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The corner of Lee and Pollard in Downtown Vinton. What could help Vinton’s facelift? See pages 10-11. Photo by Dan Vance What fun it was to attend a reception for all Roanoke County Schools retired Administrators and Former School Board members Nov 12th at the Central Offices prior to the regular meeting. This was to express appreciation and say thank you for many years of service to the school system and give everyone an opportunity to renew acquaintances and that we did. Just like picking up where we left off. Some of those attending were -Dr Bayse Wilson, Dr Deanna Gordon (Hubby Ed) both were superintendents during my time on the Board. Along with fellow Board members Frank Thomas, Paul Black, Buck Mitchell and Jerry Canada (still on the board) others Homer Duff, Leonard Hale, Aubrey Vaughan, Hugh Tucker, Ron Weaver, Ron Hodges, Steve Lonker, Dr. Willie Waker, Bill Setzer,Faye Wingate And present Board members Drew 116 S.Poplar St. - Suite 1 Barrineau,”Fuzzy” Minnix, David Wymer, Mike Stovall & Superintendent Dr. Lorriane Lange . Vinton, VA 24179 Each giving praise and Thanks to all former administrators and board members having paved 540.904.5836 - Office the way to make Roanoke County Schools one of the top 540.904.5838 - Fax in Va. today. There were so many others there just didn’t have room but all were just as important. Sorry Frank EDITORIAL Stone couldn’t attend however he is recovering from Knee replacement and is doing much better. Just can’t keep a Chris Manning Publisher Good Man Down. Also missed was Ruth Wade she wasn’t chris@vintonvoice.com feeling up to par that night either and we all Know for years Dan Vance Editor-in-Chief Ruth was the one that ran the schools and we love her for dan@vintonvoice.com it. Get well soon you two. Thanks to my Chaffeur Daughter Brian Manning Circulation Director Angie C. Lewis or I would have been MIA with a bad back. It brian@vintonvoice.com went out and I didn’t last week. Thanks to all that prepared Ashlee Manning Advertising the food & made the arrangements for this wonderful ashlee@vintonvoice.com Bootie Bell Chewning event. Also to Chuck Lionberger for the photos that let us BOO_TEE@msn.com COLUMNISTS remember all the good times with great people. Byrd Herd held its monthly gathering at Teaberry’s last Bootie Bell Chewning General Info Monday. Those attending the Gab session were Jeanette BOO_TEE@msn.com Dale Russell Financial Body, Nadine Delaney, Naomi F. Snead, Susan Cregger, June Dudley, Shelby H. Parker, Reba wheresmymoney@vintonvoice.com Butterworth Vernon, Jean Lawhorn and yours truly. It’s always fun getting together. If others Erin E. Delauder-Brooks Pharmacy would like to join us just let us know. askthepharmacist@vintonvoice.com Get well wishes and prayers go out to Cat Silvers and Elma Swain (Our lady Of the Valley) ,Jim Slusher , Mabel McLain & Mildred Carroll (Friendship 312B), Bobby Barton , Jennie CONTRIBUTORS Robertson, Roy Minnix, April Hall Betty Pendlton Traversie (North Roanoke Assisted Living) Gene Marrano Senior Contributor Billy Obenchain,Bill Hufton, Eva Craig,Thelma Hill, As the holidays grow near please remember gmarrano@cox.net all those in Nursing Homes and shut-in with visits ,cards or gifts. Danae Wensley Contributor Happy Birthday Wishes go out to Betsy Lamb, Gerold Pope, Jamie Kent, Tim Urick, Lori news@vintonvoice.com Cranwell, Linda Short Hodges, Julie Kidd Worley, Chris Beckman, Kim Craddock, Tucker Vest Susan M. Ayers Contributor all celebrated birthdays this past week . news@vintonvoice.com Will Trent Contributor Hope it was a good one. news@vintonvoice.com A very special Birthday party was held in Danny Cruff Contributor the Coffee Shop “Sacred Grounds” Sunday dannycruffphotography@cox.net at Thrasher . It was the 100th birthday Of Bea Peterson. Bea Is a Outstanding author of Copyright @ 2009, All rights reserved by The Vinton Voice poetry. Even has a book of poetry out. Can’t email: info@vintonvoice.com say enough about this fanatastic young lady. http://vintonvoice.com HERE’S TO BEA !!! and 100 more . Happy vintonvoice.blogspot.com For advertising rates and information, Birthday lovely lady. please call 540-904-5836 There’s a New Exhibition up in the Thrasher’s coffee house Art Gallery. The Vinton Voice accepts and encourages letters to the Editor. ABOVE: Buck Mitchel. Frank Thomas , Letters must not exceed 400 words, must be signed and accompany Jaime BeVille Jones shares her desire to Paul Black (in Back) Me, Bayse Wilson and contact information of the writer for verification purposes. Send to editor@vintonvoice.com.
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•See ‘BOOTIE’ - page 06
Deanna Gordon
Where can you get YOUR Vinton Voice? A + Price is Right Auto Parts and Supplies Alarm Detection Services Anytime Fitness Barry Brooks Photography Bass Transmissions Berkshire Nursing Home Best Little Hairhouse in Vinton Bojangles Bonsack Elementary School Country Crossing Foodette Cundiff‘s Drug Store Craig Ave. Rec Center Curves Cyndi’s Fashions Desert Sun Tanning Salon Dogwood Restaurant East End Baptist Church EZN Famous Anthony’s restaurant Frank’s Pizza Firehouse Sk8 ‘N Play Grace Family Church Grand Rental Station Gregg Lee-State Farm Greenway Construction Herman L Horn Elementary School Hooters IGA Jerry’s Family Restaurant Jersey Lilly’s Jiffy Automotive Kinsey Crane and Sign Co Lancerlot M and M Insurance Magic City Motors McDonalds Vinton Member One-Vinton Mitchell’s Service Center Mt. Pleasant Elementary Napa Auto Parts New York Life Insurance-Anthony Conner New York Pizza Northwest hardware Olde Colony Realty Parkway Physicians Perma Clean Power Line Rent Equipt Powers Tractor PSS Gun Range & Training R & R Automotive Rancho Viejo Reed’s Automotive 7-11 Bennington St. Shear Acts Hair Salon Springtree Health and Rehab Center Steve’s Automotive Sweet Dreams Mattress Warehouse Teaberry’s Restaurant The Barber Shop The Barbeque Grill The Edge Sports Performance Center Valley Hall Village Family Restaurant Vinton Appliance Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce Vinton Car Connection Vinton Chiropractic Clinic Vinton Library Vinton Municipal Building Vinton Post Office Vinton Veterinary Hospital W.E. Cundiff Elementary School White Tire William Byrd High School William Byrd Middle School. Wood’s Auto Parts Wood’s Auto Edge Wood’s Service Center Every Kroger and Food Lion in the area
Bea Peterson By Pastor April L. Hall What occurred on November 20, 1909? If you are thinking like me, nothing. No computers, IPods, cell phones. The world did not know anything about texting. It was a simplified world filled with hard working humans. Families visited eachother. Going to church was not an option for the majority. Still, what happened on that one day? A precious baby girl breathed her first of oh so many that day. Bea was born! One hundred years later, Bea has witnessed a lot. If anyone were to ask the secret to living to be 100, it would be humble in response. Love people. Have a close walk with the Lord. Worship Him in His home, the church. Study His word, the Bible. Live out your faith daily. I met Bea when I would be here for vacations. My mother, Opal Hall, introduced me to her as
she ate at Arby’s on Jamison Avenue. Little did I realize that I would be a part of her church family, Thrasher Memorial United Methodist. This past Sunday, the church celebrated her 100th birthday. Many gathered for Bea, a woman of tremendous faith. She blesses, honors the Lord as she lives out her faith. She would not want me to list activities. How many times has she been to the Presbyterian Center to volunteer, I do not know. Time spent in Bible study, I do not know. What I do know is to look into her eyes is to catch a portion of Christ’s eyes. Bea, the world rejoices over your 100th birthday!!! We, at Thrasher, are so thankful for you, your poetry. May our lives be all the richer in knowing you.
