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Community | News | Per spective

April 2 - 8, 2010

Mill Mountain Easement Back Under Review

NewsRoanoke.com

City Manager Predicts Slow Growth for Roanoke

Roanoke Choirs Bring Joy and Relief

Mike Keeler

March Madness?

P5– New Columnist Mike Keeler points out the not so hot graduation rates that go with the top NCAA teams.

Track Tourney P7– Athletes from around the Valley compete in the Knight’s Classic Invitational Track Meet.

A Parks and Rec employee goes over easement placement with residents.

Roanoke City Parks & Recreation is putting the finishing touches on a presentation it will make to City Council soon - before that board makes the final decision on the size of a Mill Mountain conservation easement. Parks & Recreation held two public input sessions, the second one last week, to gather input from citizens on what they want protected from development and what City News level of building, if any, they might be able to live with.

Department director Steve Buschor says the final size of the conservation easement that City Council will vote on – 500 acres or more – has not been determined. “We’re still working on that. The base of Mill Mountain is surrounded by 113 private properties,” notes Buschor. The conservation easement public meetings were designed to gather the thoughts of the pub-

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P8– A laid back Scott Obenchain talks about the importance of relationships in beginning “Blue Ridge Church.”

Shame Less P9– Roanoke’s “No Shame” theatre continues to offer a venue to aspiring enter tainers of ALL kinds.

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Chris Morrill, Roanoke’s new City Manager, started off the recent Monday afternoon’s budget development work session with city council on a somber note.

“The future ain’t what it used to be… what we do today will affect future generations,” said Morrill.

Director of Finance Ann Shawver led off the meeting by telling council that Roanoke’s sales tax generation Economy is at the fiscal year 2004 level.

In years 2006 through 2007 the city experienced six and a half percent growth. By fiscal year 2011, “the city will have had four years of consecutive decline,” said Shawver.

In 2009 Roanoke city experienced a five percent decline and Shawver sees “no true turn yet.”

Year-to-date the city is down sixteen percent in sales tax revenue from fiscal year 2009 while the state’s sales tax revenue is only

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> CONTINUED P2: Mill Mountain

Church Planting

Chris Morrill, Ann Shawver and Sherman Stovall parse the budget numbers.

T

Photo provided by VA Museum of Transportation

he recent earthquake in Haiti has prompted two of Roanoke’s premier singing groups to add a couple of dates to their busy schedules in order to help with the ongoing relief efforts. Roanoke College Choir and the “Oriana Singers” of Roanoke College are partnering with St. Andrews Catho-

lic Church to present two concerts for earthquake relief on April 18 at 4 p.m. and on April 30th at St. Andrew’s.

Both choirs have thrived under the leadership of longtime Director Jeffrey Sandborg. Read more on Sandborg and the choirs under his direction in this week’s Arts & Culture Section on Page 11.

> CONTINUED P2: Slow Growth

Roanoker Brings Wide Range of The “Pie Lady” Experiences and Food to Table Takes Creations to Whole New Level

The Roanoke Valley’s newest local food advocate got his start as a radiation safety expert in a nuclear power plant.

Mike Scott, a southwest Roanoke resident, recently started roanokevalleylocavore.org. The new website is designed to be the region’s one-stop shop for information on local food growers and producers of all types and how to taste their wares.

It’s a big leap from Scott’s start in the nuclear power industry in 1981. Fresh out of Virginia Tech with a degree in biology and a minor in “health physics” (read: radiation safety), Scott’s job at Photo by Dave Perry nuclear power plants in Florida, A man of many talents, Mike Scott warms up before a recent South Carolina and Colorado gig with his band MWB. was to tell workers how long they could be in certain areas of to see that there would be a need all had gardens. ‘Local’ was your the plant before their radiation for people who could integrate home.” exposure got too high. technology into the classroom, Scott’s parents moved their Scott followed that with a says Scott. family from Hinton to northern seven-year stint at A few other Virginia when Scott was a child the University of Virmoves ensued be- to take teaching positions. Local Buying Local ginia Health Science fore Scott ended up food “was one of the things that Center, where he was in his current posi- we lost,” Scott said. “In Fairfax, involved with the handling of tion as Coordinator of Instruc- we bought into this whole inthe radioactive materials used tional Technology for Botetourt dustrial, urban food thing.” for medical treatments in can- County Schools.

In 2009, Scott and wife Thecer patients.

So how did someone versed resa Bell joined a local comA move to Ferrum, where his in nuclear physics and comput- munity supported agriculture first wife had taken a new job, er technology end up becoming (CSA) venture in Floyd County. brought Scott, a Hinton, WV an advocate for locally-grown For an up-front investment, the native, back to his country roots. food? Scott blames his roots, so CSA delivered fresh local proWith opportunities in the nu- to speak. duce once a week to the Natural clear industry scarce in Franklin “In my family background Foods Co-op on Grandin Rd. County, Scott earned a master’s from West Virginia, I had come “The CSA gets you one step degree in instructional technol- from a generation who conogy and found a job teaching at sidered growing food a part of > CONTINUED Franklin County High School. their lifestyle,” said Scott. “They P3: Scott “You didn’t need a crystal ball”

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Lisa Helmick is a mother, wife, nurse, cook, and entrepreneur. She moved with her husband and children from Michigan to Daleville in 2006.

After the move, the Dublin native didn’t want to go back into nursing full time.

However, with five children, she wanted a way to provide some extra income and be there when the kids came home from school. Lisa’s sister suggested that since Lisa loves to cook, she somehow Photo by Beverly Amsler turn that into a business. After Lisa Helmick, “The Pie Lady.” talking with a woman in the Winston-Salem, North Caro- pensive, yet personal gift for her lina area who makes chicken children’s teachers. She hosted pie, “I just started experiment- a luncheon for the teachers at ing and playing, and came up Greenfield Elementary School during an in-service with something I day and says the thought would be Local Fare luncheon was “a big good.” hit.”

One Sunday Her husband suggested after church Lisa served a chicken pie to her family, “and “Easy as Pie” for the company I thought ‘O. K. this is my true name. But her reputation pretest right here…because with ceded her, as Lisa recalls, “And five kids I very rarely can have a good friend of mine said, ‘You one [food] that all five enjoy know, everyone keeps saying, the same thing.’” It met with ‘Oh, you’re that pie lady; let’s unanimous approval, husband just go with that.’”

She started out with included.

Casting about for some two basic types of pies; now more feedback, Lisa made she has eight, including two batches (each batch makes “ChiknBroc&Chse” and “Just about 25 pies) and gave them Chikn,” plus two dessert pies-away to friends and family, asking for their input. She > CONTINUED also found the pies an inex- P3: Pie Lady

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> Mill Mountain Highs are in the 80’s Thursday, Friday and possibly Saturday as the sunshine continues. For the weekend, we could potentially see a few more clouds as we kick it off on Saturday but,

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lic concerning the top of the mountain, on acreage “that they do not wish to have included in the conservation easement.”

Where that line will be drawn could partially determine if there would be space for development at the top of Mill Mountain, such as for the restaurant proposed

by Valley Forward a few years ago. “Then we’ll know specifically about the number of acres,” notes Buschor. The Mill Mountain Land Use Plan would still help restrict any development on the mountain, much of which is a city park.

About 80-100 people showed up at the two public meetings, while another 100 or more took an online survey about Mill Mountain. Buschor said it was still “too early in the process,” to draw concrete conclusions about what residents want to see. “We are [still] very interested in hearing what people want to say.”

With the vast majority of Mill Mountain being on a slope, most don’t want to see de-

From page 1

velopment marring their view shed there, while some could live with more building near the summit. “[But] some people are adamantly opposed to building on top,” said Buschor.

Most of the mountain, except for acreage near the top, will most likely wind up in an easement, according to Buschor, who will assemble all of the information gathered for a presentation he will make to City Council.

He expects another public hearing before council decides to either vote or table a vote on the easement; Buschor figures the whole process will be wrapped up by June.

Public input and the eventual vote on two easements at Carvins Cove is a model of sorts for the Mill Mountain process, according to Buschor. “The community … realizes what a wonderful asset Mill Mountain is – and very unique. They’re interested in making sure it’s sustainable for future generations, in one form or another.”

> Slow Growth down six to seven percent. “There’s no place for this to go but up – it’s just a question of when it is going to go up,” said Shawver.

Council member Gwen Mason asked how the projections were estimated. Shawver explained that it is not scientific but is a comparison with prior months tracking which leaves a lot of gray area. Shawver attributed the severe decline in sales tax revenue to an outlier comparison in 2009 related to construction.

Maintaining the current level of school funding leaves the city out of balance to the tune of $10.1 million.

With the general assembly borrowing from VRS (Virginia Retirement System) to subsidize schools, there was a slight improvement in the schools’ shortfall at $8.8 million. School Administrator Rita Bishop added what she considered two critical items – summer school and crossing guards.

Shawver explained that borrowing from VRS was like raiding the Social Security lock box. Bishop added that, “It will have to be paid back with interest too.”

The school figure lacked council’s promised $500,000 yearly increase. It holds steady at the 2010 level of $1 million. Should council approve the two percent meals tax increase it would restore 23 of the 93 position reductions. Bishop still favors closing Round Hill Primary school. The justification was that there is an opening for a

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Mill Mountain Toll Booth Fundraiser: Originally opened in 1924, the former toll booth located on the old road that once led to the top of Mill Mountain has been steadily deteriorating and was recently damaged by a falling tree. Now an effort is underway to restore it, and a fundraiser at Rockledge Inn on Tuesday, April 6 (6:30 p.m. - 8) will aid that cause. Rockledge, now owned by Dr. Kevin and Nancy Dye, was once the home of former Mayor Ralph Smith. Tickets are $50 each for the fundraiser on Tuesday.

There has been “a tremendous groundswell of support. People started coming out and saying they’d give money,” notes Steve Buschor. Carilion has pledged $10,000 towards the 26K Roanoke City wants to raise.

“It’s literally falling apart,” adds Buschor.

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

From page 1

principal elsewhere and Round Hill was the only K-5 school remaining.

