S. Senate candidate stopped by the new Democratic regional headquarters last week. Fiscal belt tightening at the state and federal government levels that could mean even less money for Roanoke City makes it “critical,” said Rasoul that a mayor and City Council understand budget issues. Rasoul said he has no specific beef with Bowers. “I just feel like I have a skill set that

can benefit the area I grew up in. I’m happy to present that to the people [in a primary].” Rasoul wants to build on the “wisdom” of Bowers and others that have come before him, while drawing on his own “energy… and passion,” to help move Roanoke City along. His jobs plan includes telling “the story of Roanoke,” marketing the city in a way to make it more attractive to businesses and young professionals. “I think every young person should run for political office,” added Rasoul, who has now done it twice. The first time, his run for Congress, was an eye-opener. He’d like to develop a Youth City Council, introducing high school students to local government. He understands why some don’t seem to have time for politics, as they struggle to keep food on the table and a roof over their head. “That is something we need to take on, head on.” He’ll first need to convince enough Democrats to turn away from David Bowers at the firehouse primary in February.

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

From page 1 nice young man.” Bowers then added that he will not rely on consultants but on the current city council’s support. “We know how to win elections.” Bowers said he’d match his opponent’s paid staff with volunteers. Later he said that he had raised about $35,000 so far this cycle. He scoffed at the robocalls from Tacoma, Washington saying, “I have telephone calling by the ladies of the Women’s Democratic Club of the Roanoke Valley;” many of whom were in attendance and were delighted with the recognition. The importance of keeping a cordial city council and mayor in office is the message Bowers will repeat throughout his campaign. He gave accolades to School Board Chairman David Carson who was standing in the back of the room. He touted accreditation of the schools, the 16th year of accreditation of the police department and the reduction in crime for the 6th consecutive year. Bowers said he is a proponent of preservation. He then pointed out that the preservation of the Jefferson Center has spurred development around it including Fork in the City, the Cotton Mill apartments and renovation of homes in the area. “We want eco-

nomic development that is smart,” he said. “Jobs have been created at every level in Roanoke,” said Bowers. Rasoul has been campaigning on the need to bring jobs to Roanoke by engaging state officials in Richmond. The “BIG MAC” was back. The “M” was for the Market building, the “A” was for the Amphitheater (though scaled down) but Bowers promised the “C” of Countryside was on its way. The city purchased the 140acre Countryside Golf Club for $4.1 million in 2005 for high-end development that never materialized. “They have as much a right to have a nice neighborhood as you do,” he added. While attending the Mayor’s conference last week with Vice-Mayor Dave Trinkle he said they agreed that tourism and higher education are the best economic development investments for Roanoke. “We need to do more by bringing law schools or art schools,” he added. By Valerie Garner info@newsroanoke.com

Councilman Lea Kicks Off Campaign It is campaign season in Roanoke City and for the moment the Democrats seem to have the upper hand with their “get-along” ticket of Democrats. The Claude Moore Education Complex at The Roanoke Higher Education Center, hosted incumbent Democrat Sherman Lea’s campaign kick off Wednesday evening. The Democrats numbered over 100 with council members, school board and clergy attending. Lea is an elder at Garden of Prayer No 7. His pastor Bishop Shadrack Brown said, “Elder Lea is the greatest man I know … Roanoke has become much better because of the dream of our councilman.” Councilwoman Anita Price spoke about how important it was to have a united ticket. Councilman Court Rosen said that this team “is getting things done.” Rosen recounted when he and Lea had a heated exchange over a major issue when he first came on council. Rosen said afterward that they healed the rift and Lea told him that they were elected to get things done and not be political. “From that day on I think we worked as a wonderful partnership.” Lea gave credit to his wife Clara; they have been married for 35 years. His two children, Sherman Lea, Jr. who served as MC, his daughter Erica Lea Rosser a teacher at William Byrd Middle School and his three grandchildren were all by his side.

Sherman Lea “I served on council when there was bitterness … they wouldn’t speak to each other,” said Lea. Those were very difficult and dark days, he said. It is different now, though “some of us differ because our backgrounds are different.” Lea recounted when Rosen called him with his “meals tax” increase idea for the schools. Lea said he asked him, “can we call it anything else but a tax?” Rosen talked him into it and they both agreed that they couldn’t let the schools lose teachers. “It takes courage … we put our heads on the chopping block” said Lea. Lea emphasized that, “if the school system is not where it should be” economic development won’t follow and people won’t come. He said that the Forest Park School re-purposing was not an easy decision. The school

now adds to the graduation rate by rescuing students on the verge of dropping out. Lea is responsible for the Western Virginia Education Classic football fundraiser that over a 10-year period has given 900 dropouts a chance to receive their GED or certificate. Domestic violence has been another initiative he has championed. “A lot of things like these are under the radar,” he said. Public service is all about “making a difference in the community.” Lea said that council should be helping people with things like tax relief for seniors – “these are difficult economic times.” “I have the energy … I love the city … this council is approachable,” said Lea. The firehouse primary will be held on Saturday, February 4 at William Fleming High School between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Voter registrations will be checked. Expect to sign a slip of paper saying you will not vote for any candidate opposed to the Democratic nominee. The city does not incur any expenses for this type of primary nor are voters identified with the state board of elections as having voted in a Democratic primary. This is a city Democratic Party held primary. By Valerie Garner info@newsroanoke.com

1/27/12- 2/2/12 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 3

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> Homeless

From page 1

Judy Lash with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences went over the survey that determines the Vulnerability Index. Many of the volunteers for the week come from the college. The survey will ask for the client’s name, date of birth (month/year), social security number and they take a picture. They are asked medical questions from a list of ailments including HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. They determine if the individual is a military veteran, homeless due to domestic violence or is mentally impaired. Tuning told volunteers if asked what the survey is for to tell them, “we’re here to count the number so we can help to get additional resources into the community.” They will be asked where they first became homeless. “City council always wants to know that,” she said. Other questions include where they slept, had they been denied shelter, how they make money, level of education, looking for work, how they get around, where they go for medical treatment and if there is a child they will be asked if they are in school. There is a comments section – Tuning said,

“some don’t want to talk and others will not only talk but you can expect to hear some cuss words too.” The accumulated data helps the city learn not only the number of homeless but how, when and where they became homeless. The data will guide the city in an effort to reduce chronic homelessness in the Roanoke Valley. A summary of survey findings will be presented to Roanoke City Council in March and made available to the public on the Roanoke City and Community Services websites. The campaign is a ten-year plan called “A Place to Call Home, Ending Homelessness 10 at a Time.” These words are emblazoned on volunteers dark green T-shirts. Roanoke is one of nine communities in the Commonwealth to adopt this strategy to house the most medically vulnerable by 2013. By Valerie Garner info@newsroanoke.com

Moore Hosts Community Meeting in New Library One thing Cave Spring resident Charlotte Moore likes to do is inform the public she serves as a member of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, to keep them in the loop and ask for feedback. Moore, recently reelected to the board, has held community meetings for the past four years, many in the home of a constituent. Her most recent, held last week, was the first staged at the brand new South County Library on Merriman Road. A guided tour of the library was offered to the 50 or so on hand as well. First off was her assessment of the new, $15 million, 54,000 square foot facility that debuted on January 3: “it’s a fabulous building,” said Moore. She reminded those in attendance, sitting in the meeting room near the Mill Mountain Coffee stand, that the Glenvar area is also awaiting its new library. Ground was broken there in September. Moore recognized several Cave Spring area businesses that have been around for 90 years or more (AmRhein’s, Grand Home Furnishings) and several new establishments that have opened up in southwest Roanoke County, including Froth (a coffee house), Glazed Bisque-It and Wine Gourmet. The latter two relocated from Roanoke City addresses. Bubblecake, headquartered on Crystal Spring in South Roanoke City, has also started selling its cupcakes from a shop at Cave Spring Corners (419 and Brambleton). As it seems she has done for the past several years, Moore pointed out that yes, there is activity atop South Peak, formerly known as Slate Hill, the denuded hillside at Franklin Road and Rt. 419. A 32-unit condominium development at the top of South Peak should start to rise in the next few months, according to Moore, and a Cracker Barrel restaurant could be on the way. Moore said developer James Smith plans to build a nature trail and overlook on the property; he owns a wooded tract that extends away from South Peak to Hunting Hills – Moore would like to see the trail go that way. Smith is still negotiating for other retailers and hotel chains to anchor what he has described in the past as an upscale project. South Peak “has been very busy [and is] having a good year,” said Moore, who thinks a pedestrian bridge from Tanglewood Mall over 419 to a completed South Peak could benefit both properties. “Its one of the largest [projects] in the county,” said Tarek Moneir, who works in community development for Roanoke County and spoke briefly at the community meeting. Moneir also mentioned the tightening regulations for storm water management, and how that might hit homeowners and homeowner’s associations in the pocketbook. Keeping retention ponds in good shape, able to hold and disperse of rainwater runoff, is the subject of increased attention these days. “We have to enforce this law,” said Moneir, “the county has started [to do that].” Increased

Roanoke River Greenway supporters gather in Salem to break new ground.