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Obituaries KEVIN EARL STOOTS, of Vinton, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, November 10, 2009. He is survived by his children, Christopher, Brock and Savannah Stoots; mother and stepfather, Betty and Gary Powers; father and stepmother, Carlton and Kerri Stoots; grandmother, Janet Wiseman; sister and brother-in-law, Heather and Brett Goodman; stepsisters, Lisa Hicks and Tina Powers; halfsister, Amber Stoots; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Oakey’s Vinton Chapel with Rev. Dick Jones officiating. The family will receive friends from 3-5 p.m. prior to the service. Arrangements by Oakey’s Vinton Chapel, 982-2221. LUCILLE FEGUSON HALE O u r b e l o v e d Mother of 84 years, having finished her work here on earth, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, November 8, 2009. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert E. Ferguson and Mary Delong Ferguson; her beloved husband of 66 years, Edd O. Hale, Jr.; and two brothers, Robert C. Ferguson and Troy W. Ferguson. She was born in Franklin County on October 2, 1925 and was a long time member of Blue Ridge Baptist Church. She was employed with Roanoke Fashions as a Quality Control Inspector for 25 years. She is survived by her loving daughter and caretaker, Brenda H. Turpin; special son-in-law, Riley; and her beloved son, Donald and wife, Gloria K. Hale. She is also survived by five sisters-in-law, Rachel M. Ferguson, Pat Hall Ferguson, Maureen Powers, Connie Guilliams, and Nancy Hale; brother-in-law, Dick Rush; grandchildren, Cindy H. Shockley and husband, Jimmy Shockley, Donald D. Hale and fiancée, Tammy Weaver; five greatgrandchildren; and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins. Funeral services will be held 12 noon, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at Oakey’s Vinton Chapel with Rev. Tommy Hurt and Rev. Eugene Koger officiating. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Blue Ridge Baptist Church – Sound System, 2410 Hardy Road, Vinton, VA 24179. Special thanks to Friendship Manor, 1North, 1South, Palliative Unit and Good Samaritan Hospice for the care and compassion given to our mother. The family will receive friends from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at Oakey’s Vinton Chapel, 982-2221.
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MARGARET PEVERALL MILLS, 76, of Vinton, VA, a devoted wife and loving mother, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 from complications of ALS. Born in Princeton, WV, she was a lifelong homemaker and mother who extended her love and friendship to all those around her. She touched many lives through the sharing and giving of her heart and home. She was reunited with her husband of 58 years, Johnson Hollis Mills, parents, Arthur and Nora Peverall, sister, Norma Jean Shilling, and brothers, Kenneth Wayne and Richard Peverall. Margaret is survived by her daughter, Deborah Mills Gaylor; daughters and son-in-laws, Yvonne and David Miller, Karen and Jerry McGuire; daughter,Robin Mills; son and daughter-in-law, John and Stephannie Mills; daughter, Kristi Mills Nimmo; 12 grandchildren, Alicia Meadows and husband, Brian, Travis Gaylor and wife, Kim, Summer Jones and husband, Mike, Stephanie Whitt and husband, Jerry, Tiffany Bowman and husband, Ryan, Tyler McGuire, Kelsey O’Brien, Amber, Zoe, and Brock Mills, Hannah Hollins, Landon Nimmo; nine great-grandchildren; a special nephew, Andy Barkley; sister, Juanita Leonard; brothers and sister-inlaws, Albert and Dale Peverall, Cecil and Betty Peverall, Virgil and Myrtle Peverall; brothers, Leonard Peverall, Lawrence Peverall, and Raymond Peverall and many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be conducted at Oakey’s Funeral Home on Saturday, November 14, 2009, at 12 p.m. at Oakey’s Vinton Chapel, with the Reverend Melvin Harris and the Rev. Dr. Albert Peverall Jr. officiating. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery, Vinton, VA. The family will receive friends on Friday, November 13, 2009 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. at Oakey’s Funeral Home, Vinton, VA. The family extends their gratitude and many thanks to Carilion Hospice Services and the Palliative Care Unit at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. A special thank you to Donna Bryant. Donations can be made to the ALS Association, 7507 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, 1-866-348-3257. LARRY WAYNE (CHIEF) STACEY, 56, of Roanoke and born in Richlands, VA died as the result of a hit and run accident in Nashville, TN on Friday, November 6, 2009. Surviving are wife, Shirley Stacey of Boones Mill; son, Danny Stacey and wife, Cheri ; daughter, Holly Moss and husband, David; son, Larry West; daughter, Rebecca Stacey; grandchildren, Chrystal and Danielle Stacey and Xavier West; brothers, James Crigger, Cecil Stacy, Ken Stacey, and Jack Stacey; sister, Janice Strom; special uncle, Ralph Stacey; and lifelong friend, Chuck Goring. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at Life Tabernacle Church, 801 East Virginia Avenue, Vinton, with Rev. James Asbury officiating. The family will receive friends from 3-4 p.m. prior to the service. Arrangements by Oakey’s Vinton Chapel and Crematory, 982-2221.
GEORGE EDWARD STUMP (PaPa George or Ed) 82, of Roanoke, went to be with his Lord on Monday afternoon November 9, 2009. George was in the U.S. Army over 20 years, serving in Korea with the 780th Field Battalion. He was a longtime faithful member of Garden City Baptist Church, holding and working in numerous positions. He was a retired electrician from Jarrett Electric Company, with over 40 years service. George loved to feed squirrels, birds, and working in his garden. George was preceded in death by his parents, Noah and Jennie Stump; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Lemon and Okie Guilliams; his brothers, Raymond (Penny), Lemon and Horace Keevie Stump; his sisters, Beulah Ballard, Essie Stump, Virgie Agee, and Eliza Underwood. Surviving are his loving and devoted wife of 57 years, Sylvia Irene Guilliams Stump; daughter, Carol Ann Stump Jordan of Hardy; son, Michael (Mike) Wayne Stump and wife, Cindy of Roanoke; grandchildren, William Bradly (Brad) Jordan, Amanda Lynne Stump, Eric Michael Stump, all of Roanoke; great grandson, Tai Holbrook; and numerous other family members and friends. A service celebrating George’s life will be held at Garden City Baptist Church Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Jay Fields officiating. Interment will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens with military honors. Flowers will be appreciated or donations can be made to Garden City Baptist Church, 3536 Garden City Boulevard, Roanoke, VA 24014. The family will receive friends Wednesday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at Oakey’s Vinton Chapel, 982-2221. ISABELLE “DEEDIE” STEVENS MARKHAM CRAWFORD, age 82, of Blue Ridge passed away Thursday, November 12, 2009. She was born May 14, 1927 the daughter of the late Rev. Sam and Annie Holdren Stevens. She was preceded in death by husband, Fred E. Markham and infant son, Jeffery Alan Markham. Also preceding, her seven sisters (including her twin sister) and one brother. She worked for 27 years at Jefferson Hospital and Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital until retirement. Surviving are husband Ray E. Crawford; so Gary Markham and wife, Athena; two daughters, Mandy Blessard and husband, Rusty, Wanda Wade and husband, Roger; step daughter Julia Reedy and husband, Ricky; stepson, Curtis Crawford and wife Sandy; granddaughters Melanie Tardy and husband, Chris, Brittany Newsom and husband, Mike, Jessica Blessard, Meridith Blessard; two great grandchildren, Wade Tardy and Grace Tardy; step granddaughter, Sherri Gravely and husband, Stacey; step great grandchildren, Scott Cole, Courtney Gravely, Dylan Gravely, Aleisa Moussa, Adam Moussa; brothers and sisters, Berkley Stevens, Versel Stevens, Duane Stevens, Kenny Stevens, Hilda Bowyer, Carlie Woods. Funeral services were conduced 11 am on Monday at Lynn Haven Baptist Church with Rev. Greg Soult and Rev. Dr. Bob Wayne officiatting. Inerment followed in Mountain View Cemetery. The family received friends Sunday from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 9 pm at the funeral home. Im lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Association Blue Ridge Chapter, 2728 Colonial Avenue, Roanoke, VA 24015. Arrangements by Lotz Funeral Home, Vinton Chapel. Online condolances at www.lotzfuneralhome.com.
In Brief Challenged book, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” will return to shelves with restrictions
Following a concern raised by a William Byrd H.S. parent about “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a committee consisting of three librarians met to review the merits of the book, as required by Roanoke County Public Schools policy. At the time of the challenge, the book was available in the libraries at William Byrd and Hidden Valley high schools. Copies of the book were pulled from the shelves during the review process. The committee recommended that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” be restricted to juniors and seniors only. Freshmen and sophomores may check out the book, with parental permission. “I would like to thank the review committee for their diligence and thoroughness,” said Roanoke County Public Schools Superintendent Lorraine Lange. “The committee gave this concern careful consideration and we feel their recommendation is appropriate,” Dr. Lange said. As a result of the committee’s recommendation, the book will be returned to the library shelves at William Byrd and Hidden Valley high schools. The committee’s complete report is available on the Roanoke County Public Schools Web site at http://www.rcs.k12. va.us.
Holiday Closings in Vinton
The Town of Vinton Public Works Department will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 26 & 27, 2009 in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Refuse collection is as follows: Monday will be collected on Monday, November 23, 2009. Tuesday and Wednesday will be collected on Tuesday, November 24, 2009. Thursday and Friday will be collected on Wednesday, November 25, 2009. Please call 983-0646 if you have any questions.
