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Travis Bierer posed at the Box Office of the Buchanan Theatre.

Travis Bierer of Buchanan likes to sing in his car, at home and in his church. He also likes to watch CMT's popular show, "Singing Bee." He is a 2006 grad of James River High School.  Bierer also flatfooted for the cameras out in Nashville. "They didn't even know what that was," he said with a laugh. He did admit to being a bit nervous, though!

The CMT show's website describes exactly what the show is all about: "CMT brings you the karaoke-style singing competition, The Singing Bee, hosted by comedic actress Melissa Peterman. Contestants are tested on their knowledge of lyrics to well-known songs, and those who fail to accurately sing the correct lyrics are eliminated from the competition. New to CMT, The Singing Bee blends a mix of 60 percent country music with 40 percent popular favorites from other genres."

Bierer watched the show this season and figured he knew as many songs as anyone else, so he stepped up and contacted the show. He went to Nashville a couple of weeks ago for an audition. He was at work at AlTec the other day when the cell phone rang and he was asked if he wanted to go tape a show in Las Angeles, California. The top prize is $10,000. He leaves for California on November 20.

Though his wife Pam nor 2-year-old son Walker will be able to come, Bierer is ready for his first airplane ride, and his grandmother is going to go with him. "They are paying all of my expenses out there. I am pretty excited."

He described the audition as a series of songs and a 50 question test on songs. He got 48-50. He will not be able to say at first whether he won or not until the show plays; when he gets back he plans to give us an update of the trip.

Good Luck, Travis! Stay tuned for more!

Mr. Harold McDaniel local rep for Exxon Mobil, Vanessa Romas, Stephanie Romas, Lauren Robertson, Pam Horton, Karley Robertson, Josh Bane, and Mr. Tater Benson.

The Botetourt Buddies, a club matching general education and special education kids for friendship and fellowship at Lord Botetourt High School has received a $750 check from Exxon Mobil. The money is used for special programs, get togethers and field trips for the students.

We have an update on the job cuts at nTelos. Earlier today, the Waynesboro-based telecom company announced it was eliminating 48 jobs. At time, we didn't know how many of those were at the Daleville operation.

Now we have the number: Six.

Reporter Duncan Adams has more details on this story.

A first annual home tour (gallery) is coming to Troutville! In their energized quest to make a strategic plan for the Town of Troutville, the Friends of the Troutville Park have organized a Christmas tour for homes, businesses and a church on Sunday, December 6 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets are $7 each and may be purchased at any of the homes.

The tour begins at Everything Art at Mill Creek which used to be Mill Creek Garage, then flows along Lee Highway to the Rader home at 8910 called Cave Spring Farm and home to Jack Rader.  The Rauscher House at 5559 Lee Highway built around 1908 is also featured. The Town Park Caboose numbered X544 circa the mid  20th century, Southern Past Times a small country and decor business in a one floor plan home typical of the 1940s. Cave Hill Dairy Farm is located at 87 Henderson Way off Catawba Road (west of Daleville) which has a Troutville address. The Henderson home is one of 9 Dairy Farms left in Botetourt County and home to Jerry and Donna Henderson, "The Pickle Lady." The tour ends at Troutville Church of the Brethern  on Lee Highway in the center of town, with a reception.

Photos courtesy of Kathy Conner, Shutterbug photography.

On Monday night November 9, 140 people showed up to fight the proposed Aqua Virginia rate increase. The town hall meeting at Rainbow Forest Baptist Church was held by Blue Ridge Supervisor Billy Martin. Though the time to sign on as a respondent against the rate increase in a case pending before the State Corporation Commission ended on October 16 and  before any action could be taken through the Board of Supervisors, Martin is persevering on his promise to help the citizens of the Blue Ridge and Read Mountain areas. They are customers of Aqua Virginia and he vowed to help them fight the increase. he held a meetingin October as well and about 70 people came to that meeting.

"Over a period of a year the rate increase adds to about $216 per family for 2,500 people in Botetourt County noted Martin. " Though Aqua has spent 44 million state wide in water improvements and water treatment, only 1.3 million has been invested in Botetourt County," he said. Aqua Virginia has 20,000 subscribers through out the state so Martin sees the rate increase disproportioned to the amount invested here. Botetourt residents do not receive sewage and runoff water treatment only potable water service. The former is much more expensive, said Martin who wondered why Botetourt citizens should have to pay for a service they do not recieve.