Charlotte Moore addresses community meeting attendees. maintenance could be mandated for property owners that have private storm water retention ponds. County Administrator Clay Goodman, also in attendance, concurred: “it’s going to cost you money.” Feedback from those in attendance included grumblings about the county’s GIS system, used to locate properties online via digital coordinates. One attendee labeled it “a piece of garbage.” Moore said she would look into that. Another said there were not enough venues for lacrosse matches in southwest Roanoke County and asked if idle baseball fields could be used for a sport growing in leaps and bounds. Moore seemed to relish the feedback: “this is your community. Stay involved.” Library Services Director Diana Rosapepe offered a tour of the new library as the meeting ended; it replaced the old main branch facility for Roanoke County on Rt. 419/Electric Road, which handled half of the county’s total circulation of 1.2 million pieces last year. On opening day (Jan. 3), Rosapepe said she “stopped counting,” after 3000 or so had come through the doors to check the new place out. “It was a madhouse.” Things seemed a bit quieter last week, as some read books at tables while sipping their Mill Mountain coffees. In fact there is a “quiet room” complete with fireplace and couches, for those that just want to read in peace.

Greenway Expansion Connects County to Salem

“The reaction has just been overwhelmingly positive,” said Rosapepe, who commends the Board of Supervisors for their support of the project. The new South County library features lots of wood and glass, with commanding views of nearby Mason’s Knob. “I’ve had people tell me if they knew libraries looked like this, they would have been here a long time ago,” chuckled Rosapepe. “I think this library will be a model for [many] that follow.” By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

The latest leg of the Roanoke River Greenway is under construction, after a ground breaking held at Riverside Park in Salem attended by state and local officials, volunteers, and representatives of various community groups. When completed by the end of summer, the expansion will add 1 1/2 miles to the length of the trail in south Salem. This stretch of the Greenway will link the Moyer Sports Complex almost to the western border of Roanoke County. Salem Mayor Randy Foley says he’s been asked about when construction would start. Now he can point to it and say something’s actually happening. “It’s going to complete a leg that a lot of citizens have been asking about for awhile now and it’s going to make, obviously, the path of the Greenway in the city of Salem twice to three times as long as it currently is. And it’s going to get us that much closer to really traversing the entire valley. So that’s, I think, the importance of this project.” He says the cost to the city is almost zero because the project is almost entirely paid for by federal grants or by in-kind donations. The cost will come later, to maintain the portion

of the Greenway, according to Foley. Barbara Duerk with the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club is happy for the expansion. She says the Greenway system needs to be regional. “We need to connect our Commonwealth. I’m interested in connecting the Roanoke River Greenway, and upon its completion or even before, to the Huckleberry Trail. Once we get to the Huckleberry Trail, we can connect to the New River Valley Trail and forward. And going the other direction, in the Virginia Outdoor Plan they have the James River Heritage Trail. So, if we can connect our Commonwealth, then Old Dominion will be a playground for all of America.” So many people use the

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Page 4 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 1/27/12 -2/2/12

More Tales From the ER Diary

of it. 5:45 AM: The lady has a sinus infection. She was diagnosed one week ago. Took her antibiotics two days. Felt better. Quit them. The infection flared up again. Go figure. So, she came in to be seen. By ambulance. 6 AM: My legs got weak after my heart surgery three years ago.” “And you just now got around to coming in to be seen?” “Yeah.” 6:05 AM: He needed a refill on a medicine a physician had given him in California. Helped him breath. Oxygen tablets. ... “You physician’s name?” I asked. “Dr. Somebody.” Well, that’s getting the ball over the plate, eh? “Nurse,” I said, “look at the roster and see which of our physicians has the first name of `Dr.’” ... A 39 year old fellow came in with heart pain. No past history of heart trouble. But, he’d been using cocaine. He was playing `the innocent’. “Oh, is coke bad for you?” “No, sir,” I said, “It’s one of the four basic food groups.” The other three are: Mellow Yellow, sun-flower seeds and trail mix. … I went in to see a fellow who happened to be a bilateral leg amputee. He told me he worked as a stand-up comedian. [True.]

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Local Crossword

Star-Sentinel Crossword for 1/13/2012

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Grating sound Metric weight unit South southwest Winged Aura American Cancer Society (abbr.) The yoga instructor on Grandin Road in Roanoke. Discharge Young lady Beat it! Machines that rotates on the ceiling Solace To make a bid. Grows bigger Be in a __ Day of the wk. Divided nation Gnawer Douse Ask; make a search of. Food and Agriculture Organization (abbr.) A belt worn around the waist. Letup Vice __ Parody Manner What a leaf comes from Shy or to caress. Thin Wading bird Compass point Downwind Nearly horizontal entrance

17 20

18 23

31 35

37 40

Underdone Wing Unhappy Musical "fast" Mother Hike a mountain Obtained Soap Opera Read Channel 10 around here. To this document Buskin Those who make the food laws (abbr.) 20 Supersonic transport 21 Musical composition 22 Brand of sandwich cookie

Steve Jacob is a veteran health-care journalist and author of the new book Health Care in 2020: Where Uncertain Reform, Bad Habits, Too Few Doctors and Skyrocketing Costs Are Taking Us. He can be reached at steve@unitedstatesofhealth.com.

an independent Republic of into a $3 billion chain with 250 California, which, though never stores nationwide. recognized, remained indepenRecently, the marketing folks dent, with Sonoma as its capi- at Williams-Sonoma realized tal, until it became part of the they needed something new: a United States after the Mexican- destination store. The kind of American War. thing that folks would In the 20th centravel a long way to tury, Sonoma besee, and where they came a famous wine would spend a lot of center, and lots of money. In researching visitors came for the potential locations, tastings and to enjoy someone came upon the area's history and an interesting opporbeauty. In 1956, a lotunity: a FOR SALE cal resident named sign outside a buildChuck Williams ing located at 601 who had served in Broadway, Sonoma, Mike Keeler Europe in World CA. Yep, it was the War II- launched a location of Chuck kitchen supply outlet that sold Williams' very first store. This high-end French cookware was perfect! A new Williamsto wealthy tourists. He called Sonoma throwback store, right the place Williams-Sonoma. in the place where it all began. It was immediately successAh, but corporations can't go ful; so successful, in fact, that home again, my friend. At least, within 2 years it had outgrown not to Sonoma, at least, not yet. its original location and Chuck You see, Sonoma has been wresWilliams moved it - all the way tling with how to protect the city to San Francisco. From there, and its public square - the largWilliams-Sonoma blossomed est and perhaps the most hand-

some in California - from the incursion of formula stores like Applebees and Home Depot and, um, er, ahem, WilliamsSonoma. The five-member city council was about to pass a temporary moratorium on all box stores when they heard of Williams-Sonoma's plans, and they tabled their vote. Now, they are stuck in the delicate position of having to draft a zoning ordinance that keeps almost all formula stores out of Sonoma, except for one. AND they have explain to the owner of an existing kitchen supply place up the street why they are making that exception. AND they have explain to Chuck Williams, now 97 years old, why he has to wait for council approval to bring his corporation home, to the town he helped make famous. What a nasty recipe! Call it the History/Retail/Marketing/ Politics Ragout. Ick. Contact Mike at info@theroanokestar.com

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percent since 1991. The household financial burden is already significant. About 40 percent of Americans had trouble paying medical bills in 2010, up from 34 percent in 2005. More than one-quarter of insured households reported problems with medical debt and nearly 6 out of 10 adults say they have delayed care because of cost. The trend is clear for employer health-insurance costs. A significant percentage of businesses annually increase the employee share of deductibles, copayments and premium costs or cut benefits to minimize the impact on their bottom lines. Who can blame them? Nearly 60 percent of an average company¹s after-tax profits are spent on corporate health benefits. Starbucks, for example, spends more on health benefits for its workers than it does for wholesale coffee beans. Most people have only a vague notion of how valuable employer health insurance can be. The median household income for a four-person U.S. family in 2009 was about $70,300. However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the true figure to be $94,900. A footnote on page 65 of a CBO budget forecast said this: “All income is assumed to be from compensation, which includes employment-based health insurance and the employer’s share of payroll taxes.” Even with employer support, expect health care costs in 2020 will be an even larger household budgetary albatross.

