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The regular session of the Virginia legis-lature concluded late Saturday night with a watered down transportation bill void of any serious funding. Democrats proposed indexing the gas tax to inflation while Governor Bob McDonnell proposed di-version of a portion of sales tax revenue to transportation.

Neither made it out of conference. However, McDonnell was successful with his “naming rights” proposal for Virginia interchanges, bridges and highways. Ex-hausted Senators immediately sought to interject some humor into the moment by producing signs “naming” their desks.

Under pressure from the governor, two bills were rushed through at the last minute to reform the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). This will cost the Roanoke City School Board $4.3 million. Without a state budget RCPS is working with the governor’s proposed budget. Both the House and the Senate versions are more generous to schools.

Roanoke City School Board Chairman David Carson said in an email, “while there is some increased state revenue under each proposal (a reasonably large chunk of which is because the RCPS student population is increasing), an in-creased VRS contribution rate wipes this out and then some.”

“These are tough times, and I know the budget folks [in Richmond] are hard at it, but it would be nice to know what we are

Renowned Astrophysicist to Present Lecture

Incumbent Mayor David Bowers capped off his closing remarks at last week’s City Council candidate forum with a surefire winning political strat-egy – mention your mother. Bow-ers said, “she said [to me] well, when you’ve got a car with four good tires why would you change one.” She is a wise woman thought son, David. Mary Bowers sat grinning in the audience.

Past Roanoke City elections have had contentious issues that set candi-dates apart from each other or formed tickets around major issues like Vic-tory Stadium. This year’s challengers are struggling to find an easy target in the calm sea of the current incumbent

council.Thursday evening at the Greater Ra-

leigh Court Civic League a candidate forum was held. One Independent candidate, Brandon Bushnell, is chal-lenging Democratic council incum-bents Sherman Lea, Anita Price and Court Rosen. If the 80 or so attendees came looking for delineation between the incumbents and the challengers they came away empty. The mayoral contest between Democratic incum-bent Mayor David Bowers and his Republican challenger Mark Lucas produced an entrepreneurial dialogue that was muted at best.

Moderator John Carlin noted that

there were few issues available for a challenger to make a mark in this year’s election. That was evident by the softball questions and equally soft re-sponses.

The only issue Carlin asked about that has received some recent media play was the 2-cent meals tax that will expire on July 1. Councilwoman Anita Price’s response was non-committal. Though Price took the stand of her other colleagues saying, “a promise is a promise” she also hedged saying, “as whether or not it should continue, that’s a question that relies upon our

Nestled in a quiet historic Roanoke neighborhood, a

long neglected building is begin-ning to bustle with life. Wasena’s former Ice House will soon become one of the Valley’s most interesting housing alternatives.

The River House, at 806 Wasena Avenue, is slated to debut this Sum-mer and will house 128 luxury stu-

dios and 1 and 2 bedroom apart-ments that are adjacent to both the Roanoke River and the Roanoke Greenway.

Ed Walker purchased the 146,000 brick building in 2004 with a vision to transform the empty storage fa-cility into apartments. The poten-tial for the building was inspired by the unique location on the green-

way and Roanoke River as well as Wasena Park. Tenants will have the benefits of city living while main-taining a connection to a hub of outdoor activities.

For more information contact Michelle Rose at (540) 904-5989 or [email protected].

> CONTINUED P2: Budget

State Budget Tinkering Impacts Schools

Tepid Candidate Forum Reflects Lack of Issues

River House Almost Ready

> CONTINUED P2: Tepid

[Real Estate Development]

The Wasena Ice House which began servicing Roanoke in the early 1920’s will soon become “home sweet home” for many.

Evalyn Gates, Astrophys-icist, Author, and Execu-tive Director and CEO of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, will pres-ent a public lecture titled, “Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy” on Thursday, March 29. The event will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Gradu-ate Life Center Auditorium at Virginia Tech.

Gates’ book, with the same title as her lecture, was pub-lished by W.W. Norton in February 2009. A book signing by Gates will be held outside the entrance to the audi-torium starting at 7 p.m.

Her research focuses on various as-pects of cosmology and particle astro-physics, from neutrinos to the cosmic microwave background. Most recent-ly, she has been working on various aspects of dark matter and searching for ancient stellar fossils in the form of the oldest white dwarfs. White dwarfs are thought to be the final evolution-

ary state for most stars.Gates has a strong in-

terest in addressing the under-representation of women and minorities in the physical sciences and has written several articles on the topic of women in physics.

Her lecture will focus on how “gravitational lens-ing,” which was dismissed by Einstein in 1936 as a

“most curious effect “ that had little chance of ever be-

ing observed, is currently one of the most powerful techniques for explor-ing dark matter of the universe. Using the warps and dimples in the space-time continuum, which is described by Einstein’s theory of general relativ-ity, as “cosmic lenses,” gravitational lensing allows us to search for black holes and planets within our own gal-axy, to map out dark matter in distant galaxies, and to detect the subtle in-fluences of dark energy on the evolu-tion and formation of structure in the

universe.Before coming to the Cleveland

Museum of Natural History in May 2010, Gates was the assistant director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmologi-cal Physics and a senior research asso-ciate in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.

Gates received her Ph.D. in theo-retical physics from Case Western Re-serve University and held postdoctor-al fellowships at Yale University and the University of Chicago. She was a member of the theoretical astrophys-ics research group at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and spent seven years as an administrator at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

Gates’ lecture is free and open to the public.

For more information go to: http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2012/03/031312-science-gates.html

Gates' book Einstein's Telescope will be the basis for her lecture March 29.

Evalyn Gates

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P4– keith McCurdy says that too many parents look for excuses for their children’s bad behavior in lieu of getting them to “own it’ themselves.

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P7– Cave Spring’s champi-onship basketball run ends in Richmond with a loss to defending state champion Brunswick.

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P9– ”Greater Tuna,” a two man tour-de force with 21 characters and many costume changes, comes to the refurbished Waldron Stage March 21-April 1.

Photo by Valerie Garner

Sherman Lea, Court Rosen, Brandon Bushnell and Anita Price take questions.

By Catherine [email protected]

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citizens.”Independent candidate Bushnell is basing

his campaign on keeping the 2-cent meals tax - pointing to the fact that, “it has not de-terred anyone from eating out.” Even with-out the increase the meals tax rose over the two years it was in force. “I am a huge pro-ponent of the meals tax,” said Bushnell. He said he has a vision for what could be done by keeping the tax. “Taking the schools be-yond adequacy; beyond good enough where we are vulnerable to a budget-cutting state government and the economy.”

Court Rosen who first proposed the short-term tax said it was meant as “a band-aid on a scab.” With the $12.5 million the schools have in contingency Rosen believes the tax should expire as promised. “You don’t tax people because you have the ability to and you can. You tax people because you need

to.”Sherman Lea said it took courage and

boldness to implement the meals tax. “This council supports our school system bet-ter than any other urban city in the state of Virginia.” He recounted a gathering he at-tended in Greenville, South Carolina where developers told him that they wanted to see consistency in government when choosing locations for business development. “We have that – we have good regional valley col-laboration,” he said.

Bowers, in his opening remarks, was prepared for a little one-on-one with his opponent Mark Lucas. “My opponent sug-gests he is a visionary,” said Bowers. “I’m still that working class guy.” He hoped vot-ers would agree that he has brought dignity and friendliness to the office. He contrasted the cordiality of council to the discourse in

Washington and Richmond and read off a list of accomplishments. He emphasized the 1600 jobs created over the last four years.

Mark Lucas didn’t take the opportunity to take a whack at Bowers’ mayoral style. Instead he mostly affirmed his opponent’s views but thought he could do better when it comes to jobs and growing businesses. Lu-cas and his wife Wendy own Lucas Thera-pies and have started and sold multiple busi-nesses. Lucas, when asked what he would do differently to attract businesses, proposed an entrepreneurial day in the mayor’s office on every first and third Thursday.

When asked later Lucas said he had a few more poignant remarks about the current Mayor that he decided not to use. “He was sitting right next to me,” said Lucas.

> Tepid From page 1

By Valerie Garner • [email protected]

in fact facing next year budget-wise,” said Carson.

The school board approved a $147 million budget Tuesday night. Deputy Superinten-dent Curt Baker believed that the state sales tax estimate of $12.8 million was overstated and used the more conserva-tive amount of $12.2. Adding $3 million for raises leaves the schools with a projected shortfall of $10.3 million. The shortfall will come from the $12.7 million unassigned fund (savings).

Roanoke City Director of Finance Ann Shawver said, “We’ll move along with our [budget] process as best we can – it has happened be-fore and what we try to do is use some conservatism.” She hopes the state will present

the city with a surprise uptick in funding. Though the city is on a separate pension system, the Sheriff ’s Department is on the VRS and that will impact the city.

The city’s retirement system will change too. One option was presented at a briefing to council last year. “We are continuing to analyze differ-ent options with actuaries,” said Sawver. Most of that is in the public safety area. “We do benchmark against the VRS plan … we’re keeping tabs on what is going on at the state level.”

Before returning to council Shawver said they would again reach out for input from city employees. It will be the end of the summer before they will have anything to bring back to

council so reform for city em-ployees will be put off at least until 2014.

> Budget From page 1

Salem's Seibert Named Superintendent of the YearIt has been said that the true

measure of a man is defined by how he treats others and by what others who know him best say about his actions. Salem Super-intendent, Dr. Alan Seibert, who is often described by his peers as being a visionary, passes those litmus tests with flying colors on a daily basis.

"Alan is an excellent superin-tendent with vision and passion not only for his profession, but for our school division, our em-ployees and most importantly, our students,” said Salem School Board Chair, Sally Southard. “We are very fortunate to have him on our team.”

Last week, his fellow school superintendents in Region VI recognized that passion and Seibert’s tireless work on behalf of Salem’s schoolchildren by naming him the Region VI Su-perintendent of the Year.

“I am honored, humbled and a touch embarrassed,” says Seib-

ert. “I don’t know of a single educator who answers the call to teach, lead, and serve in public education because he or she desires recognition. We do so first and foremost because we have a heart for children, but also because we care about our communities. For my peers, who share this same philosophy, to recognize me in this manner is especially meaningful.”

“There is no doubt Dr. Seibert is deserving of this recognition,” said Alleghany County Super-intendent, Sarah Campbell. “He is an outstanding leader in education and his commitment to student achievement is repre-sentative of all superintendents in Region VI.”

Region VI encompasses 15 area school divisions in the Commonwealth that stretch

from Alleghany to Danville and Bote-tourt to Floyd. Seib-ert will now repre-sent our area as the region nominee for State Superintendent of the Year honors.

“Alan Seibert is one of the most

competent and inno-vative superintendents I know,” said Roanoke County Superin-tendent, Dr. Lorraine Lange, the 2011 State Superintendent of the Year. “He consistently leads Sa-lem City Schools to be one the finest divisions in Virginia. He is most deserving of the honor of being named Virginia Region VI Superintendent of the year."

Seibert is a New Jersey native who earned his Bachelor’s and Doctorate degrees from Vir-ginia Tech and his Master’s from Radford University. Along with his wife, Michele, and their three boys, the Seiberts have made

their home in the community he has served for more than two decades.

He was appointed to serve as Salem’s Division Superinten-dent in 2006, and before that was principal at South Salem Elementary. His educational career began in Salem in 1991 as an earth science teacher at Salem High School and he also has served the division as an as-sistant principal at both Andrew Lewis Middle School and Salem High School.

