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TheRoanokeStar.com community | news | perspective
May 18 - 24, 2012
[Community]
Roanokers Run For Others Keith McCurdy
Less is Better P4– Keith McCurdy says do a little less for your kids and they are likely to be far more responsible adults.
Tech Awards P6– Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and U.S. Senator Mark Warner helped hand out the awards at last Thursday’s Technology Council Banquet.
Local Voice P8– Dave Ross has been one of the leading sportscasters in the Roanoke Valley for more than three decades.
Unexpected Help P9– Women in Roanoke’s Sudanese refugee community will soon have their own website to sell their handmade goods thanks to some enterprising students.
Photo by Sarah Kegel
Runners competing in all three events began their races last Saturday morning at Vinton’s Fallon Park.
“Mannathon” Raises Money and Awareness For Ministry The Manna Ministries Food Bank in Vinton is $20,000 better off after that amount and then some was raised at the second annual “Mannathon,” a series of 8K and 5K races that was held at Fallon Park last Saturday. The course for both races (walkers also took advantage of the 5K course) made its way through the blue-collared neighborhoods of southeast Roanoke City and 8K (about five mile) racers trod for about a mile on the Tinker Creek Greenway before heading back to the finish line, which was also at Fallon Park. Manna Ministries accepts donations of food and clothing, which is distributed to the working poor weekly during a Thursday night open house. People can come in, enjoy a hot meal, take non-perishable food items with them, including food for their dog or cat, and select items from a clothes closet. What began as a ministry of Parkway Wesleyan has expanded to include volunteers from many churches and groups. Each month over 1,000 families wait in lines that wrap around the building to receive a box of food. In addition, the families at Manna are offered clothing, toys, books, toiletry items and snacks - along with acceptance and love - from over 60 volunteers. More than 400 people showed up to race or walk on Saturday,
Fulbright Winner To Explore Culture in India
Nicole Faut admits to being raised in a dark, colorless world. She watched her mother nurse her baby sister while high on crack. Her father struggled with his own addictions. Faut says her life was chaotic but she found a way to make peace with it by excelling in school and allowing her emotions to spill over on canvas. Faut, of McGaheysville, Va., will graduated with honors from Virginia Tech this month. An interdisciplinary studies major in the Department of Religion and Culture, with minors in history and medieval and early modern studies, she is also the recipient of a 201213 Fulbright award. A determined youth, Faut says she “did not want to use my family life as justification
> CONTINUED, P2: Fulbright
Nicole Faut, a Fulbright winner, poses with her honors project. The project illustrates the angst in a local community over a court case involving the public display of the Ten Commandments.
mostly in the 5K (3.1 miles) category. Awards were given for the top overall male and female winners (see mountainjunkies. net for a complete list of finishing times) and for the top three finishers in a number of age categories. Vinton Mayor Brad Grose, newly reelected in an unopposed race of his own earlier in the month, was on hand to give a few opening remarks before the opening horn signaled the beginning of the two races. “Manna is just a wonderful ministry. It serves a segment of our society that needs help. It serves the working poor – that’s what I really like about it.” Grose said about 17 churches are now involved in supporting Manna Ministries, which is located on Walnut Street in Vinton. Runners went by the storefront headquarters as they raced back toward Fallon Park last Saturday. The Town of Vinton used to make a cash donation to Manna Ministries but in these button-down times it now offers inkind contributions like police help with crowd control at the Mannathon. Grose doesn’t mind having all those people come through Vinton either. “We’re obviously glad to see all of the runners out, the more the merrier.” The Mannathon noted Grose, also helps get the word out about the ministry itself. > CONTINUED, P2: Mannathon
Moving Municipal Elections Easy But Council Unsure At the request of Councilman Sherman Lea and a nod from Mayor Bowers at the May 7 council meeting, acting City Attorney Tim Spencer was instructed to look into the possibility of holding local elections in November. At that time Spencer couldn’t give exactly what steps need to be taken to make such a move a reality. In 2002 a bill passed in the General Assembly (HB 378) that gave municipalities the option for November council elections. According to the Attorney General’s Office it has been enshrined in the Code of Virginia Section 24.2-222.1 ever since. A simple resolution by council would get it done; another option would be a citizen referendum. This is not the first time this issue has been visited. In the 2010 elections it was a topic for candidates along with non-partisan elections. The three candidates who won election answered the question as follows: Bill Bestpitch said, “I support moving city council elections to November, not only to encourage more voter participation but also to eliminate the cost of separate elections in May.” Ray Ferris said, “Moving Election Day to November is certainly a tempting idea, but if it means coupling local elections with national or state contests, I am against it.” Dave Trinkle’s answer was unclear. “I believe there are many benefits to having the election in November, the main one being reduction of costs and one ‘political season’ instead of two. The only negative would be that local issues may get lost in the > CONTINUED P2: Municipal
David Baldacci Captivates CVB Audience Industry leaders and local and state officials celebrated the economic impact of tourism and film production in the region at the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (CVB) Annual Meeting last week at The Hotel Roanoke. “We were delighted to have an extraordinary lineup of great speakers to highlight National Tourism Week, to celebrate the recent launch of the new “Virginia’s Blue Ridge” destination brand, and to showcase the unique partnership between tourism and Virginia’s film industry,” said Landon Howard, Executive Director of the Roanoke Valley CVB. The event featured keynote speaker and #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, whose novel “Wish You Well” is slated to become the next film produced in the region. He expressed how this novel has a unique tie with his
David Baldacci (L) and Roanoke CVB President Bart Wilner share a laugh together at last Thursday’s meeting. family roots in Virginia. In an interview Baldacci said, “Virginia was always where this movie was going to be filmed, it was where it was set and Virginia is a character in this book. So, if we didn’t make it in Virginia, it wouldn’t be worth making.” Also on hand were Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and
First Lady of Virginia, Maureen McDonnell, announcing the celebration of National Tourism Week, May 5-13, when tourism is recognized for it’s role as an economic development driver across the country. > CONTINUED P2: Baldacci