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care costs become a financial burden when out-of-pocket costs reach 10 percent of household income. The state's percapita health-care expenditure in 2020 would be $13,903, compared to $7,635 in 2009. That is based on Virginia's annual medical inflation rate of 5.6

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The coming year will determine whether or in what form health reform survives. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on reform's constitutionality before it adjourns in June. If it survives the court challenge, it will at least face a political gauntlet if not its demise if the Republicans capture the White House, Congress or both in the 2012 presidential election. If health reform survives, the U.S. health-care landscape will change more in the next decade than it has in the last 50 years. However, health reform is mostly health-insurance reform. Its overarching goal was to attempt to ensure affordable access to health insurance and medical care for most Americans. The landscape for employees with health insurance benefits largely remained unaffected. For Virginia households with employer-sponsored insurance, the larger issue is how expensive health-care costs will be by 2020. Nationally, about 20 cents out of every U.S. dollar will be spent on health care in 2020. National medical inflation consistently has risen two percentage points higher than the consumer price index since the 1960s and there is no indication that will change. In Virginia, more than 56 percent of businesses offered health insurance to their employees in 2010, slightly more than the national average of about 54 percent. If the state's current health-care cost and household income trends continue at their current rates, here is what 2020 would look like for Virginia workers with a family policy from their employer: · The average premium would be $23,855 compared with $14,138 in 2010, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund analysis. · The average employee's share of that premium Look for Lucky’s books locally would be about $9,700, compared to $4,477 in and on-line: The Oath of Hippo2010. crates; The Cotillian; A Journey · The average deductible would be about $4,400, Long Delayed. compared to $1,866 in 2010. · The average employee share of the premium and deductible combined would comprise 14.6 Contact Mary Jo at percent of Virginia's projected median household maryjoshannon@ymail.com income. A common rule of thumb is that health-

I’m on duty in the ER. Thirty examining room. The little inches of fresh snow on the six year old girl squealed, “Oh ground. Police are asking that goody. A boy doctor!” Thank all unessential travel be avoid- you, Ma’am! ed and patients are signing in … left and right to be seen with A physician of an earlier chronic complaints: `M’back’s time enjoyed a reputation as a been hurtin’ fer nigh diagnostician. He put on thirty year. Thought an enormous emphaI’d get it checked out!’ sis on the examinaI tell you, Virginia tion of the tongue. He could be in a nuclear would take it between confrontation with his fingers and examNew Jersey, and folks ine for lumps, bumps, would be coming to contour and texture. the ER for suture reForemost among his checks! But, stand diagnostic aptitudes Lucky Garvin to your philosophy, was his uncanny abilGahv, each day brings ity to diagnose Tyits petty dust. Don’t take it too phoid Fever. seriously. Occasionally he would di... agnose the patient as presently A patient of mine did a suffering Typhoid. This he did speed-bump. Where was he as well as his colleagues. His hurting? He pointed behind most inexplicable talent lay in him and said, “Right here at his ability to diagnose with a the neck of my head.” [Oh, you premonitory certainty, that the know where that is, right near patient would come down with the shoulder of your back!] this fever in 7-10 days; and sure ... enough they did. A patient stopped and stared After some years, the phyat me like I was a urine sample. sician himself was diagnosed “Dr. Garvin! What happened?! as being a `Typhoid Mary’: a You’ve gotten so much older! carrier of the disease who did Did you have a stroke?! [Work- not suffer the symptoms; those ing at a medical facility, I’m fingers of his; and all those sure someone would have told tongues… me.] … “Well, when was the last time People wonder why I’m you saw me?” burned out: “About five years ago.” The patient came for a return “Did you expect me to get visit and told me, “I didn’t take younger?” those pills you gave me and I’m “Well, no, but not to look this no better.” old!” It’s 4 AM. Three patients. One She later asked me if I was with a cat bite sustained at 6 angry at her for telling me I PM the previous day. Dropped looked so old. I said, “No. Hap- by for a tetanus shot. pens all the time.” 5:30 AM: A lady with a knee But then, there are com- injury. Three weeks ago. No inpensations: I stepped into the crease in pain. She just got tired

ACROSS

Iranian's neighbors __ Lanka Power system Duke Memory trace Ball holder Behind Venus Plant seed Hurry Economics abrv. Eye infection Canal Sign language Kimono sash Does Eastern Standard Time

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The Preacher’s Corner - By the Sea of Galilee

ust over four years ago I received an all expense paid trip to Israel that was furnished to me by AIPAC - the American / Israeli Public Affairs Committee. As luck would have it they wanted "Christian leaders" to know more of what was going on there politically and geographically. I have no idea where they got the notion that I was "Christian leader" but someone apparently convinced them of it. Looking back I think the Holy Spirit outdid himself in persuading me to go. I was smack dab in the middle of starting a business - in fact, the first issue of this newspaper came out while I was in Jerusalem, but somehow I knew I was supposed to be there. It doesn't always happen that way, of course, but it sure is nice when we get clarity. This was one of those times. We toured the country for ten days and I spent two of them on the shores of the Sea of Galilee spending the night in a small motel just a mile or so from where Jesus and Peter reportedly spent a great deal of time at the location of Peter's mother's house. The ruins are still there to see - excavated trenches and short walls that outline what was once a welcoming home and habitation of Jesus the Son of God. It is overwhelming to stand in front of that place. The night before we enjoyed our dinner outside at a restaurant that had a deck that was perched out over the water. A man came and sang the Star Spangled Banner to us in his broken English. He had heard we were Americans and he wanted to honor us for all our country had done for Israel. Believe me when I say it was a surreal scene. Eating this extraordinarily wonderful meal a few feet above the Sea of Galilee while this man sang - and my mind wondered back to what it must have been like on that shore 2000 years ago. The Sea of Galilee itself is not really a "sea" at all in the way we typically think of it. It is a large lake really - about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide and only 33 miles in circumference. By comparison Smith Mountain Lake has over 500 miles of

shoreline. This unassuming Sea is a calm and exceedingly beautiful body of water with rolling hills that surround it (not unlike Smith Mountain Lake) and when you look out over it, it is easy to imagine the Disciples fishing in their small boats with their fathers - setting and resetting the nets and looking over to the village of Capernaum from time to time to see what the latest commotion was about. The sun is climbing through the morning sky. The water laps gently at the boats. Wooden beams and planks offer an occasional soft moan as the vessels slowly dip and lean. And then along comes a man about their age who beckons them from the shore. He stands there for a moment watching with some interest before calling across the water, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And oddly they go. Who knows why they went really. Maybe God had planted the seeds of this moment weeks, months - even years before. I'm guessing that there was something missing in their days - in their hearts - and they knew it. And when this Jesus came with his strange, straight up invitation, it somehow rang with a clarity and a fit that was unmistakable - like a mother's call to her young - like a key made to fit the intricate tumblers of one particular lock. They knew who it was - and they responded. They followed him. Is there something missing in your days - some inner void that nothing else has been able to fill? Stop trying to fill it with things born of the world and be open to the Spirit's small stirrings. Start listening for him - with a heart that makes no assumptions what His will might be for your life . . . and follow Him - wherever, whenever and however he leads. The bill has been paid - the yoke is broken - you are His . . . Rest easy and joyfully in that . . . and Follow Him.