“I am profoundly thankful to live and serve in a community where citizens and generations of elected and appointed leaders get it, and by that, I am refer-ring to the well-researched and proven fact that communities with high quality schools have a higher quality of life for all resi-dents,” he said

In Memoriam: Joan KastnerRoanoke Star-Sentinel contributor Joan Kastner passed away last

week and we shall miss her. I did not know Joan very well person-ally, having only occasionally met her face to face as we worked to-gether over the last 5-6 years as editor and freelance contributor for several local papers. But when we would talk on the phone it was clear that Joan was meticulous (and often agonized) about making sure she delivered what was expected.

Joan was someone you could depend upon. Despite health chal-lenges in recent years she soldiered on, working part time for agen-cies like LOA, where she was involved with the Meals on Wheels

program. Joan especially liked to contribute stories on non-profits; the Res-

cue Mission was a favorite topic and in fact she queried us recently about covering an upcoming art event there. Earlier this week Star-Sentinel publisher Stuart Revercomb said a friend once reminded him that, “life is happening out there . . . and death is very much a regular part of that.” This is true, of course, but it doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to such a good and faithful person. Rest in peace Joan.

-Gene Marrano

Alan Seibert

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newsRoanoke.com 3/16/12- 3/22/12 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 3

RAYSAC Hopes More Schools Join After Prom Program

Prom season is just around the corner, and RAYSAC - Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition is already raising funds to support the After Prom Grand Finale. This event helps keep area teenagers safe at after prom parties. “We have not had an accident that resulted in injury or death to a student at a participating high school since the program started 24 years ago,” said RAY-SAC Coordinator Kathy Sullivan.

And although the program has been a success, organizers are hoping even more high schools will participate in promoting drug and alcohol-free activities which are an excellent alternative to dangerous partying by offering students good music, food entertainment, prizes and fun in a safe environment. “We’ve had as many as 33 schools in the region participate in the past few years, but we would like to see closer to 40,” said APGF Committee Chair Ashley Hatcher.

Sullivan said RAYSAC was making changes to required training for participating schools. Since schools from nearly the entire western half of Virginia are invited to participate in the RAYSAC APGF we have added an online training video. This online video will enable school representa-tives to do one of the required trainings online.

Again this year, RAYSAC will offer a powerful incentive – a new car. The vehicle is a brand new Hyundai Veloster donated by First Team Auto Mall. It is the 21st year First Team has donated a vehicle. “We believe strongly in giving back to the community,” said David Dillon, president and general manager of First Team Auto Mall in Roanoke. “If our donation of a car keeps all those teenagers in a safe environment on prom night, it’s an easy decision.”

In addition to the car, organizers have added two iPads this year along with other electronics as incentives for youth to remain at their after prom parties. RAYSAC is looking for donations to pay for the other incentives. “We do our fundrais-ing now, so we don’t interfere with the individual schools, which tend to solicit support closer to prom time,” said Sullivan. “We use the cash to buy gift cards, which the youth prefer.”

The Hyundai Veloster and other prizes will be given away at the After Prom Grand Finale at Val-ley View Mall on Sunday, June 3rd. Four people will be chosen from each high school to partici-pate in the day’s events. Every student at the finale will select from a group of keys to the vehicle – but only one key will work. The student, who success-fully unlocks the car, gets to keep it.

For more information on how to help keep kids safe on prom night or to make a donation to the cause, call Kathy Sullivan at (540) 982-1427 ext. 2123 or visit www.raysac.org

The Time Is Now For Your New BeginningDaylight savings time is here and Spring is just

around the corner so Summer isn’t far behind. Soon there will be no more excuses for hunker-ing down indoors in front of the television or computer; no more reason for hiding underneath layers of clothing; no holiday excuse for overeat-ing. Decision time is here. Are you going to finally make that commitment to yourself to get and stay healthy once and for all time? It really is up to you.

First ask yourself what you have to gain. Here are some things you may not have considered:

-Less medication and more money. If you lose weight and exercise you will likely be able to get rid of some or all of your medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar or pain medication. Add up how much money you would save every month. Many insurers are now adding a surcharge to premiums for those who are overweight, don’t exercise or smoke. You can save money on your health and life insurance too. Airlines may charge you for two seats if your weight makes it necessary to do so.

-More energy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have more gas in your tank to do the things you want or need to do? You can spend more time on your hobbies; more time with your family; take some classes; be with friends and family. Maybe you could plant a garden, walk your dog or even take a hike. Losing weight may even help you sleep better if you have sleep apnea. And sleeping better will help you lose weight. That is a win-win situation.

-Greater life satisfaction. Taking care of your-self allows you to more effectively care for others.

You owe it to those you love and care for to be your best. It isn’t selfish to take time to exercise and eat right. It is just the opposite. When you are well and healthy you will be more able to give to others. Achieving even small goals will help you build on larger ones and may inspire others. Set a good example for those around you - especially children.

-Mind & body connection. Becoming more fit physically can have a profound effect on your mental state. We are both our minds and our bodies. When one is unhealthy it often affects the other. Getting your mind-set right can help your physical being. It can be a vicious cycle that is dif-ficult to break. Your body hurts so you don’t feel like doing anything so you become isolated which causes loneliness and sadness so your body feels worse and so on and so on. Making one small change in either system can have a positive out-come for both.

Decide for yourself to take one small step for you and your health. Get outside and walk a bit. Give up soda. Decrease your portion size. Eat a healthy breakfast. Drink more water. Turn off the television. Let the sun shine on your face. Be a positive inspiration and role model. You can do it!

Dr. Kenneth Luckay DO is the Medical Direc-tor at the Center for Medical Weight Loss located at 4515 Brambleton Ave in Roanoke. He can be reached at 398-1547 or Email: [email protected].

Locher Grove had a dream; to provide one set of musical instruments for Roanoke City elementary schools. The Pat-rick Henry senior far surpassed his goal. He spearheaded the Noteworthy Music Festival-a music fundraising concert that netted about $15,000 - enough money to provide three sets of instruments for each school.

Locker was one of a dozen students across the U. S. to take part in last summer’s As-pen Ideas Festival as part of the Bezos Scholars Program in Colorado. They heard from speakers such as Sandra Day O’Conner and Justice Stephen Breyer.

“It was our responsibility to come back to our own com-munities and run some kind of festival to benefit some kind of cause in your community. So, music’s always been a big part of my life and I’ve played vio-lin since I was six. The problem with Roanoke City is we have teachers, we have the capabili-ties to have more classical and band instruction, we just don’t have the resources.”

The school division recently received a VH1 “Save the Mu-sic” grant, which provides one set of instruments per school. But “that doesn’t cover enough for students to take instru-ments home. You get to play

in the classroom once or twice a week and then they leave so they don’t get to cement the learning.”

He ran into some challenges preparing for the concert. “The biggest thing is having people actually listen to you. I’m only a high schooler so when I call them, some people don’t quite take me seriously. But the big-gest thing is that once you get people on board and (once they understand the purpose of the fundraiser) they’re much more willing to open up and (help).”

Twelve bands performed at the event held at Patrick Henry High, including “Big Lik” whose keyboardist Linda Hanks is also Locher’s calcu-lus teacher at the Governor’s School.

“It’s such a good cause and he’s such a great guy,” said Hanks.

“We thought if it (this cause) inspires one child to pick up an instrument that otherwise maybe wouldn’t have . . . we have done so much. We’re so blessed to have so many things that I feel like anything we can do to help contribute to that would just be huge. We have so much equipment; we have so many things that we could just donate to people. And if other bands would just clean out their garages or just get rid of some of the old and give it to a kid that can have just some-thing to practice on.”

She says her husband, the band’s drummer, started out banging on tin cans because he wanted so much to play the drums. As a teenager, he purchased a drum set for $10 a month at a downtown Roa-noke music store. “All he had was the snare drum and he just started with that.”

“Even as a 14-year-old child, he would get his mother to bring him to the music store to put his little $10 on that snare drum.”

Locker isn’t sure yet but says he might make the Notewor-thy Music Festival an annual event.

By Beverly Amsler [email protected]

Award Winning Roanoke Student Turns Big Ideas Into Musical Reality

A new Hyundai Veloster will be given away.

PersPectivePage 4 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 3/16/12 -3/22/12 newsRoanoke.com

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My Advice: Avoid The Stroke

Having a stroke can change your life.

You can trust me on this. My stroke in Febru-ary 2009 left me with a visual impairment that means I can no longer drive. That means that in order to visit with my grown children, who live and work in the Washington area, I now take the Valley Metro connector bus that leaves the Roanoke Civic Center early each morning and delivers its passengers to the Amtrak station in Lynchburg.

The Amtrak train depos-its its passengers at Union Station in Washington.

From there I join my grown son and daughter and their significant others so we can do the big-city thing -- brunch in funky restaurants or diners, visits to galleries or other attractions and dinners at big, busy restaurants that are overstimulating to a country-boy stroke survivor like me.

On my last visit we dined at an Italian place that featured dozens of brands of beer. The beer menu was several pages long and contained in a three-ring binder.

I thumbed through it and noticed one brand that cost $40 per bottle. What did it taste like?

I don't know how it tasted. Like beer, I imagine.

We also travel around by cab. In big cities you can ride for several blocks in a cab for less than $10. When the wind is howling and the sky is spit-ting snow, it's a handy way to go, though I must say that bounding around a big city becomes a bit of a challenge for someone who doesn't see well.

Heck, just getting your

bearings in a big, noisy eatery can be a challenge, especially if the light inside is fashion-ably dim.

Visits to galleries can be tiring to people who don't see so well, too.

The funny part is that if I hadn't had a stroke, I prob-ably wouldn't be taking these D.C. Trips. At least I wouldn't be doing them in this way.

For one thing, I'd drive to the nation's Capital rather than ride the train. That means I'd have to fight traffic to get to my kids' places and

scramble for park-ing when we went downtown.

That means I'd be less enthusias-tic about seeing so many sights, and I am certain that the Sunday afternoon visit we made last time to the Phillips Collection would

not have happened, because I'd be heading home instead of waiting for the late-after-noon train.

On the other hand, I prob-ably would not have fallen off that curb 10 inches high in front of Union Station and mashed my foot or slammed my hand on the road, mak-ing me a one-finger typist, at least for now.

When I went in the hospi-tal the day I had my stroke, I asked the doctor what was the most Important thing I should do in the future. He said, "Don't have another stroke."

Lots of people, particularly men, do have second strokes, usually within five years. They can, of course, be fatal.

That's the nightmare that makes me vigilant about ex-haustion, which comes on suddenly during strenuous trips. When I feel it, I am not shy about saying I need a break, and taking one.

And I'm one of the lucky people. Significant though my visual loss may be, I got off easy. The consequences of my stroke could have been much worse.

Taking the train home from D.C and the bus back from Lynchburg can be a hassle, but it provides an easy ride to tired travelers who would otherwise be in their cars battling traffic .

The doctor said, "don't have another stroke."

I say don't have the first one. You'd be surprised how thoroughly it can complicate your life.

Making it RightTo this day I still re-

member what my mother would make

me do when I got into a fight with my sister…I had to hug her and make up. Do I need to tell you how repulsive that was to a ten year old boy? I would have to say that I never really understood the point when I was a kid. I often thought it was just a type of cruel punishment that my mom enjoyed forcing upon me.

