- Contact us |
- Customer care |
- Subscribe |
- Advertise |
- Submit news |
- Sign in
Check It Out:
See if our Paparazzi cameras caught you or your friends at any recent events around town.
EDITORIAL: An investment in public safety
Even in a growing community like Botetourt County with increasing service demands, leaders are wise to pinch their pennies. But they also must recognize when it’s time to invest in core services like public safety. County officials have made do with what Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle describes as an “antiquated system in dire need of repair” as long as possible. When one of the county’s four emergency radio transmitter towers went
EDITORIAL: Followers fighting crime
The proliferation of social media has given law enforcement additional tools to enhance community policing and solve crimes. Savvy use of social media platforms can pack a big punch in college communities like Virginia Tech, where the police department is adeptly using Facebook and Twitter (@VaTechPolice) to expand its outreach and make the most of new crime-fighting technology. As Roanoke Times reporter Tonia Moxley wrote on Sunday, Tech’s police department
LETTERS: NSA appears less intrusive than alleged
NSA appears less intrusive than alleged I’ve been listening to testimony and statements by government officials regarding the Patriot Act and current questions of government snooping on American citizens. Two officials explained the telephone controversy last week. Robert Mueller, director of the FBI, and Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee explained it this way. The phone numbers gathered are those given out by the phone companies. They
PICK OF THE DAY: Connecting homeless to housing
Four individuals and one family are now appropriately housed and out of a shelter thanks to a concentrated effort by the Salvation Army, Rebuilding Together Roanoke, and the Community Housing Resource Center of Council of Community Services. Working collaboratively, they have filled two completely renovated Rebuilding Together houses in Roanoke. Through a Homeless Solutions Grant, clients ranging in age from 1 to 57 years old have been given an opportunity
COMMENTARY: Protecting educational opportunity
News of the pending closure of the Carroll County Virginia Virtual Academy is heart-breaking. A long-term solution has been in reach for the last three years. Legislation I introduced would have created a funding model that would have capped expenditures at about 25 percent less than is currently being spent in traditional brick-and-mortar-style learning environments. It would save money for government, spending less for education while providing families choices in
LETTERS: Troubling donors reflect on the A.G.
Troubling donors reflect on the A.G. In a June 7 letter (“Talk about McAuliffe contributors, too”), William Daly chided The Roanoke Times for not reporting on out-of-state contributions to Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s gubernatorial campaign. Daly referred to two columns that contained unfavorable information about Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s contributors, which Daly did not dispute. I don’t have those articles and cannot comment on them, but I do recall reports
EDITORIAL: A judicial triumph for patients
To say that the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of patents on human genes will save patients money by stimulating competition for costly medical tests is true, but vastly understates the full consequences of last week’s ruling. Factor in the priceless peace of mind for women and men who now lack the ability to seek second opinions about their health. Then consider the metamorphosis of medical research that will be unleashed, saving
PICK OF THE DAY: Re: Snowden’s spy tales: Really?
Before we go off the deep end about Edward Snowden’s revelations, let’s pause and reflect. Clearly, he leaked the existence of classified intelligence programs. But the parameters of these programs are known to most lawmakers and just about anybody interested in national security matters. Snowden didn’t finish high school, but earned a GED and studied computers at a community college. He began work in 2005, age 22, as a security
ESTHER CEPEDA: The GOP superstars
It’s fascinating that two Hispanic men — both of whom are further to the right of where most Latinos stand on immigration — are at the epicenter of the current reform debate. Both Cuban-Americans, Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, represent the young, multicultural new face of what could someday become a diverse and welcoming Republican Party. Until then, they’ll be two of the most important Hispanic political players
EDITORIAL: The cost of a campus experience
The escalating cost of a college education strains family finances and saddles too many students with enormous debt as they enter the working world. But how much of that cost is directly related to course instruction, and how much comes from amenities that enrich the college experience and help schools win marketing battles against their peers? With concerns about access and affordability ringing in their ears, state lawmakers last year
COMMENTARY: Resurrection of trickle-down economics