Morrill recommended elimination of the DARE program at elementary schools, saying “measuring the efficiency of DARE can’t be proven.”

Recommended cuts in public safety include eliminating a training position, an assistant fire Marshall, an EMS battalion chief, a building inspector, middle school resource officers and support staff.

Council member Anita Price voiced concern on the closure of Crisis Intervention and Youth Haven. Price asked, “Where would they be absorbed to?”

“There is no place for them to go,” admitted Sherman Stovall, Director of Management and Budget.

Assistant manager Brian Townsend said, “not every community in Virginia has programs like this… there is not currently a private sector provider for that service.”

Councilman Court Rosen wondered why efficiencies were not targeted earlier. Stovall said the shortfall “has forced us to look more critically at how to provide services.”

He admitted that prior to this budget session it was done in a piecemeal fashion and now it will be done systematically.

Discontinuation of holiday and special event decorations was bandied about. Mayor David Bowers lamented over the elimination of decorations saying, “We are becoming a colorless, flowerless city.”

This prompted a privatization discusMotivated Seller sion with Bowers 3531 Peters Creek Rd. cautioning that the 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath outcomes are not always favorable and 1011 Square Feet pointing to VDOT as an example. “We lose some control over it… there is always that profit motive,” said Bowers. Morrill agreed that “the private sector does not always do better… competition does it.”

He explained that you always want to

CONDO FOR SALE

NewsRoanoke.com

have the ability to “take it back over again.”

Parks and recreation will suffer program reductions with closure of the main branch library on Sunday, Raleigh Court branch one night a week and the Virginia room one day a week. The Washington Park and Fallon Park pools will operate three days a week.

Further cuts in personnel were delineated: Judicial administration will lose a law clerk. The Commonwealth Attorney will eliminate an hourly employee. Community development and planning will lose two positions and there will be no more stipends for the planning commission and board of zoning appeals members.

Health and welfare will lose five full-time positions along with a reduction in funding to outside agencies. Public works will lose three positions and building maintenance will be reduced along with curb and sidewalk maintenance Valley Metro will charge $1 for a student fare and the Star Trolley service will be reduced by 5 hours per day.

General government takes a soft blow, losing one human resources position. The Citizen magazine and municipal calendar will be eliminated with other means found to communicate with the citizens. One Treasurer Clerk position will be reallocated for an hourly employee instead.

Technology will lose two positions and other funding for savings of $689,000.

A total of 64 positions will be eliminated and unfunded to balance the 2011 budget.

A retirement incentive will be offered and acceptance required by July 1. Maximum payout is set at $9,000.

Increases in fees and fines recommended include parking ticket fines and boot removal, building inspections, amusement fee increases, fireworks permits and a $2 court fee for civil actions.

Bowers’ final request was for Morrill to look at economic development incentives to find “anything more we can do.”

Council will continue budget discussions on April 5 at 9:00 a.m., prior to the 2:00 p.m. council meeting, with a public hearing on the two percent meals tax.

By Valerie Garner info@newsroanoke.com

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4/2/10 - 4/8/10 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 3

NewsRoanoke.com

> Scott

From page 1

closer to people who are doing it like your grandparents did,” said Scott. “You do make a significant financial investment. We made more effort to cook and eat locally in our house. It was a lifestyle change—to eat better food.”

Scott believes that eating locally could help solve the nation’s obesity epidemic. “If people have a choice to move in that direction,” said Scott, “it might change their health habits.”

Scott sees economic benefits for the region as well. Besides health care and technology, “what else can expand in terms of the economy?” said

Scott. “There is plenty of arable land that can provide an economic base. This region historically could sustain huge numbers of people.”

Soon, Scott’s interest in local food collided with his interest in technology. After a meeting with the extension office at Virginia Tech, roanokevalleylocavore.org was born. “I was looking for resources in one place,” said Scott. The extension office plans a paper version later this spring.

The website was launched in mid-February and has attracted 42 submissions from local producers who receive a free listing. The list includes

such diverse producers as the Blue Ridge Poultry Co-op, Foggy Ridge Cider and Berry Ridge Farms and Gluten Free Bakery. Scott, who runs the site on a volunteer basis and has spent around $100 for its setup, says he now receives about three new submissions a day. A Facebook page has attracted around 50 fans in just two weeks.

In addition to spearheading the new food website, Scott is also a “star” in a local band.

MWB (for the band’s three founding members, Mike, Woody and Brian) plays at the Coffee Pot on Brambleton Avenue and other venues on oc-

> Pie Lady ”ChocPecan” and “MaplePecan.”

The Pie Lady says her pies are a French variation on the chicken pot pie and each contains more than a pound of chicken. The traditional pot pie is broth-based, but according to Lisa, her creations are gravy-based, using all local ingredients. The pies are frozen and can be popped into the oven and baked in about an hour.

Ideas for new flavors come from friends and family. Last year, then nine-year-old daughter, Grace, sug-

casion. Scott, who plays guitar and sings, says it all started with some guys singing at a New Year’s Eve party who had the dedication to “practice and learn a few songs.”

“I’m surprised anybody would allow us, or ask us, to play,” said Scott of the group, whose staples include Dylan’s “Tangled up in Blue” and “Ice Cream Man” by Van Halen. “If you have a lot of friends and they drink a lot of beer, they ask you to play.”

By Dave Perry Info@NewsRoanoke.com

From page 1 gested a cheesy chicken pie. “And my dad, who’s just an hour down the road, he called me one day and he was out on his farm and he said, ‘I would love for you to try to make a chicken fajita pie.’” Lisa’s sister suggested chicken cordon blue. Lisa’s husband’s coworkers at Norfolk Southern were brainstorming one day and came up with chicken and mushroom. All four pies are now on the menu.

She says it truly is a family business. Lisa stamps boxes to hold the

pies, and her children fold them. “And we pay them to fold boxes, just like a job.” Usually one of the children will help on Saturdays when Lisa hands out samples and sells her pies at Ikenberry’s Farmer’s Market. She adds, “My husband helps me get supplies and he delivers for me sometimes.” Customers love that the pies make a delicious meal with no extras needed.

The family just finished a downstairs kitchen for the business. The commercial freezer, which her husband found

on Ebay, holds 120 pies. She usually bakes late at night or early in the morning when the children are asleep.

Maybe one day she’ll sell her business to a corporation, but for now Lisa is concentrating on the day-to-day operation. There’s even the possibility of “the Pie Lady” store sometime in the future. “I would love to have a place where all Moms can sell their things… we could have a cookie section and have the pies.”

Her advice for someone wanting to

start their own business: “Go for it,” she says. “This is totally a God thing because it is a recession and it baffles me that this business is surviving and thriving.”

Call (540) 816-7227 for more information.

By Beverly Amsler info@newsroanoke.com

Environmental Group Announces Annual Dinner Salutes Ronald Reagan “Cool Citizen” Awards

Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, at its annual affiliates conference held March 26, 2010 at Roanoke’s Claude Moore Education Complex, recognized the finalists and announced the winners of its “Cool Citizen Awards” for 2010. These awards are presented by the coalition to individuals, businesses, and government agencies whose efforts have contributed to the overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, consistent with the coalition’s overall mission.

The 2010 “Cool Citizens Awards” finalists and winners are: Category: Business - Winner - Structures Design / Build, Adam Cohen, owner “Structures” was cited for its contribution to and work on the Center for Energy Efficient Design, currently under construction at the Gereau Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration in Franklin County; also for its innovative offering of the Passive House low- or no-energy building design.

Category: Media - Winner - Dan Smith, Valley Business Front Mr. Smith was cited for his commitment to environmental responsibility in the business community, throughout his editorial career including his earlier affiliation with the Blue Ridge Business Journal and his current work with Valley Business Front.

Category: GovernmentWinners - Charlotte Moore, Cave Spring District Supervisor, Roanoke County; AND Franklin County Schools Ms. Moore was cited for her

Picture courtesy Jeremy Holmes, RIDE Solutions

L to R: Mark E. Hanson, Ron McCorkle, Billy Weitzenfeld, Charlotte Moore, Dan Smith, Adam Cohen, Neil Sigmon, John Richardson. involvement and support of the Sharebike was cited for its work of Roanoke County to effectiveness in raising awaremeasure its carbon footprint, ness of bicycling, a completely set specific reduction goals emission-free form of travel, for community greenhouse as a viable element of our logas emissions, and establish a cal transportation system, and citizens committee to further for its involvement with other these goals through commu- groups to stimulate, support nity involvement. and link together a wide range Franklin County Schools re- of community-based bicycle ceived recognition for its com- initiatives in the Roanoke Valmitment to the Center for En- ley. ergy Efficient Design. Teachers Category: Special AchieveNeil Sigmon and John Richard- ment - Winner - Billy Weitzenson have been closely involved feld, Executive Director, Assowith this project and received ciation of Energy Conservation the award on behalf of Franklin Professionals County Schools.

Mr. Weitzenfeld was recogCategory: Individual -Win- nized as the driving force bener - Mark E. Hanson hind the Green Living and EnMr. Hanson was cited for ergy Expo, which over the past commitment to renewable ten years has become one of the energy innovation, his initia- premier energy conservation tive in forming a local chapter events in the country, drawof the Renewable Energy and ing thousands of citizens and Electric Vehicle Association business people to learn and through which he has recruited exchange ideas about energy a cadre of volunteers to provide efficiency and conservation. help with DIY renewable energy systems in the community.

Category: Nonprofit - WinBy Mark McClain ner - Sharebike (founder Ron Info@NewsRoanoke.com McCorkle)

The Hotel Roanoke Crystal Ballroom was adorned with red and blue decorations as Roanokers gathered to celebrate Ronald Reagan and his legacy.

This annual event is sponsored by the Roanoke City Republican Committee as a way to honor what they consider to be one of the greatest presidents to ever serve our country.

Jim DeLong, the new Roanoke City Chairman, welcomed guests with a video of the former president at the 1996 Republican National Convention, featuring many scenes from his personal life as well as his presidency.