Food For Thought

rocery shopping is con, whole wheat bread, oatmeal thought of by most as raisin cookies, and wine en route a boring, weekly trip to the spaghetti section in the involving plodding up and down next aisle. eight or nine aisles in search of And what a section it is! sustenance. Numbly trudging You're glad to have finally made past countless rows of frozen it here. In fact, you've just joined pizzas, fish sticks, and carrots is the other eighty-nine shoppers something we've all become ac- who seemingly predicted where customed to approaching with you were headed so they could fortified stoicism. The fact that beat you there for the vermicelli we endure difficult parking situ- you've been craving for the past ations, grocery bills, five days. And to think and long checkout you've already loaded lines evidences our your own cart with spadrive for survival. ghetti sauce and that For me, that's an wonderful powdered entirely wrong apcheese in the green can proach to the exthat we've loved all of perience. Shopping our lives. Now, stuck should be thought with generic spaghetti of as a competitive all seven boxes of it- you endeavor. The items accept that small defeat on the shelves, the smugly. After all, you Robert Adcox aisle space, and did snag that last bag even the number of available of corn-dusted deli rolls right shopping carts are all resources between the greedy grab of both to be coveted at any cost - and the software engineer and the there are limitless strategies to second year medical student. maximizing a shopping excur- Hey, you work for a living. You sion in minimum time. need your hamburgers to have When you go shopping you taste texture. might notice that the aisles can Ah, but what good is having accommodate as many as three all of those carbohydrates when carts across. That comes in handy you're lacking protein? Well, when you're in a hurry and Mitzi hamburger is only four aisles wants to compare oven mitt away. You're an old pro at this, prices with Buffy. Those lessons so you know that the dreaded you learned in high performance coupon-clipper gang is laying driving school are about to pay for you at the endcaps of these Stuart Revercomb is the Minister at Peace Presby- off as you slalom deftly between aisles near the checkout lanes. terian Church in Roanoke. Visit them on the web at their collections of artificial bapeace-church.net

Should Virginia Secede from the Menhaden Union?

Secession is in the air once again in Virginia as a state senator has introduced a bill that would withdraw the Commonwealth from the union of states that oversees fishery management along the coast. Virginia State Senator Richard Stuart’s bill would separate Virginia from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a consortium of states from Maine to Florida that oversees the management and harvest of 24 species of fish ranging from flounder to stripers. Among those fish is the menhaden, a baitfish that is an essential part of the food chain for game fish and whose population most commissioners (and conservationists) believe may be threatened by overfishing. Reed’s district includes the East Coast’s largest menhaden fishing port, seems not so sure. In Boston in late 2011, the ASMFC commissioners voted overwhelmingly to curtail commercial landings of menhaden by as much as 37 percent over 2010 harvest levels. This marked the first time the ASMFC has voted to decrease the menhaden harvest. Why the change? The commission’s most recent stock assessment found that menhaden stocks, in steady decline for the past half-century, were now at a historic low, and that although menhaden are apparently producing enough eggs to supplement the stock, those eggs are not becoming juvenile menhaden, much to the consternation of researchers. Conservation organizations like The Nature Conservancy and consortia like the Menhaden Coalition, and the Herring Alliance, as well as groups of recreational anglers like Menhaden Defenders, have for years lobbied for more conservative menhadden harvest levels. They believe that the cur-

1/27/12 -2/2/12 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 5

rent commercial harvest levels could push the stock past the point of no return, which would affect countless species of fish and sea birds. Senator Stuart disagrees: “I think the environmental community has lobbied the ASMFC so much, they have abandoned their own science.” Stuart defended his proposed legislation, saying, “I drafted my bill to demonstrate to the ASMFC that Virginia will not tolerate ignoring the best available data on menhaden. According to ASMFC’s own science, the coastal population of menhaden is healthy.” Stuart also believes that “the recent decision by the ASMFC in Boston to curtail menhaden harvest so drastically reveals that some states are cutting back Virginia’s menhaden harvest to bolster their own populations.” Is Stuart correct in his assertions? And should Virginia leave the ASMFC? First, the science to which the senator refers may be found in the ASMFC management plan,but it never describes the menhaden stock as "healthy.” And indeed, the stock has never been lower than it is right now. Second, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (1993) stipulates that Virginia will still have to abide by the ASMFC’s menhaden management plan even if it withdraws from the commission. Further, should Virginia voluntarily withdraw from the ASMFC, other member states could decide to redistribute Virginia’s harvest quotas among themselves. Let us assume that the Virginia legislature passes Stuart’s bill into law. What’s next? Initially the ASMFC would undoubtedly attempt to bring Virginia into compliance. And if the Old Dominion refused? The ASMFC

could ask the US Secretary of Commerce to shut down the Virginia menhaden fishery completely, spelling disaster for the Commonwealth’s economy and marking the end of Virginia’s commercial menhaden fishery. For obvious reasons, no state has yet withdrawn from the ASMFC. Without a doubt, Senator Stuart has a vested interest in opposing the ASMFC’s latest moves on menhaden: His district includes Reedville, home to Omega Protein’s East Coast operations. Omega is North America’s largest commercial menhaden harvester. It doesn’t follow, however, that Stuart is an enemy of waterway conservation: Rather, Stuart is and has always been an avid sportsman whose actions demonstrate that he cares deeply for Virginia’s natural resources. He recently led the charge, for example, to pass legislation to significantly decrease phosphorus in fertilizers, which fuels the ominous “dead zones” in the Chesapeake Bay. Indeed, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation honored him as the 2011 Virginia Legislator of the Year in recognition of this work. It is never easy to represent conflicting interests, and it’s usually impossible to please all interested parties. Senator Stuart represents a district that cannot be happy about the ASMFC’s latest actions on menhaden. But in this case, it’s hard to see how his proposed legislation can do anything but exacerbate the inevitable pain that Virginia’s commercial menhaden fishery foresees. He could win this battle with his bold volley but Virginia will end up losing the war. Beau Beasley is an award-winning conservation writer and the author of Fly Fishing Virginia and Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic. Distributed by Bay Journal News Service.

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You're also aware of the kid who normally works in produce, but who's busy schmoozing with that cute number who stocks soup in aisle nine. Those two have shoppers backed up all the way to the dairy section. Your goal now is to get to the checkout lanes before those other shoppers jam your attack en route to the self-serve registers. Those two years you spent over at that smaller grocery store training for just this type of situation are now going to pay off as you smoothly employ your evasion strategy slipping out between the fish and the chicken freezers. Ah, but now other shoppers are on to your strategy. You have to give the English teacher in aisle four credit: she really knows how to pack her cart for maximum effective handling around the turns. That proves to be the winning strategy as she barely slips past you into the nearest checkout lane. But that's okay, because you manage a very respectable second place finish in spite of a sticking right rear wheel. And hey, you did beat out that nerdy cell phone rep who has been trying to get past you ever since you were back near the corn flakes. I'll admit it: shopping for groceries gives me food for thought. Contact Robert Adcox at robadcox@hotmail.com

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Page 6 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 1/27/12 -2/2/12

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Taubman Hosts 3rd Annual Souper Jackson’s “Fix Washington Now” Bowl to Benefit the Rescue Mission Tour Makes Stop in Roanoke

Winter is a great time for soup and about 500 people attended the annual Souper Bowl held at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke. Chefs from 13 local restaurants donated their time and their soup, and each patron received a ceramic bowl made by local craftsmen that they could take home. The tasters also voted for their favorite soup. The Hotel Roanoke won with its crab soup last year. Rebecca Boone from Fincastle was carefully studying the long, cloth-covered table, trying to find just the right bowl. "Oh, you know women. You have to pick just the right one that speaks to you. (The one I got) last year, I just love it and I use it all the time for little crackers and things. But the beautiful part about it is they're made by different artists and the personality of the artist and the colors and (it's) just so hard to pick; they're all so gorgeous." She came last year and said the soup was fabulous then. It was "to die for". Kellie Miller from Buchanan attended the event for the first time. She was trying a cauliflower bisque from the River and Rail (Restaurant). It's fantastic. It's creamy, buttery, very savory." She said she would taste "a couple more cups" before deciding on her favorite

The

alth

but had it narrowed down to the top two or three. "It's really cold. Soup hits the spot when its 35 degrees outside." Sandra Miller from Fincastle had several empty plastic cups stacked on top of each another and was tasting the cauliflower bisque as well. "It's good. The tomato basil over there is great. The jambalaya was a surprise. Good thing to do on a Sunday afternoon." Chef Jerome Bonds from Norah's Cafe at the Taubman Museum was serving his baked bean soup into individual cups for tasting. His secret ingredient? "Just the love I put in into it. That's the secret ingredient." He's participated in all three Souper Bowls. "I think it's all about the cause of the event; to support the Rescue Mission,

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I think that's the most important. I'm really not concerned with the winning or losing. It's just because of the event-what it represents." Casey, from Carrabba's Italian Grill at the Valley View Mall, was serving soup and talking to patrons. “We are serving a tomato basil soup. It's just chicken stock, tomatoes, onions, garlic, celery and basil. Top it with croutons and basil on top." She says it's something that's normally served at the restaurant. RAM House and the Rescue Mission divided the proceeds from the event. This was the third annual Souper Bowl, although the event was snowed out in its first year. Uneita Matthews from the Rescue Mission says, "You know how quickly things become tradition. . .I think its going to continue to be a tradition."

elf Sh

A variety of soups competed for “Roanoke’s favorite.”