Now as an adult, I think I get it. My mother made us “own” it. If we did the crime, we had to make it right. This type of sim-ple, yet valuable, lesson is seen much less today. I regularly

deal with parents who struggle with having their kids “own” their bad behavior . . . and yes it is bad behavior, not just poor choices.

“Johnny was upset, that is why he did that”, or “Mary has difficulty in those situations and others just don’t understand her way of dealing with her friends,” are the type of comments I hear regularly when a parent is either defending or excusing bad be-havior. The issue is not WHY they may have done something, the issue is wrong, bad, inappro-priate behavior is wrong, bad, and inappropriate behavior . . . and it needs to be dealt with.

There are two obstacles that I

see most that keep parents from helping their children “own” their bad behavior. The first is difficulty accepting that all chil-dren do bad things and secondly, we over focus on “why” they do them.

First of all, all chil-dren do bad things. All children lie, cheat and steal. For some reason we are very uncomfortable with this as parents yet we know it is true. Our own experience shows us this with our very own children when they are toddlers. This does not just disappear on its own. We have to train them. We can’t do this well if we act surprised as if Johnny is not ca-pable of doing bad things.

Regularly I hear from teach-ers about conferences or phone calls with parents who do not want to accept that their child has done something wrong. These same parents defend their inappropriate actions in the classroom or towards other students rather than hold them accountable. In most cases, the parents are really defending themselves. Many parents to-day believe that how their child behaves is a direct indicator of how they are doing as parents. No one wants to admit that they are doing a bad job as a par-ent so we defend our kids at all cost.

The second obstacle to help-ing our children “own” their behavior is that we make ex-cuses for them. We think why they did it matters. I do not have enough paper to list all of the great excuses I have heard over the years as to why chil-dren have done the bad, mean things they do. There seems to be this notion that if the reason is good enough, then the behav-ior doesn’t really matter.

“It is understandable why Mary acted that way, isn’t it?”

I was asked recently by a par-ent. My answer was sure, I un-derstand it, but it is still wrong. Feeling bad or angry does not

justify hitting or say-ing mean things to someone. It might be why you did it, but it doesn’t in any way justify the response as healthy or appropri-ate. When we follow this logic, we teach our kids that a certain degree of offense by another justifies bad

behavior. This leads to a kid who always blames everyone else for their problems. There is no ownership of anything at that point.

The good news is that our children and their behavior do not dictate what kind of parents we are. How we respond to their behavior is a better indica-tor of our parenting. Secondly, it is pretty easy to stop making excuses and help a kid own their bad behavior.

First, call it what it is . . . bad, wrong, inappropriate behav-ior. Second, have them make it right. I have dealt with some of the most out of control, angry and violent kids over the years. I have seen these same kids begin to chart a different path when the focus shifted from why they did what they did to what they were going to do to make it right. When a child, or adult, is held accountable for correct-ing a wrong, they own it. Once they “own” it, they can begin to change it.

Take a look at how you ap-proach your child when they are in the wrong. Do you hold them accountable? Do you have them make it right? The second step is vital for their healthy development. Apology letters, seeking forgiveness, and making amends all serve as sig-nificant character builders in a child’s life.

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Whatever Happened to Civility?Can you remember

the time when men opened doors for

women, when random acts of kindness received a friendly wave or a thank you, when people actually looked and lis-tened when you were talking to them, when hats were worn by gentlemen and tipped in greet-ing? Those, and many others, were standards of courtesy. How things have changed!

Now, we have road rage, obscene gestures, public displays of vul-garity, and more. As dis-turbing as these things are, I find their pub-lic acceptance as the norm even more alarming.

I think I should write a sit-com; the formula is standard: A group of people, usually a combination of the painfully handsome or the inexplicably odd, are sitting in a living room. Conversations are dismissive and often rude. A door opens, in pops a newcomer who of-fers in greeting a sexual double entendre followed by a laugh-track explosion.

It goes downhill from there. Then there are the commercials, all sowing the seeds of discon-tent for your life and offering a remedy. The most obnoxious of all are those for “ED,” as it is euphemistically called. I would not be surprised if a middle school teacher has not had a boy tell her he must go to the

doctor—immediately-- because he has had . . . “the four hour ‘problem.’”

Saddest of all is that there is an audience for this; there are advertisers who pay tens of mil-lions to sponsor such drivel. And now we get down to the nitty-gritty. It must reflect who we are as a people and we won-

der why much of the world is mystified by what we seem to en-joy.

Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, Don Imus, to mention only a few, have parlayed our penchant for the

rude and prurient into personal for-tunes. When they

have stepped over the line of common decency, they suffer little. They may be given a fur-lough for a few weeks, they offer a totally lame apology such as, “I was only trying to be funny,” or sponsors may drop them . . . only to be replaced by new ones.

How refreshing it would be to have a political candidate whose views have been supported and extolled by such broadcasts in-terrupt their self-promoting speech with a ringing disen-gagement from such talk. There was a revealing political cartoon by David Fitzsimmons in The Arizona Daily Star last week. It depicted the Republican el-ephant excusing himself from the commentator’s diatribe only to have Limbaugh smugly call

after him, “You’ll be back.” Too, true, I am afraid.

What producer has had the guts to fire such a speaker on the spot, to give him 30 minutes to collect his pencil and paper, and then evict him from the broadcast studio forever? What candidate would state publicly that he or she would not tol-erate being in the same room with someone who had spouted such vile words? None of which I know. The reason seems to be that the public would not support such a forthright ap-proach.

How sad it is that we have lowered ourselves to such a level. The bad-mouthed broadcasters are not to blame. They are who they are, lamentable as that may be. The blame lies with those who will abide such behavior or worse yet, endorse it, excuse it, or laugh at it. That group, or so it seems, includes most of the population. If it were not so, then the problem would have corrected itself years ago.

So there you have it: My Quarterly Curmudgeon Col-umn. If I were not guilty of some of the infractions of com-mon civility of which I have written, I could not convinc-ingly speak against it. Unfor-tunately, I know personally the damage it causes to our society, particularly younger folk. If they don’t learn comity now, when will they?

In 2008 I participated in Washington National Ca-thedral’s pilgrimage to Iona,

a tiny island in the Inner Hebri-des off the western coast of Scot-land. Iona is the place where St. Columba landed in the mid-500s and founded one of the most im-portant monasteries in Christian history.

Iona is only three miles long and a mile and a half wide. Dur-ing my time there, I explored vir-tually every square foot of land. I enjoyed getting away from the rest of our pilgrimage group and spending time in the wilderness areas of the island with only God and the wind to keep me com-pany. For such a small place, Iona has an interesting variety of to-pography.

One afternoon, I walked the marked path to the center of the island and across to its western coast. I then headed due north to a “dun” or high rocky hill that marks the island’s northwest cor-ner. I scrambled to the top of the small mountain and edged as close to the precipice as I dared. From there I could see virtually the whole island. To the east, I could see the lights of the abbey blinking on, as dusk settled over the land.

Suddenly I realized night was coming too quickly for me to return the way I’d come, so I de-cided to head straight across the northern end of the island, where there was no path and the land-

scape appeared to be tall grass. Before coming down the small mountain, I made a mental pic-ture of the landscape.

Within a few steps of trudg-ing across the island on my new route, I realized the tall grass masked boggy ground. The wet mud sucked at my boots and made walking difficult. To add a comic note, at that moment my wife called me on the internation-al cell phone I carried, and just as I reported to her, “Honey, I’m stuck in a bog and I don’t know my way out,” the call was dropped! From the valley I couldn’t see my way to the abbey, and as darkness fell I feared getting lost.

I said a quick prayer, and (maybe for the first time in my life) I was able to recall with crys-tal clarity the mental picture I’d constructed of the landscape. In my mind’s eye, I could see the narrow gap at the other edge of the bog, which would lead to the solid ground near the coast and then to the abbey. Eventually, I made it home without incident. If I hadn’t remembered the view from the mountain, I’d never made it through the valley.

Early in Lent, churches in many denominations read the Gospel account of the Transfigu-ration, when the disciples on the

mountain see Jesus transformed into glory. After their vision, Je-sus leads them down the moun-tain and begins the long trek to the cross on Calvary. It is the journey of Lent. It is difficult and arduous, and on the way it is easy to get lost.

What will direct the followers of Jesus through those difficult days, and what will guide we Christians through this Lent, is the view from the mountain, of the One who is the Son of God, the fulfillment of every promise God has ever made. The vision of the glorified Christ will illumine our hearts, minds and souls, and with it in the center of our vision, we will walk with confidence through this and any valley.

St. John’s is located in downtown Roanoke at the corner of Jefferson Street and Elm Avenue and gath-ers for Sunday worship at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Find St. John’s on the web at www.stjohn-sroanoke.org.

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So You Think Winter is Really Over?Julius Caesar was warned,

“Beware the Ides of March.” We had no such

warning for the Ides of March, 1993. The results were not as dire as the fate that befell Cae-sar, but the circum-stances that evolved from an unexpected change in the weath-er made life chaotic.

Kathy and Skip were delighted that their house in Silver Spring, Maryland had finally sold and so that they could move into a new home they had built in Raleigh NC. For two years they had been living in an apartment in Raleigh with rented furniture while they waited for a buyer.

Now the closing was set for Saturday, March 13th, and Kathy asked if we could help with the move. Of course we agreed, an-ticipating a pleasant weekend with our children, sharing the work and their company.

Kathy had planned every-thing in great detail. She ar-ranged for the rental company to pick up the furniture after her departure. On Friday afternoon,

Skip would drive from Phila-delphia, where he was working that week; we would drive to Raleigh and accompany Kathy. Fortunately, Skip’s sister was caring for their two girls, ages

6 and 3 at her home in Richmond.

We planned to meet at the house, have dinner and sleep to rest up for the busy day to fol-low. In the morn-ing, we would load the U-Haul truck with the furniture

they had left in the house to make it more attractive to potential buyers,

and then Kathy and Skip would go for the furniture they had left in storage.

That was when the plan be-gan to unravel. When they ar-rived at the storage facility, it was vacant. Empty buildings and no one around.

“It was like the Twilight Zone,” Kathy said. The business had moved over a year before and no one had notified them. After finally locating it, they loaded the truck, being careful to place the dining room furni-

ture Kathy inherited from her grandmother last so it would be easy to remove first. She had made an appointment to drop it off to be refinished when we ar-rived back in Raleigh.

Throughout the day we had been paying close attention to the weather reports – snow was on the way! By afternoon it had begun and the outlook was ominous – not the light snow we had expected in the middle of March. Harry suggested we change our plans and start the long drive instead of waiting until morning. So we set out, headed for Raleigh in what be-came known as the “Blizzard of ’93.”

Skip drove the U-Haul and we traveled in tandem, creep-ing along with poor visibility. When we reached Petersburg, we were forced to stop – a whi-teout made driving impossible. We spent the night in a motel.

The snow continued to fall during the night, but in the morning we were able to re-sume our travel, although driv-

ing was slow and tedious. Of course, the carefully planned schedule was no longer useful. The person who had planned to refinish the furniture was unavailable, (we had missed our appointment). Skip and Harry had to climb three flights of stairs with the dining room fur-niture to store it in the vacant apartment until new arrange-ments could be made.

When Harry and I prepared to head back to Roanoke, we discovered our battery was dead! One more obstacle to be overcome on this bewitched weekend! Arriving home safely many hours later we had to shovel sixteen inches of snow from our driveway before we could enter the house and tum-ble into warm beds.

So you think winter is re-ally over? Beware the Ides of March!