Pat Mullins, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, spoke about the lawsuit Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has filed against the federal government over the healthcare bill. “The true cost to file this bill was only $350, not millions as the Democrats claim,” said Mullins. “We must get rid of Boucher, Connolly and Perriello this November because the best is yet to come.”

Delegate Bill Cleaveland, Senator Ralph Smith and Congressman Bob Goodlatte all had a turn at the podium. As Cleaveland was introduced, the Carly Simon song “You’re So Vain,” was played in a not-sosubtle dig at his opponent in the November elections, Gwen Mason.

Cleaveland spoke of being honored to follow in his predecessor William Fralin’s footsteps.

Goodlatte relayed that when Congress was in session about to vote on the healthcare bill, the entire Congressional body could hear the chants of “Kill the Bill” from the lawn outside.

“People don’t realize how much a trillion dollars really is,” said Goodlatte. “A stack of 100 dollar bills worth a billion dollars

stands only four inches high. A stack of 100 dollar bills worth a trillion dollars stands 67 miles high.”

Lt. Governor Bill Bolling was the night’s keynote speaker. He said that he believes Virginia will go back to being a red state because the national political mood has changed dramatically in a short period of time, and because people are scared for the future of Virginia. “Right now there is a European socialist form of government. Obama has put us 72 trillion dollars in debt and by 2020 we will be 172 trillion dollars in debt, thanks to his healthcare plan,” said Bolling.

He added, “Seventy percent of Independents voted for Bob

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Perspective

Page 4 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 4/2/10 - 4/8/10

The Health Care Reform Bill proposed sweeping changes in has passed . . . finally. The ques- healthcare. Out of this came tion is what does it mean and the Medicare and then Medicaid. answer one gets depends whom Although both are contributing you ask. In an effort to clear to the financial precipice toward my own thinking, I accepted a which we are being swept, that luncheon invitation from Con- was not viewed as a problem gressman Bob Goodlatte. It was when the bill became law in well-attended by the party faith- 1965. What upset everyone was ful (of which I am not one) but the socialistic flavor that was I was appreciative of rolling across the being included. land; it was not about Bob Goodlatte, the cost. whom I have known We have heard the since his days as an same thing about the aide to then Concurrent legislation gressman Caldwell but those who have Butler, conducted received the benefits himself impressively. from Medicare and He has a command Medicaid are, by and of the facts, a presenlarge, satisfied with tation manner that is how the programs authoritative with- Hayden Hollingsworth have worked. Alout being profesthough there was sorial, and a sense no oversight agenof humor that has survived his cy such as the Congressional long tenure in Washington.

Budget Office in 1965, governIn his remarks he pointed out ment economists predicted that a number of serious problems, in 1990 the cost of the programs as well as some good points, would be 12 billion dollars; in in the bill as it was passed. We actual fact, in 1990 the cost was need not dwell on those here, 107 billion. Now the unfunded since they have been bandied mandated entitlements of Social about, ad nauseam, for months. Security, Medicare and MedicTwo things impressed me about aid to are in excess of 50 trillion his talk: First, he knows why he dollars. Congressman Goodthinks it a bad bill; second, he latte said, and everyone agrees, had almost nothing to say about that the current rate of debt acwhat better alternative would cumulation is unsustainable. be.

Then comes the conversaThe questions from the floor tion about getting rid of abuse, he handled with aplomb but fraud, and waste in healthcare. many dealt with further expla- These are laudable goals to be nations of the problems rather sure but will fall dismally short than pushing him for better of curtailing the cost. The adsolutions. As I listened to the ministration and the Demodiscussion I thought back to the crats are equally disingenuous history of political controversy in saying there will be a debt about health policy. reduction of one trillion dollars In 1964 President Johnson as a result of the new bill. The

Presbyterian Church in America

ESTMINSTER

Westminster Presbyterian Church invites the community to join their Holy Week services: April 1 (Maundy Thursday) at 7:00 p.m.

A service of scripture and hymns focusing on events from the last supper to Christ’s burial.

Good Friday from noon to 3:00 pm The church sanctuary will be open to the public for individual meditation and prayer.

All are welcome to come and go as your schedules permit.

Written materials will be available to assist your meditation.

Easter morning at 7:00 a.m.

Celebrating an Easter sunrise service at Cedar Lawn Memorial Cemetery on Cove Road.

Easter morning at 10:30 a.m.

A joy filled worship service in the church sanctuary.

All services will be translated for the deaf.

The 10:30 Easter morning service will be translated into Spanish.

Read more about the church at www.westpca.org.

Westminster is located on Peters Creek Road next to Duncan Acura Car Dealership

CBO has to define the cost of a bill according to the rules set

by Congress, the most onerous of which is that the bill must be considered in a vacuum; other programs and their needs cannot be factored into what the government can afford. It is exactly analogous to an individual buying a million dollar house without considering that there are 6 children to send to college while a huge mortgage has to be paid. For the supporters of the healthcare reform to suggest that it is a cost-saving measure disregards not only past history, but present and future needs beyond health issues.

I am often asked how I feel about the legislation. I am confused; I am frightened; I am concerned that both sides are playing fast and loose with the facts. Of even more concern is the public’s opposition, sometimes violent, to anything that will increase taxes, decrease services, or both. The ugly backlash against some Congressman who voted for the bill will give pause to many candidates in the coming election cycle.

I left the meeting feeling somewhat better. Had the issue failed entirely, as it appeared a few months ago it surely would, then we would have faced another 40 years before it could again be approached. That would be too late . . . we cannot survive if changes aren’t made.

But we, the people, hate change particularly when it reaches our wallets.

There are only three ways to deal with the debt of which healthcare is a huge part: Raise revenue, cut expenditures, or print money. If you think the latter works, remember hyperinflation of Argentina.

The whole thing reminds me of having to give my children nasty tasting medicine. It had to be done. We held them down, squeezed their wee noses and made it happen. Our bad medicine will be increased taxes, decreased services and Congress needs to make us take our medicine, even if it costs them their jobs. To ignore the truth is to place the entire system at risk for our grandchildren.

We have survived huge crises in the past and not been found wanting. I hope that will be true this time, too. It will take more than high flown rhetoric and an appetite for self-interest. That applies to ordinary people just as much as it does to Congress.

Contact Hayden at jhayden2003@cox.net

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ACROSS 1 4 7 9 10 11 12 15 17 21 22 24 25 26 28 29 31 33 34 35

Discs National police Garden tools Gofer Bridge support Has Sacred poem Often poetically Demonstrations Military vehicle Cord Duck Alternative (abbr.)

Spongy Eye infection Clean (2 wds.)

Laughing dogs Epoch __ Francisco Ensure

38 41 42 44 46 48 49 50 52 53 54 56 58 59 60 61

Anguish Energy unit Faultless Gone to lunch Fat Entrances Channel 10 around here.

Unit Delaware Wooly animals Left Notion Atmosphere Christmas song Ornament Bard's before

DOWN 1 Chalkboard need 2 Residence hall 3 Part of a min.

4 Not many 5 A great sci-fi writer and Roanoke''s own.

6 Set in 8 Sprung (2 wds.)

9 Chemical salt 12 School group 13 A natural reason for Roanoke?

14 Opposed 16 Friday (abbr.)

18 Tableland 19 Grain 20 Crafty 22 Multiplied by self 23 Science field 26 Pancake topper 27 Bread leavening 30 Winter mo.

32 North northeast 35 It glows inside our city limits 36 We smooth the wrinkles out - ---- specialty.

37 Worn 38 Magician 39 Love flower 40 Christmas 41 Deli order 43 Enemy 45 Teaspoon (abbr.)

47 Doctrine 49 What Moby Dick is 51 Tallest mountain nearest to roanoke salem and vinton area and holds the broadcast towers for our television stations.

53 Dreamer 55 Negative 57 Deer

Find the answers online: TheRoanokeStar.com Have a clue and answer you’d like to see? email: puzzles@theroanokestar.com

By Don Waterfield

NewsRoanoke.com

The Other Christian Tree

After a hard winter in the Eastern United Christian pastors and their flocks to the polls to States, spring offers a resurrection. Particularly re-elect Bush. here in the Appalachian Bible Belt, we're lookBy then, Reed had left the Coalition amidst ing toward Easter. finance scandals and started a consulting firm, Good Friday will find my little conservation Century Strategies taking his Christian contact group planting trees. It's our way to dig in and list with him. pray for the world: the vanishing songbirds, our That list allowed him to mobilize Christian Virginia mountains getting pulverized by coal groups not only for political clients (like Mitt corporations, the living streams buried in rub- Romney, Sarah Palin, and Virginia's Governor ble. We could use a resurrection around here.

Bob McDonnell), but corporate giants Enron, I say this as a Christian conserKoch, Microsoft, and various oil, vationist. That term is still an oxycoal, energy, big auto and timber inmoron for the Christian Right, of terests. course, long known for its anti-enviThese clients hire Reed to turn ronmental stance. public opinion against regulatory Environmentalism is a sacrificial policy, including climate action, EPA cult, Chuck Colson warns, on his standards and the Endangered SpeBreakPoint Christian radio broadcies Act. Hence, disdain for environcast. mental protection becomes a new Ecologists ask Americans to sacChristian Value. rifice themselves for a living earth, It's preached not only through Colson notes. Is this not human certain Christian Broadcasters Liza Field sacrifice to an idol ? and ministries, but Reed's longColson, the strategist who once time friends Rush Limbaugh, Ann helped convert Christian Dixiecrats into Nixon Coulter, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity supporters, believes Jesus is interested in free- whose persistent, widely-aired efforts to wed market values, not endangered species.

Jesus to materialism have ironically made them Ken Ham, of Answers in Genesis, agrees. the loudest representatives of Christianity on Ham's Creation Museum offers visitors displays the planet. of plastic species and automaton dinosaurs to It's an effective, values-added product to ofprove that God made Creation. 4,500 years ago, fer special interests media coverage, a ready-toHam concedes, God did ask Noah to save all go lobby, a real pulpit. But does it have hidden species from mass extinction. costs?

