July 2, 2008Was the robber armed?Reporter Amanda Codispoti filed an update to yesterday's drug store shooting. Roanoke police said when a man attempted to rob Sanco Drug, the store's owner brandished a gun. The two struggled. The owner shot himself, then the robber, who died. Police are still investigating whether the robber was armed. When I first heard this story, I assumed the robber was armed and that the owner was as well. This would add more anecdotal evidence to the camp that believes if law-abiding citizens were armed, they could defend their lives and property. But if the robber weren't armed, would this not bolster the argument that this crime might have ended without death for the perpetrator and injury for the owner if a gun hadn't been introduced. I hope police soon conclude the investigation and release the details. June 19, 2008davetrinkle.com, Roanoke's newest bloggerCongratulations to Roanoke Councilman Dave Trinkle who launched his blog today. Trinkle in April told us that he planned to be more open in carrying on a dialogue with constituents and was considering a blog. He said then in an e-mail that "it would be experiment and I worry about it being used in the negative as well as the time commitment on my part but plan on trying to start something soon." In an e-mail, announcing his blog today, Trinkle wrote, "I am hoping through this process to be more informed on issues from the public and for citizens to hear my viewpoints and even hear about issues in general well before any council vote would occur. We can exchange thoughts- positive or negative- and hopefully at the end of the day I am able to reach the best informed and most progressive decision I can on specific issues." Here's to hoping that Trinkle does enjoy an engaging, civil and candid dialogue with Roanokers and isn't turned off by the negativity that he will surely encounter. June 16, 2008Warning; avoid I-81If you think driving Interstate 81 is a chore most days, you might want to steer clear of it -- at least the northbound lanes -- Tuesday night through Thursday. VDOT says a truck carrying a 28-foot-wide steel structure destined for Baltimore will travel starting 9 p.m. Tuesday along the entire length of I-81 in Virginia. It is hoped that it will make it to the West Virginia line sometime Thursday. But who knows, it might be slowed by the usual delays and not make it for days. You can keep up with its progress by dialing 511, which is quite a handy number to have on speed dial. June 12, 2008In trouble over honest mistakeThe Roanoke Architectural Review Board is often pegged as an unyielding bad guy when homeowners in historic Southwest attempt to make changes to their houses that don't comply with guidelines. Here's a story in the Daily Press about a woman who came home to find she had new gutters. The contractor was at the wrong house. He took down the new and replaced her old-style gutters. Now she's run afoul of the ARB and may be taken to court. Regulations, says the ARB. How about a little common sense? June 10, 2008Lottery parts fools from their money
I think he's on to something here. Continuing to sell scratch tickets when only the little prizes are left is like selling a Pick 3 ticket with yesterday's date. True, customers can with a little digging find out how many of each prize remains for each ticket, but that information isn't available at the store counter. Take particular note of this disclaimer: "Chances of winning are established at the time of printing. Number of winning tickets remaining will change as prizes are won or additional tickets are produced." Additional tickets are produced? Of what? Duds? Keep in mind, folks, the house always wins. May 29, 2008Calling young professionalsOver at NewVaConnects a call has gone out for young professionals to step up if they desire leadership in the group that bills itself as "the young professional's voice for action." Those who wish to join should contact Jamie at info@newvaconnects.org. The blog doesn't list the qualifications or age limit. I suppose if one still refers to this demographic group as Yuppies then one is far too old to join. May 22, 2008The shape of the museum
During frequent walks to the Market area, I've enjoyed watching Roanoke's new art museum take shape and find it somewhat fascinating that it looks quite different depending on which street or bridge one happens to be standing upon. A webcam offers just one of the views and perhaps not the one that many passing motorists are familiar with. The museum has elicited strong reactions from the community, much of it negative, as people try to reconcile their sense of design with that of the new building. I think this article in Slate "Why is symmetry so satisfying?" offers a little insight. Witold Rybczynski writes: "Yet today's expressionist fashion demands architectural asymmetry at any cost. That's a shame, since architects sacrifice one of their art's most powerful tools (not all architects—Norman Foster and Renzo Piano often use symmetry to great effect). Without occasional symmetry, all those angles and squiggles start to look the same." May 21, 2008Teach the bible as literature, not faith in Craig CountyAs if Craig County and its schools didn't have enough headaches already, now it looks like the high school might be violating the First Amendment. The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has filed a public records request for documents related to a course that the school board recently approved called "The Bible in History and Literature." While schools may teach the bible as literature, they must do so without promoting a particular religion. It seems that this particular course, designed by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, does just that. "For now this is merely an inquiry," said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. "However, we are concerned that the course proposed by the Craig County School Board may not be an impartial study of the Bible, but an attempt to advocate for one set of religious beliefs to the exclusion of others in a public school. And that violates our most fundamental notions of religious liberty and equality." If it turns out that Craig County is violating the constitution, hopefully they will find a replacement course that treats the bible like it should be treated in the schools. Read the full ACLU Press release below. Continue reading "Teach the bible as literature, not faith in Craig County" » May 19, 2008Good news for a Roanoke high schoolThe annual Newsweek and Washington Post challenge index that measures how well public high schools challenge students found 83 of the 1,300 top-ranking schools were in Virginia. April 22, 2008Democrats may keep their campaign signs up in Botetourt CountyAccording to a press release (below) from the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, Botetourt County officials have agreed to stop enforcing a sign code that limited the times for campaign signs in yards. We wrote on this issue a few weeks ago. Continue reading "Democrats may keep their campaign signs up in Botetourt County" » |
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We had a discussion this morning about the Washington and Lee University associate professor 