Christmas Pageant
“A Baby Changes Everything” Presented by Villa Heights Baptist Church– 4080 Challenger Ave Roanoke, VA 24012 (Across from the new Kroger on 460 in Bonsack) Three presentations Friday, Saturday and Sunday December 11, 12, and 13 at 7:00 PM. Call (540) 977-7305 for additional information.
The Game of Life
Dale Russell, MBA wheresmymoney@vintonvoice.com Three weeks and still going strong… This week I would like to share with you an interesting story that, if you will indulge me, has a really great lesson. As some of you may know, I have three great kids. One of which, like clockwork, will ask every weekend for permission to invite one of their friends over to “spend the night”. This typically entails X-Box until their fingers are tired, movies until the wee hours of the morning and all of the chips and soda they can eat…and oh yeah, and mom and dad get little to no sleep during this SLEEP-over. But this weekend was different. Not in the asking but in the activity. This week, the kids came to me and asked if I might be interested in playing Monopoly with them. Now normally, I jump all over the chance to be a mogul and crush the competition through real-estate dominance but that challenge just didn’t seem to have the same flavor when 11 year olds are involved. I deferred and told them to pick another game. And they did, The Game of Life. For those of you not familiar with the game, it is designed to mimic the decisions one might make in their life and present financial challenges that the players are to navigate to the end of the game
where the winner is determined by who has the most money. I decided that I would play for two reasons…1) it was a low-cal version of Monopoly which wouldn’t take hours to finish and 2) I would have a great opportunity to see what decisions these “smart” 11 year olds would make. To start the game, everyone is given the same amount of money and then spin for play order, highest spin goes first, second highest goes second and so on. The first move of the game once the order is established is for the player to decide whether they want to get a job or go to college. Strangely, the two 11 year olds decided to get jobs, so money was an absolute priority. But what was even more curious was their decision when they chose a “salary card”. (Player draws THREE salary cards and chooses the one they want of the three.) The first player chose the LOWEST of the three salary cards because they didn’t want to pay taxes and if they did have to it wouldn’t be as much as the higher salaries. The second player chose the middle of the three possible salaries really for the same reason, but he figured he could live with the tax amount. I just to be the rebel went to college, with student loans, and when time came, chose the HIGHEST possible salary, caring little for the tax due. As the game progressed, and the players passed “Paydays” and they had to make financial decisions like buying a house (with or without insurance), starting a family, etc. The result was that both of these kids by the halfway point of the game were deep in debt because of their home mortgage and other things they had to pay based on the game which means they were completely INSOLVENT…and I, not to be boastful, had a home and investments which were paid for which made me completely SOLVENT. Remember those words from
before? I was debt free and they were not. I had money for those bumps in the road and they did not. My stack of cash grew and theirs dwindled. Then the most curious thing happened. A light went off in one of the kids heads, and one of them said to me something like “I hope I roll a 5 so that I land on the “trade a salary” space, ‘cause I’m trading salaries with YOU…” As luck would have it, the kid rolled the 5 and low and behold, with a smile said that they would be trading their lowly salary for my high salary. But guess what, they still lost the game for two reasons. 1) They didn’t know the rules of the game BEFORE they started and didn’t have a plan for success and 2) They didn’t give themselves enough time for the higher salary to help their financial situation, the damage was already done. Now unlike this board game, Life is real and the decisions you make have real consequences. My disappointment is that it would appear as though the school (and parents) is doing a mediocre job of instilling into these kids that education is invaluable and that we are doing an even worse job of teaching our kids about money and how it works. No wonder folks find themselves in the situations they do. It is our responsibility as people and parents to make sure we arm ourselves with knowledge of how things work and not rely on the word of another that has a profit motive. We as parents are to make sure that our children have the tools they need to be productive citizens once they are on their own. That can’t happen if they (or we) are swimming in debt, working for a minimal salary because they are afraid of taxes and wake up too late to change the situation. What do you think? Use your Voice and sound off. Send me your opinions/thoughts/ comments to Wheresyourmoney@vintonvoice. com.
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Danae Wensley Town of Vinton “Going Green.” Whether it’s a TV spot for a new energyefficient car, a news article about green jobs or new statistics about global warming, that phrase is everywhere. Right now, the U.N. is working on an international treaty to combat climate change. More and more large corporations are adopting energy-efficient policies and procedures. But what can a small town like Vinton do to go green? Quite a bit actually. In 2008 the Virginia Municipal League (VML) began “Green Government Challenge,” which, as the name indicates, challenges local governments to go green as much as possible. Since participating in this challenge, the Town of Vinton has made many changes and become much more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. Each town department has significantly cut down on paper usage. Documents are e-mailed as much as possible and paper is used on both sides before it is recycled. The Police Department has also placed many forms online, which can then be e-mailed back, including the Citizen Request,
Citizen Survey and Citizen Complaint forms. Old computer monitors have been replaced by Energy Star LCD flat panel monitors and ink and toner cartridges are recycled. Computers and printers are turned off each night and thermostats are turned down. Lights are turned off when a room is not in use. Each department also recycles glass, plastic and aluminum cans and bottles. The War Memorial provides their caterers with recycling bins and also offers an environmental discount to customers who use real china instead of disposables. The Public Works Department has made wonderful strides to go green. Approximately 60 percent of Vinton residents participate in the bi-weekly recycling collection. There is also weekly bulk pick-up, as well as special pick-ups like the annual fall leaf and Christmas tree collections and quarterly tire collection. Public Works also recycles batteries, scrap metals and water meters. Asphalt millings from pavement planing and street resurfacing are recycled and waste motor oil is collected and sold for recycling. Public Works vehicles are energy efficient as well. Heavy trucks use a 5 percent biodiesel blend and all gasoline-run town vehicles use a 15 percent ethanol
•‘BOOTIE’ continued from page 02 “reflect a small part of God’s Creativity”. I saw them Sunday and they are beautiful. Stop by to see them. Cate & Emma have a new baby sister,Audrey Morgan born Oct 12. weighing in at 8lbs4oz, . Proud mom and dad are Bill & Elisa Shifflett. Congrats!!!!
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gasoline. On large vehicles, recapped tires are used in lieu of new tires and all town vehicles use synthetic motor oils. All these initiatives are wonderful ways to save energy and money and reduce our carbon footprint. But not everyone can afford an energy-efficient car, computer or house. So what can the regular citizen do to go green? Many things, like recycling and turning off lights and appliances, have already been mentioned, but here are a few more tips: Take your own bags while shopping. This produces much less waste (for the planet and your home) and saves stores money by cutting down on the number of bags they need to order. Some grocery stores have started to collect and recycle plastic bags, so if you have extras lying around, turn them in. Take your own coffee mugs to meetings and events. This not only cuts waste and saves money, it also keeps your beverages hot or cold for longer periods of time. Use foaming hand soap, which drastically reduces the
Don’t forget the Christmas Parade Dec.3rd. Lots of fun things to do both before and after. Check out the calendar. Mill Mountain Theatre Conservatory will be presenting Annie Jr. Starting Dec. 10. for more info checkout the Mill mountain Website . PASS THE WORD- All “Kids” Cast. It is going to be great. Spread the word. This is just one step in getting Mill Mt up & running again. We need your support. More later.
amount of soap you consume and need to buy. Use cloth napkins, which can be washed and reused repeatedly. Buy local and garden when possible. Buying local is a wonderful way to support the economy in the area, as well as local business. For those who can, gardening is also an excellent option that saves money. Eating home-grown vegetables is also healthier because you can control which, if any, pesticides or growth supplements you use. It is also important to teach these habits to our children. In April 2009, the Town of Vinton began a partnership with Herman L. Horn elementary school. The school now recycles milk jugs and newspapers, and also participates in the annual Arbor Day celebration. Although it can be overwhelming, going green is an important initiate that will greatly impact our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren. Doing our part now will help ensure that future generations will be able to live and prosper on our planet.
PHOTOS
RIGHT: WBHS senior Aaron Lyles (right, with campaign communications director David O’Neal) officially declared he will be running for Vinton Town Council in May. The announcement came Sunday at the Charles Hill Senior Center.
Photos by Dan Vance
RIGHT: Two local girls from Girl Scout Troop 571 at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church earned their Bronze award on November 1st with a celebration. Ashton Bowman and Mary Grace Wardrop earned their Bronze award which is the highest award that a Junior Scout can earn. It shows you have made a promise to help others, improve your community and world and become the best that you can be. They collected pet food and supplies from their neighborhoods, schools and churches. Once the food and supplies were collected they delivered all the items to the SPCA. Thanks to their great Troop leaders for volunteering their time to help these girls accomplish such an award. Also pictured are Ashley Rucker , Erin Berry and Danielle Covarrubias.