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U.S. Senate candidate Bishop E.W. Jackson brought his “Fix Washington Now” tour to Roanoke last week, to speak before an enthusiastic crowd of local Republicans and Tea Party members, waving his “Jackson Ax” around. As always when he speaks, his first sentence is, “I am not an African American, I am an American.” Jackson speaks harshly of President Obama, calling him the “worst president ever, red, white or blue.” He feels he is in the best position to beat Tim Kaine and “expose him for the wide eyed liberal that he is. He is going to try and hang the race card around the neck of the Republican party in this general election.” He hopes to be the one standing next to Kaine in a debate so he can look him in the eye and say, “Don’t you dare try it, the Republican party stands for opportunity for all people, no matter who they are, we don’t care what color the President is.” Jackson feels strongly that all qualified candidates should appear on the ballot, so he is passing around his competitors petitions to be signed, along with his own. His message to Washington is, “Get it straight, we don’t work for you, you work for us.” He said if he were in office now, he would not have voted for this last debt increase, because enough is enough. He feels called to run for the Senate, not because he wants a

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title or fame, but to help and encourage people. He knows the country is in trouble and says it cannot do business as usual. He would tell Mitch McConnell, “I am not going along to get along; that is not why Virginia sent me here. If it makes you mad, just get mad. Get with the program and stop this spending and stop bankrupting our country.” He knows the politicians don’t like his stance, but feels the general public does. He carries around his “Jackson Ax” to remind people of something Obama once said: “We don’t need to take an ax to the budget, what we need to do is take a scalpel.” Obviously, Jackson disagrees, and intends to fix Washington with the symbolic ax. He states that, “Obama has a counterfeit vision of who we are as a nation. He wants us to be a dependent nation of central planning by the federal govern-

To learn more, visit his website: www.jacksonforvirginia.org.

By Carla M. Bream info@newsroanoke.com

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ment; he wants us to be a nation of collectivism. He wants us to be a nation where you cannot even screw a light bulb into your light socket without his permission and telling you what kind of light bulb to screw in there.” Jackson believes in private property rights, keeping more of your wages, individualism, freedom, gun rights, and that all men are created equal with God given rights. He intends to “serve an eviction notice on the current resident of the White House and stop this apologizing for our country.” E.W. Jackson served in the Marine Corps, graduated from Harvard Law School and studied at Harvard Divinity School. He practiced law for 15 years before devoting himself to fulltime ministry. He is the founder of the Exodus Faith Ministries, a non-denominational church in Chesapeake and is the founder of a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and values. He has been married to his wife for forty years and has three children.

Roxane Gatling Gilmore leaked all over the wood floors and ruined priceless rugs. The restoration was carried out under the leadership of Mrs. Gilmore, who had a hand in the selection of the Oversight Committee, the architects, designers, artisans and craftsmen, all the way to the finished project. The house was originally designed by Alexander Parris and extensively altered by Duncan Lee in the last century. The house had to be made both comfortable for the families in residence as well as the public. One of the needs addressed was to make the house and grounds handicap accessible. Overall, the total cost of the restoration of the house, outbuildings and grounds was $7 million and it was brought in

on time and under budget. Along the way, bits of Virginia's past was discovered. Mrs. Gilmore found a 1914 electrician’s note behind one wall. The team also found previously unknown construction features and decorative ornamentation, not seen in 200 years. Excavation of the front yard found a tea pot from the Royal Palace in England. Interior walls showed the ghost of a fireplace and an old staircase. Mrs. Gilmore started documenting all the restoration work so she could tell the mansion tour guides what to say. She followed the standards of preservation and used contractors who adhered to those standards. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources actively participate in the venture. She created a daily record of the work, with copious notes and photographs documenting everything, which eventually led to her writing the book. Mrs. Gilmore will be traveling the state with her book signings, or you can visit www.virginiagovernorshouse.com to purchase the book online. By Carla M. Bream info@newsroanoke.com

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Please send in your pictures and relevant subject / game info and we’ll feature the next week! 12/30/11 -1/5/11 |The RoanokeisStar-Sentinel |Page 7 info@newsroanoke.com - Deadline 5PM Tuesday.

Hidden Valley Drops Blacksburg Salem Downs Northside 73-28 In 69-56 In Key River Ridge Matchup Non-District Girls Basketball Hidden Valley used a 34-19 halftime advantage to hold off Blacksburg, as the Titans captured the key River Ridge matchup 69-56 Tuesday night at the Hidden Valley gym. Hidden Valley improved to 3-2 in district play to take a share of second place in the tightly bunched River Ridge race.

Blacksburg made a fourth quarter run to close the gap to single digits, but HIdden Valley executed down the stretch to secure the win. Dylan Hodson led the Hidden Valley attack with 21 points. Senior center Austin Beecher added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Titans.

Northside's # 13 Karlie Pope beats the Salem press offered by Spartan defender # 22 Maddie Price. Salem employed a fierce fullcourt press to jump out to a 26-7 lead after one quarter, and the Spartans rolled to the 73-28 win Monday night at the Northside gym. Salem led 47-18 at the half and was content to go deep into

Hidden Valley # 20 Dylan Hodson (in white) eyes an opening in the Blacksburg zone on his way to a 21-point performance in the Titan win.

the bench with the outcome clearly settled. The Spartans were led in scoring by Tay Taylor's 20 points. Kim Migliarese and Carlye Garst each added 13 for the Spartans, while Tessa Foley chipped in 10.

Karlie Pope paced the Northside attack with 10 points. Carla Anderson added 6 for the Lady Vikings. By Bill Turner info@newsroanoke.com

Wild Bill’s Weekly Sports Roundup

By Bill Turner info@newsroanoke.com

Titan senior center # 44 Austin Beecher stares down a free throw down the stretch to help secure the River Ridge win.

State Champion Celtics

Roanoke Catholic has earned the Commonwealth Catholic State Champion Wrestling Title after winning four dual matches against Seton School, Benedictine, Bishop Sullivan and Peninsula Catholic. To claim the 1st place trophy the men had to wrestle for individual titles and bring home the medals. Five Seniors led the charge with each placing either 1st or 2nd in the individual medals. Andrew Nolen received the Zach Burns Outstanding Wrestler award for the upper weights after pinning the number two ranked

Heavy Weight in the state twice; once in the dual meet and then again in the individual championship finals. Results: 1st Place: Nghia Pham, Armando Herrera Dois Reis, Nick Nester, Sean Bower, Andrew Nolen 2nd Place: Brian Sakalas, Jacob Patrick, Sean Deer 3rd Place: Alex Sakalas, Matt Gwin, Nick Ruble, Tommy Perini 4th Place: Jack Pilgreen