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It isn't rocket science, al-though if you read the ado-lescent brain research you can understand why our summer camp communities are so incredibly successful. Or if you read what we know about hope and the human spirit the camp experience makes sense. Consider the

following:• Fundamentally, having

fun is an excellent way to learn. Fun, and specifically humor, is the highest form of abstract thinking. Fun keeps the brain alert and engaged.

• The outdoors is a natu-ral and incredibly dynamic learning environment. Sum-mer Camp provides the op-portunity to be part of nature and our spirits are soothed when we return to the inti-macy of the natural world.

• We suffer if deprived of

human contact. As humans we need real relationships and camp provides a unique place to will seek them out.

• Finally, we value active participation at whatever level physically possible. We are human powered, heart powered, and organically de-signed to excel and thrive in nurturing environments.

A quality camp experience is single handedly unique in all of these attributes; and it is because the camp experi-ence offers so much in these areas that it plays a vital part in the preservation of the planet and children.

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Does this describe you or someone you know?You love the outdoors. You love hiking and biking and sailing. And your good friend says you're

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million college students will find their way from their campus to camp this summer to fill open-ings at camps across the United States.

• Imagine a job where almost anything is possible:• Live, play, and work in the great outdoors.• Go on active adventures.• Experience other parts of the country.• Make new friends from all over even from other countries.• Bank more money than you think with few expenses.• Become a child's hero.• Learn leadership skills.Camp jobs offer invaluable skill-building, leadership, training, and enrichment opportunities

that cant be found anywhere else! Regardless of your college major, camp experiences allow you to learn and develop skills that will enhance your job marketability. The benefits go far beyond a paycheck, too. Business executives often note that experience as a camp counselor translates into excellent management and personnel skills. College credit can sometimes be obtained from work-ing at camp. Check with your college advisor to see if you qualify.

For more information on working at camp, visit the http://www.acacamps.org/jobs

The Benefits of Exposure to NatureRecent research suggests

that exposure to nature can improve all children's cogni-tive abilities and resistance to negative stresses and depres-sion

More than 100 studies reveal that one of the main benefits of spending time in nature is stress reduction.

Environmental psycholo-

gists reported in 2003 that simply a room with a view of nature can help protect chil-dren against stress, and that the protective impact of near-by nature is strongest for the most vulnerable children — those experiencing the highest levels of stressful life events.

Other studies indicate that nature can be powerful thera-py for such maladies as obesity and depression.

Fascinating recent studies by the Human-Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois show that direct exposure to na-ture relieves the symptoms of attention-deficit disorders. By comparison, activities in-doors, such as watching TV, or activities outdoors in paved, non-green areas, leave these children functioning worse.

In addition, anecdotal evi-dence strongly suggests that creativity is stimulated by childhood experiences in na-ture.

Certainly camps, when suf-ficiently focused on the na-ture experience, bring such benefits to countless children. Studies of outdoor education programs geared toward trou-bled youth — especially those diagnosed with mental health problems — show a clear ther-apeutic value. This is a redis-covery, really. Camp programs have been used to facilitate emotional well-being since the early 1900s. According to one study, an increase in self-esteem was most pronounced for preteens, but was positive across all ages.

In 1994-95, the National Survey of Recreation and the Environment conducted a national study of 17,216 Americans; a 2001 analysis of data found that people with disabilities indicated levels of participation in outdoor recre-ation and adventure activities equal to or greater than people without disabilities. Other studies show that people with disabilities participate in the most challenging of outdoor recreation activities; they seek risk, challenge, and adventure in the outdoors just as do their contemporaries without dis-abilities.

Everyone who lives with or works with children needs to know about these stud-ies, and to alert themselves to the growing deficit of nature experience — and about the implications for our society as a whole. Healing the broken bond between our young and nature is in our self-interest; not only because aesthetics or justice demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depend upon it.



sPorts 3/16/12 -3/22/12 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 7

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Wild Bill’s Weekly Sports Roundup

Hokie Hockey Progressing Through Post-Season

Virginia Tech’s club hockey team finished ranked #7 in the Southeast Region this season and is headed to the national championship tourney for the first time ever. On Saturday Feb 18, VT played Liberty in the Semi-Finals of the MACHA (Mid Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association) South tournament at Liberty University’s ice rink. Despite losing 3-2, the Hokies advanced to the Southeast Re-gional tournament, where their ranking set up a first day match up against #6 Kennesaw State University. The Hokies con-trolled the play early and often as they went on to a 7-5 victory over the Owls.

On Day 2 of the regionals the Hokies faced inter-state ri-val Liberty University again. After an early exit from the MACHA South Tournament against Liberty the week before, the Hokies “knew the game would be difficult,” said Chris Arnold, communications direc-tor for the team, which plays its home games at the Roanoke

Civic Center. “[But] the Hokies came out flying in the first pe-riod, scoring the game’s first two goals and never looked back,” said Arnold.

The Hokies defeated the Flames 5-3 to earn their first trip to the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association) National Tournament in Ft. Myers, FL. The Hokies are now

one of the final 16 teams left in the country, and will be repre-senting the Southeast region as the #4 seed on Pool B. That pool play is as follows:

Friday March 16 Game 1 vs. William Paterson (#1 North-east) 9:00 AM

Saturday March 17 Game 2 vs. Utah State (#2 West) 12:00 PM

Sunday March 18 Game 3 vs. Lindenwood (#3 Central) 9:15 AM

Monday March 19 Semi Fi-nal # 1 Winner Pool A vs. Win-ner Pool C 1:30 PM

Monday March 19 Semi Final # 2 Winner Pool B vs. Winner Pool D 1:45 PM

Tuesday March 20 Champi-onship Game Winner Semi #1 vs. Winner Semi #2 1:30 PM

All games during the 2012 ACHA Division 2 National Championships will be video-cast live on the internet courtesy of FastHockey.com.

By Gene [email protected]

Hokie’s Club hockey team could win a national title

Cave Spring’s Magical Run Falls Short In 48-33 State Final Loss

Cave Spring’s boys’ basketball team came up just short last Sat-urday afternoon, as the Knights dropped the Group AA Divi-sion 3 state final 48-33, against a Brunswick team that came in as the defending champion.

Cave Spring fell behind early, but stayed within reasonable dis-

tance to the Brunswick school that was making its sixth consec-utive appearance in the champi-onship contest. The Knights had defeated Brunswick in the 2009 and 2010 finals that secured back-to-back state titles for Cave Spring.

For the Knights, few had ex-pected that the road to Rich-mond would have been paved by a fourth quarter come-from-behind win over Abingdon in the Regional final, followed by a victory over Waynesboro in the state quarterfinal and a gutsy tri-umph over heavily favored Flu-vanna County in last Tuesday’s state semifinal matchup.

A partisan Brunswick crowd packed Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center for the showdown, and high school bas-ketball’s biggest stage may have proved somewhat unsettling for the Knights.

“I thought we came out a little tight,” Cave Spring Head Coach Billy Hicks noted afterward.

But, Cave Spring narrowed what had been a 15 point lead to six points midway through the fourth quarter, and had the ball

to potentially close to within one possession.

Brunswick, with superior speed and height, regrouped for a 10-0 run down the stretch, pulling away in final three min-utes.

“My hat’s off to Brunswick,” Hicks said. “They were absolute-

ly the better team today.”Cave Spring opened the game

with a plan to pack in the de-fense, to hopefully entice Bruns-wick into shooting 3-pointers.

Hicks plan worked to perfec-tion as the Bulldogs fired up seven shots from behind the arc in the first quarter, making only one.

On the other end of the court, Cave Spring ran into what would become its downfall. Brunswick was tall and athletic on defense, and few Knights’ shots went un-contested. The Bulldogs led 15-4 after one quarter.

A Shaquille Jones layup gave Brunswick a 21-6 lead with 2:00 left in the first half, before Cave Spring closed to 23-11 at the halftime break.

Cave Spring defensive anchor, Jordan Bryant, said Brunswick’s 6’6” Brandan Stith, son of Bull-dog head coach and all-time UVA leading scorer, Bryant Stith, was the big difference.

“Brandan Stith is so long, he affected everybody’s shot,” Bry-ant said. “It was tough. The length they had affected everybody.”

Brunswick’s advantage re-

mained in double digits through-out the third quarter, before Cave Spring leading scorer Amin Abuhawwas scored in the paint and was fouled with 1:02 left. The free throw cut the Bulldog lead to 31-21 heading to the final frame.

Cave Spring offered one last push that got Brunswick’s atten-tion. When junior Connor Baker hit a long-range bomb with 5:24 left, and followed with a pair of free throws at the 4:11 mark, the Knights were within striking range at 33-27.

The Knights had the opportu-nity to make it a one-possession game after Bulldog Alfred Ma-son III rimmed out both of a pair of free throw attempts, but Cave Spring had two good looks from behind the arc rattle out, and the Bulldogs scored the next ten points.

“I was all smiles on the sideline when we cut it to six and had the ball,” Hicks pointed out. “That was our window.”

Cave Spring was led in scoring by Abuhawwas’ 16 points. Baker added 7, with Aaron Cupp and Ryan Gladfelter chipping in 4 and 3, respectively, Jon Evans (2) and Alex Couture (1) rounded out the Knight’s scoring.

Jones scored a game-high 17 for Brunswick, with Brandan Stith adding 12, and Mason 11. Broderick Stith and Antawn Val-entine each tallied 4 points for the Bulldogs.

“Neither team shot well,” Hicks added. “We were 9-of-43 (20.9 percent) from the field. The Brunswick defense had a lot to do with that.”

“The first two Brunswick possessions set the tone,” Hicks noted. “They missed, got the re-bound, and scored.”

“A lot of players stepped up this season,” Hicks said of his Knight squad. “We lost 4 games in overtime; otherwise, we could have been a 22-win team.”

“We dedicated the season to Kendall Bayne,” Hicks added. “She was such an inspiration.”

Cave Spring #24 Connor Baker motors past Brunswick de-fender #3 Antawn Valentine in the state final at VCU Saturday afternoon. Baker's three-pointer and two free throws got Cave Spring to within 6 points midway through the fourth.

Cave Spring head coach Billy Hicks (in suit) accepts the runner-up trophy.

By Bill Turner [email protected]

March Madness for college basketball started this week, and 68 teams will battle to de-termine this year’s national champion.

For those mathemat-ically challenged, have you wondered how many games (which in the first couple weeks seem endless) does it take to settle the mat-ter?

Easy calculation- each game has one loser, so 67 games will thin out the crowd. Plus, all original 68 teams, except one, will end the season on a losing note.

For the record, three teams from the state of Virginia made the field- UVA, VCU and Nor-folk State.

Likewise, in the trivia cat-egory, only two teams with less than 20 wins are in - West Vir-ginia (19-13) and via the Sun-Belt conference championship, Western Kentucky (15-18).

It’s been interesting to hear many so-called “brack-etologists” (what a goofy word coined by the ranters) pan the selection of UVA. Com’on guys, the Cavs were 22-9; although it becomes more evident each year, the ACC power outside of UNC and Duke is fooling very few.

The high school version of March madness concluded last Saturday with the full slate of title games at the VCU Siegel

Center in Richmond. The only Wild Bill ‘Big-11’

girls or boys team to make a fi-nal was the Cave Spring boys. The Knights made a valiant run

(see article and photos to left!) before falling to talented Brunswick, coached by all-time UVA leading scorer Bryant Stith.