Photos by Danny Cruff
ABOVE: Last week’s performance of “Theseus and the Minotaur” at Herman L. Horn Elementary. The third grade play was directed by Mrs. Walsh. UPPER RIGHT: Zackery King age 10, was recently named an Offense-Defense Youth AllAmerican for the 2009 season. More than 5,000 football players tried out for the award and he was among the chosen few. King #39, plays running back and linebacker. In recognition of this award, King will play in the Offense-Defense Youth All-American Bowl in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on January 2, 2010. Zackery is the grandson of Warren and Anne Nicely of Vinton. He resides in Saint Augustine, Florida with his parents Richard and Ali King. BELOW: The aftermath of an accident on Virginia Avenue last Wednesday. Photos by Tommy Wood
Photos by Chris Manning
ABOVE: Families congregate outside of WBHS last Friday at the cheerleading team prepares to board the bus and leave for the State competition in Richmond.
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Ask the Pharmacist Eric DeLauder-Brooks, Pharm.D., MBA AskThePharmacist@vintonvoice.com A few weeks ago, I wrote about the proper way to dispose of medications. Today I’d like to touch on how to properly dispose of sharps. Needles used to give injections and lancets used to puncture skin for blood testing should be disposed of in a sharps container. Sharps containers are relatively inexpensive and can be found at any pharmacy. Once the sharps container is full, secure it according to the enclosed instructions. For Vinton residents, The Roanoke Valley Resource Authority accepts sharps containers as part of its monthly Household Hazardous Waste disposal. The next disposal day is on November 21. For more information, call 8575050 or visit www.rvra.net. If you live in a different locality, contact the waste management department where you live for information. As part of American Diabetes Month, Walgreens is offering free blood glucose or A1C screenings. Join us on November 18th at our Brambleton Avenue location from 9am – 3pm or on November 19th at our Williamson Road location from 9am – 3pm. Dr. Erin DeLauder-Brooks is the pharmacy manager of the new Walgreens on Franklin Rd. If you have any pharmacy related questions, feel free to ask her at askthepharmacist@vintonvoice.com.
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By Ashlee Manning
Butternut and Ham Bisque Ingredients -2 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 very large sweet onion, chopped -1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, chopped -2 cloves garlic, minced -5 cups peeled, diced butternut squash
-1 cup peeled, diced all-purpose potatoes -5 cups chicken stock -1 teaspoon salt Black pepper, to taste -1/2 cup light or heavy cream -1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
Directions 1. Melt the butter in a medium soup pot or a large saucepan. Stir in the onion and rosemary. Partially cover the pan and cook the onion over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. 2.Add the squash, potatoes, chicken stock, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pot. Cook the soup at a low boil for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the pan from the heat. 3. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the soup solids and a ladleful of broth to a food processor (do this in batches if your processor is small). Puree the vegetables, then stir them back into the broth. Stir in the pepper, the cream, and the ham, heating for several minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.
on Caring Transitions
Susan M. Ayers Contributor When Bonsack resident Kevin Kitts became unemployed, he decided to go in business for himself and through that business, he wanted to help others. After searching on-line relentlessly for two years for the right business franchise, Kitts ran across a business called Caring Transitions, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Caring Transitions is the only North American franchise to specialize in relocation and transition services for Seniors. By realigning his finances and utilizing money left in savings, he was able to purchase a franchise that encompasses Roanoke, Salem, Lynchburg, Bedford and the New River Valley. Kitts drove to Cincinnati for orientation and went through a rigorous training program June 1-5 of this year and opened for business one week after completion of the training. He said the main office is “very supportive and provides ongoing training.” Kitts works out of his home.
He primarily works with people who find it necessary to leave a familiar home and part with their personal belongings. He also assists clients who want to declutter their homes, but don’t have adequate time to complete the project or they may feel overwhelmed. Those people Kitts works with leave their homes often because of the result of life events such as downsizing, divorce, the death of a loved one, or the need to move into a retirement community, a nursing care center, or a family member’s home that necessitate transitions. If needed, he arranges the move and acts as supervisor so the owners don’t have to be present and handle all the details involved. He works closely with his clients to help them understand what is involved and find out what matters the most to them. Based on their preferences, “we coordinate and handle any or all of the clients’ needs. We are committed to making each client’s experience a positive one. We seek what is best for our clients to minimize their stress and last minute scurrying. From managing the move and helping families make
informed decisions to handling the liquidation and distribution of personal belongings, we provide the services our clients need and want,” said Kitts. For keepsakes that the client wants to remain in the family, arrangements are made to have those items moved to the client’s home, shipped to family members, or put in storage. Kitts makes the necessary phone calls to find out where there is a need and arranges for items that the client wants to donate to be picked up at the home or delivered, which may give the client a tax deduction. If there are possessions that the client wants to sell, Caring Transitions knows the best way to market and sell those items to obtain the highest price possible. Kitts remarked, “We don’t depend on good weather or buyer turnout at one-day estate sales.” The best method of selling each item is determined and considerable research may be required prior to making that decision. An inventory listing is then prepared that consists of a list of each item with a detailed description and photograph. Roger Dunagan who resides in Vinton and is a friend and former colleague of Kitts, is the photographer. The various methods of sale include consignment, tag sales, e-Bay, antique dealers, furniture resellers and auctions. Kitts ensures that all items are clean and well presented prior to being offered for sale, regardless of method of sale used. He noted that much to the clients’ surprise, he has found numerous items of significant value in the attics or basements of homes including an etching by Pablo
Picasso, carved ivory figurines, and a Chinese happiness chair with carved in Chinese happiness symbols. Prior to the donation or sale of books, each page is gone through to ensure that something of value is not overlooked. Kitts has found everything from money to adoption papers between the pages. “Unexpectedly finding treasures for the client is very rewarding to me,” he said. The sale of the higher-ticketed items is handled by Ken Farmer Auction House & Appraisals in Radford, a full-service auction house. Internationally recognized through the quality of his auctions as well as appearances on the PBS smash hit, Antique Road Show. Farmer has an art appraiser and a coin appraiser on staff. Auctions are held twice monthly with periodic catalogue auctions throughout the year. Catalogs are sent to 3,000 dealers. Within 10 days after sale of the items, Kitts provides the client with a detailed invoice and check. Accurate and extensive record keeping is important because “your reputation is at stake,” he emphasized. Another service available is cleaning and staging the home for sale. Kitts locates painters, plumbers, electricians and other professionals as needed. If there are items to be sold in the home, he also takes the necessary steps to stage the items for sale. “Two years ago, I never thought I would be cleaning other people’s houses,” Kitts laughed. “The bottom line is I’m doing something to help people,” he added. For additional information, visit www.caringtransitions.net or call (540) 977-2801.
