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The Roanoke Star-Sentinel November 6 - November 12, 2009
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Community | News | Per spective
NewsRoanoke.com
City Reveals Plan for “Superbranch” Library New Vision
P4– Botetourt County seeks citizen input and new ideas as it seeks to handle its meteoric growth.
Lucky Garvin
Thank A Veteran
P7– Lucky Garvin reminds us that there is no real way we could ever thank a Veteran enough.
Starbucks Who? P12– Forget the big coffee chains, the Mojo Cafe has the best coffee and genuine atmosphere anywhere.
Roanoke City officials have announced plans for construction of a “superbranch” library on an 11-acre vacant parcel of land, located near the intersection of Cove Road and Peters Creek Road. Purchase of the land for the new library by Roanoke City in early October follows the renovation and expansion of two city branch libraries, Gainsboro and Jackson Park, and the completion of two electronic [e-branch] facilities at Garden City Recreation Center and Valley View Mall.
Democrats Fare Poorly in Local Elections There were a few highs, but many lows for local Democrats on Tuesday as they gathered at several Roanoke watering holes Gwen Mason to watch the election results. At Fork in the Alley Gwen Mason, who only won 38% of the vote, saw her bid for the open 17th District seat in the House of Delegates thwarted by Bill Cleaveland. The Roanoke City Councilwoman put on a brave face and glibly declared, before conceding, that she would just call herself the winner. In actuality, Cleaveland bested her by more than 5000 votes. Mason, surrounded by friends including State Senator John Edwards, former Mayor Nelson Harris and current Vice Mayor Sherman Lea, first > CONTINUED P3: Democrats
The decision concerning location the city since the 1970’s will in many was based on several demographics, ways resemble a modern bookstore. A including traffic count, bus routes and drive-through window for easier aca strategic location that “would put us cess, a café, more space and plenty of where our users need us, withparking are some of the attriin one or two miles of where butes envisioned in the plan Library they live or work,” said Direcfor the new library. Merchantor of Roanoke City Libraries, dising is the current dictum in Sheila Umberger. Also, “a need will progressive public libraries. be filled in this area, which is underIn the early 1990’s the larger bookserved,” she added. The price tag at- stores created lounge areas similar tached to the land was approximately to those in libraries. Now libraries throughout the country are beginning $775,000. The first library branch to be built in to provide some of the amenities that
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are available in the larger bookstores. The President of the City of Roanoke Library’s Advisory Board, Stan Breakell, remarked that the retail customer service model is a convenient and easy way to get “hot picks” displayed, as they would be in a store. “This is an opportunity to create a much needed, stateof-the-art, full-service facility from the ground up.” The new 30,000 square feet fullservice library will also feature more > CONTINUED P2: Library
[Veterans Day]
Republicans Sweep Top Offices
Corps of Cadets to Honor Veterans
Bill Cleaveland greets an energized Republican crowd.
GOP Candidates Dominate in Valley
Photo submittedl
Members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets stand in front of “the Rock” as part of a 24-hour Veterans Day vigil. The Rock is a memorial to Virginia Tech alumni lost in WWI and is located next to the flag pole on Upper Quad. This is one of two vigils held by the corps each Veterans Day. n Wednesday Nov. 11 at 10:30 Cadets will speak, the service songs will be a.m. the Virginia Tech Corps of played, and then all attendees will be asked Cadets will hold a Veterans Day to proceed up to the War Memorial for the remembrance ceremony in the War Memo- placing of a memorial wreath. At 11 a.m. rial Chapel to recognize all veterans and to Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger honor the service that Virginia Tech men will place the wreath in front of the cenotaph and women have given our nation. on Memorial Court. The Gregory Guard, the Maj. Gen. Jerry Allen, the Commandant corps rifle drill team, will fire a rifle salute, of Cadets of the Virginia Tech Corps of > CONTINUED P3: Veteran’s Day
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On Tuesday, the Republicans took back Virginia - at least for this election cycle. Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli all easily won the top three offices Election in the state by double digits. Governor-elect McDonnell trounced Democrat Creigh Deeds at the top of the ticket. The local Republican Committees held their victory party at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood, where the candidates and volunteers gathered to celebrate. The first local candidate to be declared a winner was Morgan Griffith, House of
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> CONTINUED P2: Republicans
MyScoper.com Celebrates Two Years of Growth - and Success
Still Spooky P13– Halloween may be over but Joe Tennis helps keep native Virginia Ghost stories alive.
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Roanoke’s unique event information resource, myScoper.com, turns two years old on November 15. The brainchild of two local businesswomen, Beth Deel and Wendy Schuyler, the idea has seen continuous growth and community support. While the imaginative and vibrant personalities of its creators (often dubbed “The myScoper Girls”) certainly drive the image – they are quick to note that myScoper is a Roanoke community initiative. “It’s a machine we built and maintain,” says co-creator, Beth Deel, “but it’s powered by the awesome events and interesting people of the Roanoke region.” “We really just got tired of people saying there was nothing to do in Roanoke,” says co-creator, Wendy Schuyler. “It simply wasn’t true. There was just no central place to get the information.” There are two key elements that make the myScoper.com event calendar such a useful tool: Easy access to information and streamlined community event postings. Partnerships with other organizations who offer their own event calendars, such as the Eleanor D. Wil-
Photo by Bruce Bryan
RSS contributor Stephanie Koehler (center), creator of the 2009 Bouncy Ball New Year event held at Center In The Square, with Wendy Schuyler (left), Beth Deel (right), who helped promote the event that involved dropping over 11,000 rubber balls into the atrium. son Museum at Hollins University, the Emerging Artists Series (Roanoke City Libraries), Virginia Tech Hokie hockey (at the Roanoke Civic Center), WDBJ-7 and Roanoke Outdoors, have been beneficial. These organizations
allow event planners to upload the information it is populated to all partner sites. In an era where businesses and organizations are trying to increase efficiency and maximize their effectiveness, it is a perfect example of working
smart…not hard. The dynamic pair originally came together to pool their graphic design talents but quickly upUPperiscope, Inc. became a multi-dimensional graphic design, event creation/promotion, web design, open media strategy agency and all encompassing community resource. On the November 15 anniversary, myScoper.com will unveil its fourth facelift, featuring new categories and additional offerings. “We are committed to staying on top of what the community wants,” says Schuyler. “It’s the only way to really be a useful resource.” Deel adds, “We find ourselves at a cool cultural experience, art offering or music event every day. There is so much going on in Roanoke…it’s exhausting!” Speaking of “useful”… in January the creative duo launched a printed companion piece to myScoper.com called “a useful paper.” The free, colorful monthly event calendar has become a staple in coffee shops, hotels, local businesses, restaurants and event
> CONTINUED P2: MyScoper