Since Botetourt  County can not be a respondent, just sympathetic case attendants with counties that did get in under the deadline, only letters and petitions of concerned residents can be sent to the SCC. Petitions are circulating through out the affected subdivisions and Martin provided a flyer of helpful hints for those who will write letters to the SCC and the case number.

Martin said, the rate increase will take place in December. If the Aqua Virginia rate increase is not approved in February 2010 by the SCC, customers will likely receive a credit on their monthly bills in the form of refund.   He plans one more town hall meeting in January 2010 to keep people reminded of the fight against the rate increase.

Here are the Rate increase case  particulars and reasons to oppose it Martin passed out at the meeting last eveningReasons to oppose the projected rate increase by Aqua Virginia Inc.

• request for $3.2 million dollar increase or 69% increase in rates is outrageous
• Equates to $18.00 per month per customer or $216 increase per year
• Aqua Invested $44 million across Virginia to improve water and wastewater systems
• Only $1.3 million invested in Botetourt County or 2.95% of the total invested
• Aqua wants Botetourt to help pay for the $42.7 dollars invested elsewhere. We should not have to do this.
• Had rate increase four (4) years ago (approximately 60% or better)
• Aqua has asked the SCC to consolidate rates for their customers. Regardless where they live, all will pay the same rate. (NOVA vs. Botetourt) Wage scales and costs in NOVA are much higher than this area. We should not be burdened with this increase.
• Over half of this increase is for storm water drainage and sewage operations. Botetourt residents already pay for sewage and storm water drainage operations. We should not have to pay Aqua a second time.
• Aqua had a $98 ,million profit last year. Why do they need a rate increase?
• Aqua stated that Rate increases provide a way to recover capital and operating dollars to improve. So is planning and setting aside capital to do this
• Why does Aqua NOT have accounts budgeted for capital expenditures? Aqua sent a letter to its' stockholders boasting of the company's ability to grow earnings despite recent unfavorable weather and economic conditions. How do they have ten (10) consecutive years of increased profits? Well, Aqua contributes this "to the company's ability to "recover capital investments through timely rate relief" IN OTHER WORDS, put this burden on the ratepayer through unreasonable and preposterous rate increases.
• Aqua said this was for improvements, not necessity. To spend $44 million and then ask your customers to pay is irresponsible management.
• Aqua wants this increase and still profit from their existing rates.
• This proposed increase is unwarranted, unfair to Botetourt County and simply put, OUTRAGEOUS.
• A company already making $100 million a year in profits should not grow fatter by stealing from the citizens it is allowed to serve.

State Corporation Commission Refer to case PUE-2009-00059
P O Box 1197
Richmond, VA 23218

Waynesboro-based nTelos announced today plans to eliminate a total of 48 jobs. Cuts will affect the public company’s wireless segment and corporate positions. Among other office sites in Virginia and West Virginia, nTelos has an operation in Daleville. A company spokesman did not immediately know how many Daleville employees will be affected.

Business writer Duncan Adams has more details on this breaking story.

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Two students and a teacher from Hokkaido Chitose High School in Chitose, Japan  are visiting James River High School for the next few days. Takishi Onishi is staying with Mike Avery, a foreign language teacher who went  to Japan last month on the exchange to Japan. Each year for over a decade now, Dynax Corporation has sponsored the student exchange at both county high schools. This year Maggie Moniot and Caitlin Ward were the two students to travel to Chitose.

"it took 14 1/2 hours in the air alone to get there," said Ward. Moniot had taken her student,Minami Oda, to Green Bank West Virginia on a field trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory with Physics class so they were absent from the interview. The Japanese students had pocket electronic translators with them to help with the  English definitions. Chihiro Wada is staying with Ward.

"I liked the stromboli, today." said Wada of the lunch offering at the school. Over the weekend they plan to go to the JRHS football game on Friday night, Ward's soccer game on Saturday morning, shopping, walk around downtown Roanoke, visit a dance exhibition at the Taubman Art Museum, the Roanoke Star, the Safari Park in Rockbridge to name a few things they have on the agenda.

