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The Roanoke Star-Sentinel Roanoke City Updates Reserve Policy Stephanie Koehler
Memory Magic P5– Stephanie Koehler considers the workings of human memory and says that it’s the “small things” we do that really make a difference.
Stocked Market P6– The Junior League’s annual holiday shopping extravaganza runs from Fri. Nov 12 - Sun Nov 14 with proceeds going to local child health and welfare agencies.
NewsRoanoke.com
Community | News | Per spective
November 5 - 11, 2010
Monday morning Roanoke City council heard solidified changes to Roanoke’s reserve and debt policy. The Director of Finance, Ann Shawver presented policy changes that set the Undesignated Fund Reserve at 10% of revenue – an increase from the 8% high waCity Govt. ter mark. T h i s fund would only be used if the absolute worst happens,” said Shawver. This fund will max out in the $25 million dollar range. Roanoke “is not subject to flooding or hurricane events like some other entities,” said Shawver, explaining why 10% is sufficient “We only get hamstrung about creating bigger reserves when we’ve got budget challenges … had we had more in the reserves when we went through the very difficult recessionary time it might have given us more flexibility,” remarked Shawver. After reaching the peak in the Undesignated Fund Balance, Shawver recommended a new fund naming it the Economic Downturn Reserve. “This reserve would grow up to 5% of our budget,” said Shawver. This would peak at about $12 mil-
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Roanoke’s Remarkable Canvas
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> CONTINUED P2: Reserve
Republicans Roll in State: Winston Wins Sheriff Race
Photo by Gene Marrano
Mike Winston (left) celebrates his victory with top deputy sheriff Charlie Poff. Luckily from Mike Winston’s viewpoint the newly reelected sheriff from Roanoke County wasn’t overtaken by the anti-Democrat sentiment that sweept southwest Virginia and the country. Winston, running on the Democrat Elections ticket, almost doubled the vote total of independent Mike Stovall, 18,000 to 10,000, to hold on to the seat he inherited when Gerald Holt retired as Roanoke County sheriff seven months ago. (Holt is now a U.S. Marshall.) Winston took a concession call from Stovall around 8:30 at the Colony House motel Tuesday night, where Democrats had gathered to watch election
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Photo by Stuart Revercomb
R
ick Stevens of Roanoke, works steadily on his canvas to reproduce the full spectrum of brilliant colors that have blanketed the valley recently. The fall leaves in Southwest VA have peaked but valley residents can still enjoy some breathtaking views from the ridges and mountaintops that ring Roanoke. As color display goes, most observers have deemed
it to be a “very good year” owing largely to rains and temperatures that arrived at just the right time. Leaf pigment, the physics of light, weather conditions, plant species, and geography all play important roles in the colors of autumn and when all those factors come together perfectly, there’s no better place to paint (or be!) than Roanoke.
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> CONTINUED P2: Election
Passenger Train Service Depends Eco-Entrepreneur From On Funding and Citizen Support Mexico City Challenges Hire a Veteran P10– Guest business columnist Bill Whitmore makes a strong case for hiring people with skill sets that have been forged and sharpened by the U.S. military.
Is Roanoke any closer to getting passenger train service again, something it has not had since 1971? Aside from the occasional excursion trains that arrive every fall, Roanokers must head to Lynchburg or Clifton Forge in order to catch an Amtrak train to other parts of the country. As he did last year, once again state senator John Edwards (DRoanoke) hosted a town hall meeting at the O. Winston Link Museum on the future of passenger rail service. Once again the lobby of the building, which Photo by Bill Turner also doubles as the Convention Visitors gather outside the O. Winton Link Museum after an & Visitor’s Bureau information excursion train arrives Saturday from Spencer North Carolina. center, was jammed with people. “Your interest and enthusi- (D-Botetourt County) and City much support is there for this asm makes all the difference in Manager Chris Morrill were bus bridge in jurisdictions other among those in attendance at than Roanoke City?” the world,” said Edthe latest town hall. The state director of rail and wards as the meeting Morrill said it was public transportation, Thelma Transportation got underway. possible that by Drake, was on hand to paint Last week’s update the spring bus ser- a realistic picture of passensession focused on two factors: the availability of funding, es- vice to the Lynchburg Kemper ger rail expansion locally. The pecially at the federal level, and St. Amtrak station could be in state is “working on a study,” the demand for such a service place; passengers would pur- said Drake, that would look at in the Roanoke Valley. Edwards chase one ticket that includes the feasibility of adding the bus estimated last year that the ear- both the bus bridge and train bridge that would take people from Roanoke to the Amtrak liest target date for the restora- fare. “We are very committed to station in Lynchburg, at least tion of passenger rail originating in downtown Roanoke try and put that bus bridge in,” until if / when the trains return would be 2015, if a combina- said Morrill. “[There are] logis- to Roanoke. Increased Amtrak service tion of state and federal funding tics to work out.” Cooperation from other local governments were in place. > CONTINUED Roanoke Mayor David Bow- may be a key,” said Bowers, P3:Train adding “it is regional. How ers, State Senator Ralph Smith
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Cultural Input P11– Roanoke City asks for and receives plenty of input for its new plans that will produce a new “arts and culture blueprint.”
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Roanoke Students
It becomes immediately apparent, even to a high school audience, that Santiago Lobeira is worth listening to because he walks the talk of sustainability; because he is making clear in Mexico that “green” is both an economic and a moral imperative; and because he has succeeded in early efforts as an eco-entrepreneur to bring both corporate and government entities to a new level of environmental responsibility. Photo by And his passion for this work Santiago Lobeira with Dr. is contagious. Santiago, a lean, athletic Bruce Rinker. 38-yr-old native of Mexico and then that he would be persongraduate of Nicolas School of ally involved in making the the Environment at Duke Uni- changes he saw as necessary in versity, recently spent two days the way we relate to the natural with students at North Cross world that sustains us. School. He traces his path toFive years ago, Santiago met wards the masters degree at Dr. Bruce Rinker, North Cross Duke—and his commitment to Science Department Chair, the environment that has come at a time when Rinker was in since—to a day some twenty Peru as an ecologist years ago, when, as studying forest canEducation a young law student opy biology. The in Mexico City, he two have grown was preparing for that friendship over the years, his daily run. Warnings on the and on October 20-21, Lobeira television cautioned against spoke to classes at North Cross outdoor activities because the on biomimicry, on leadership air was dangerously polluted. This air-quality crisis became his wake-up call--his moment > CONTINUED of turning point. He knew P2: Eco-Entrepreneur
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