But Christians mustn't save those species toWell, the weird marriage alliance between day. Why? God and mammon is a turn-off, say my agFor one thing, endangered species occupy nostic conservation friends. They say the vithabitat desired by industries that help sponsor riol expressed by Pat Robertson, Coulter and and steer the Christian Right.

Limbaugh, combined with a bizarre reverence Climate action poses a similar threat. for greed and self-interest, makes the Christian Issues in Education, a Christian radio home- message sound unappealing, if not insane. schooling broadcast I sometimes hear, warns Some Christian leaders agree. Why, wonders parents that climate change a heresy is being evangelical minister Richard Cizik, should protaught in schools. It also urges listeners to lobby life defend nine months for the unborn, but not for oil-drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife human adulthood on a livable planet?

Refuge and home-school kids with textbooks I myself think about the trees. Up until his that praise deregulation and depict climate death, Falwell often exhorted us Christians to change as a hoax. defend the endangered Christmas tree. Not Who underwrites these messages? Various live trees, he warned for that would be pagan. industries with little interest in Christianity. It's No, we must instead save the dead, sawed-off called coalition-building.

Christmas tree from those who would destroy Just before his sudden death in 2007, Rev- it. erend Jerry Falwell launched a massive ad Well, there's no chopped-off Christmas tree campaign warning Christians to ignore global in the Bible. There is a tree of life, however rootwarming as a dangerous distraction from our ed from the beginning of Genesis to the end of focus on heaven.

Revelations.

For what will it profit us to save the whole Jesus said we would know a tree by its fruits. world and lose our souls?

If Christians can no longer discern between The ad mangled and inverted Jesus' famous real fruit and fake, live trees or dead, perhaps warning against materialism, but effectively we've been cut off too long from our own roots. supported its energy industry sponsors.

Maybe a return to the humble earth, this spring, Falwell wasn't working for big energy. He was could bring Christians and other species back simply doing the bidding of Ralph Reed, as he'd to life. done ever since Reed organized the Christian Coalition in 1989.

Liza Field is a hiker and conservationist. She Reed is the political and business strategist teaches English and philosophy in the Virginia widely credited for engineering today's Values Governor’s School and Wytheville Community Industry. His ingenious, microtargeting strate- College. gies made Values Voters the political force they Contact Liza at became by 2004, when Reed was hired to herd info@theroanokestar.com

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The Healthcare Bill: A Watershed Moment?

853-2236

Perspective

4/2/10 - 4/8/10 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 5

NewsRoanoke.com

There's a reason it's called "March Madness"

Don’t Miss The “Easter Opportunity”

Never Judge A Dog By Its Color

Attention prospective dog owners! When selecting a furry companion to join your midst it is not only important to select a breed conducive to your surroundings and lifestyle, but to consider the manner of the specific animal which wags, wiggles and pants before you. To mix and mangle a couple of standard metaphors "Never judge a dog by its color."

During the late nineties, my wife Janet and I became enthralled with a somewhat overlooked breed of hound used mostly for hunting. The object of our desire, the American Black and Tan Coonhound, are beautiful, sleek canines, known for its baleful howl and keen tracking skills. Other than stalking an occasional parking spot at Olive Garden, neither Janet nor I hunt, yet we found a Coonhound breeder north of Roanoke and purchased a splendid pup.

Janet is a fan of Margaret Mitchell's story of the old south "Gone with the Wind," and, previous to our meeting, began to name dogs after Mitchell's characters. Ashley, Rhett and Scarlett were already taken and choosing to forgo Melanie, Prissy and Pitty-Pat, we decided on Tara, in homage the esteemed O'Hara homestead. Tara was a graceful, intelligent, fearless and athletic creature that carried every trait and instinct passed down from her ancestors. Sadly, Tara went on to the great hunt in the sky a few years ago, leaving us with a Coonhound vacancy.

Rarely do we consider regenerating the pack too quickly as the departed could never really be replaced, however, six months later we were on the trail of another Black and Tan. Traveling south to Wytheville, we met up with a breeder carrying two dogs in the back of his pick-up. The first was a strapping young female, the other, a frightened, shivering pup that would not come out of her wooden travel box. For Janet, it was love at first sight. A cham9-24-07 pion of the underdog and a

As the NCAA basketball passing APR grade, and 19 protournaments tipped off, re- grams have graduated 100% of searchers at The Intheir players. All of stitute of Diversity the #1 seeded teams and Ethics in Sports have graduated did a little research.

100% of their playThey looked at the ers, including Tengraduation rates of nessee, which has the 65 men's and 64 famously graduated women's teams, utiall of its players for lizing a metric called years. the APR (Academic But among the Progress Rate) men, not so much. which the NCAA Although all of the Mike Keeler uses to measure #1 seeded teams teams' graduation perfor- received a passing score - inmance. A perfect APR of 1000 cluding Kansas, which scored equals a 100% graduation rate. a 1000 APR - 19 teams out of If a team falls below a 925 APR 65 received a failing grade. Of - equivalent to 60% of their the Sweet 16 teams, 4 of them students graduating - they face - Purdue, Kansas State, Ohio the loss of some NCAA schol- State and Tennessee - are facarships. ing NCAA sanctions for falling The researchers found that below 925. women hoopsters hit the books Even more troubling is a as well as they crash the boards. 27-point discrepancy in gradu57 of the 64 women's teams ation rates between whites in the tournament received a (76%) and blacks (49%), a gap

that is steadily growing. Five men's teams in the tournament have graduated less than 20% of their recent black players, and two teams - Maryland and Cal - have graduated 0% of their recent black athletes.

Yesterday, Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, got into the game. Noting that basketball is by far the lowestperforming NCAA sport, with 1 out of every 6 programs graduating less than 40% of their players, he is advocating making a 50% graduation rate a requirement for post-season play.

We thought that sounded good. We called Vegas, to place some money on the prospect of that happening. They laughed at us; no one takes bets on things with odds that long.

Contact Mike at info@theroanokestar.com

Preacher’s Corner Help a Sista’ Out

Last night my wife and I offered to baby-sit break. Who is the young mom God has put in for a young mom. She has four great kids new- your life? Are you helping them or saying ‘Peace, born through age 9. As parents of older children be filled and be warmed”? (ages 22, 20 and 17) we had not been around little Like Miss Betty, you may find that you receive “chaps” for a good while. more than you give It had been over 13 years since we had seen a sippy cup, baby monitors, Good Night Moon, Quigg Lawrence is the Senior Pastor at Church of baby food, diapers, bed time stories and the like. the Holy Spirit located at 6011 Merriman Road in Our two plus hours were a whirl of activity. Roanoke. Visit them on the web at www.coths.org.

Feeding, cleaning, playing games, reading books (some twice and one forward and backwards!), Anglican Catholic Church prayers, getting them back into bed, rocking the baby, and a Sunday: Holy Communion glimpse back into the amazingly 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. wonderful world of young chilChristian Education 10 a.m. dren. They are so honest and Thursday: Holy Communion 9:30 a.m. without veneer. As Scripture says, Bible Study 10:30 a.m. they are a blessing from God. While my wife is an experi366-9416 enced veteran who jumped right 4910 Hubert Rd NW Roanoke (at Hershberger, E of Williamson Rd.) www.sttofc.org back into the flow after her long sabbatical, I realized how little I remembered about caring for young children and babies. (“Honey, you don’t reckon they have one of those Video-Nanny cameras rolling do ya?”). More than that, I was overwhelmed by just how trusting kids are and Bus Transportation Available how much energy it takes for a mother to do the 1001 things she has to do. +tax Can some one help a sista’ Prices and Availability Subject to Change out?

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on the fairer sex, but I would be willing to put on his collar and run around the house to find out. Shiloh, a former shelter dog, was once a nervous little pooch with a nasty disposition.

Fighting immediately with the incumbent pack despite his lack of size, we began calling him "Weenie" because of his jerky nature.

In fact, Shiloh answers to Shiloh, Weenie, Illustration by Aaron Kelderhouse Shi-Weenie, The Ween, and on October 31st, sucker for lost causes (she chose Shiloween.

Shiloh's me didn't she?) Janet cradled proudest moments come when the cowering little hound and he unleashes one of his signaclaimed her as her own. ture room-cleaning, toxic gas Fresh out of "Gone with the clouds which are more akin to Wind" characters, we named our an atmospheric anomaly than newest addition "Mya" and the a passing fume. In fact we have pack was back at full strength. named these wretched salvos Several months passed and we "El Weenjo." Following such began to notice some oddities a blast, Shiloh cleverly has his about our new hound. Although pick of comfortable seating durshe was nearly one year's old, ing the subsequent evacuation.

Mya was still puppy sized. Could Funny how the shelter never she be miniature Coonhound? seems to include "unholy, life Aside from her slight stature, altering flatulence" on that little everything seemed to spook white description card taped to poor Mya, especially tall men. the cage.

Most of our son Will's friends Deciding on a pet is always a stand well over six feet tall and crap shoot and I implore you to their entrance into the home look closely when making your often resulted in a hasty retreat selection. In the meantime, I

by Mya, a trail of pee splashing am considering the purchase down the hallway in her wake. of a HAZMAT suit so I might Mya's psychosis reached its pin- weather Shiloh's storms in relanacle when she emptied her tive comfort, with the considerbladder on Will's new sneakers ation that Mya may think that as his friend Dustin attempted I am some kind of costumed to pet her. villain sent to earth to void her Few visitors get to see the fun body of excess fluids. Either side of Mya, as their mere pres- way, at least Lysol's stock holdence causes her to recoil and ers will be pleased. bolt up the stairs upon their arContact Jon Kaufman at rival. In play mode, my favorite Jon.Kaufman@sprint.com Mya maneuver is when she ambushes Janet when she is cutting the lawn, sneaking up on her beloved mommy and biting her on the backside. Between you and I. it took me nearly a month to teach Mya that trick, however, seeing Janet's reaction is always Full Time and Part Time positions available worth the extra effort.