Hats off to Bruns-wick for their second

straight title and sixth straight final appear-

ance. Maybe Brunswick had the advantage with the game being a family affair. Two play-ers on the 15-man Bulldog ros-ter were Stith’s sons- Brandan and Broderick. The two scored 15 and 6 points, respectfully.

With both underclassmen, don’t be surprised to see Bruns-wick back in the 2013 final.

Congratulations to the rest of our ‘Big-11’ girls and boys teams for the commitment and hard work required to compete through the entire 2011-12 campaign.

As mentioned previously, the most prestigious award of the season awaits a member of each team when the Kiwanis ‘Unsung Hero’ is announced during an exciting presentation scheduled for April 1st.

Now to the always interest-ing mailbag, where sports-manship and a reader’s plea to reconsider my rating on the “GoJo” gadget take this week’s

center stage.Dear Wild Bill: I watched

the Cave Spring-Brunswick fi-nal on TV Saturday. The VCU arena looked packed. What was the greatest moment from that game? (Dennis/Roanoke)

Answer: The one with 2:12 left. Cave Spring’s Connor Bak-er had gone down hard scram-bling for a loose ball. While down on the court with a huge gash over his left eye, Bruns-wick Head Coach Bryant Stith offered words to Baker, fol-lowed by handshakes from all five Brunswick starters; sports-manship was at its best.

Dear GoJo Bill: I just love my GoJo hands-free suction cup device that allows me to jump rope while talking on the phone. I’ve lost 50 pounds and haven’t missed one piece of gossip. Won’t you reconsider the ‘NoGo’ rating? (Oscella/Lexington)

Answer: Well, Oscella, I might bend. I used a GoJo tac-tic on a couple of telemarketers this week, and the TV pitch may have merits. Works won-ders when you see the pesky, dinnertime nuisances on the caller-ID, and answer “Seven-ty-seven, North Dakota.” They hung up ON ME four times.

Until next week, GoJo your inquiries to: [email protected]

Bill Turner

By Bill Turner [email protected]

sPortsPage 8 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 3/16/12 -3/22/12

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Hidden Valley Softball Working To Improve With New Head Coach

With six returning starters, the Hidden Valley girls’ softball team has been working hard in the off-season to improve on last year’s 4-6 record in a competi-tive River Ridge District under new head coach Brett Newman.

Newman takes over the Titans program after spending the last two seasons at Patrick Henry and at Lord Botetourt two years prior to the Patriots’ stint.

Returning for Hidden Valley, who was 11-13 overall and lost in the opening round of the re-gional tournament last season,

are pitchers senior Kelsey Crotty and junior Liz Klussman, catch-er senior Amanda Radford, along with junior Savannah Kramer, junior Margaret Law-son and sophomore Maleigh Lombard.

“We graduated nine seniors last year, including the entire outfield,” said head coach Brett Newman. “The six returning players all received significant playing time last year that will serve them well this year.”

Also taking to the field for the Titans this season are freshman

Sidney Agee, junior Katy Bell, sophomore Jordan Criss, fresh-man Madi Cupp, senior Aman-da Davis, junior Kristen Perdue, junior MacKenzie Plaia and sophomore Sophia Robinette.

Newman sees his team’s strengths as being experienced pitchers and catcher.

Hidden Valley opened its sea-son on Wednesday, March 14 (after we went to press) when they hosted Northside.

Knights Softball Poised To Defend TitlesAfter losing only one starter off of last’s River

Ridge District and Region IV championship team, the Cave Spring softball squad, behind eight returning starters, is poised to make another run deep into the playoffs in 2012.

Donning the Knights uniform this season are Taylor Asimakopoulos (pitcher/infield), junior Lauren Roach (infield/outfield), senior Kayla Malkos (infield), junior Madi Billings (catcher), freshman Kylie Kent (infield), senior Noelle Pat-terson (outfield), senior Danielle Stump (pitcher/infield), senior Dani Duff (outfield), junior Cor-tney Cooper (infield/outfield), senior Savannah Wilson (outfield), senior Hannah Sitze (outfield/pitcher), junior Amanda Simmons (outfield/catcher), freshman Abby Beatty (pitcher/infield), junior Victoria Muncy (outfield), senior Caitlin Ragan (infield) and junior Hannah Ferguson (in-field).

“This year’s team is filled with potential,” said head coach Lindsey Moore. “We only lost one starter from last year’s team. We have two return-ing starting pitchers who led us to the state quar-terfinals last year. Also returning are all-district players Duff, Malkos, Stump, Asimakopoulos and Cooper. There are two freshmen on this year’s roster who are expected to make an impact. Kent was a standout third baseman for the JV team year and Beatty spent the majority of her time on JV in the pitcher’s circle. She will see time on the

mound this year, as well as time in the infield.”When asked about the Knights strengths and

weaknesses, Moore replied, “We are a versatile team. Having so many pitchers is a good problem to have. The disadvantage to that is that we have to move positions around depending on who is on the mound. Fortunately, I have several players that can fill numerous roles on the team. Our in-field is expected to be strong, with several veteran players. Our weakness this year will be in the out-field, particularly in the first part of season since we will be without all-state player, Duff, who is out for rehab from a shoulder injury. She is expected to be back in the lineup before the district games begin, barring any complications.”

Cave Spring sees its top games being with non-district foe Northside and district member Sa-lem.

“I have high expectations for this year’s team at Cave Spring. We have a lot of veteran players returning to the lineup with the addition of some stand-out players from last year’s JV program. Like everyone, we have our strengths and weaknesses, but I believe with hard work and dedication this can be a great year for Cave Spring Softball.”

The Knights opened the season on Monday at William Byrd with a 4-2 loss.

By David [email protected]


North Cross - William Fleming Scrimmage Prepares Teams for Openers

The North Cross and William Fleming var-sity Lacrosse teams squared off on Tuesday night to sharpen skills and get a measurement of where they are relative to other programs in the valley. The Raiders who have been fielding lacrosse teams for over 25 years had a distinct advantage against the Colonels who are only in their third year of organized play. The Raiders team scored early and consistently and looked to be working out the kinks against Flem-ing’s less experienced players. Both teams be-gin their seasons on Friday with North Cross opening up against New River Valley at home (5:30 PM) and Fleming traveling to Lynchburg to take on E.C. Glass (7:30 PM).

Shamrock Festival Returns to Roanoke

William Fleming Baseball To Be Young Under New Coach

With only five starters back and a host of new talent, the William Fleming baseball team will be extremely young, as they prepare for the upcom-ing season under new head coach Jason Hall.

Ready to hit the diamond for the Colonels are freshmen Dillon Schrader, Zach Whitley, Jalil Holmes, Richard Goad, Anthony Sledd and Billy Eaton. Sophomores Kemonte Gaskin, Ethan Hil-ton and Devante Terry. Juniors Jesse Ferguson, Jabari Webb, Mike Stuart, Dontae Harvey, Harold Cheridieu, Tyler Chumbley, Drannan Altizer, Jo-seph Ray, Justin Jackson, Andre Cardwell, Ollie Howie and Will Haifield, along with seniors Julian Johnson, Jamal Wilson and KJ Sims.

When asked which players he thought would made an impact this season, Hall said, “Justin Jackson - 11th Grade. He has a great arm and po-tential to be a quality starter for us this year on the mound. Drannan Altizer - 11th Grade. He was thrown into the fire last year and caught every game and did a great job; he has a year under his belt and the desire to be the best. We are excited to see what happens with him this year. We have a great class of freshmen and sophomores that we will be keeping a close eye on this year.”

“This year’s team is a different team; a young

team. This year we want to develop a team men-tality. Of course we want to have a winning season. Who doesn’t want to see that? But more impor-tantly, we want to put William Fleming Baseball on the map. We want people to notice that there is something exciting happening with WF baseball,” Hall stated.

The Colonels are young and will take advantage of the desire that such players have to play hard but being young and embarking on a season with more new faces than old will also provide plenty of challenges.

The Colonels see their top game of the season being with city-rival and Western Valley District foe Patrick Henry. “What a great rivalry,” added Hall. “So many of the players have grown up with each other, it’s hard not to circle that game.”

“I am excited about this team and the chemis-try. We have great leaders in the upper class, with

promising talent in the younger grades. I am excited to see what will develop over the next

three months,” Hall noted.


If you noticed a large num-ber of teenage girls in spandex shorts last weekend in Roa-noke you were probably seeing players that participated in the annual Shamrock Festival vol-leyball tournament. Now in its 13th year, “Shamrock” as it is known, is the largest nationally sanctioned tournament in Vir-ginia, hosting 228 teams from all over the east coast that bring over 6000 visitors to the Roa-noke Valley.

The tournament was head-quartered at the Roanoke Civic

Center Special Events Hall with 13 courts of volleyball be-ing played simultaneously. The events started Friday night with a College Showcase highlighting over 300 girls displaying their skills for over 70 college scouts.

Tournament play began on Saturday and ran through Sunday afternoon with games played all over Roanoke includ-ing gyms at Cave Spring, Wil-liam Fleming, Patrick Henry, North Cross, Glenvar, Hidden Valley, Roanoke College, Hol-lins College and the Spectrum

Sports Academy (formerly The Edge).

The tournament also acts as a fundraiser for the Roanoke United Volleyball Club which has 15 teams with players be-tween the ages of 12-18 as well as a Volleyball Academy for younger children.

Many of local teams placed well. “Roanoke 18s” – 2nd place Gold, “NRV” (also a local club) 18s – 1st place Silver, “Roanoke 15 White” – 2nd place Silver, “Roanoke 14 White” – 1st place Silver.

Lynsey Barker powers a serve over the net during one of last weekend’s match-ups.

Arts & culturenewsRoanoke.com 3/16/12 -3/22/12 |The Roanoke Star-Sentinel |Page 9

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The fantasy and sci-fi genre have many great movies such as Avatar or the Star Wars saga, but they all owe it to a book all the way back from 1917 called “A Princess of Mars” for their inspiration. Written by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars had a great plot, riveting sword-fights and spectacle to spare. Naturally a movie adaptation would seem inevitable, but the novel has en-dured somewhat of a develop-ment crisis, and other films such as Avatar have taken inspiration from the novel for their own film. Although some of its origi-nality was lost on its way to the big screen, it is still an enjoyable and visually-stunning movie.

The film focuses on the titular character John Carter, who one day finds himself transported to Mars. The world is dying from war and chaos, and unless John can unite everyone to stand against their enemy that seeks to destroy Mars they are all doomed to extinction.

The biggest problem with John Carter is that it’s a bit confusing for those who have not read the book and are unfamiliar with the terminology and characters of the series. The movie tries its hardest, but 132 minutes can’t provide the amount of context the audience needs to under-stand the culture that the novel depicts.

Another issue with John Carter is that it has a lot of com-mon clichés found in fantasy/sci-fi films today. Though not the movie’s fault, the surprises in the story are now worn out thanks to the other movies in the genre that have used them so regularly. Despite this, the movie is still very entertaining thanks to its spectacle and even its characters. The two leading actors, Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins, both do

very well in their roles and also have great chemistry together that makes them an enjoyable pair to watch.