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•A national chain hotel- There is currently a Hollywood movie in development right this very second that is based on events that took place in Vinton. The producers have said that they want to film in Vinton to capture the realism, but as of right now, they’re not able to consider Vinton because they’d have nowhere to house a cast and crew of the size they’d be bringing. They have an option to stay toward the airport, but with the hours they’d be working, they really don’t want to stay across town, having to drive that far to work every day. So along with other towns in Virginia and North Carolina, they’re also considering Salem. What does Salem have that we don’t? Well, in this case, a national chain hotel. Having a national •A real, honest to goodness, local coffee shop- By local coffee shop, we don’t chain hotel like a Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn or any of the mean a chain like Starbucks, no, instead think something like Daily Grind on 419 or one reputable chains that are out there would also, likely, help of the Mill Mountain Coffee shops. Somewhere you could go to get a nice cup of coffee, tea the corporate business of the War Memorial, as they’d had or whatever your choice of hot beverage might be. While you’re there you could hook up a place to stay, then could head just a short distance for your laptop to check your email or you could even have a casual business meeting there. their meeting, conference or whatever business they may be How annoying is it to have to head to downtown Roanoke or Southwest County every having in town. Another argument for a hotel could be time someone wants to “grab a cup of coffee?” Sure, the coffee might not be anything the Blue Ridge Parkway, we are one of the few towns that special, nothing any better than you can get have an exit from the Parkway at McDonald’s, but it’s the capability of being (ok, it isn’t in town, but it’s in Let’s face it, we all love Vinton, if you able to actually meet at “The Coffee Shop” the Vinton area, good enough didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this or just hang out with a friend you haven’t for this scenario) but people seen in awhile. There are plenty of spaces traveling the Parkway might publication, but we all know Vinton that could be filled by one of these whether be more likely to stop if they could use a few more places to go, it would be downtown or somewhere else, knew there was a warm bed but it would be convenient and would do a and room service just a couple things to do and wouldn’t it be nice lot of business and that would be good for miles down the road. not to take 581 to have to get the the proprietor, the town and the people that would be saving the time and trouble to have •Something for the things you need or want? to head elsewhere. teens- For the people who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, •A mid- to high level dining they headed to Williamson establishment- This is not meant in a negative way whatsoever to any of our restaurants Road to “cruise.” The 90’s and 00’s headed to downtown in town. I’d match our breakfast and lunch places with any other area in the Valley, but Roanoke. But all those caused, for the most part, was what’s wrong with wanting to sit down for a nice dinner, with nice service and having a boredom and trouble. What would be wrong with a 17 bottle of wine with a nice atmosphere, just for a night? Think The Library on Franklin and under dance club, which I realize has been attempted Road or any of the fine establishments in downtown Roanoke, they’ve got plenty, why multiple times, but there was always something wrong can’t we have one? I’m sure there is someone in town who knows how to cook a filet with it, whether bad ownership, bad hours or just a bad mignon or lobster and you wouldn’t have to have space for 50 seats, you could get away location, but if there was something that made them with five or ten tables, max. Never mind how many people from outside our area would want to go there, stay there and kept their attention, they would flo come to town for a place like this, imagine how nice it would be to have that anniversary weekend. For the sports nuts, how about a place that has an at or birthday dinner here in town instead of having to go all over town. Buffalo Wild Wings with big TVs everywhere, sports all over the (but non-alcoholic) that would the teens somewhere to go just t •A movie theatre- I know what you’re saying, “where in the world are we going to them close to home and out of trouble. There has to be someone o put a monstrosity like that?” First of all, it doesn’t have to be an 8, 12 or 16 screen theater, enough to give something a try and if it were consistent and intere we wouldn’t need any more than four screens. The range on this would be somewhat become “the place” and Vinton would have a great long term place limited as far as people coming from outside the area, a lot of them would still head to There are plenty of other things on our list, but we don’t want the Valley View or Tanglewood theaters, unless our theater got a movie one of the other would be happy if we could just start with these things and see h theaters didn’t (a long shot.) When the high school kids start dating, how great would they work as we think they would, then we can talk about what it be for them to just head down the street instead of the other side of town? When you realize some of these things may never make their way into our are want to “catch a movie” wouldn’t it be nice to not have to head out of the house an hour question…why not? before the movie starts, just to make sure you get in and don’t run in to traffic? Sure, What are some of things you’d like to see come to Vinton? S over time the Vinton theater would start to get traffic from places that realize it would be info@vintonvoice.com. more convenient and a lot less hectic to head over here than it would to deal with any of the other three theaters, but bringing traffic to Vinton isn’t a bad thing, it’s actually how things like this get accomplished. The radio stations are starting to filter in the Christmas songs, Santa has made his appearance at the mall and the decorations are starting to slowly make their way up around the Roanoke Valley and even here in Vinton, with the Christmas tree decorations hanging up downtown. Kids are writing their lists to Santa and trying to be extra nice so they get all the toys and presents they asked for. Here at the Vinton Voice, we’ve tried to stay off the “naughty” list, so we decided to write a list of our own, whether to Santa or whoever will listen. This list isn’t for presents, toys or even those obligatory socks and underwear that you always seem to get from that relative that you hardly see, no this list is our wish list for Vinton. Let’s face it, we all love Vinton, if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this publication, but we all know Vinton could use a few more places to go, things to do and wouldn’t it be nice not to take 581 to have to get the things you need or want? So without further adieu, here is our wish list for Vinton.
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ock to there every single tmosphere similar to a e place, food and drink to “hang out” but kept out there with the guts esting, that place would e for the kids to go. to seem too greedy, we how they work, should t’s next. Of course, we ea, but in there lies the
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VOICE 11
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When asked how it felt growing up as the Mayor’s daughter in our town of Vinton, I found it difficult to explain. I know it was a joy to grow up in Vinton. If only our children and friends could know the comfort and peace we felt. We grew to know and love our hometown. Vinton was a special place-where special friends who looked over us and protected us as we played in each other’s back yard. My father, Ross McGee was a councilman in Vinton for twenty-six years and served as Mayor and Vice-Mayor. As a child I didn’t know what that meant. I thought everyone’s dad would serve as mayor some time. We were taught never to say anything about people who lived in Vinton because we were all kin. This was true. My husband “Duck” Eanes and I began dating in high school. There were no TVs or computers. Boys made their own entertainment. One thing young boys seemed to enjoy was throwing rocks at the streetlights and knocking them out. All the boys seemed to think this was the best fun ever! One night, when there was nothing to
do, Duck and a friend of his decide they would try this new sport. Just wanted to see if it was as exciting as others said. The police drove by, picked them up and issued a summons to court. At that time Vinton’s form of government meant the mayor served as judge in small cases. Mrs. Eanes dressed “Duck” in his Sunday best coat and tie and off they went to Vinton’s court. Sure enough, there sat my father, Judge Ross McGee, it happened so that weekend was the Saturday of our first date! A small find was paid and they listened to a talk about breaking streetlights. Duck was in the “dog house” for sure and he had to listen to his mother also. However, it was not over for him. He had to face my father again when he came to our house to get me for our date. You talk about being scared. Duck was an absolute wreck. Much worse than the court! I don’t know if my dad recognized Duck or not, but he never said a word to me or Duck about the streetlights. He always loved Duck as his own son. It did teach a lesson though. Duck never threw rocks at streetlights again. I never thought much about being the “Mayor’s daughter,” it was just what my dad did and he enjoyed it very much. I look back now and know it was a good time and one I’m very proud to have been a part of Vinton’s past.
New Assistant Principal at Horn isn’t new at all Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net Herman L. Horn Elementary School in Vinton welcomed a new assistant principal this year, a veteran educator to work alongside principal Susan Brown. She didn’t have to do much moving: Peggy Stovall has taught at Horn since 1980, save for two years in the late ‘80’s when she moved over to Roland E. Cook, then a regular elementary school. Stovall moved back to Horn in 1989 and has been there ever since, teaching fourth grade social studies. Her roots go back there even further: Stovall attended the same school when it was known as East Vinton Elementary. “I knew that I always wanted to make a difference, and I knew I always wanted to work with children,” she notes of her career path. “There was just never any doubt in my mind.” Her “all time favorite teacher,” at East Vinton also taught fourth graders; Alice Hall became an assistant principal as well before she retired. “Probably the most influential teacher in my life.” Stovall, who is married to the older brother (Jeff) of Vinton district School Board member Mike Stovall, won’t be giving up her classroom duties entirely: in Roanoke County assistant elementary school principals teach for a half day before slipping on their administrative shoes. No says Peggy Stovall, when Mike comes over she doesn’t lobby him on School Board matters, its all about family time. “We don’t discuss school issues.” Recent budget woes in Roanoke County has meant teachers must be more creative in trying
to provide a quality education. “As educational leaders it’s our job to promote the success of all students. I feel like our teachers and staff are doing an excellent job.” Now-retired Herman L. Horn principal Susan Reynolds was an inspiration for Stovall to seek an administrative track in her career. The Radford graduate (education) returned to her alma mater for a master’s in educational leadership, completed last year. Susan Brown is also a Radford alumna. Reynolds was “absolutely an influence,” when it came to Stovall’s pursuit of the administrative side of the job. “I think she knew I was ready for that before I realized I was ready.” Stovall had declined to pursue further studies earlier when her children were still at William Byrd, not wanting to miss out on their activities as a parent. Stovall’s two children are also Radford graduates: daughter Amanda has a Master’s in social work and in now employed by Carilion, while son Josh is a recent graduate with a business degree. When she finally did go back to school herself, “[It] came at the right time of my life,” says Stovall of her three-year Master’s degree pursuit. “It was a good time to concentrate on
that new challenge.” Reynolds suggested that it was time when Josh went off to college himself. She was “ready to serve anywhere in Roanoke County,” as an assistant principal but was pleased when the opportunity rose at Horn. “I’ve always served the Vinton community. I feel like I’ve earned the trust [here].” Stovall says that Horn, a Title I school that features 400-plus students from a wide range of economic backgrounds, truly is “family. We take care of our children [and] our parents. We are always serving our community. I think we share a vision of learning.” Early in the day you can still find Peggy Stovall in the classroom, providing reading support for second and third graders. It’s “the best of both worlds,” in her estimation. Having that long resume as a classroom teacher helps earn the respect of others; in Stovall’s estimation, “I think you have to serve before you can lead.” “I tell people at the school that I’m a familiar face,” notes Stovall, “just wearing new shoes. I was just ready for a new challenge [and] I absolutely love my new job. I really like seeing how all the puzzle pieces come together – being able to see the big picture.”