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It may be a weird connection to some, but when get me wrong. I love and have always loved colI think of Easter, I think of marriage. Actually, I oring eggs, going on Easter egg hunts, spending think of the process of getting married and all that time with family, attending the Easter service, etc. goes into it. Over the last 19 years I have done I also believe that all of these things are an imporhundreds of premarital counseling sessions and tant part of the tradition, just as a wedding cake, have always considered it a privilege that a young dress, etc. are part of the marriage tradition. Let’s couple would come and allow me to be a part of just make sure that we don’t forget the most imthe beginning of their marriage. I have come to portant part of the celebration.

As parents, we have the unbelievable opportutruly love the process of being one of many supporters and encouragers in a couple’s life as they nity to aid in our children’s moral development. I actually believe that it is not a choice, embark on this amazing journey with but an obligation that we have. There one another. will come a time in everyone’s life At times, however, I have been a little when they are challenged in a way that amused and shocked. The most shockgoes beyond the ordinary right/wrong, ing thing in the early years, which I wise/foolish type of decision. At these have now come to expect, is the initial times, it is a moral foundation that will discussion about the process. I would guide them through . . . Or not. estimate about a third of the folks callThis moral foundation does not ing to set up the premarital counseling come from the world and is not picked process seem a little put off by the fee up accidentally. It has to be taught and or the 4 to 6 sessions that we schedule modeled in a consistent manner and it together. begins with our understanding of who Why is this ironic you may ask?

Keith McCurdy God is, who we are in relation to Him, Here are a few things I wish these who Christ is and what he has done couples would consider: How much are you spending on flowers? How much is the for us, and then ultimately in how He wants us cake or cakes if the groom gets his as well? How to live.

With Easter we have a great opportunity to inmuch did the dress cost? What is the price for the food and the reception? How about the gifts for troduce our children to Christ. To me Easter is groomsmen and bridesmaids? Where are you go- the culmination of the whole story, and the story ing on the honeymoon? How long have you been is not a boring one. It begins with the story of how Christ got here, what He taught us, how He planning this whole thing?

Now, which of these is going to make a bigger suffered and sacrificed and ultimately (this is my impact on the health and longevity of your life to- favorite part), how He was resurrected - validatgether, the wedding or the work you do on devel- ing the whole Truth that we all ultimately need to oping the relationship? What will you come back know.

It is a miraculous adventure that all children to when you struggle?

Our perspective on what is most important will appreciate. So yes, this Easter, have an egg leading up to a marriage is not always what it hunt, go to church, eat a great lunch with famshould be. We often emphasize and draw atten- ily, but most importantly begin or strengthen the tion to the wrong things. We pay attention to the construction of your child’s moral foundation by things that we may always have fond memories introducing them to Christ. They will know what of, but these are not the things that will be most to come back to when they struggle. important 20 years down the road.

Contact Keith at We often do the same with Easter. Now, don’t psycyou@msn.com

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Commentary

Page 6 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 4/2/10 - 4/8/10

NewsRoanoke.com

CBO Prestidigitation! It’s Official Magic The Wrong Prescription for America

People had been waiting breathlessly for a sober, nonpartisan assessment from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the cost of ObamaCare. If it came in under the magic threshold of $1 trillion, there would be a green light for enacting it.

Not too surprisingly, the CBO gave Obama just what he wanted. What is surprising is that the headline is not from a conservative political publication but from the front page of a mainstream, left-of-center urban daily newspaper, The Arizona Daily Star.

The President ordered up a $950 billion price tag, and a $100 billion, ten-year reduction in the federal deficit. Presto! The CBO pulled the right number of digits out of the hat, a mere $940 billion price tag and a $138 billion deficit decrease a giant drop in the gargantuan federal redink bucket.

It wasn’t by accident, the wire report acknowledged, without going so far as to call it sleight of hand and showmanship.

The Democrats admittedly just adjusted the numbers as needed. Is the excise tax on union members Cadillac health plans too high? Lower that, and

tax seniors retirement-plan interest and dividends.

It’s not like a shopping spree at Macy’s with Daddy’s credit card. It is rather like a trip to the local fruit stand with a fixed amount of money in hand, the story explained. Not that anybody could carry that much cash, not even in diamonds.

Congress just adjusted the mix of grapes, oranges, and apples to make a fruit salad without busting the budget.

A small difference between Congress and the fruit stand is omitted. The vendors at the farmer’s market expect payment in cash: no Monopoly money, counterfeit, rubber checks, or credit cards belonging to somebody’s as-yet-unborn grandchild. And pickpocketing is not allowed either.

Moreover, the vendors stand behind their product, which the customer can inspect and taste on the spot.

The handkerchief over Obama’s fruit salad will be whisked off only later, after the 2014 election. Even if it turns out to be sour grapes, blighted oranges, and rotten apples, the taxes have already been collected, and the liabilities on future

generations incurred.

One other detail: ObamaCare will cut off the irrigation water to the private orchard, even it doesn’t actually chop it down.

That will clear the way for the all-public collective-farm option for which many Democrats yearn. That’s one reason they don’t care too much about the legislative details. Why fertilize or trim a tree that is going to be uprooted? And if there is no more fruit, guess who will be blamed: the bankrupt farmer.

CBO legerdemain is like a magic show. It is smoke and mirrors, illusion, and deception.

But there is a difference. Magicians do not create rabbits out of thin air, but they do produce them.

If the CBO predictions are shown to be pure digital fantasy, it is not the actuaries who will suffer. As with the wild underestimates for the cost of Medicare, imaginary numbers have real physical consequences.

The number crunchers got paid; Americans are still paying.

- Jane M. Orient, M.D., is the Executive Director of Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

Just days ago President Obama signed into law sweeping health care reform legislation pushed by Congressional Democrats that will dramatically impact every family, taxpayer and small business in America. As I have said time and time again, this monstrosity, which I voted against, amounts to a big government takeover of our health care system – one that will lead to fewer choices, higher prices and rationed care. Furthermore, the bill creates more than 159 new government agencies and programs at a cost of well over $2.5 trillion.

Almost immediately after the misguided legislation was passed by the Congress, states Attorneys General began filing lawsuits against the federal government. The health care reform law includes $17 billion in new taxes on Americans who do not purchase health insurance. So far over a dozen states, including Virginia, have filed suit claiming that this individual insurance mandate is unconstitutional.

Never before in the history of our country has a tax been levied on individual Americans by their government with the purpose of forcing them to do something the government wants them to do.

I applaud these states for taking action and I have cosponsored legislation which would prohibit funding for the implementation or enforcement of the individual health insurance mandate. All Americans should be worried anytime the federal government tries to trample on or ignore our Constitution and in fact a recent CBS news poll shows that 62 percent of Americans believe that lawmakers should continue to challenge the government takeover of health care.

In addition to mandating that folks have health

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS . . .

Over the last couple weeks a sizeable crew of workers has been placing underground flexible piping that will carry new TV access for our neighborhood. Curious about what these folks were doing, I engaged the foreman in a conversation about who he was, where he was from and what he was doing. He explained that he and the entire crew were from central Mexico.

He emphasized that all men were here on work permits

while their families remained in Mexico.

He mentioned that they are fortunate to be here because the US has so many unemployed who will not do this work.

The work is hard and the biggest guy in the crew may have weighed 150 pounds. The men all worked without stopping with shovels, picks and rakes.

I never saw one taking a break and when lunchtime came, the workers simply stretched out on

the grass and rested in the sun.

This brings me to my question: Why aren't these jobs being filled by US workers? Are our entitlements so generous that an unemployed person can select only certain jobs that he or she considers acceptable to their narrow field of choice? It is estimated that there are 12 million or more illegal aliens working in the US. Is it really true that while our unemployment stands at 9.7% nationally,

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unemployed citizens refuse to fill these jobs? The February unemployment in Virginia rose to 7.2% as a result of the loss of 32,600 jobs in the state. Are our taxes supporting unemployed people that feel it is below them to work with a pick and shovel or accept other available jobs?

Are we abandoning our selfrespect and transferring our personal responsibility to Richmond and Washington D.C.?

Are we gaming the system so that if a person prefers not to work, we can simply live perpetually off government handouts?

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insurance, the government-run plan included in the law, will force millions out of the coverage they currently have. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 8-9 million people will be dumped from their employer sponsored coverage. In addition, the legislation imposes new taxes on medical devices, such as wheelchairs, and on health insurance plans, which will be passed directly on to patients in the form of higher health care costs.

To pay for this massive new government expansion, the legislation contains a total of $569 billion in devastating new tax increases imposed on individuals and small businesses. This will result in millions of lost jobs as small businesses are forced to take money from salaries to pay new taxes. In addition, the legislation would cut Medicare for our nation’s seniors by over $500 billion.

These are some of the most troubling provisions of the new health care reform law and that is why I have cosponsored several bills that would repeal this new law in its entirety. Rather than dictating medical decisions from Washington, we should be concentrating our efforts on making premiums more affordable for all Americans and giving them the freedom to choose the plan that best fits their needs. While we can all agree that our current health care system needs to be reformed, the new health care law was not the right way to do it which is why we must repeal it and replace it with commonsense measures that expands access and choices while lowering costs.

- Congressman Bob Goodlatte can be reached online via his website at www.goodlatte.house.gov.

Health Care Reform Right for Virginia The U.S. House of Representatives has passed historic legislation which will ensure that all Virginians have access to affordable health care. Virginia's families are one critical step closer to not having to worry about whether or not they can afford to see a doctor when we get sick. This is a huge step for Virginia s working families and small businesses.

This landmark legislation will stop insurance companies from denying care based on pre-existing conditions, expands coverage and care for the one million uninsured Virginians, allows young adults up to age 26 to stay covered on their parents insurance and reduces prescription drug costs for seniors.

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Those who opposed change are remembered as being on the wrong side of history.

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William Byrd Downs Hidden Valley 10-2 in Baseball

4/2/10 - 4/8/10 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page7

Knights Classic Invitational Track Meet at Roanoke College

William Byrd scored seven runs in the last two innings to break open a tight game as they defeated the Titans on the Hidden Valley diamond Saturday afternoon.

The Terriers scored three runs in the top of the first and Hidden Valley had clawed back to within one, at 3-2, before the Byrd bats exploded.