District high school races pollbusters. Salem looks solid, head into the final two weeks of but in the River Ridge, you can the regular season and all of our fall off the cliff in a hurry. #4- Northside: The Vikings local ‘Big-11’ teams are right in (9-6) are looking to make a statethe mix. It’s too close to call in the ment in the Blue Ridge and they Western Valley, River Ridge, have the guns to do just that. A key showdown will be Blue Ridge and Three with Rockbridge CounRivers as we head into ty at the Northside gym. the home stretch. There Don’t underestimate a may be several surprises Billy Pope team. as the road to Richmond #5-Tie Hidden Valley unfolds. and Glenvar: Hidden Despite the log-jam of Valley (8-8) is making quality play, here’s a look its usual late season at this week’s Wild Bill Bill Turner charge, and the Titans Top-5, which is far are tied for second in from a scientific calculation. But, nevertheless, read on. the River Ridge race. With a pair This week we hear from a team of games left with Salem and Puasking for a pre-game Ouija, plus laski, as well as Christiansburg a couple more looks at what is, or and rival Cave Spring on the is not, a Wild Bill thumbs-up on docket, Troy Wells will earn his keep. late night TV product pitches. Ditto for Glenvar, as the High#1- Patrick Henry: The Patriots continue to hold down landers (13-6) look to make a the top spot after improving to statement in the Three Rivers. 13-3 with Monday night’s win No doubt, upcoming battles with over Friendship Collegiate on Floyd County and Radford are the road. PH is still the Wild Bill no bargain. Next, the Wild Bill unusual pick to nab the Western Valley game of the week. This one falls regular season title. #2- William Fleming: I’ve squarely in the lap of the Carbeen catching heat on this one, lisle-Holy Cross girls matchup but I’m standing pat on Mickey Monday night. Hard to argue Hardy’s 11-7 squad after their 64- it’s important to come out of the 29 blowout over Halifax County gate strong in basketball. Carlisle Tuesday night. Here’s a Wild Bill obviously took note. The Lady fan-favorite tip: Want to see the Chiefs led 35-0 after one quarter, next big hoop star from the Roa- on their way to the 80-13 win. The Wild Bill Ouija has renoke Valley? Check out Fleming’s Warren Craft. The real deal. surfaced this week after a coach, #3- Salem: The Spartans (11- whose young team stands win5) narrowly grab the third spot less, has given a thumbs up to among a mix of several potential a Ouija next Tuesday night. No

need to discuss this further, but watch for the results next week. Finally, the Wild Bill late-night TV ads move to a new level this week with the review of the Princess Amanda jewelry line and the must-buy doggy Potty Patch. I’m giving a five-star thumbsup to the Princess Amanda ‘Big-Bang Cocktail Ring’. Admittedly, I haven’t been able to track down which Eastern European or Latin American country the Princess hails from. But, no one likes a cocktail party better than I do and there’s no better way to end one than with a big bang. At under $70, a certified Wild Bill bargain. On the other hand, the Princess Amanda neckless seems suspect. The pitch says 50 Guatamalan women have been taking 400 years to make the thing. I’m trying to extrapolate the hourly wage . . . no wonder world economies are down. Last, but not least, the Potty Patch. A gadget, which looks like a door mat, that your dog supposedly runs to in order to urinate indoors. The pitch says it’s easy to empty and odor-free. C’mon guys.... odor-free? If this thing works, I’m in trouble. My wife will be converting my marble bathroom to shag carpet tout-suite. Well, it’s time to go . . . My goodness, I worded that badly. See you next week. Send your inquiries to: info@ newsroanoke.com

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Page 8 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 1/27/12 -2/2/12

Reducing Risks Without Lawyers

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all of the lawyers.” This phrase from Shakespeare’s King Henry VI has been used in modern times to express contempt for lawyers. Dick the Butcher in Shakespeare’s play, however, spoke this phrase in the context of exterminating lawyers in order to create chaos, tyranny and anarchy, not making the world a better place. Undoubtedly, most people’s first experience with a lawyer results from encountering a problem that cannot be resolved without legal services. Facing such a problem, they find themselves in a “no-win” situation because they ultimately will incur significant expense to achieve even the best results. One way to minimize the need for expensive legal services is to obtain insurance against certain risks. In the event of casualty losses, proper insurance coverage will cushion the burdens of having to deal with lawyers and litigation. Preemptive insightful discussions with capable insurance agents, who can explain insurance coverage options, are very important. Of course, anyone owning an automobile will have some experience with insurance. Although Virginia law mandates certain minimum automobile insurance coverage (unless one pays Virginia’s uninsured motorist fee), the minimum mandated coverage today is so small that people can face significant personal exposure as a result of even a relatively minor accident. Not only is it important to have sufficient automobile liability coverage; it is also important to have uninsured motorist coverage through one’s own policy to guard against losses and damages that an uninsured or underinsured motorist can cause. The next most common form of insurance is homeowners insurance, which not only protects against casualty losses to a home and its contents, but should also include liability coverage to protect the homeowner against claims for accidental injuries to third parties. Anybody who owns a swimming pool or domestic or wild animals should be sure to inform the insurance agent in applying for homeowner’s insurance to assure coverage for related losses. Business owners should obtain casualty and general liability insurance, to protect business property and to guard against liability claims from third parties that may arise out of business operations. With many types of liability insurance, insurance carriers can issue umbrella policies to cover catastrophic losses exceeding the limits of the underlying coverage. The premiums for these umbrella policies are generally very modest because the risk of triggering umbrella coverage is typically very small. Adding such inexpensive coverage, however, can “save the house” in the event of a cata-

strophic loss. Not only will liability insurance policies cover damages payable to third parties, but they contain provisions requiring the insurance companies to retain counsel at their own expense to defend the policyholder against third-party claims. Additionally, policyholders can insure against first-party losses, including the policyholder’s health (through health, long-term care, and disability insurance) and ultimately his or her life, through life insurance. Such first-party insurance coverage can protect individuals and businesses against losses which, without proper planning, could result in financial ruin creating problems that only lawyers may be able to resolve. In all cases, insurance policies are contracts between the insured and the insurer under which the insured agrees to pay a premium and the insurer, in return, provides the purchased coverage. Unlike most other contracts, however, insurance policies are generally pre-printed and full of standard terms and conditions which the insured has little or no ability to negotiate. It is therefore critical that policyholders review and understand all of the policy provisions in order to ascertain what is and what is not covered. It is also important for potential policyholders to supply complete and accurate information on their applications for coverage, because those applications often become part of the contract of insurance. In the event of a material misrepresentation in the application, the insurer may deny coverage after a loss, leaving the policyholder unexpectedly uninsured. Likewise, it is critical for policyholders to make sure they comply with all of the requirements in the policy to give prompt notice of any loss and to cooperate with the insurer in the investigation and adjustment of a loss. Failure to comply with the various requirements in the policy after a loss can jeopardize insurance coverage. Although it is not possible to insure against every potential risk, insurance is available for many risks. With the input of capable insurance professionals, insurance coverage can shift risks away from individuals and businesses and onto insurance companies, with a concomitant reduction in the disruption of the individual’s life or the business’s operations. Proper insurance planning will not only reduce the risk of personal loss, but will have the additional benefit of reducing the desire to kill all of the lawyers.

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Landon Howard announces the RVCVB’s new website. Bart Wilner seconded the notion: “This is really where we need to be headed.” He then ticked off a Letterman-like top ten list of why the new mobile website application is key. Some of those reasons included the ability to capture some of the 73 million Americans who use smart phones, and an easy way to find the “best of the Blue Ridge.” Wilner, who knows a thing or two about technology as the president of Entre Computer, called the mobile website “an [important] step into the digital age for our region [and] helpful for young, tech-savvy travelers.” The tourism industry accounts for 7000 jobs regionally and $150 million dollars annually, according to Wilner, who helped bankroll the movie “Lake Effects,” shot recently at Smith Mountain Lake. RVCVB Board Member Ssunny Shah, who owns a number of local hotels, was also on hand. Shah already receives about 60% of his bookings via the internet. “This will be great for the entire [local] tourism industry,” said Shah of the new mobile website.

Deborah Wright, the director of marketing for the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, said a key now will be to “optimize” the visitroanokeva.com website, so that it shows up at the head of the list when someone types in the word “Roanoke” on a search. “That’s something we are working on,” said Wright. Being at the top on a Google search is the prize. “Unless people know [where] your site is they’re not going to find it.” Over the past year and a half the bureau has made it easier for local businesses to update information to the website; traffic is up 85% on the traditional visitroanokeva.com site since it was re-launched a year ago. From the website, visitors to the area – or locals looking for something new - can place a call at the touch of an icon to the eatery, hotel, museum, etc. They can also search for the outdoor amenities that have been heavily promoted in the region over the past few years. A daily, weekly and monthly calendar of events will help tie it all together. “It’s user friendly, it’s very active, it’s real time,” said Wright, “all the information they need in the palm of their hands.” Landon Howard seconded the notion, as another clip of the clueless Griswolds in Vacation (the Chevy Chase vehicle) was aired: “we don’t want to see people driving into the Roanoke Valley [unprepared].”