Back in September, the Federal Reserve began its third round of quantitative easing, colloquially known as QE3, in an effort to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment. The program started with the purchase of $40 billion of mortgage-backed securities every month, and then in December it was expanded to include an additional $45 billion in purchases of U.S. Treasury bonds every month. Thus far, the Federal Reserve has created nearly
COMMENTARY: Vinton’s library is a relic
Re: Roanoke County supervisors candidate Al Bedrosian’s comment in Dan Casey’s metro column (“Candidate explains his stance on religion”) on June 9: Bedrosian, the Republican candidate for the Hollins District seat on the board of supervisors, stated, “A new library in Vinton is not necessary.” Bedrosian is misinformed. Pay a visit to the current Vinton Library. There is no space for the teens; the children’s area is too small; it
COMMENTARY: It’s a market, not a park
A commentary in The Roanoke Times by Lucas Thornton on June 2 was entitled “Market Square has designs on improvements.” Having read Thornton’s commentary with more than casual interest, I have decided the headline should have read “A Partnership for a Better Downtown Roanoke has designs on Market Square.” The partnership began its design on Market Square some months ago by ignoring the vendor stalls in Market Square, referring to
EDITORIAL: Hope springs from First & Main
The tenants of Blacksburg’s First & Main shopping center have endured a recession, ownership changes and anxiety-inducing uncertainty since the problem-plagued complex opened in 2008. But those who stuck it out now have reason to hope they will be rewarded for their patience. And those who live near it hope the new developers honor their word to be good neighbors. Several First & Main business owners and employees went home
Congress made IRS morality cops
In May 1918, with America embroiled in the First World War, Iowa’s Gov. William Lloyd Harding dealt a blow against Germany. His Babel Proclamation — that was its title; you cannot make this stuff up — decreed: “Conversation in public places, on trains and over the telephone should be in the English language.” The proscription included church services, funerals and pretty much everything else. Iowa’s immigrant communities that spoke Danish,
LETTERS: Conservatives are implacable foes
Conservatives are implacable foes I must heartily applaud the Horizon section June 9. Among the several cogent and pertinent columns was Andy Schmookler’s brilliant piece, “Fighting only for resistance’s sake,” which addressed the implacable intransigence displayed by Republican/conservative leadership and those elements of the electorate who support them. Since he did not mention possible reasons for such atrocious attitudes, behaviors and ideological rigidity, I will offer mine, which, by the
EDITORIAL: Good news pulls into the station
Welcome news arrived in Roanoke last week: The state will likely kick in $3 million of the estimated $6.1 million needed to build a passenger rail platform over Trout Run capable of withstanding the weight of trains. Roanoke was prepared to ride solo, hoping to have it ready by the time the train arrived from Lynchburg. Thelma Drake, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said the state
COMMENTARY: You serve because you care
I recently retired from the Roanoke Department of Social Services. My late husband was retired from the city fire department, and I have a son employed as a firefighter for the city. Roanoke has been a good employer to our family. However, I must say it is disappointing to see that some members of Roanoke City Council feel they deserve so much more than the employees who are out there
EDITORIAL: Steering immigration bill through the storm
The Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform bill, built on a fragile framework of bipartisan compromises, now has to survive debate by the full chamber and come out in recognizable form. That will take an equally delicate balancing act for Republicans. In the closely divided Senate, Tuesday’s 84-15 vote to take up the bill for consideration was a heartening sign that the GOP finally is ready to act on sorely needed reform
Envisioning better mental health care
Last week, more than 100 behavioral health advocates gathered at the Hotel Roanoke to envision a more humane system of care for people with mental illnesses. It was a chance to check all reality checks at the door for a few days, even if it was hard to forget that those ever-present funding problems would still be there after the forum ended. The focus of the event was recovery-oriented care,
1. COMMENTARY: A letter to the ones left behind
2. Meteorologist Jamey Singleton fined $200 for February wreck
3. Military takes down Roanoke woman's ‘Operation Bedsheet’
4. Smith Mountain Lake man's steam boat is a step back in time
5. Two more suspects arrested in Salem burglary
6. Police investigate Monday armed robbery at SW Roanoke convenience store
7. Dublin town attorney Baker found guilty of reckless driving, not DUI
8. 5 things to know about The Avett Brothers
9. Christiansburg man pleads guilty to assault on 2 deputies
10. Top event picks for week of June 16, 2013
THE ROANOKE TIMES