Byrd's starter, Kevin Bowles, struck out six in picking up the win. Bowles also homered to deep left to lead off the sixth for the Terriers (3-1).

William Byrd starter Kevin Bowles delivers a pitch Saturday.

Bowles was the winning pitcher and also homered for the Terriers.

Recap and Photos by Bill Turner

North Cross Defeats New Covenant 14-1 In Boys Lacrosse North Cross attacker #8 Will Stephenson is checked from behind by a Cryphon defender.

Middle school runners wait for the starter's gun in a distance event Saturday.

William Fleming runner Devin Dean prepares for the baton to be passed in the 400 relay Saturday.

Raider attacker #16 George Revercomb gets around a New Covenant defender leading to a North Cross goal.

Recap and Photos by Bill Turner

Patriots Start Over With New Coach

Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing . . .

Take the Patrick Henry girls’ soccer team for example. The Patriots’ 2009 season went about as well as is possible, culminating in a Western Valley District title and a 12-4 record.

The offseason, however, was hectic to say the least. The girls lost several starters to graduation, and also lost their coach, rendering the 2010 season as a complete rebuilding job.

In the long run, however, all of the upheaval may end up being a huge positive for the program. Just a few months ago, the school was able to lure Carrie O’Keeffe back to Patrick Henry to coach the girls.

O’Keeffe, a PH alum, is currently the Head Coach at Hollins University, and had an impressive playing career that is sure to command her players respect.

An All-CAA selection in all four of her seasons at William and Mary, O’Keeffe also played professionally in the now defunct WUSA for three seasons with the Washington Freedom, where her teammates included U.S. National Team stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.

In her first season at the helm, O’Keeffe inherits a young roster with only one senior (center midfielder Emily Davis), meaning she has the chance to build a program from the ground up.

“We graduated some pretty talented players last year and so we have a really young team,” O’Keeffe said. “On the other hand, these girls have the opportunity to play together and improve together for several years.”

The younger players aren’t

SPRINGG SPRIN

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bad, either. Many of the girls play club soccer for the Roanoke Star or Valley AFC. In fact, a freshman (Trisha Jessee) leads the team in goals with 13 in her first five games.

“A lot of them have a good skill level and are very mature and willing to learn,” O’Keeffe said. “For them, it’s just learning how to play together and developing some chemistry. We’ve talked a lot about how we want to play and incorporating a style of play that suits us.”

Through five games, the Patriots are 4-1, and interestingly, have yet to play a competitive game. They’ve shut out Pulaski 6-0, and Martinsville 6-0, and lost to Blacksburg by a score of 8-0.

“It’s definitely been strange,” O’Keeffe said. “We’re just using any game situations as learning

experiences.”

With a young team, and a new coach, it’s difficult to come Cave Spring's Elliot George looks to clear the bar up with some type of expectain the pole vault competition. tions. So O’Keeffe and the Patriots have aimed high – while also Hidden Valley's Stefani trying to remain realistic.

Krkeljas warms up for the “At the beginning of the seatriple jump. son, we said that a goal would Recap and Photos by be to win the district, and I don’t think that’s way out of the quesBill Turner tion at this point,” O’Keeffe said.

“At the same time, I’d like for us to be a better team at the end of the season than we are now. I’d like for us to just get better day by day.”

By Matt Reeve Matt@newsroanoke.com

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Retirement Plan Sponsors: Could Your Bike Shop Raises Money, Collects 401(k) Benefit from a Roth Feature?

Cycles for African School

Retirement plan sponsors have a dizzying array of options available to them as they attempt to create a meaningful benefits package for their participants. One optional feature that may be well worth considering is the Roth 401(k). A Roth 401(k) combines features of a traditional 401(k) with those of a Roth IRA. Like the traditional 401(k), the Roth 401(k) allows participants to make contributions via salary deferrals. However, like a Roth IRA, contributions are made on an after-tax basis and participants may take tax-free distributions at retirement, as long as certain holding requirements are met.

Unlike contributions to a traditional 401(k) plan that are made with pre-tax dollars, contributions to a Roth 401(k) plan are made on an after-tax basis.

The maximum contribution amount to a Roth 401(k) account is the same maximum as in a traditional 401(k). For the 2010 tax year, federal laws permit a maximum annual contribution of $16,500 ($22,000 for participants age 50 and older), although employers may impose a lower limit. A plan participant may make any combination of Roth and/or traditional 401(k) contributions up to that limit.

Employee Roth contributions are eligible for an employer match, but all matching dollars are allocated to a pre-tax account and are not made as additions to the Roth “account”.

Also, any forfeiture amounts credited to a plan participant are added to the traditional

401(k) account rather than the Roth 401(k) account.

Like the assets in the traditional 401(k), Roth 401(k) assets accumulate tax-free. However, unlike the traditional 401(k), qualified distributions may be taken tax- and penalty-free from the Roth 401(k) account.

There are special qualification rules to qualify the withdrawals as tax free so it’s best to check on this beforehand.

Any employee eligible to participate in the traditional 401(k) is likewise eligible for the Roth 401(k). Unlike Roth IRAs where single individuals with more than $110,000 in adjusted gross income (married couples who have more than $160,000 in adjusted gross income) are ineligible for contributions, there are no income limitations on participating in the Roth 401(k). For some plan participants, this fact alone may make participation in the Roth 401(k) more attractive; if they are ineligible to participate in a Roth IRA, the Roth 401(k) may be their only option to save for tax-free distributions.

Required Minimum Distributions (“RMD”) are generally required to be taken annually from assets held in a retirement account, starting when participants reach age 70 ½. One exception to this rule is the Roth IRA, which does not require RMDs. However, the Roth 401(k) account does not share in this exception - generally, RMDs must be taken annually as long as there are assets held in the Roth 401(k) account. If

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the Roth 401(k) holder rolls his/her Roth 401(k) assets to a Roth IRA after separation from service, the RMD rules will not apply (however, the five year holding period for those assets will restart).

Your plan participants may find making the traditional versus Roth 401(k) decision difficult. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. Each individual must attempt to analyze the value of receiving a current income-tax deduction when contributing to a traditional 401(k) versus the benefit of contributing to a Roth 401(k) and having the potential for no taxation on future distributions from the plan. Part of the decision hinges on whether personal income tax rates will rise or fall in the future – not an easy forecast to make.

Many plan participants may elect to split contributions between their traditional 401(k) and a Roth account. If an employee qualifies for a Roth IRA, he or she can make after-tax contributions to the Roth and pre-tax contributions to the traditional 401(k). If not, then the plan participant can split contributions between the traditional and Roth 401(k) options.

If you decide that a Roth 401(k) plan may be appropriate for your business, you should speak with your current plan provider about implementing this feature for your plan.

Eddie Link is Senior Vice President and a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney located in Roanoke VA and may be reached at 983-4908] or nelson.e.link.jr@mssb.com

Dave Sarmadi Car Dealership Closing, Owner Blames Economy With the struggles of today’s economy comes yet another local business closing its doors.

Dave Sarmadi Imports will close in the next two months, but the service center will stay open.

The dealership has served the area for the past five years.

President Dave Sarmadi tells WSLS he’s seen a decline in business for the past two years.

He says he thought about closing last year, but decided to give the business one more test drive.

Sadly, one year later, nothing has changed.

“Every month you put money out of your pocket into the operation and pay employees and you know when you lose money you got to draw the line somewhere.“ Sarmadi says all 20 of his employees have found new jobs.

He owns the building and will lease it to another party who will operate the service center.

- From News Partner WSLS 10

Keirin Culture Bicycles, a mostly-custom shop run by Stratton Delany, is collecting used bicycles and parts for a secondary school in Tanzania, Africa. Delany organized a bikethemed art show last weekend to raise money as well.

One of Delany’s own Kazane brand bikes, painted for the occasion – was auctioned off. Noted skateboarder Natas Kaupas, now the creative director for Quicksilver and owner of Designarium skateboards, hand painted the racing cycle.

Delany, who also sponsors a regional road racing bike team (see kazaneracing.com), learned about the Nianjema Secondary School in Tanzania, which is run by Virginia Tech graduate Charlie Sloan. He thought the school would be a good focus for fundraising; Delany had been to Africa before (in Ghana) to help his father, who is an inventor.

Kazane Racing is also gathering used bikes and parts for the Nianjema Secondary School, for a team that will be started there. “That’s our big project for the year,” said Delany. Several of

One of Stratton Delany’s hand-painted Kazane brand bikes.

Sloan’s friends in Tanzania will St. NW. Ironically that storementor the team and Delany front had been the temporary hopes to send over 10-15 bicy- home of the Carless Brit Mucles. “A lot of people have been seum, River Laker’s ode to the really generous,” he notes. bicycle as an alternative means “About 400 children now at- of transportation. tend the Nianjema school,” said Delany, who moved to RoaDelany, “all kids who never noke about a year and half ago, would have had a chance for is impressed by the strides Roaan education.” Members of his noke has made to become more Kazane racing team that attend bike and pedestrian friendly, inVirginia Tech clued him in to cluding the growing greenway the story of Sloan’s school. system. He also sees more of a Kierin Culture Bicycles (pro- market for the high-end bikes filed in the Star-Sentinel last he builds. “Different … groups year) outgrew its original space keep popping up everywhere.” in the Black Dog Salvage buildBy Gene Marrano ing and moved recently to the gmarrano@cox.net former Angler’s Café at 310 2nd

Something Holy This Way Comes Something’s brewing in southwest Virginia and when Scott Obenchain’s vision comes to fruition, there will be lives changed as a result. Obenchain is in the final planning stages for a new church in the Blacksburg / Christiansburg area which will look nothing like the “traditional” church people have come to expect. Obenchain envisions a church which will reach out to all people, but particularly those who do not already attend one.

When speaking with Obenchain, “Blue Ridge Church” already feels like a compelling reality –his calling is so sure.

He is energized as he describes what’s coming: a place for people to come exactly as they are.

“I don’t want people to pretend they’re something they’re not… we want to be a church where people don’t have to pretend to be anything.” He adds that they want to do “anything we can do to tear down barriers.”