The story also has its interest-ing moments despite its famil-iarity. The art direc-tion of the world of Mars is great, and the movie does a decent job of immersing you in that world. What’s even better than the art direction are the visual effects, which are stunning to say the least. The scope of the movie is massive, and with the epic battles and massive landscapes, it’s hard not to be taken with awe at how immense this movie is in scale and detail. Even the 3D is good despite being a post-converted one, and it’s used to enhance the movie rather than serving as a

gimmick.John Carter may have been

a better movie if it had been re-leased earlier, but it’s still a fun movie that provides just the right amount of old-school thrills that

a lot of films are miss-ing today. The movie is visually stunning, and the story has its fun moments. It’s a shame that the con-fusing intricacies of the culture and some flaws in the script and plot are there because otherwise

this is a pretty solid movie. Despite this, the best way to see

this movie is on the big screen. A small HDTV will simply never be able to portray the enormous scope of this film.

What Do Jazz Musicians Play After The Gig?

The Roanoke College Faculty Jazz Combo will be shaping and reshaping some standard and some not-so-standard tunes in the jazz repertory. Composed of Roanoke College music faculty and friends, the ensemble will present an afternoon of free-wheeling jazz improv on Sun-day, March 18, at 4:00 p.m. in Olin Recital Hall.

Featured performers for this event will be (* RC music fac-ulty):

Don Wimmer, saxes and flute

Pattie Clevenger*, vocalsBrian Holt*, guitarEric Hollandsworth, bass

Bill Purcell*, drumsJoseph Blaha*, pianoThe repertoire for March 18

will include Rodgers and Ham-merstein’s “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” Ellington’s “Solitude,” Wayne Shorter’s” Wild Flower,” and Paul Desmond’s “Take Five” along with such standards as “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” “Girl from Ipanema,” “Willow Weep for Me,” and the premiere of Blaha’s “Livin’ the High Life.”

The concert is free and open to the public. No tickets are re-quired

Seth Childers

By Seth Childers [email protected]

“Tuna” Next Up On Waldron StageWhile the Trinkle

main stage at Mill Mountain Theatre may still be dark – si-lenced first by finan-cial problems and then by renovations at Center in the Square – the more intimate Waldron Stage on Church St. is gearing up for a third produc-tion. “Greater Tuna,” a two man tour-de-force with 21 char-acters and many, many costume changes, comes to the refurbished Wal-dron Stage March 21-April 1. It’s also a return to Roanoke for former producing artistic direc-tor Scott Treadway, who left Mill Mountain after less than a year in that position, returning to North Carolina for family reasons.

Treadway returns as one of the two actors in Greater Tuna, a comedy that details the goings-on in a fictional Texas town. The other actor is Orlando-based Mike Edwards, who has performed Greater Tuna with Treadway in a number of ven-ues. The play itself dates back to the 1970’s and is one of the most produced works ever. Directing is Ginger Poole, Mill Mountain’s managing director and direc-tor of education – currently the only full time employee at Mill Mountain.

Poole said Treadway’s posi-tion won’t be filled right away: “our next move is a director of development, [at least] for the next several months until Center in the Square finishes its renova-tions.” That’s slated to happen in December 2012. A new execu-tive or artistic director could be hired early next year, according to Poole.

The Trinkle main stage “will be the first to get the thumbs-up to move back into Center in the Square,” said Poole, a veteran play director who also runs act-ing and dance camps for chil-dren and adults. Directing a play like Greater Tuna “is a challenge,” but Edwards and Treadway have helped make it easier for Poole.

The Waldron refurbishing (it

seats about 120) came with new lighting, new risers for chairs and renovated office space. Poole and company moved back in October; The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Arctic Cir-cle, which came from the Hollins University playwright program, preceded Greater Tuna. “Our fu-ture is collaboration,” said Poole of The Arctic Circle; she expects more Hollins productions on the Waldron Stage in the future. “That’s the future for the arts – we can’t survive [otherwise].”

Expect a sleeker, slimmer, smarter Mill Mountain when the main stage returns – but not less ambitious, according to Poole. There will be fewer pro-ductions (around six per year) and a definitive dark period over the summer. There may be co-productions with other theater companies as well. “It was crazy towards the end,” Poole recalls of the time before Mill Mountain shut down in 2009, “we were do-ing about twelve productions a year, with a staff of 23.” Expect a full time staff closer to 6-7 people this time around.

Edwards said he is fortunate to be working again with Tread-way in Greater Tuna, which they first performed together back in 1991. “It keeps cycling back to us,” said the full time actor/director. Five dressers will help Edwards and Treadway into costume for their 21 characters; some of those changes occur in as little as 11 seconds. “It’s pretty magical,” marvels Poole.

Greater Tuna details a day in the life after a judge has died.

How people react to that – and to who did the judge in – are the play’s focus. There’s someone with “a dog problem,” radio sta-tion DJs that keep the townsfolk informed and assorted other colorful personali-ties. Treadway said Greater Tuna could in fact to be about “your family. I see my own family in this.”

Being in the cozy Wal-dron space is “perfect,” according to Treadway:

“we’re right there in [people’s] laps.”

Treadway also called the deci-sion to leave Roanoke “agony,” adding that he was “thrilled to be back.” He had been to Roa-noke as an actor once before, in a children’s production (at the Performing Arts Theatre), what he called “the worst show in the history of earth.”

Edwards said he and Treadway have their timing down to a sci-ence – important since the other actor may be off stage doing a quick change. They’ve also done a “Tuna Christmas” play seven times. “They’re real people – just a little bizarre,” adds Edwards of Greater Tuna.

There are a number of venues for live plays in Roanoke now but Poole is okay with the competi-tion: “the more exposure that we as an arts community give [to the public] the better.” The grand-daddy of them all – the Trinkle main stage – could be back on-line later this year. “We’re getting close,” said Poole, “I’m ready to see this [through] to the end.” See millmountain.org or call 342-5749 for more about Great-er Tuna, March 21-April 1 on the Waldron Stage. Adult tickets are $25.

Scott Treadway, Ginger Poole and Mike Edwards bring Greater Tuna to the Waldron Stage.

By Gene [email protected]

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Carilion Clinic CEO Nancy Agee joined a crowd of Carilion and Salem-Roanoke Chamber of Commerce officials to cut the ribbon on the area's first Veloci-tyCare location. The urgent care center, located at 4035 Electric Road, is designed to bridge the gap between primary care and the emergency room and will be open seven days a week with ex-tended hours. The Electric Road facility is the first of four that will open in the region this spring and summer with locations in Daleville, Christiansburg and Westlake coming soon.

Carilion Cuts Ribbon On VelocityCare Center

You’re Invitedto anOpen House

RSVP: 521-9336

�ursday, March 2212:00pm-1:30pm & 4:00pm-6:00pm

Ribbon Cutting at 12:30 p.m.

6515 Williamson Rd., Roanokeat

(Brookside Shopping Center - Hollins)

Refreshments Tour of Newly Renovated Clinic

Tips on Nutrition and FitnessGi� Basket Drawings & Door Prizes

w w w . r i c k w o o d s o n h o n d a . c o m

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By DAN RAFTER | CTW Features

Licensed contractor and televi-sion star Jason Cameron knows how to fix just about anything inside (and outside)

the home. He shows off his expertise as the host of “Man Caves” and “Desperate Landscapes” on the DIY Network. But he went through plenty of career and life changes before he settled into this gig:

To-Do ListJason Cameron, DIY Network star and licensed contractor, gives a list of chores every homeowner should do after winter passes:

• Take a visual inspection of the roof. No need to get on top of it – use binoculars to get a good look from below. Any missing or cracked shingles or damage near the chimney needs to be fixed, or it will get worse with time.

• Inspect the gutters and down-spouts. During the winter, they can pull away from the house.

• Look for cracks in the exte-rior walls, whether it’s brick or siding.

• Make sure there is enough caulk around doors and win-dows.

• Take a walk around the entire house to visually inspect it for any worrying features that catch the eye.

he’s also worked as a personal trainer, actor and fitness model/spokesman for Men’s Health magazine.

Cameron dishes about his career, his passion for the DIY life and ways to make that big upcoming home-improvement project less intimidating.

Q You’re pretty much a home-improvement

guru these days. Have you always been into the do-it-yourself lifestyle?

The whole home improve-ment thing has been a part of me for a long time, as long as I can remember. My dad was an electrician and he’d do roofing on the side. He introduced me to that type of work when I was still young. I grew up in upper Michigan, spending a lot of my time outdoors. We heated our house by wood. This meant that we’d go out every fall and summer to cut down our trees for the wood.

As a kid, I hated it. As I grew older, I see that all that manual work has been a valuable lesson to me.

Q When did you make the move to the world of

entertainment?When I turned about 28 or

29 – I knew that I couldn’t live in upper Michigan and pursue entertainment, so I went to New York. I ended up working as a fitness model, which was not my plan at the time. But fitness is the other side of my life, it’s my other passion. It was a good way to make ends meet.

[Eventually,] I landed a part as a carpenter on “While You Were Out” for TLC. I was amazed to realize that I could be on a TV show doing what I loved to do. When “While You Were Out” was over, the DIY Network people introduced themselves to me. Since then, I’ve had a great relationship with them.

Q It seems that very few acting careers happen

the way people plan them.

I went to school to be a cop. You never know where life is going to take you.

Q What do you enjoy so much about home

improvement? Home-improvement projects are a real chore for some people.

A lot of people don’t like working out, either, and I like that, too. I’m a very mechani-cal person. No joke, when I go to bed at night, I build stuff in my head. Then when I wake up, I draw it on paper. I’m just mechanically inclined. I love working with my hands. I love the act of bringing something from my imagination to fruition. That’s a great feeling. I hope people get the opportunity to experience that, to create something, after they watch our shows.

Q What advice do you have for homeowners who

get around to completing their home-improvement projects?

I know that homeowners sometimes get nervous. They think they aren’t skilled enough to complete a home-improve-ment project.

Homeowners should spend the most time on a project to plan it out. They need to sit down and do some research. What tools do they need? Write that down. Will you have to borrow or buy tools? Who do you need to hire to help you complete the project? If you don’t have a plan, you’ll end up wandering around aimlessly.

Q What can homeowners do to make themselves

more comfortable with tackling home-improvement projects?

When you go into a home supply or hardware store and you have time on your hands, walk up and down the aisles. The more you familiarize yourself with the store, the more you understand where everything is and what they have, the less time you’ll waste when doing the project.

JThe DIY Network star gives tips on how to get off the couch, make a plan and fix that house

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A matter of materialNylon is the most durable of all carpet fibers, according to Valerie Ottaviano, vice presi-dent of product design at Bentley Prince Street, Inc., a California-based carpet and rug company.

When it comes to purely natural materials like straw, sisal and wool, she urges con-sumers to think twice.

“They look great but can be tough to clean,” Ottaviano says. Sisal rugs don't react well to water or cleaners, for example. “Something made with a solu-tion dye may not be natural, but it can give you better performance, depending on your household.”

Green is growingLike all home industries, carpet makers are looking into sustain-able options. Post-consumer nylon can be weaved back into new fibers.

“We can actually strip previ-ously used carpet, shave off the top and put that back into a new fiber while still creating premium-quality carpet,” Ottaviano says.

There’s now carpet available that is made from yarn com-posed of used fishing nets. The production process is fed by different streams of post-con-sumer carpets, used fabrics and fishing nets together with industrial discards from all over the world. “This is really innovative, eco-friendly fiber and it looks gorgeous,” Ottaviano says.

Mix and matchModular carpet tiles make it eas-ier for those who don’t want to make a big, permanent decision about a large area. FLOR, a lead-ing carpet tile company based in Chicago, has gained a lot of momentum in the past few years for its ease of installation, maintenance and durability.