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WBHS ROTC Advances in Cyber Competition Ashley Huffman Terrier Times William Byrd High Schools Air Force Junior ROTC Cyber Patriot Team became the only Virginia team to qualify for the medalist round during a competition sponsored by the Air Force Association held on Saturday, Honor Roll for Bonsack Elementary School 3rd Grade A Honor Roll Bryan Andrews Sarah Burnett Sam Dantzler Alex Fitch Preston Hall Abby Ingram Steven Sledd Rashad Vaughn Bradley Woodcock Jacob Altice Zachary Feininger Megan Grant Zac Jones Jordan Logan Maddy Nance Gabe Plichta Blake Price Aaron Stanley Megan Wu 3rd Grade A Honor Roll -AB Honor RollNick Cook Alexis Ellis Carson McRoy Hannah Thurman Rachel Warren Emily Woods Keegan Arnold Katie Dillon Morgan Fletchall Rane Garmon Julie Nicely Sumi Sekar Matthew Teation Ellen Webb J.D. Castleman Alex Cosoreanu Allyssa Davis Madison Hensley Jacob Lanning Carson Lilly Quinton Mayhew Shane McCarthy
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November 7. The team will compete against 31 other teams Saturday November 21 for the right to advance to the final round during February in Orlando Fla. WBHS’s Cyber Patriot team consisted of: David Harris, Daniel McCulloch, Jon Meadows and Daniel Valladarez. Sophomore David Harris had the privilege of being the team
Anna McSherry Austin Nardo Melissa Phillips Caleb Schaubach Kayla Turner Emily Wheeler Katharine Williams 4th Grade -A Honor RollAbigail Angel Elena Boitnott Andrew Brooks Emily Brooks Jared Brown Luke Johnston Christina Lee Shelby Norhern Evamarie Pascoe Richard Qui Joshua Tate MaryKate Price Brenna Donahue Everett Fletchall Caitlin McIntosh Julie Burek Bryson Byrd Luis Jerez Will Johnson -AB Honor RollDane Blackwood Bailey Browning Ryan Buxton Lauren Heck Asia Holland Ava McClung Allison Purcell Jack Rice Shawn Woodson Lauren Andersen Ashton Ashley Megan Canney Tanner Claybrook Maddie Craig Caleb Divers Kody Harper Joshua Hilliard Mariah Janney-Tyree
Savannah Johnson Logan Ramsey Hannah Abshire Jalen Davis Riley Fininger Travis Hodges Kaley Shoemaker Amber Asten Chloe Doss Allymarie Faulkner Lindsey Galliher Bryan Johnson Prachi Kadyar Autumn Martin Hannah Sowers Jaylen Wheeler Kayleigh Wyatt 5th Grade -A Honor RollMadison Bailey Molly Carpenter Reagan Castleman Jensen Chrisley Emily Hash Britney Justus Westin Recktenwald Ryan Stanley Tyra Thompson ChristopherVandeburg Logan Henderson Adam North Seth Schaubach Grant Watson Kayla Altice Leah Andersen Adrienne Band Juliann Callaway Derrick Chocklett Anna Haught Madison Moses Keira Naff -AB Honor RollChase Caldwell Lauren Cook Chase Dorsey Noah Nester
captain. “He showed the most initiative,” said Major Jeff Pruitt, an AFJROTC instructor at WBHS. “We needed a good, strong leader, and he stepped up.” This competition is made to test teams’ abilities and to protect a virtual computer network from cyber attacks. This is a job which is always needed in the U.S. Air Force. “It was slow at times, but it got to be really fun,” said Harris. Round one consisted of the team building a defense system on one computer to secure it and prevent it from a cyber attack, which took the team a total of six hours. “My favorite part was when we got to order some pizza,” said Harris jokingly. Out of 80 teams participating in this event, the top 21 teams advance to the next round. While the remaining teams competed again last weekend in a Trent Robinson Autumn Sayre Reece Watson Noah Bedwell Bryce Campbell Adam Catron Megan Collins Ian Cossaboon Alllyson Dayton Brock McRoy Jesse Settle Max Smith Jason Spaar Jessica Stanley Nicholas Ward Meredith Webb Jacob Woodcock Ashley Davis Paige Garner Reed Plunkett Ali Shail Gehrig Spradlin Ashlyn StClair Hannah Stewart Lauren Stringer
W.E. Cundiff Elementary 5th Grade Honor Roll First Nine Weeks -A Honor RollAshton Bowman Parker Browne Mary Isaac Cargill Grace Carroll Brennan Greene Isabelle Long Emma Stevens Jamie Taliaferro Brandy Thomason Mary Wardrop -A/B Honor RollBrianna Carrillo Morgan Chaszar Emilee Cruz Bree Davis Sarah Doss continued on NEXT PAGE
consolation round for a second shot to advance. “I think as long as we come in with a good plan and execute it, we have a great shot,” said Pruitt. The next round will feature a more challenging task of securing three computers on a system called Linux. “Practice, practice, practice,” said senior Daniel McCulloch as he discussed the team’s preparation for the next round. The team is practicing hard and working with Jeff Clark, WBHS’ Information Technology expert. “We’re going to win,” said McCulloch. “I’m enlisted in the army and this will be very helpful.”
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Medela breast pump “in style breast pump” - includes speed control. Professional performance for ACTIVITIES today’s active Pinochole Players Call mothers. Pete at 540-345-3342 Breast pump and accessories included. Slam Boxing Partner model # 57010 with gloves $200, call $175.00 540-910-2663 Call 345-9369 Sweet Cat Needs a good home. Call 540427-4466
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Model X5150 Matching lounge Lexmark P.Buckley Moss All in One printer, The Lowe House - rare and chair – both for $1000. Almost like scanner, copier, and fax print proof framed and brand new! Real good condition, matted. 15x14 3/4 Call 540-427-4466 comes with....software $185. for windows and Call 540-774-3893 macintosh, owners WANTED manual, two extra black P.Buckley Moss The Vinton Area ink cartridges, one My hands to thee - 1979 Chamber of extra color cartridge, print rare proof framed Commerce power cable. USB cable and matted. 28x10 print has moved offices not furnished. asking plus framing $375 and is looking for the $75.00...call Fred at Call 540-774-3893 following things: (540) 353-6268 Conference Table OR P.Buckley Moss 8 Classroom style Lakeside fun filled CLOTHING memories- sold out print folding tables, Chairs proof framed and matted for conference room, Wedding Dress 24x12 print plus frame Desk, Desk chair, Desk Size 8, never worn accessories, Desk $500 wedding dress with lamps or pole lamp, Call 540-774-3893 matching flower girl 3 chair mats without dress, slip, veil and sash. cleats, Table or stand Event Photos $500. for printer, Coat tree, dannycruffphotography.com Call 540-910-1203 Umbrella stand, Visual
The Roanoke County Planning Commission and Town of Vinton Planning Commission will hold a joint public hearing at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 7, 2009, in the South Ballroom of the Vinton War Memorial, 814 Washington Avenue, Vinton, VA, on a proposed amendment to the Roanoke County Comprehensive Plan and the Town of Vinton Comprehensive Plan. The proposed amendment would incorporate the Vinton Area Corridors Plan into the Roanoke County Comprehensive Plan and the Town of Vinton Comprehensive Plan. A copy of this amendment is available for inspection in the Roanoke County Department of Community Development, 5204 Bernard Drive, Roanoke, VA, and in the Town of Vinton Planning and Zoning Department, 311 S. Pollard Street, Vinton, VA.