The exact location has not been chosen, but a decision is near. The location will be at a “cost-effective / people-receptive” place, an established venue that can hold a group of people-perhaps at a theater or bowling alley…the primary goal is to find a relaxed, comfortable place with easy access. Word on that will be out soon.

The dates are already set for three “preview” services—June 27, July 25, August 22, with September 12 being the much anticipated “Launch Day.” Obenchain has already planned the messages he wants to begin with—a series on “Relationships.” He says, “the number one need in society is relationships.” That includes relationships in marriage, with kids, with parents and more.

He wants to explore “what does God say about that?” He adds, “We weren’t created to be alone;

we were created to be in relationships.” Blue Ridge Church will be about creating and strengthening relationships… and introducing people to a relationship with Jesus.

Support for the church has been coming from individuals, family, friends, and anyone that “has a heart for people.” Obenchain has been taking leaps of faith throughout the process; he just hired a worship leader, telling him he “doesn’t have any money but he will.” He firmly believes this is something God Scott Obenchain with his wife wants him to do and “If it’s Lisa and daughters Nicole and God’s will, it’s God’s bill, and Kristen (holding Taffy).

He’ll take care of it.” He is still in the process of organizing and in class because they wanted to fund-raising. learn that much.”

Obenchain seems like he is Growing up in Blacksburg, truly coming into his own con- Obenchain says he was not this cerning his life’s direction. He is focused all his life. He graduextremely passionate and genu- ated from Virginia Tech, where, ine, and somehow remarkably he says “nobody had more fun relaxed and laid back about his than I did.” He is looking forrole. The goatee, casual shirt, ward to reconnecting with old and blue jeans will be the same friends there who he says probwhether he is out and about or ably won’t believe he is the same in his role as pastor. He is ready. person and will “wonder what It hasn’t always been this way. happened to this guy?”

He relates how in recent years He is jazzed about how much he felt this call, but “as my mind people are going to love being would think about the possibili- a part of this new church. “We ties, fear would quickly enter, will be focused on people… squashing those dreams. I have we will train and equip you to been up nights, restless and help people and when you see scared to death.” Now, he is no your brother or sister come to longer willing to run.

Christ and you’re a part of that It was while in Chicago wrap- – that’s what propels the church ping up a 20 year career with forward. You can’t put a price Allstate (that began in Roa- tag on things like that.” And it’s noke) that Obenchain found available to everyone. and began helping with Great Blue Ridge Church can be Lakes Church, a church plant. found at www.blueridgechurch.

There, he realized that “God has com. Obenchain encourages created me for ministry.” He has people to sign up to receive served overseas, teaching pas- emails, and also become a fan tors around the world, includ- on Facebook -- Blue Ridge ing in Nagpur, India, where Church some of the pastors were beaten

By Cheryl Hodges for attending the teaching sessions. Obenchain relates how cheryl@newsroanoke.com “the next day those guys were

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Arts & Culture

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4/2/10 - 4/8/10 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 9

Roanoke College Choirs Flourish Under The Very Best of “No Shame” Theatre Direction of Dr. Jeffrey Sandborg Longtime Roanoke College Choir Director Dr. Jeffrey Sandborg has had plenty of time— he has been the Director since 1985-- to refine and grow the college’s singing groups…and it has paid off. The College has two choirs, both of which are accomplished ensembles. The women’s “Oriana Singers,” comprised of 28 women, recently sang with the UVA Men’s Glee Club; a highlight of their performance “involved signing to ‘Can You Hear Me?’ and it was a very emotional piece for the audience,” said Sandborg.

The principal group, “The Roanoke College Choir,” has up to 60 auditioned singers, and is widely recognized for its versatility, innovative programming and beautiful sound.

They perform all along the East Coast and have frequently been heard here with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. In spite of the difference in numbers, Sandborg finds that he divides his time about equally between the two choirs.

Sandborg is a bit of an icon himself – in addition to being the driving force behind the choirs at Roanoke, he remains active as a clinician, adjudicator, choral scholar and more recently as a composer. His conducting credits are many, including major choral / orchestral works with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. Sandborg is also the Choir Director at Second Presbyterian Church.

He is thrilled the choirs are able to use their talents to help

with the earthquake relief effort.

The first concert will be on April 18 at 4 p.m. at St. Andrew’s. It will feature the Oriana Singers, the men of the Roanoke College Choir and special guests, “Looking For An Echo.”

The second concert will feature the Roanoke College Choir, which will be presenting its final concert of the season as it bids farewell to its seniors, in an “eclectic blend of music, from the German Baroque to American Gospel.” It will be held on April 30 at 7:30 p.m. Both concerts will have a “free will” offering for Catholic Charities and the American Red Cross.

Prior to the benefit concerts, The Roanoke College Choir and the Second Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir will perform a “themed” concert, called “The Bach Project.” Sandborg says this will be “great music—it is hard to describe—when people hear it, they’ll be devastated.”

(That is a good thing.) This will be the fourth of the popular series focusing on the music of a single composer. Sandborg explains that “we discovered that Roanokers like the single composer theme.” Perhaps it seems more accessible to the public, but it also “appeals to music lovers as well.”

The concert at Second Presbyterian Church will be held on April 11 at 4:00 p.m.

The choir “gig” has been allencompassing for Sandborg; regardless where the conversation begins, it usually ends in discussion of choir. Finding it hard to

“The Bach Project” will be performed on April 11 at 4pm at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke. describe the passion he feels for his chosen profession, he shares a quote from Archibald Davison, one of the earliest directors of the Harvard Glee Club: “There are few imaginable enterprises so enthralling as the directing of a chorus. To have companionship with eager men and women, whose joy it is to create beauty by breathing life and significance into music, to have a part with them in mutual accomplishment of high artistic ends… I cannot believe that many occupations offer greater rewards.”

For more information on Dr. Jeffrey Sandborg and both Roanoke College Choirs, visit www. roanoke.edu/choir

By Cheryl Hodges cheryl@newsroanoke.com

“Venison” Offers Unusual Approach

The often-graphic subject matter affected some when he recited passages at the recent Virginia Festival of the Book, but that might be exactly what Thorpe Moeckel was looking for. The Hollins University English instructor, author of two collections of poems, has just released “Venison,” from Etruscan Press. It is one long-form poem, taking up about 80 pages, centered on the dressing of a deer felled by a hunter.

Moeckel, a hunter himself, uses vivid language to describe the dressing of a deer carcass. Wrapped around that central theme are threads of thought on family life and other matters. He lives on 18 wooded acres in north Botetourt County with his wife and daughter, where they grow as much of their food as possible. They’ve got a menagerie of animals as well. “It wasn’t hard to let the rhythms of our life … come out on the page.”

Moeckel will read from “Venison” at Roanoke College on April 6, at 7 p.m., in the Colket Center Pickle Lounge. The hour-long session is open to the public at no charge.

“The poem is rooted in the life that my wife and daughter and I lead,” said Moeckel, a Georgia native who used to guide 30-day backpacking trips.

Long-form poems are a tradition that date back to Walt Whitman and earlier. “Venison” continues that style. “There’s a lot of great ones that I’ve loved over the years,” said Moeckel, referring to the genre. A.R. Ammons was a big influence on “Venison.” “I’ve been teaching some of his poems [at Hollins].”

“I start with an incision behind the tendon but before that I’ve gutted the buck, covered his eyes with leaves, walked around dizzy, watching how he fell,” writes Moeckel at the beginning of Venison. Later, he writes that “in winter there has to be

a stove & fire to fuss over, finest heat save the body of one whose wants known so long or health’s essential sickness.”

There are no chapters or sections in Venison; periods “are the only place to pause.” “And there aren’t many of them,” notes Moeckel, who spent about four months writing “Venison.” He penned about 25 lines a day, give or take.

Moeckel earned an MFA from the University of Virginia after graduating from Bowdoin College. His first collection of shorter poems, “Odd Botany,” won several awards.

Copies will be available for sale at the reading on Tuesday April 6th, and “Venison” can be found at Ram’s Head and via on line booksellers.

By Gene Marrano gmarrano@cox.net

Please join us...

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in the Sherwood Memorial Park Amphitheater for the Salem Ministers Association Annual Easter Sunrise Service Also, new this year we will present the on Friday April 2nd and Saturday April 3rd at 7 pm.

s a non-profit cemetery, Sherwood is always looking for ways to enhance our beauty, and contribute to our community. What better way is there to do that than to celebrate and pay tribute to those that serve, or have served, our country? We are proud to announce our new Veterans Garden, featuring our Veteran Circle and Memorial Walkway. By purchasing a Legacy Stone within the Walkway, you are not only honoring your Veteran—but a portion of the proceeds of each sale will go to the American Legion Legacy Scholarship. This scholarship benefits children of military personel who pass away while on active duty. Our feature is a beautiful bronze and granite sculpture created by artist Bill Wolfe.

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It’s “No Shame” Theater night at Studio Roanoke, and Dwayne Yancey has just wrapped up a poem about, among other things, space traveling Jesus.

Now Blair Peyton, self billed as the second funniest man in Roanoke, is on stage haphazardly plucking a guitar strung with what seem to be rubber bands.

He’s performing his new song, “Baby Talk,” a sort of rhythmless R&B cacophony complete with baby voiced “goo goo ga gas” and a rap interlude from his friend Bryan Hancock. Despite all the intentional anti-melody, I’m actually finding the song oddly catchy. As “Baby Talk” nears its swelling finally, Bryan’s duct-taped guitar breaks off at the neck.

Much of No Shame Theater shares that guitar’s make-shift, duct-tape-rigged feel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. No Shame is like open mike meets variety show meets community center. Every Friday night at eleven, Studio Roanoke lends its stage to anyone who has, or at least thinks they have, some kind of performance that needs an audience. Any performer who arrives early enough to get one of fifteen spots gets five minutes of stage time. What performers do with that time is completely up to them within three rules: all pieces must be under five minutes, all pieces must be original, and performers can’t break anything (laws, the venue… bones).