These carpet tiles can be arranged according to each person’s preference for area rugs, runners or play areas.

This DIY solution may have a higher up-front cost, but the tiles are removable, washable and can be moved from home to home, which can make it a more cost-effective option.

Sticking pointsIt might be unpleasant

knowing there’s a bunch of adhesive under the carpet, so go ahead and ditch the glue. Some carpet tiles, like the FLOR system, connect to each other rather than the floor. Scott Coll, CEO of Austin, Texas-based Commercial Flooring Systems, says it’s a faster and cleaner installation process.

“There’s no adhesive involved. Instead you use a 3-inch-by-3-inch square that

connects carpet tiles to each other in all four corners to cre-ate one massive rug,” Coll says of FLOR’s commercial coun-terpart, Interface FLOR Commercial. “You’d be amazed how many glue buckets you save by doing this, and it’s an environmentally friendly sys-tem,” he adds.

Another concern for the underside of carpets is the potential tripping hazard. Clint Schramm, vice president of marketing at Bentley Prince Street, Inc., suggests tapered rubber reducers, which are adhesively fused and mechani-cally stitched to the carpet’s edge to reduce the height of the carpet or area rug. This reduced edge eliminates trip-ping hazards and allows easy movement of wheelchairs.

“While these are mainly for rugs in buildings with high-traffic areas, they can certainly be used for any carpet or rug where an elderly person lives,” Schramm says. “With the aging of America, these seem to be the way to go.”

© CTW Feature

Add flare to your floors with tips from Tam Wimolvan Vidu-lich, Chicago-based artist and owner of Tam Wimolvan Vidu-lich Carpets.

Entrance way: While an accent rug is unexpected here, Vidulich says, “A round rug can create a mise-en-scène for the home. Here’s the place to make a good first impres-sion.”

Hallway: Create a visual effect by “adding the right runner near strategically placed art or photos,” Vidu-

lich says. “It can transform a mundane transit space into your own mini gallery.”

Living room: Tie the room together with color, texture and fabric. “Even the acous-tical properties of the fabric help create an atmosphere that enhances the moment, whether it’s a lively gather-ing with friends or a quiet evening with a book,” she says.

Bedroom: Start the day with a warm welcome underfoot. “This often-neglected room deserves a little more love; after all, it is where we spend almost a third of our lives,” Vidulich notes.

© CTW Features

Still hoping for hardwood? Green and modular options could make a homeowner consider carpet instead

The Case for Carpet

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By CATHY CASSATA | CTW Features

For those who prefer the plush pile of car-pet beneath their feet, new materials and

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Persistent cough? Always sneezing? Hav-ing trouble concentrating or sleeping?

There’s plenty of reasons this could happen, but it shouldn’t be because of the air you breathe, which is something that any homeowner can take steps to control.

Alanna Levine, a pediatri-cian in New York, sees plenty of children with persistent

coughs and sneezes that result from poor indoor air quality. Some are miserable enough that they can’t complete their homework or struggle to focus in school.

Parents usually assume that their children are suffering from bacterial infections when the real culprit is closer to home: In fact, it is the home.

“It can take a long time to convince parents that their children could be coughing because they’re allergic to something in the air in their bedrooms or living rooms,”

Levine says. It could be as obvious as cig-

arette smoke or as hidden as mold or mildew. “People develop allergies at all points in their lives,” she says. “For parents, realizing this can force them to make a big investment in changing the way they think.”

The good news is that people can take simple steps to improve the air quality inside their homes. The bad news? The air quality in most residences is probably far worse than it is outside.

Laura Dellutri, a home and lifestyle expert for The Daily Buzz, a syndicated morning TV show, points to a study from the Environmental Protection Agency that says air pollu-tion is often two to five times worse indoors than it is out-doors.

“The air in your home is compromised by indoor air pollution minute by minute,” says Dellutri, known as the Healthy Housekeeper on the show. “When you walk in from a day outdoors, your clothes are covered in aller-gens, as is your hair. Add in a garage door left open and windows open, and allergens

stay put in your home.”Fortunately, homeowners

can take some simple steps to lessen or eliminate five com-mon sources of indoor air pollution.

CIGARETTE SMOKE: Levine points to cigarette smoke as the most irritating form of indoor air pollution.

Eliminating this is easy: Homeowners simply should never smoke inside their res-idences, she says. Cigarette smoke has a habit of linger-ing in a home’s carpeting, bedding, furniture and walls.

DUST MITES: Another common cause of poor indoor air quality is dust mites. These critters are microscopic. And it’s not the mites themselves that cause people to sneeze, tear up or cough – it’s the excrement they leave behind. These dust mite pellets trigger asthma and allergy symptoms. Because they can’t be seen, dust mites enjoy living in bedding, stuffed animals and furniture, undetected by homeowners.

One way homeowners can cut down on this microscop-ic population is by keeping their residence’s humidity levels between 30 to 50 per-cent with a good humidifier. Homeowners also can cover their beds and box springs with allergen-proof cover-ings.

PETS: Pets, too, are a com-mon cause of indoor air pol-lution. The best solution is often a painful one; those who are allergic to pets, or who have children who are, might have to part with their furry companions.

If the allergies aren’t too severe, pet owners can lessen the allergic impact by mak-ing sure their pets stay off the furniture and beds and by bathing them more fre-quently.

MOLD/MILDEW: Tony Abate, vice president of oper-ations at AtmosAir Solutions in Fairfield, Conn., says that mold and mildew can cause air quality problems.Mold and mildew usually pop up because of moisture prob-lems, so it’s important to keep homes dry, especially in basements, crawl spaces and

other areas susceptible to moisture.

Abate, a certified indoor environ mentalist, recom-mends that homeowners make sure their downspouts and gutters are working properly, that the grading of the land outside their homes slopes away from their resi-dences and that they stock a dehumidifier in their base-ments.

CARPET: Dick Gebhart, technology manager for Owens Corning, a global building-materials provider, points to carpeting as a fifth culprit. Carpeting can prove an irresistible home to dust mites and chemicals that cause people to sneeze and cough. “I don’t think a lot of people are aware of indoor air pollution. They think that air pollution comes from the outside,” Gebhart says. “They don’t think about the impact that their furniture, their car-peting or even their electron-ic devices have on the quality of the air inside their homes.”

Gebhart recommends that homeowners replace old car-peting. They also can invest in a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air – HEPA – filter. This fil-ter prevents vacuums from kicking up an abundance of dust.

Homes are built differently today, Abate says. Construction is tighter. This means that indoor air pollu-tion is a more serious prob-lem: Tighter homes increase the chances for mold, and they make it less likely that odors and allergens will sim-ply drift away.

This is why it’s so impor-tant for homeowners to take the relatively simple steps to eliminate the most common sources of indoor air pollu-tion.

“Things are getting bottled up and concentrated in new homes,” Abate says. “A lot of people find that they feel bet-ter when they leave their homes. You don’t want to have this type of sick-build-ing syndrome.”

© CTW Features

Homeowners can pro-vide relief for family members with aller-gies by purchasing anti-allergy bedding and pillows. Here’s a three-step guide to purchasing these bedding materials:

1Nonporous fabrics pro-vide the best protection against allergens,

though some complain that these fabrics also become overly hot. Microfiber poly-ester fabrics also will do the job and usually provide a more comfortable sleeping environment. A tightly woven cotton fabric also is a good choice. The good news is that manufacturers are happy to advertise when their bedding products qual-ify as anti-allergy, so they aren’t too difficult to find.

2Homeowners who pur-chase anti-allergy sheets and coverings

should make sure that these products completely cover beds. This includes not only the mattress, but a bed’s box springs and pillows.

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Got leftover paint from a recent paint job? Don’t consign it to the grave-yard of paint cans in the

basement. A small amount of paint can serve to touch up edges, molding or furniture.

Incidentally, leftover paint stores better and is easier to identify in a clear plastic pea-nut butter or mayonnaise jar, recommends Chris Ring, vice president of operations and training for ProTect Painters, a national house-painting franchise based in Ann Arbor, Mich.

As for the rest, why not use it instead of getting rid of it? Here are some projects that breathe new life into last year’s paint and create new points of interest around a home.

Repurpose an ornate pic-ture frame as art in its own right. “Look for a frame at a flea market or junk shop that is in good shape and has some-thing about it that speaks to you,” says interior design con-sultant Holly Becker, founder and editor of decor8, the popu-lar home design blog.

“I like using ornate vintage frames because, with a little soap and water, a light sanding and a few coats of paint, you can lean it up against the wall or prop it on the mantel and use as a decorative element,” says Becker, also the co-author of “Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home” (Chronicle Books, 2011).

“Just make sure to carefully remove and discard the glass and frame backing first.”

Paint only the shelf edges or door frames for an element of surprise. Painting the shelf edges in a cupboard or closet adds an unexpected pop of color. It’s easy to do and doesn’t require a lot of paint; even left-over test pots will get the job done.

“A strong, clean edge – per-haps in black with white shelves – is bold and graphic. That will give your cabinet or bookcase a modern edge,” Becker says. “If you tend to lean on the side of understat-ed, go with something pale, like gray, mint or blue.”

Painting the moldings

around a door “is a fresh way to liven up a space on a bud-get and adds a quirky touch,” Becker says.

Paint dresser drawer fronts or hardware for an entirely new look. If your dresser already is painted or stained, you can paint over the finish, but any surface you plan to paint must be “clean, dull and dry,” Ring says.

Remove the knobs or han-dles and sand the drawer fronts using a fine grade of sandpaper. Wipe the sanded surfaces with a damp cloth and allow them to dry com-pletely before applying a coat of primer, following the man-ufacturer’s instructions. Apply a coat or two of paint to the primed surfaces. Reattach the hardware once the paint has dried completely.

To prepare hardware for painting, remove it from the furniture and clean in soapy water first.

Deck the walls of a doll-house. “One of the best gifts my sisters and I received as children was a new dollhouse, handmade and delivered unpainted. My parents painted the exterior with paint left over from a recent refresh of our home’s exterior, and this made the gift all the more spe-cial,” says Carrie McBride, managing editor of Apart-ment Therapy’s online maga-zine Ohdeedoh. “We loved thinking of this little house as a miniature version of our own, and the same idea could be

used for interior paints within a dollhouse.”

No kids? A dollhouse is a quirky way to display collect-ibles and curios for those with a knack for arranging.

© CTW Features

A dash of paint: Bold colors on a door, lamp or wall hangings can brighten up a room.

Last Year’s Paint, This Year’s ProjectsThat stack of leftover paint cans should be put to good use. Try these easy DIY projects to help accessorize a room

Objets d’art: A painted vintage frame with textured details becomes a piece of art all by itself. Group it with framed photos to create a stunning vignette.

Prep time: Carefully prepare surfaces before adding a new layer of paint: Drawer fronts should be sanded and wiped clean, and hardware should be washed in soapy water.

Did you know?When it’s time to part with paint, it’s OK to put it in the garbage if it’s dried or solid-ified. Add cat litter if neces-sary to absorb the moisture and harden the paint. Left-over paint that’s still usable can be donated to Habitat for Humanity or to local drama clubs for set design.

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ANgLED PAiNT BRuSH: A new angle on painting

Painting is a hassle. Painting the front porch railing, exterior trim or even backyard deck can seem even more daunting. But with the proper paint-brush, the perfect DIY exterior paint job is within reach.