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

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New Mobile Website Focuses On All Things Roanoke

The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitor’s Bureau wants to make it easier for tech-savvy out-of-towners, and even some locals, to find out what’s happening in the area. So the RVCVB has introduced a new mobile website, visitroanokeva. com, which will enable visitors to search for hotels, restaurants and things to do in the area. Using integrated mapping software, the mobile website will offer directions as well. Visitors can peruse restaurant menus – even look at the daily specials. The mobile website was introduced with much fanfare at the O. Winston Link Museum last week, the former train station that also houses the Bureau. Officials from Salem, Vinton and Roanoke County were also hand, since they are represented on visitroanokeva.com. The Convention & Visitor’s Bureau remade the original website more than a year ago and has reported a large increase in traffic to the more user-friendly site. Now the mobile website – designed with younger, more tech-savvy visitors in mind – makes its debut. “We had to embrace this technology,” said Landon Howard, executive director for the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, who kicked things off at the coming-out party by showing a movie clip from National Lampoon’s “Vacation,” of the Griswold family being hopelessly lost as they seek out a tourist attraction. “We’re very Bob Ziogas is an attorney with Glenn Feldmann excited, obviously,” added HowDarby & Goodlatte – visit www.gfdg.com to learn ard. more. RVCVB Board Chairman

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John Garland, president of Spectrum Design, architectural and engineering firm, has had a hand in most of the downtown renovation projects that have transformed old properties well past their prime into interesting new places where people can live, work or shop. In some cases Garland and other partners are not hired by other owners but invest and renovate these properties themselves. That’s the case at Sixteen West, which just cut the ribbon on the RAC Express (Roanoke Athletic Club) space last week. There’s a lot more to Sixteen West than a health club however. Eight living spaces in the building have already been leased. “People were lined up to get them, I was amazed,” said Garland. Downstairs in the Sixteen West Marketplace building, (which is LEED certified as being energy efficient) Garland is negotiating with tenants, looking for a grocery store, a pharmacy and businesses that can occupy several food stalls like the ones found in the City Market building. A chiropractor is already on site in the 50 year old plus building, a former cafeteria that features art deco architecture and an original revolving door – rare in Roanoke, but much the rage in big cities years ago. The sweeping atrium and ribbon-like staircase inside the front door provide for a grand entrance. Garland hopes to have all the commercial spaces up and running by spring or early summer in the 35,000 sq. ft. building. The critical mass of people living downtown – a thousand or more now, according to Garland, makes a grocery store or a pharmacy much more viable for business owners. A grocer has already been found and could be in place by March, according to Garland. “There’s enough of a community downtown to sup-

The new Sixteen West residential and commercial space on Church Avenue has a strikingly modern renovated facade. port it. It’s exceeding our expectations.” Garland and three other partners have sunk about two million dollars into the former S&W cafeteria site, which they purchased at 16 West Church Avenue about three years ago. It formerly housed the Downtown Athletic Club as well. “We used to come down here when I was young,” said Garland, remembering the cafeteria, which closed in the late ‘70s. There are more than 500 members at the RAC Express, which replaced the old Zoom location downtown and is owned by Carilion. Garland says the RAC Express brings foot traffic into the building from 5:30am to 8pm. The downstairs commercial tenants should appreciate that. “A big plus for whomever is in the building,” said Garland. Spectrum got started in the historic preservation business with the Higher Education Center and has been involved with most of the downtown renovated living spaces as the design/ engineering firm, and in some cases where Garland is involved as an owner. State and federal tax credits that can be used to offset building costs help make the renovations financially viable. The Cotton Mill Lofts and the Patrick Henry Hotel are just

two properties Spectrum has helped redesign and engineer. “I had a keen interest in this building because of its history,” said Garland of Sixteen West. He also described a “passion to do something downtown that would serve the needs of residents.” Garland recalls seeing the “demise of downtown for years and years,” as retailers left for the suburbs and malls. He didn’t quite foresee Roanoke’s rebirth but is happy to be a big player now. “I kind of got on the bandwagon. Its real exciting to see it turn around.” There aren’t many bargains left downtown for others looking for properties to renovate, but Garland said “they’re still here.” One of those spaces is the old Heronimus store on Jefferson, which is owned by Calvin Powers. Garland hopes someone will “turn that building around” in the near future. One of the spaces Spectrum is involved with as an A&E firm is the West Salem Lofts. Owned by Bill Chapman, the West Salem Lofts are located next door to the Habitat for Humanity store and feature 25 living units.

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

Arts & Culture

NewsRoanoke.com

Roanoke’s Joy Sutton Wants To Redefine Television News

On a recent Saturday afternoon a throng of people was admitted to the Debbie Jordan Studio inside the Blue Ridge PBS television station in Roanoke, where they were seated in five rows of chairs across the floor from the main stage. On the platform sat three chairs and a table—with a vase of flowers in the background. To the left of the main stage sat a smaller table and two chairs. The occasion? A taping of an installment for a soon-to-debut local program. The program’s host, former WDBJ News7 journalist Joy Sutton, entered and greeted the audience, which was coached on how to applaud and smile on-camera by Blue Ridge PBS executive producer Julie Newman, who, for this occasion, served as floor manager. Prior to taping, a pair of coordinators awarded door prizes to an audience member who correctly answered a question about what Joy’s favorite food is. When taping commenced, the audience, having been well prepped, responded enthusiastically. Thus began taping for another installment—of “The Hour of Joy,” the first episode of which airs in February; slated to air Saturdays from 10-11 A.M. on WDBJ’s MY19 and Sundays from 6-7 A.M. on FOX. The program will provide positive programming for Southwest Virginia viewers regarding the community and tips on how to live happier, better lives. “I always thought my Mom named me Joy for a reason,” Sutton said in a post-taping interview, “and that’s to bring happiness. So I always think of myself as the Joy of Roanoke. I wanted something that was positive. I think there’s so much negative news. You turn on the TV— it seems like there’s nothing positive going on in your community, and I wanted to show people that there were inspirational stories right in their own community—people that were

Joy Sutton (right) and guest on The Hour of Joy. changing lives, people that had stories just like them that were making a difference in our community. That’s what the show is about.” Each installment of “The Hour of Joy” will run an hour in length, featuring a main topic and three segments—The Joy of Music, with local artists performing original music; The Joy of Dining, featuring local restaurants; and The Joy of Giving, spotlighting Roanokers whose giving greatly impacts both people and the community. For this installment of the series, Sutton (her day job is in communications for Lewis-Gale Hospital) featured Lisa Hamm, a part-time personal trainer at Gold’s Gym, Lynn Phelps, a health coach who helps people lose weight and become healthy, and Gabriel Morales, a thirteenyear-old Blues musician, who performed “Monday Night Blues” on his guitar for the studio audience. Though the show is aimed primarily at women 25 and older, Sutton feels anyone—men included—will benefit from watching it. “They’ll probably not tell their wives they’re turning it on but it is something that anyone can get value from.” Among the topics the series will cover this season will be: carrying on in life when it’s been shattered, finding and pursuing your dream, spending wisely and soundly, secrets of success-

ful relationships, and defining your life when you’re retired. As to whether she wants to be the “next Oprah[Winfrey],” Sutton emphatically answers, “Yes, absolutely!”—yet she hastened to add, “somebody earlier said, ‘You don’t want to be the next Oprah. You just want to be the best Joy.’ So that’s what I’m really striving to do. But, if it turns out that I can be like Oprah, I would love to have that type of impact on the world, and I think it can start here locally. And who knows who might pick it up, or where it might go from here.” For now, Sutton’s goal is to make the show successful in the Roanoke-Southwest Virginia area. “Where it goes from that God only knows,” she says. “But I’m putting my heart into it, and I feel like the right doors will open when the time is right. Whether that’s six months or a year, I believe somebody nationally is going to hear about this and say, ‘We need this,’ and it’s going to open that door.” When the taping for this installment concluded, the vase of flowers on the main set was donated to another audience member—one who had been accompanied to the session by her fiancé.