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Aids: Screen, Laptop; Speaker’s Stand, Kitchen supplies (such as pitchers, platters,etc for serving) Two tickets to Virginia Tech vs. Virginia game. Will take four if available. Please call 540-3548289 Two tickets to Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina State game. Will take four if available. Please call 540-354-8289
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VINTON LEGAL NOTICE A public auction will be held at Grand Storage of Vinton 1123 Vinyard Rd., Vinton, Va. 24179 At 10:00 AM on November 25, 2009 To sell the contents of; Robert Yonce C18 Arnold Gene Wheeler Jr. B31 Wanda Carlon C-24 Bill Beck A-37 Wanda Combie B-10 Teresa Stewart C-28 Essie Metzler E-29
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Dated: November 13, 2009 Philip Thompson, Secretary, Roanoke County Planning Commission Anita McMillan, Secretary, Town of Vinton Planning Commission Logan Glass Macon Hale Zowie Hancock Taylor Hoal Reece Hodges Alexis Hough Joseph Johnson Ashley King Hannah Kuder Carmen Lumsden Kendall Miller Dylan Nakhle Emily Pickeral Cassi Powell Mason Powell Zach Powell Meagan Webb Madison Willard Philip Witt Michael Woolfolk Ashton Woomer 3rd Grade Honor Roll
1st Nine Weeks -A Honor RollThomas Adams Maddy Angle Tanner Hough Megan James Ashley Peters Zoe Rickman Shea Sterling -A/B Honor RollHunter Bohon Reece Bostic Jean Browe Bishop Buck Greyson Cornett Richard Deloatch Kaitlyn Dickson Colin Dooley Tyler Easterling
Nathan Ferris Ali Foutz Sam Foutz Matt Hale Nick Hale Jordan Hatcher Lindsay Jones Ellison Lafferty Nathan Loving Lindsey Moore Jakob Nakhle Dakota Peery Madison Saunders Gavin Simpson Maggie Steuart Meghan Stinnette Lucas Stroop Sam Studevant Jeremy Sweeney
Kayland Bond Landyn Vasser Shayla Bradley Joyce Wang Chris Brown Alexis Williams Mathew Butler Jewel Wood Taylor Campbell th 4 Grade Honor Roll Caleb Carawan -A Honor RollCourtney Cherry GENERAL Ana Boush Madison Conley Haley Cook Adam Creasy Austin Dickson Sam Crocker Ryan Novitsky Cameron Davis Courtney Palmer Mackensie Deweese Suraj Patel Bryce Ellis Clair Pennington Natalie Ferguson Remi Poindexster Khalil Fonder Justin Powers Alyson Gilmer Ellasen Spangler Macey Grisso Mara Stum Carla Graybill Seaunna Veasey Tyler Henderson 2nd nine weeks Trevor Hill -A/B Honor RollHeidi Kalinke Larry Basham Thomas Keatts
Molly Letchford Dylan Miles Kaitlyn Moran Baylee Morton Donald Mott Bryce Mullen Bailee Norcross Vincent Noto Austin Paxton Casey Robinson Deven Shepherd Isabelle Sizemore Casey Smith Nick St. Clair Logan Taylor Audrey Wade Lauren Welsch Destiny Wendell Kyle Westland Jesse White Emily Williams
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YOVASO’s promotes safe driving Will Trent Contributor YOVASO-six letters that combined make no sense and are in no English dictionary. These six letters do make a lot of sense to William Byrd High School and the local Vinton community, because it is an acronym for the name of a club called “Youth in Virginia Speak Out” which promotes driving safety for teenagers. The program is “a youth leadership organization focused on saving the lives of teenage drivers. After all, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers between the ages of 16 and 20,” according to YOVASO.net. This club meets weekly in the WBHS library to discuss ways they will “speak out” in the community about topics such as texting while driving, drinking and driving, traffic safety, seat belt usage, speeding, and more. Members participate and lead multiple community projects and fundraisers throughout the school and city of Vinton every year. A yearly event YOVASO holds at WBHS in the winter is a “candygram” fundraiser that lets people secretly write messages to each other for a dollar. With it includes an attached candy cane and the words “buckle up” on the back. Flash forward to spring, where on-lookers at the Dogwood festival receive key chains and flyers about driving safety. This is a YOVASO sponsored event that WBHS senior co-president Holly Thomas says helps save lives. “The most rewarding part of being a co-president is knowing that you’re affecting people in the school,” Thomas said. “Our efforts prove that we’re getting the message out there because it will soon be three years since we have had any students at WBHS in a fatal car crash.” It is evident that Thomas spends countless hours of her personal time planning events and discussing ideas with administrators. “My responsibilities as co-president consist of helping Holly (Thomas) brainstorm new ideas for the club, helping get events together and ready for the club to participate in, and to cover any other areas that she may need help with,” said Chandler Booth, a senior at WBHS and is the other co-president of YOVASO. Both Thomas and Booth seem to enjoy accepting the responsibility of the position, and are truly passionate about speaking out to the youth of the community. “My favorite YOVASO event that I have participated in has been the Dogwood Parade. It was amazing to see such a big idea come together and allow us to get the word out of driving safely,” added Booth, who strives to have the YOVASO message heard throughout the community. Local State Farm Agent Gregg Lee is someone who has seen the benefits of YOVASO “Being a new businessman to the area and as a former high school coach and teacher in SC, I realize the value of investing in our future” Lee says, “I sought out an organization at WBHS that matches our goals at State Farm,which is promoting safe driving in teenagers and was able to reach out of Holly Thomas and provide some sponsorship money for a great organization.” The program has shown major growth and progression over the past few years according to Fred Lumb, resource officer and school sponsor of YOVASO at WBHS. He credited the success to more and better planning and positive senior leadership from the likes of Thomas and Booth. Even as my interview with Lumb was coming to a close, he offered me a YOVASO windshield scraper that reads “Ice & Snow, Take It Slow.” It’s the combination of the sub-conscious messages given and the effort of the leaders that make this club so special, and their voices (no pun intended) are and will be heard for many years to come.
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O’Connor places in top 20 at State Meet, paces WB to 14th Chris Manning Publisher The William Byrd Boys Cross Country team’s season came to an end this past Saturday with a 14th place finish in the Group AA Virginia state meet at The Plains. “They did a good job” says Coach Eric Royal “they were only four points out of 13th, so there wasn’t much more they could do.” The team finished in the middle of the pack, which was a good showing for the Blue Ridge District champions. When you put the numbers to it, it’s an even more impressive feat as the Terriers have seven of the top 136 runners in all of group AA and seven of the top 400 runners in all of cross country in Virginia…out of thousands in the state..definitely not bad. Leading the way for the Terriers were Kevin O’ Connor and Nick Lefell who finished 28th and 54th overall. Although there were 26 runners in between the teammates, there was only a 24 second difference in their finishing times, which shows how high the level of competition is when you get to the state meets. “The thing that stood out to me the most was the time difference between 24th place and 91st place, which was roughly a minute’s difference” Royal said “in that minute, 67 runners finished the race.” The Terriers’ order of finish was O’Connor and Lefell, followed by Phil Gilmore, Josh Williams, Eric Griffin, Chris Byrd and Jonathan Williams. Coach Royal was proud of all his runners. “I told them they accomplished something that thousands of runners set out to do in June and that was make it to state.” Quite a few of the runners will not be taking much of a break as they are already in “practice mode” for indoor track season which kicks off December 4th and 5th and is led by Coach Royal.
•‘LACROSSE’ continued from page 20 While they keep working on the high school aspect, Viar hopes more people from the area will continue to get involved, hoping to see numbers around 125 next season. He says part of the reason for the name East Roanoke Lacrosse is to make all area kids from places like Bedford, Botetourt and more feel like they can come play as well. “The thing about lacrosse is there is a position for everybody and the kids who might not think they are the best athletes might come out for lacrosse and do a really great job,” Viar says. “It’s just effort and trying and learning– anybody can play, that’s what we kind of encourage.” Home games for the Bandits are played at W.E. Cundiff Elementary School. The registration for the Spring 2010 season will begin sometime this month and the Bandits are working on a new website to facilitate sign ups, says Viar. Until that time, Viar, who acts as League Coordinator, can be reached at Vintonlacrosse@ cox.net or 597-3793. Co-coordinator and coach Dean McDaniel is available at Laxcoach@cox.net or 597-3871. The team is also always looking for sponsors to help offset the cost of equipment that the Bandits do supply for the boys and girls teams.
Photos by Danny Cruff
RIGHT & BELOW: The WBHS Cheerleaders took home a fourth place finish in State this past weekend after placing first in Districts and Regions. Photo by Chris Manning
LEFT: The Cheerleaders huddle in front of their bus on Friday for pictures prior to their trip to Richmond for the State Finals. Photos by Dan Vance
RIGHT: Madison Morris fights for a rebound in the closing seconds of last Thursday’s Middle School girls basketball home opener against Read Mountain. BELOW: The WBHS volleyball team (here last Monday in Region play with Rustburg) ended their season Tuesday with a 3-0 loss at Fort Defiance.
Photos by Danny Cruff
LEFT: Terrier Shaq Smith is stripped of the ball by a Knight defender on Friday. Byrd had five first half turnovers. BELOW: Tyreik Talley chases down a Turner Ashby runner in Friday’s WB loss.
Photo by Danny Cruff
LEFT: Byrd senior quarterback Derrick Palmer runs towards the sidelines away from the approaching Turner Ashby defense in Region play. Palmer surpassed the career 4,000 yard rushing mark in the loss.