Richmond, Va., homeowner Sherry Petersik – who, along with her husband John, documents home repair adventures on the popular blog Young House Love – says that painting doesn’t have to be a hassle for homeowners who rely on a short-handled angled paintbrush.

Petersik prefers the 2-inch variety. The tool provides her with far greater control than flat paint brushes. And it allows her to reach into odd, tight places.

When painting exterior trim on windows, she gets far less paint on the windows, which she would have to scrape off with a razor blade later.

“A lot of people are afraid to buy houses for some very superficial rea-sons,” Petersik says. “They don’t like a certain paint color, for instance. If people know just how simple it can be to fix these superficial things with the right tools, they’d be more willing to buy some of these won-derful homes that are out there.”

Nothing livens up a drab exterior like a fresh coat of paint. With this tool, Petersik can spruce up exteri-or trim, deck railings and her outdoor furniture. She estimates that where it once took her four hours to paint trim, she’s now cut that time in half thanks to her angled paintbrush.

“People tend to make painting a bigger deal in their heads than what it has to be,” Petersik says. “We’ve probably painted 30 rooms in the last few years… When you have the right tools, painting doesn't have to be a hassle at all.”


It’s official. Your house has become an eyesore for anyone driving by – peeling paint, squeaky doors and dirt-covered siding attest to months, if not years, of neglect. But the tool-box is empty and you’re no home-improvement expert as it

is.Luckily, people who are experts know how to

spruce up a house exterior without breaking the bank. With three tools that are more than one-trick ponies, turn a run-down house into one that stops traffic – for the right reasons.

Trying to boost curb appeal? Invest in these multipurpose tools that will make a big difference

3 Tools for an ExteriorFacelift

SPRAY LuBRiCANT: A tool of 2,000 uses

For just a couple of dollars, a bottle of household oil/lubricant can go a long way. The most ubiqui-tous of these lubricants is WD-40. In fact, the website for WD-40 lists 2,000 uses. Some might be repetitive, but some are surprisingly useful.

There’s the obvious: the product fights rust on porch railings, metal patio furniture, barbecue grills and more.

But Eileen Claar, Atlanta-based social media expert for Home Depot, says this is only the begin-ning.

A squirt of lubricant on a porch ceiling fan’s blades keeps it moving smoothly, eliminating any squeaks or squeals when they’re spinning. When the holiday season approaches, those animated reindeer or waving elves on the front lawn might need a tune-up. Spray lubricant can make sure that these animated creatures move as they’re supposed to.

“You don’t want reindeer that look like they have arthritis,” Claar says.

Some lubricant on the base of the garage door makes sure that it won’t stick to the bottom of the pavement underneath, potentially saving it from some unsightly damage if the garage door faces the street.

“Up to 30 percent of homeowners’ front exte-rior space is taken up by garage doors,” Claar says. “It’s important to take care of them.”

When Jason Cameron needs to provide a quick boost to a property’s exterior, he turns to one tool: the pressure washer.

And Cameron knows of what he speaks. This licensed contractor is host of two shows on the DIY Network, “Desperate Landscapes” and “Man Caves.” He knows what’s easy and what isn’t.

“The pressure washer is such an important tool,” Cameron says. “There are so many appli-cations for it. Unlike a regular garden hose, which won’t give you the pressure you need, you can use a pressure washer to remove dirt and grime and buildup from just about any exterior surface. And that’ll leave your home looking so much brighter.”

The pressure washer is also an economical tool when it comes to using water. Cameron says that it uses 70 percent less water to com-plete an average job than does a typical garden hose.

Cameron recommends using a pressure washer to remove the gray that builds up along concrete porches over the years. It can also remove green mossy patches that collect on house siding.

Cameron does advise homeowners to stay 12 to 16 inches away from their homes when using a pressure washer to clean siding; the fan tip gives a wider swatch of water when the user stands farther away, which allows people to clean more area in less time.

Homeowners can also turn to pressure washers to brighten faded pavers, cinder block

walkways and deck surfaces. Basically, any surface rugged enough to handle the pressure could benefit from a quick pressure wash, Cameron says.

He says that pressure washers that provide 1,800 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi) are best for washing down a house exterior.

© CTW Features

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By BETTINA CHANG CTW Features

Whether it’s grimy, chipped, discolored or simply the wrong style, an old bathtub

can be made to look as good as new. First, you might opt for a deep clean-ing, but if that doesn’t do the trick, try one of these three methods.

Refinish ItThere are two ways to talk about refinishing a tub. For an easy fix to a small problem, there are DIY products that can repair cracks and chips in a tub if it is made of acrylic or fiberglass/gelcoat.

For a full overhaul, though, refinishing is an inexpensive way to make a big difference in the appearance of a bathtub. “It’s about being able to bring your bathroom up to date on a reasonable budget,” says Jim Pierce, senior account executive at Chicago-based Beautiful Finishes.

Refinishing typically involves first coating the existing surface in a base solution, sometimes known as an etching solution, which makes it easier for the new surface to adhere. Then a primer and topcoat are added. After the tub is refinished, it could take anywhere between four hours to seven days before it is ready for use.

Pierce says many of his customers have tubs with the bright retro colors of the ’60s and ’70s and want to neutralize the colors to prepare a house for sale. Finishes are available in a variety of colors to match with bathroom décor. Other common customers are landlords who want to make their properties more appealing to renters, according to Pierce.

The typical bathtub refinishing job, Pierce says, is about $300, though it can vary depending on the type of material, size of the tub and other con-siderations.

3 Ways to a Better Bathtub

1

2

One sticking point for the bath liners is that customers can get overeager to jump in their new shower or tub. “If people don’t follow directions to let the product sit so the adhesive can stick to the wall, something might pop off a little bit,” Quadri says, “but we’ll go in and fix that.”

Search for bath liners or fitters for resurfacing compa-nies in your area.

Resurface ItYou may have seen the infomercials on late at night, but how much do you really know about resurfacing a bath-tub? This product, also known as a bath liner or bath fit-ter, is created to match the dimensions of your tub and is placed directly on top of the existing area.

Resurfacing covers up any ugly remnants of the tub without requiring the work of completely removing it. “Our product is 100 percent acrylic and the walls are all one piece, so if you have mold or mildew issues, we would get rid of all of it and then put a liner over the existing [tub],” says Saiema Quadri, an event manager at Montreal-based Bath Fitter.

Bathtub resurfacing companies are increasingly add-ing options like grab bars, graphic art and other bath-room accessories attached to the liners. Bath Fitter, which operates in Canada and the U.S., offers an online tool where customers can design their own bathroom remodel virtually.

Pros:• Usually the cheapest option

• No need to redo plumbing

• While you’re at it, you can refin-ish tiles and countertops, too

Cons:• Many abrasive chemicals are involved in this process; each com-pany has its own claims to how safe the chemicals are

• Cannot change the size/shape/functions of the tub

After

Pros:• Cheaper than replacing the whole tub

• No caulking in the liner so it resists the problems of bathroom tiles

• Can be customized to turn a bathtub into a shower with a seat, etc.

Cons:• If the product develops a crack, water will get between old bathtub and liner, creating problems

• In some cases, plumbing may need to be changed, which may require a per-mit and a licensed plumber

Before

Replace It If you’ve got cash to burn and want to make a major change,

you’re better off completely replacing your tub. For instance, for those who want to add luxury features like mas-sage jets, effervescence, built-in lighting and aromatherapy, a full replacement is the right choice.

“It depends on personal preference,” says Aaron Hoegle, merchandising direc-tor in fashion plumbing of Lowe’s home improvement stores. “Do they want a new experience? What’s the motive?”

A new tub can accommo-date specific requirements, like accessibility, the desire for a different style tub, high-tech features or green materials.

For an aging home, Hoegle recommends a Kohler tub with a side that raises and lowers and is still customiz-able with bells and whistles that homeowners want. He cites accessibility as a growing concern for consumers look-ing to buy bathtubs.

Delta has also released a new tub, he says, that is made

with low-emitting product for a healthier indoor environment. “It’s exciting because it’s an acrylic material for a fraction of the typical acrylic price.”

While Hoegle says that refinishing and resurfacing are viable options for many hom-eowners who are look-ing for a cheaper option, it all depends on the current tub and the customer.

Pros:• Get the tub with the features you want

• See the final product at the store before you buy

• Long-lasting

Cons:• Removing and installing requires professional help unless the homeowner is par-ticularly handy

• In most cases, this is the most expensive option

© CTW Features

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Page 10 | The Roanoke Star-Sentinel | 3/16/12 -3/22/12

By PATRiCiA RivERA CTW Features

Some people may not like the comparison, but dog-book author Ruth Strother insists

that living with a pet is like liv-ing with children.

To maintain harmony – and to make the home more comfortable for people and their furry friends – it’s important to establish a rou-tine and boundaries.

“Just like you wouldn’t let your kids play freely in a room with expensive furni-ture, you can’t let your pets play in there either,” says Strother, author of “The Dog Friendly Home: DIY Projects for Dog Lovers” (Creative Publishing International, 2011).

Those who don’t create boundaries and designated spaces for pets run the risk of knocking over water bowls or entertaining guests with an eyesore of a kitty jungle gym – or worse, a litter box – in plain sight. Dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan, who hosts “The Dog Whisperer” television show on National Geographic Wild, believes owners must claim their space – consistent-ly.

“If you decide your dog is only allowed on the couch when you invite him, then you have to stick to that rule when you’re home,” says Millan, who is also author of three New York Times best sellers. “It’s all about disci-pline and consistency.”

Strother says living with a pet means dealing with occasional damage. But there are preventive mea-sures for some common problems. Consider install-ing clear vinyl door protec-tors to prevent doors from being scratched.

Nail caps applied to dog’s nails help protect door and floors. Grooming is huge, experts insist. Nails should be kept short no matter what.

Strother says regular exercise and regular stim-ulation also keeps pets more at peace. “You need to dedicate time to them and think about their needs,” she says.

© CTW Features

DogIn the House

Cesar Millan, better known as the Dog Whisperer, says that dog owners must claim their space consistently to set appro-priate boundaries in the home.

Pet ProjectsIn “The Dog-Friendly

Home,” author Ruth Strother offers some ideas to make a pet area more comfortable for all the occupants in a house.

Pet toy chest: Just as with children’s toys, she explains, pet toys can overtake a home and cause twisted ankles, and the mess can create stress. Instead of piling them in a cor-ner, find or build a toy chest.

For a personal touch, paint the pet’s name on it or stencil pet symbols, such as bones and paws. “Take out two or three toys and a time – they don’t need more! Rotate them and when they’re done playing, put them in the chest,” she says.

Grooming station: An in-house grooming station makes it easy to maintain a regular grooming regimen, which goes a long way in keeping the home clean of animal hair and dirt. The grooming station is a designated area with a table and shelves or wirewall grid to keep grooming supplies and pet supplies in general.

Attractive beds: A stylish house shouldn’t have a sloppy pet bed thrown on the floor. Strother suggests some mod-ern options: a platform bed made from Baltic birch ply-wood sized to match the dimensions of the pet bed cushion, or a nightstand-bed combo for smaller pets that incorporates a small mattress into a piece of household fur-niture.

Insulated doghouse: If Fido or Lassie spends a lot of time outside, he or she may appreci-ate an insulated home that protects from harsh elements. Strother explains that flat-roof doghouses with a slight slope to the roof are easy to insulate with insulation board. In warm weather, the roof can be propped open slightly for ven-tilation. – Patricia Rivera

© CTW Features

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