Onishi said one thing that surprised him is the size of the student parking lot. Students cannot drive to school in Chitose. He described the high school there as having 1,200 students.  All agreed that the cultures are so different. "People in Japan are extremely polite," said Avery.  Chitose is in northern Japan on the island of Hokkaido. When they left the city on Tuesday a light snow was falling and in the northern most part of the  island they had about  6 inches snow.

Ward noted that one place they stayed in Tokyo had a roller coaster in the hotel and Avery said they had a dolphin show like at Sea World as well. The Japanese like the American style cathedral, though primarily a Buddhist nation, the Japanese build cathedrals to get married in a western style ceremony. While there in Japan, Avery participated in a Tea Ceremony and drank form a tea cup valued at $11,000. He also visited a temple and shrine, a Bonsai tree show. Caitlin traveled with her host family and also got to do some shopping a teen age past ime no matter where in the world!

He will take Onishi to Montecello today and over the weekend to Williamsburg.

Onishi described Chitose as an industrial city with some local military bases both Army and Air Force. Wada said. "The steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car and so is the driving." A round of laughter accompanied that remark as the Americans felt the same in Japan. Japanese cars have the driver on the right and drive on the left side of the road.

It was a wonderful experience said Ward. Avery seconded the view. He said, "We thank Dynax for their continued support of the exchange even in a difficult economy." On Monday the students and teachers in the exchange will go to Dynax on US 220 alternate in the East Park Industrial park to meet with leaders of the company. Dynax America is headquartered in Botetourt County and the world head quarters is located in Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan.

JTEKT Auto, the Botetourt County auto parts manufacturer announced this summer it will phase down operations in October and be closed by February. Today, the U.S. Department of Labor announced those workers will qualify for federal assistance.

Here's the full release from the Labor Department: Read more »

337 Cosmetology students came to Botetourt for the Annual Hair Show. These students came from Cosmetology programs at Gibboney Tech Center, Burton Center , Bedford Tech Center, Pulaski County High School, Blacksburg High School, Giles Technology Center, Tazewell Career Center, and from Botetourt Technical Education Center. Smart Styles/Regis provided the educators for this event. They were Sean Kenney from Washington DC and Gary Longo from Boston, Massachusetts - full time national and international educators for Regis. All pre-show color and cuts were done by the educators in the Cosmetology lab at BTEC and students from BTEC were used as models. Students had the opportunity to win door prizes provided by the participating Cosmetology teachers and from Smart Styles. This was a great opportunity for the students to observe cut and color techniques as well as hear Sean and Gary talk about their journey from school to educator and about professional ethics in their career choices.

Daleville Town Center was center stage last night at the Chamber of Commerce After Hours and  meet the candidates, but all paled in comparison to the beautiful earth friendly building.

Energy efficient with gorgeous views-- really not a bad view in the house, showcase the brainchild of  CEO Karen Wadron of Fralin and Waldron, the developer for the Town Center. The building is about 90 percent complete said Andy Kelderhouse, president of Fralin and Waldron.  F & W will house their main offices on the second floor of the building which has 26,000 square feet of retail and business space. "Fralin and Waldron hope to occupy their space by November 20," said Kelderhouse.

The windows are operable in the building as well as the use of polished concrete floors with scatter rugs, the chosen color scheme blends with the natural setting surrounding the Town Center building, Kelderhouse noted that Karen Waldron specifically chose the color scheme for that reason. "Cloud" lighting fixtures and windows that display some of the best views of Botetourt County highlight the construction. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the rock work and sidewalks add to the natural feel of the building.

So far along with F&W,  Williams Supply Company (and a board of supervisors on Tuesday October 27 approval for the medical center) and 20,000 medical imaging center to be built in the Town Center are the fleet of flagship businesses for the site.

Said Steve Claytor, director of development, This is not just the building but the whole project that reflects the efforts of the entire Town Center and TND concept the F&W team has put together."

From 5:30- 7:30 the building hosted the curious and movers and shakers of Botetourt County in the Chamber of Commerce After Hours and meet the candidates night. If the Town Center looks out at Botetourt beauty all day,  it becomes the crown jewel of the night sky in Daleville at night. Food by Schaals Catering and a chance to meet and greet the candidates for  Tuesday November 3 local and state elections  provided a good opportunity for networking and fellowship.