The duct-tape feel comes not only from the limited props, production value, and, occasionally, actor preparation time, but from the way wildly diverse pieces are joined together under one banner. It’s hard to say what one might see in a given night of No Shame. Sometimes there are poems, sketches, monologues and music. Sometimes there are puppeteers, mimes, evangelicals practicing their sermons and five minute paintings. Maybe a professional florist will come in and do a live flower arrangement, and then five minutes later a man will be reading a poem about a disastrous, X-rated encounter with a bear.

This Friday at 8 p.m. is the biannual “Best of ” No Shame. The event will showcase over twenty of the best received pieces from the previous six months. Despite the “Best” moniker, No Shame founder Todd Ristau insists Best of No Shame is not the No Shame Oscars. Ristau sees the night as a sampler platter… less of a pat on the back for the performers and more of a chance for the uninitiated to get a taste of what No Shame is all about.

Ristau, now a professor at Hollins University, founded No

Patrick Lyster performs for attendees at a recent No Shame event.

Shame in the back of his pickup truck in 1986 while studying at the University of Iowa. It was founded on the same three rules it still runs on today, and since its founding Ristau has seen the idea grow into a transnational event. There are No Shames in cities all over the U.S. There’s even a high school version in Iowa, “Yes Shame,” so named because they had to institute extra rules to get permission to put it on. No Shame has been running in Roanoke since 2003.

Ristau thinks the format has been successful both because it gives participants an open creative outlet, and because of the sense of camaraderie and inclusiveness a good No Shame encourages.

Ristau sees No Shame as “an experimental learning lab where an emerging playwright can get really practical experience with short pieces and direct audience feedback.”

Yet the performances themselves aren’t what Ristau enjoys most.

“I think my favorite thing is how many people have told me that they’ve found a home,” said Ristau. “That sounds really schmaltzy, but I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they walk into No Shame and there’s an instant community.”

Ristau thinks that sense of community comes from openness and encouragement. All No Shame performances are not created equal, but the audience is always supportive.

“We’re a theater that thrives on generosity and doesn’t really have a lot of patience for meanness,” said Ristau. “Everyone gets applause.”

Still, part of what keeps performers coming back is seeing what makes the audience respond most strongly.

“There’s the polite and supportive applause, and then if something is really good there’s thunderous applause and stomping feet,” said Ristau.

The freedom to fail combined

with desire to succeed seems to be what keeps the performers coming back. Amy Alls, a singer/songwriter, said when she started out at No Shame she didn’t have a lot of confidence, but the enthusiasm of the crowd brought her out of her shell.

“Even if you [stink], you still get more confidence,” said Alls.

“It is addictive, especially when you do get a good response.”

Not all pieces went over quite as well as others at this past Friday’s No Shame, but even when something does bomb it’s generally a unique bungle. This Friday’s Best of No Shame will lack some of the “will it work or won’t it” spontaneity. That may make it an easier entry point for new No Shame spectators. Of course, No Shame isn’t a spectator sport. So if you do happen to see the show this Friday and come to the conclusion you have more talent in a single hair follicle than any of the performers, No Shame regular Steve “Dogg” Glassbrenner has some advice: “Come back next week and put on something better.”

By Case Blackwell info@newsroanoke.com

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY 540-312-4585

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Call your order in or place it online: www.countrystoredeli.com (540) 774-6875 4717 Starkey Rd. Roanoke, VA • info@countrystoredeli.com

Page 10 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 4/2/10 - 4/8/10

NewsRoanoke.com

The BIG Fishing Tournament is Coming, 42 years Strong!

For the 42nd year The Cave Spring Optimist Club will once again kick off the Largest Amateur Fresh Water Fishing Tournament in Virginia at Smith Mountain Lake. Proceeds from this event will benefit needy children here in the Roanoke Valley.

The Tournament will begin at 7:30 a.m., Friday, April 30th, at FoxPort Marina on Smith Mountain Lake and continue through 12:00 Noon, Sunday, May 2nd. All entries must be caught and weighed in between these hours. Prizes will be awarded up to $15,000 CASH.

Science of Ice Cream Washington and Lee University professor Marcia France conducts liquid nitrogen ice cream demonstration 1 p.m. Thursday April 8 Williamson Road Library 3837 Williamson Road 540-853-2340

for all ages but kids will especially love it! please phone to register

To be eligible for participation in the Annual Smith Mountain Lake Fishing Tournament, each individual must purchase a Non-Transferable Ticket. Tickets will be sold until 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 29th at outlets, (call 721-2451 for locations) except Foxport Marina, which will be sold until 7:30 a.m., Friday, April 30th.

The following Classes of Fish will be eligible for entry into the Tournament: Largemouth Bass; Smallmouth Bass; Muskellunge; Catfish; Crappie; Stripers. In the case of a tie in any Class, the earliest entry will be declared the “Winner.” The Cash Awards Ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, May 2nd. A Special Prize of $300 will be given away by a drawing. To be eligible for the drawing you must turn in your 2010 Optimist Fishing Ticket by 12:30 p.m., Sunday, May 2nd, and you must be present to win. The drawing will be held shortly after the Cash Awards Ceremony.

FOR REGISTRATION TICKETS, MAIL TO: Optimist Club of Cave Spring, Inc., P. O. Box 1276, Salem, Virginia, 24153. Please include the following information in your request: Number of tickets at $40 a ticket, name of each participant, including address, phone & email address.

Youth Tournament to be held Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

BRING YOUR CHILDREN, NO TICKET REQUIRED Age 12 and under with paying adult.

Categories: Large Fish – Carp; Small Fish - Blue Gill, Sun Fish (Largest of the small fish). Prizes for each category will be $100, $75 and $50 savings bonds. All fish must come from Smith

Crowds gather as the fish come in during last year’s tournament.

Mountain Lake, and must be weighed at FoxPort Marina between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Saturday, May 1st. Only one prize to any individual. Awards will be made Sunday, May 2nd after completion of the Cash Awards Ceremony.

All contestants must have a Social Security Number. NO TICKET REQUIRED FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL FOXPORT MARINA, 540-721-2451 and Good Luck!

FREE

Open Hou PRINCESSÊBALLETÊCLASS TuesÊ6:00-7:30 WearÊyourÊownÊPrincessÊGown!

GoodÊThroughÊApril

March 10, 8:30-

NEEDÊAÊBABYSITTERÊFORÊSPRINGÊBREAKÊWEEK?

CallÊAboutÊOur SummerÊCamps!

BIRTHDAYÊPARTIES

anyÊ1stÊclass

Open Hous SPECIALÊNEEDS CLASSES OfferingÊclassesÊdayÊ&Ênight

March 10,AVAILABLE 8:30-1

BookÊourÊplayÊroomÊcarpetedÊgym withÊparachuteÊforÊyourÊBirthdayÊParty!

HaveÊaÊ3ÊhourÊpartyÊforÊupÊtoÊ40ÊpeopleÊforÊonlyÊ$30!

ReserveÊtoday!

Open Hou Tap Jazz Baton Twirling Little Gardner Classes Jumpy Jazz Special Needs Gym Classes Baby Sign Language Mommy and Me classes Spanish Friends Science & Discovery After School Tutoring Available

March 10, 8:30-1

SEEÊOURÊDOLLARÊMENUÊ$$$

ReplaceÊdaycareÊwithÊourÊ$2ÊperÊhourÊDayÊClasses 6am-6pmÊMONDAYÊTHRUÊFRIDAY! NoÊcontracts,ÊpayÊasÊyouÊgoÊclasses!

PARENTÕSÊNIGHTÊOUT

FriÊ6pm-11pmÊforÊ$15 SatÊAfternoonÊOutÊ3pm-8pmÊ$15 AÊnewÊthemeÊforÊeachÊweek inÊourÊcarpetedÊgymÊwhileÊparentsÊhaveÊfunÊout!

ÊCallÊForÊMoreÊInformation:Ê540-526-3341 theartofchildhood@rocketmail.com

OpenÊ6amÊ-Ê8pm Ê753ÊUnionÊSt.,ÊSalem,ÊVaÊ24153

Open House April 8 Open House 8:30-11:00 March 10, 8:30-11:00

Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy with Regard to Students: Faith Christian School admits students of any race, color, national,

or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities, generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic or other school administered programs. Faith Christian School does not discriminate on the basis of any race, color, national or ethnic origin when hiring employees.

phonic Band • Chorale • Drawing • Painting • Mural Painting

ulpture • AP Art (Portfolio) • Graphic Design • Photography• Design • Film-making • Animation • Art Appreciation •

ma • Creative Writing • Symphonic Band • Chorale • Draw-

Small Class Size

• Painting • Mural Painting • Sculpture • AP Art (Portfolio)

raphic Design • Photography• Web Design • Film-making •

mation • Art Appreciation (history) • Drama • Creative Writ• Symphonic Band • Chorale • Drawing • Painting • Mural

Athletics

ting • Sculpture • AP Art (Portfolio) • Graphic Design •

tography• Web Design • Film-making • Animation • Art Ap-

iation (history) • Drama • Creative Writing • Symphonic Band

Foreign Language

horale • Drawing • Painting • Mural Painting • Sculpture •

Art (Portfolio) • Graphic Design • Photography• Web Design •

Fine Arts

-making • Animation • Art Appreciation (history) • Drama •

tive Writing • Symphonic Band • Chorale • Drawing • Paint• Mural Painting • Sculpture • AP Art (Portfolio) • Graphic

The Core of a Good Education

At North Cross School, students discover the possibilities through: • 1:11 student/teacher ratio • Interscholastic competition in more than a dozen sports • Formal foreign language instruction in junior kindergarten through twelfth grade • Fine arts opportunities in the visual, performing, and instrumental arts

Come See For Yourself!

Students in grades one through eleven are invited to spend a day attending classes and meeting new friends.

VISIT DAY

Thursday, April 8, 2010 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch is provided.

SPACE IS LIMITED! To register please call 540-989-6641, ext. 330.

Discover the Possibilities

North Cross School is located on a 77-acre, self-contained campus and has 100 percent college placement. Financial assistance, bus service and extended day programs are available.