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The Roanoke Star-Sentinel September 16 - 22, 2011
NewsRoanoke.com
Community | News | Per spective
County Approves Wind Turbine Ordinance
[In Memoriam]
Tolling Of The Bell Lucky Garvin
A Soft Knocking P4– Lucky Garvin questions why we are so often caught between “spirit-led and earthly driven” moments.
Hope For Autism P6– Roanoke’s Interim Healthcare Director of Rehab Services gives the details of a new treatment program to address Autism.
Knights Crossing P7– The 8th Annual Cross Country Meet drew 1500 runners from 80 schools to the day long event.
Benson Benefit P11– 10 time Grammy Award winner and guitar legend George Benson plays in and for the Jefferson Center on Sept 16th.
Photo by Valerie Garner
Aric Bower, son of retired Roanoke Police Sergeant Jeff Bower, plays Amazing Grace on bagpipes during Sunday’s Procession.
T
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
he sky was an extraordinary bright blue with a few stray fluffy clouds and bright streaks of sun slowly ebbing as the time for Roanoke Valley’s 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony drew near. The commemoration was a combined effort by Roanoke City, Roanoke County, Salem City and Vinton. Looking toward the sky one could spot public safety “look outs” perched above 202 Market and Cornerstone Bar and Grill - Binoculars watching for the unthinkable. If the unthinkable happened in Roanoke “our local first responders, like those on 9/11 would suit-up, rush into the fire, do their duty with courage and serve their fellow man – that’s their sacrifice – their sacred duty,” said Roanoke City’s Mayor David Bowers. Charlotte Moore, Roanoke County Vice Chair, Board of Supervisors, read the poem “The Last Alarm” by Jim Martinez dedicated to the children of fallen firefighters. Some let the tears flow while others held it in - marked though by solemn faces.
Electoral Board Proposes Combining Precincts Dwindling poll workers, lack of available locations, cost savings and several council members’ interest spurred Roanoke City’s Electoral Board to set out a plan to reduce/ combine voting precincts throughout the city, said Electoral Board member and attorney Melvin Williams in a phone call. They set out to do just that with new census numbers from 2010. According to Williams, City Attorney Combined preBill Hackworth contacted the board ask- cincts may be in ing them to prepare to talk to council in a store for voters. work session about the precincts. Williams wanted to wait until after the November elections but Hackworth wanted to start now because the process would be lengthy. “That resulted in this initial proposal … there were obvious precincts they could combine,” said Williams. Hackworth sent city council an email with the legalities of it all. That resulted in Williams and Registrar Lavern Grigsby showing up at Monday’s work session. They waited for three hours. The conversation Monday turned into a “process only discussion,” said Williams. After an hour-long back and forth, he said “they decided that within 60 days the Electoral Board is going to > CONTINUED, P2: Precints
The final Tolling of the Bell was followed by “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes that were played by Aric Bower, son of retired Roanoke Police Sergeant Jeff Bower. That brought out some tearful holdouts. Every detail of the ceremony went flawlessly. The bell was rung by retired Virginia Beach Battalion Chief Mike Brown who spent 19 days at ground zero operating and directing recovery and rescue missions. “He knows all too well the sacrifices made on September 11,” said Roanoke County’s Fire Chief Richard Burch, Jr. The Tolling of the Bell dates back to telegraph days and the red fire alarm boxes. Fire departments used this method to tap out a signal to communicate that a firefighter or other public safety officer was killed in the line of duty. The signal is five measured dashes, a pause, five more dashes, a pause, and then a final five dashes; a is a signal of honor and respect for all firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting their com> CONTINUED P2: 9/11 munity.
Roanoke County Board of Supervisors chairman Butch Church’s prediction that Tuesday’s meeting would turn into a “fun night” as they considered a large wind turbine ordinance turned out to be mostly untrue. With little incident and some minor tweaking, the board established guidelines for any applicant that wants to petition Roanoke County in regards to constructing an electricity-generating wind farm. “We heard 50 to 55 speakers,” county attorney Paul Mahoney reminded the board about the public hearing several weeks ago. The only real theatrics came when Windsor Hills supervisor Ed Elswick abruptly left the meeting before all the amendments were voted on. Many of the residents in Elswick’s district live on Bent Mountain and are opposed to the 18-tower large turbine wind farm proposed for Poor Mountain by Invenergy. When the amendments he introduced—to increase the setback from turbines to adjacent properties and to decrease the acceptable noise levels—were shot down, Elswick stormed out. “Mr. Elswick is gone,” he said, “there’s no reason for him to stay. Ya’ll have pretty much decided what needs to be done.” The retired engineer then slammed the door on the way out. The four remaining supervisors carried on, voting on proposed amendments to the large turbine ordinance, and finally on the measure itself, which passed by a 4-0 vote. Church and several other supervisors stressed that passing the ordinance did not mean approving the Poor Mountain project, which has not even been applied for by Invenergy. Each proposed wind farm project will have to > CONTINUED P2:Turbine
Conservation Celebration Will Honor Longtime Supporters Longtime supporters of the outdoors, George and Louise Kegley, have put their money where their mouth is – or at least their land, by putting a conservation easement on their 116acre farm in northeast Roanoke City. That means their property near Tinker Creek will not be developed, and will remain green for future generations. The Kegleys will be honored for that commitment on Sunday, September 18, during the Conservation Celebration (4-7 p.m.). The event is sponsored by the Western Virginia Land Trust, which has helped protect over 80,000 acres in the region though conservation easements and donations or purchases of land since 1996. The WVLT itself holds 39 conservation easements that protect 15,500 acres
George and Louise Kegley will be recognized for their support of conservation easements. and 33 miles of streams in a 10-county service area. George and Louise Kegley will accept the A. Victor Thomas Environmental Stewardship Award for their commitment to
open space preservation in Virginia. George Kegley, a retired journalist, said setting an exam> CONTINUED P2: Conservation
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