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Cheer squad comes up short in quest for state title Danny Cruff Contributor - COMMENTARY
Chris Manning Publisher After some ups and downs throughout the competition cheer season, the William Byrd Cheer squad made another impressive mark on the state level, finishing fourth in the state competition in Richmond. The girls did what they do best in the first round by finishing first, with a score of 256.5, tied with Briar Woods out of Loudon County. “Briar Woods had a solid routine in the first round” says Coach Monica West “and they did the same routine in the second round and had a five point increase.” The final round wasn’t as successful for the Terriers as they were charged with a major ten point deduction on a rule that was just recently added to the books. “Our flyer was coming down from a 360 and they said she only did a 180
and landed on her stomach, which caused the deduction,” West explains. “The strange thing is, had she fell all the way to the ground, we would have only gotten a five point deduction.” The question remains whether or not the ‘flyer’ only did a 180 or if she landed on her side, completing 3/4 of the turn. If she landed on her side, there would be no deduction and the Terriers would have finished 2nd as opposed to fourth. While fourth is nothing to sneeze at, this program has a tradition of winning and would’ve liked another state championship ring on their fingers, but with a lot of the team returning next year, in their minds, the competition season has already started “they took a one day break and tonight [Monday] they’re already back in the gym at tumbling practice” according to West, “they were disappointed this year, but next year they’re not going to leave any possibilities for error and will be back with a vengeance.”
Photos by Danny Cruff / dannycruffphotography.com
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This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to cover the 2009 VHSL Cheer Championships for the Voice in the hopes that William Byrd would bring home another State Title back to Vinton. Unfortunately, that was not how the day ended for our cheerleaders. Their first round performance not only brought the William Byrd fans to their feet, but also many fans of other schools. It was a truly amazing performance that ended up placing the Terriers at the top of the AA division with a score of 256.5, tied with Briar Woods High School. Placing in the top five of the division moved the Terriers to the second round, where all scores were negated as the second round began. I decided to sit in the stands to watch the other schools in the top five perform, and chatting with some of the folks sitting around me, we all agreed that the other schools in the division were, in essence, handing the title to William Byrd. Noticeable errors by the other squads, such as dropping cheerleaders, not handling props correctly, along with the other small things that make or break a competition, made it obvious that the Terriers were the team to beat in the finals. I made my way down to the floor to watch WB take the mat and get some up-close photos. The air was electric when they exploded onto the floor. Another photographer leaned over to me and said, “I believe we’re about to see the championship routine.” I couldn’t disagree. The cheerleaders were hyped up and confident and the whole arena seemed to feel the same sentiment expressed by my fellow photographer. The Terriers rolled through their routine and everyone I talked to agreed that they were the best in the division. Heartbreak soon followed when it was announced that William Byrd had placed fourth. There was an air of disbelief when I looked around at the other media on the floor. No one could believe what had just occurred. How could the Terriers, who were tied for first after the first round, wind up in fourth place with the amazing routine they’d completed only a short time ago? Apparently, there was a 10 point deduction for a wrong landing, namely landing stomach-first instead of back-first. This needs to be reviewed by the Rules Committee of the VHSL. There is something wrong with the scoring system, when a team can rank number one in “Overall Impression,” and still come in fourth based on one move in the routine. While it is important to be judged based on technique and intricacies of the routines, a team should not be penalized to the point that the Terriers were. On the topic of scoring, judges should be thoroughly screened prior to an important competition such as the State Finals. Second round scores for the Terriers from 4 of the 5 judges were all 85 and above (90 being the highest). The fourth scored them at an 80. That is a huge discrepancy in how they were judged when there is a ten point gap between the highest and lowest judges’ scores. The VHSL should have a review processes in place in order to perform checks and balances within the system. Otherwise, scoring can be viewed as skewed and unfair to participating teams, as is my view of the competition Saturday. State Finals for sports are usually cut and dry when you can take a look at the scoreboard and see who had the most points. But, with activities such as Cheerleading and Marching Band, there should be protections put in place to keep results from becoming skewed based on personal favorites, or arcane rules that penalize a team unfairly.
Webster chooses basketball, makes Concord her official choice William Byrd senior Samantha Webster, who was recently named First Team All-District in volleyball, will be giving up her spiking in blocking for post-ups and rebounds in the coming weeks for the Terriers. And now, she will officially be doing the same on the college level. Webster will officially sign with Concord University this week, where she will exclusively play
basketball, after passing on several options that could have seen her play college volleyball or both sports. An official day and time for the signing was not available as of press time. In the 2008-2009 season, Webster was named First Team All-District and Second Team AllRegion on the basketball court. “I think it would be a good fit for me and I really liked the
school,” Webster said. “I like the way the program is going and I think I could become a key player for them.” Webster scored just seven points in the final game of her junior year, a Region Semi-Final loss to Turner Ashby, but had 23 points and 11 rebounds a week prior in the Blue Ridge District Semi-Final– also a loss, this time to Northside.
“My college will be paid for in full and I get to continue my basketball career. Who wouldn’t want that?” Webster, forward/ center added. Concord, a Division II school, is located in Athens, West Virginia. The Lions have started the season 2-0. Webster and Byrd start their season with a scrimmage next Monday night at home against Brookville.
Hard charging Knights subdue Terriers Dan Vance Editor-in-Chief After a hard charge to make the playoffs, William Byrd’s season came to hard end last Friday night, falling 44-6 as the visited Turner Ashby in opening round play. “They were able to get a lot of pressure and people to the ball, which made it tough to run plays,” said senior Derrick Palmer of the Knight defense. Palmer, one the leading rushers this season in the Roanoke Valley, was held to just 64 yards on 15 carries, but left the game in the second half with what may be a sprained MCL. The senior, who also plays basketball was evaluated by a doctor on Tuesday. Before he left the game, the Terriers’ go-to-guy surpassed the 4,000 yard mark for his career, though he did not eclipse the 2,000 mark this season despite being close to number. William Byrd may also take
some positives out of Brian Fuquay, who replaced Palmer in the game with usual backup Levi Haymaker injured. Fuquay ran the ball for 70 yards and completed his only pass, a 13-yarder. Those were nearly the only bright spots, especially early, for Byrd, who trailed 44-0 at half. The Terriers committed five turnovers in the opening half, including three interceptions by Palmer. “We were embarrassed, and no matter what the scoreboard read, we wanted to leave the field knowing we gave it our all the second half,” Palmer said. The Knights barely outgained WBHS overall, but often started with much better field position. David Jennings put Byrd’s only point on the board with 1:17 left from seven yards out. Jennings ran for 25 yards out of Byrd’s 202 in the ground. “Its great knowing that I’m one of the few players in Byrd history that has made the playoffs three straight years,” Palmer said of what he will hold onto from the
Photo by Danny Cruff
Junior David Jennings fights to get away from the Turner Ashby defense in Friday’s loss. Jennings ran for 16 yards and the lone Terrier score of the game. season. ‘Winning Senior Night and Homecoming were big positives, and knowing that I helped young players progress and become
better makes me feel really good about the season.” Byrd won four of their final five games.
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East Roanoke Bandits: Spreading Lacrosse to youth, possibly WBHS Dan Vance Editor-in-Chief When East Roanoke Lacrosse was started in 2008, founder Matt Viar did not exactly know what to expect. After seeing his daughter play for six years on boys teams in Salem, Viar and his family were ready to reintroduce the sport to Vinton, not knowing what kind of reception it would get. Luckily, there ended up being not much to his reservations. At the end of the first season, they had 76 total players, this past Spring they fielded almost 100. “My wife kind of talked me into starting our own team and I got lucky and when we first started, I found a couple of guys that had actually played for the club,” Viar said. The club, a team also known as the Bandits, was in Vinton during the 1990’s and won three league titles between 1990 and 1998. But the youth movement Viar and his fellow original coaches (Greg Warren, Shawn Gwyn, Dean McDaniel and Mike Krackow) wanted was far different than the original club. The started with four teams and expanded to five for the 2009 season, with teams for middle school girls and boys U11, U13, U15 and a junior varsity team with players throughout the boys teams ranging in age from 7-17. “It’s addictive, it’s fun, we go
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year round,” Viar says with a wry smile of what draws him and his family to the sport. “I don’t have to do a whole lot of recruiting with kids now. They always pull up and have a couple kids in the car and they want to start playing. Word of mouth helps us more than anything.” He is hoping that continued word of mouth, and good word at that, will also help move lacrosse into William Byrd High School. “That was the primary reason for starting a club is we wanted to get in the schools and we talked to (Byrd principal) Dr. (Richard) Turner when we first started and he was very encouraging. And he told us to come back and talk to him in a couple of years once we were established,” Viar said. Recently, Viar sat down with Turner and Byrd Athletic Director Crystal Worley about the potential of the sport at WBHS. He says that this coming spring will be like a ‘probationary year’ to see if the interest level is there to field a team at the high school and that the kids participating can stay in good academic standing. “County schools, I think it’s time for it to be there– I think they know it is.” Viar says Hidden Valley High School is also looking to field a team soon. During the 2009 season, the Virginia High School League had sanctioned Lacrosse for both girls and boys with 64 schools participating in girls to 68 for boys. •See ‘LACROSSE’ - page 16
Photos Submitted by Matt Viar
ABOVE: The East Roanoke Lacrosse Bandits had five teams in 2009 boys and girls of many ages.