By Melvin E. Matthews, Jr. info@newsroanoke.com

Middle East Expert and Former U.S. Ambassador to Speak

David Dunford, a former U.S. ambassador and an expert on the Middle East, will visit Roanoke College as a scholar-in-residence Jan. 29 through Feb. 4. While at Roanoke, Dunford, a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, will give a public lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 1, discussing “The Arab Awakening: Where Is It Going and Why Should We Care?” The lecture will start at 7:30 p.m., and it will be held at Olin Theater. Free tickets are required. The Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program brings prominent artists, diplomats, journalists, business leaders and other professionals to campuses across the United States for weeklong residential programs. Dunford will teach some business and history classes at Roanoke throughout the week, advise Amnesty International, the Model U.N. and other student clubs and meet with the International

Cluster, a faculty group interested in international affairs. He also is planning a seminar and a birdwatching excursion. Dunford is a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, including three years as U.S. ambassador to Oman and four years as deputy ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. In 2003, he was the senior official in charge of reorganizing Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other assignments. Dunford teaches courses on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the business environment in the Middle East at the University of Arizona. He also consults for the government and the private sector on Middle East issues. Dunford’s visit is sponsored by Roanoke’s Public Affairs department. Tickets for his Feb. 1 appearance are available at www.roanoke.edu/tickets or by calling (540) 378-5125.

1/27/12 -2/2/12 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 9

The Reel Deal : “The Artist” Review

Films have changed quite drastically since the days of black-and-white cameras and silent dialogue. Now they are in full color, shown in widescreen, equipped with surround sound, and are often converted into tacked-on 3D. ‘The Artist,’ on the other hand, takes on the daunting task of recreating the classic black-and-white style of filmmaking while also remaining a silent film with almost no dialogue and no sound. But this isn’t a forced attempt to bring nostalgia to us, nor is it a bad movie. In fact, it’s not even a good movie - it’s a masterfully executed movie that is unlike anything you’ve experienced or seen before, and one that everyone who has a passion for filmmaking should see. The film starts off in 1927 with George Valentin, a famous silent-film movie star who befriends a woman named Peppy Miller, who aspires to become a dancer. Valentin’s career is perfect until suddenly the silent films are replaced with the “talkies,” films that have sound and dialogue. Valentin refuses to accept the new tradition and sticks to silent movies while Miller becomes an actress and becomes a sensation through her films that have sound. The story is a tale of tragedy as Valentin tries to regain his former glory. The most interesting aspect of The Artist is that almost all of the "dialogue" is silent, and there are only text boxes that occasionally show up that display key important lines. This might be jarring for a minute or two, but it is so masterfully executed that not only will you be swept away by the unique

storytelling, but it is also very easy to follow. The story features two of the most well-developed leading characters I’ve seen in a long time. George Valentin is an amazing leading character and his tragic downfall is perfectly portrayed by Jean Dujardin. The rest of the supporting cast is also stellar as are the production designs. The 1920’s are perfectly captured and at some point I completely forgot I was looking at a recreation of an old city. The art direction and costume design is right up there with Hugo as some of the best from 2011. The music is phenomenal, and almost singlehandedly tells the story as much as the perfect facial expressions and subtleties in the movie. There were some great films that came out in 2011, but The Artist is by far the best. This movie is more powerful than The Descendants and sails past Hugo with flying colors. (Even though it wasn't filmed in color!) It’s more gripping than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and it doesn’t rely on shock value as so many movies predictably attempt to do these days. This is true emotion, perfect storytelling, and wonderful filmmaking wrapped up in one amazing movie. It is nothing short of a masterpiece that anybody who loves rich storytelling should see. Rating: 10/10 (Superb) By Seth Childers info@newsroanoke.com

Choir Workshop to Be Followed By Brotherhood Concert

Registration is open for a music workshop for church choir members to be held Saturday, Feb. 25, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Salem. It it will led by a noted African-American musician, Dr.James Abbington and is open to singers of any age and level. The workshop, "Sing to the Rafters: Encouraging and Enriching Congregational Singing," will be from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The workshop will precede a Brotherhood Month concert to be held Sunday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church on South Market Street in Salem. It is free and will include selections from two neighborhood choirs. The predominantly white Episcopal choir and the predominantly African-

American Baptist choir will present three anthems from their own traditions, then mingle for others. Abbington is nationally known in church music circles for his editing of a hymnal of spiritual songs of the black tradition. Currently an associate professor of church music and worship at Candler School of Theology of Emory University in Atlanta, he travels widely as a representative of GIA Publications which is sponsoring the workshop along with the two congregations. For more information about the workshop go to www.giamusic.com/aacms. The $25 registration fee includes samples of church music.

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Page 10 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 1/27/12 -2/2/12

Treasure Hunting Through Attic Trash? Historian Says Pan the Paperwork for Gold

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From PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” to A&E’s “Storage Wars,” reality TV has capitalized on our fascination with discovering treasure in household junk. It happened to historian Michael Mendoza, whose patient culling through boxes of old papers was rewarded when he found a Civil War veteran’s personal account of his experiences. The 17-page letter was so rich in detail, Mendoza used it as the basis of his first novel, "Glorious Reality of War." Mendoza owned an antiques store in 1997 when 95-year-old Alice Bowersock died in San Diego, Calif., he says. He acquired her estate: furniture, knickknacks, and stacks of boxes full of photographs, insurance policies and letters. Most people, Mendoza notes, might trash the papers right off the bat. “Don’t,” he says. “Toss or sell the knickknacks, and keep the paper. It can be invaluable.” Collectors value ephemera because such paper records are unique and irreplaceable,

he says, so he pored through the boxes page by page, finding birth and death records, paintings and prints, old books. “And then I saw the letter – a documented firsthand experience of the Civil War. It was written in 1925, typed on 8½-by-14-inch paper,” Mendoza says. “Reading it, I got a real good sense of who (the writer) was.” Charles Wesley Rickard was 64 when he wrote the letter to his daughter, Alice, who had asked him to write about his war experience. He was a 15-year-old Iowa farm boy, he wrote, when “a great desire came over me to go to the war. My parents were loathe to give their consent, and so I made life miserable for them until they finally gave in.” In 1862, he enlisted as a Union fifer because he was too young to serve as a private. “I had never seen a fife before,” Rickard wrote. “But I could use a rifle, and I was bound to go as something.” When the fighting began, he was in the thick of it. Three years later and all of 18 years old, he remembers noting how very young the new replacement troops looked. Mendoza kept Rickard’s letter and sold off some of the memorabilia. “I knew the value was more in presenting it as a historical fiction novel,” he says. Finding inspiration for a novel may not equate to striking it rich for everyone, but people willing to invest time in sorting through old family papers stand to profit, Mendoza says. “Many things are valuable on their own, like first editions of classic books,” he says. “But don’t forget the fam-

ily records. Even if you’re not into genealogy, you should save those, because once you throw them away, they’re lost to the next generation.” Mendoza offers these tips for dealing with old paperwork: • Don’t throw it away simply because it’s damaged. Mendoza found a first-edition copy of “Gone with the Wind” that was so waterlogged, it was destroyed. “I sold it for $80,” he says, “and that was cheap.” • Put together items on the same topic to improve chances of selling to collectors. Collectors like to buy in lots, Mendoza notes. They’d rather have a whole bunch of things than just one. Among Alice Bowersock’s belongings, Mendoza found photographs and documents from her father’s time helping to build the Panama Canal. Mendoza pulled all the canal material together and sold it to a collector. • Store papers in an open zipper bag in a dry place. If the paper is very valuable, invest in bags designed for that purpose. Otherwise, zipper baggies from the grocery store do fine. Don’t seal them, though, because if there’s no air circulation, the paper might stick to the plastic. • Digitize everything. Scanning your documents and photographs allows you to study them without damaging them. For the record – Mendoza is still going through Alice Bowersock’s boxes. Michael Mendoza holds a master’s degree in American history and is an adjunct instructor for Central Texas College. He lives in Santee, Calif., and plans a sequel to “Glorious Reality of War.”

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