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That was one take-away tidbit from a meeting this morning (Aug. 20) in Radford University's Preston Hall. When a consultant compared the pay 60 job titles get at Radford with what they get at eight "peer employers," 16 of those jobs turned out to get paid at least 20 percent less than the average among those peers.

President Penelope Kyle promised folks that the human resources folks will review each one of those extra-low pay positions and she'll try to find a way to bring them up to snuff.

Some sharp guy in the back -- I think he works in the IT department -- pointed out that if the percentage holds true across 300-and-some jobs at the university, there are another 80 or so job titles that are paid drastically less than their peers. What does the university plan to do for them?

No one's sure, but it won't happen before the next round of pay increases takes effect in November.

"We're gong to fix it," Kyle said.

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The work of Z.L. Feng, professor of art at Radford University, is being exhibited in Beijing as part of the International Watercolor Masters Invitational Exhibition and the Lu Mountain International Watercolor Festival for the second consectutive year. Feng is one of three American artists that were invited to the competition, which includes a "plein-air," or painting on location, competition and an auction to benefit the victims of the earthquake in China earlier this year.

“This is one example of how China is changing a lot,” Feng said. “They were concerned before with economics, and now the focus is on art.”

The event runs from Aug. 11 through Aug. 21, roughly the same time as the Olympic Games in Beijing.

--Amy Matzke

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While much of the conversation on this blog has been about whether Norfolk Southern's mostly state funded intermodal rail yard is a good idea, it seems that most people believe it will do most of the things the state claims. The issue that may get this into the courts isn't whether to build it, but where.

MIckey Apgar has been a consistent opponent of putting the rail yard in Elliston. He returned a call about Tuesday's announcement too late to make it into the print editions, but he left this message on my cell phone:

"I really don't know what to say. It's just disappointing The people hasn't got any say in what our community does. ... I do appreciate the people that stood with us. Like to thank them. ... Been a good fight. But I wish that we could have had some rights to what comes in our community.

"But we'll live with it, I reckon. You know, the Lord's with us. He'll watch out over us, take care of us."

-- Tim Thornton

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Maybe it doesn’t mean anything that the only two elected officials at the announcement that Norfolk Southern has the state’s blessing – and a pipeline into the state’s pocketbook – to build an intermodal rail yard in Elliston represent districts that don’t include Elliston. But it may mean something that the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors is apparently as opposed as ever to the plan.

The board has voted unanimously three times to oppose building the thing in Elliston. The supervisors also passed a resolution supporting attempts by Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, to get something in the state budget that would prevent the state from spending money on this project where the local citizens – except the ones who would make money by selling their land to it – and the local government don’t want it.

The supervisors have also put the state on notice that they’re willing to go to court over this. We may soon see if they’re serious. Montgomery County Administrator Clay Goodman would never presume to speak for the board, but he did say on Tuesday that the board plans to discuss the issue at next Monday’s (Aug. 25) regularly scheduled meeting. Goodman also said that he knows of nothing that’s changed since the board’s 7-0 votes against using the site.
Gary Creed, who represents Elliston on the board, was not hesitant to speak about the course he expects the board to take.

"I feel like there will be actions coming shortly," Creed said. "We've put them on notice as to what we're going to file on. It has to do with the Constitution. They can't do what they're doing.”

-- Tim Thornton

Radford University senior Lauren Brie Harding, a Charlottesville native, is one of 14 women vying for the title on the upcoming 11th season of America’s Next Top Model, which begins airing on Sept. 3 on the CW network.

In an interview with America's Next Top Model, Harding, a business marketing major and member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority at Radford said, “I want to become a high-fashion model. That has been my dream, and that’s what I am working toward here. I hope this will be a stepping stone toward being able to be a high fashion model.”

America’s Next Top Model was created by and is hosted by model and talk show host Tyra Banks. The winner of the show gets an opportunity for a career in the modeling industry.

--Amy Matzke

Lee Walters and his dog Little Bit, pictured here at the Dogwood Lodge Motel in late July, have found an apartment, and Walters has found employment in Christiansburg. Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Remember traveler Lee Walters and his adorable dog Little Bit?

Lila Borge Wills, president of VA PAWS, the animal advocacy group involved in helping Christiansburg Baptist Church find help for Little Bit's medical bills has confirmed that Thelma Hogge, benevolence chairwoman for the church, and other church members' work has paid off.

Lee Walters has now landed a job at Due South BBQ in Christiansburg, and he has found an apartment to live in. $2,000 has been raised through donations and a yard/bake sale hosted by the church -- enough to cover Little Bit's next round of heartworm treatment and the treament required for the lump on the dog's breast.

-- Joshua A. DeLung

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Elliston is the site.

Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer will announce at 2 p.m. that Elliston will be the site of Norfolk Southern's Roanoke Regional Intermodal Facility.

Montgomery County Supervisor Gary Creed confirmed that he had learned this morning that the decision has been made. Creed said Homer will also announce that the state will build a road connecting the site with Interstate 81. The entire project could cost $50.5 million. The road could coast $15 million, according to state estimates.
Creed said this won't end the controversy.

"I feel like there will be actions coming shortly," he said. "We've put them on notice as to what we're going to file on. It has to do with the Constitution. They can't do what they're doing."

An intermodal rail yard transfers trailer-sized containers between trucks and rail cars. This site is part of the the Heartland Corridor. The Heartland Corridor is a $249 million project that aims to move doubled-stacked freight containers along the rail line between Columbus, Ohio, and Norfolk faster and more efficiently.

The Elliston site was chosen, in part, according to NS executive vice president James Hixon, because it sits on the Heartland Corridor and also lines up well with plans for improvements in the railroad's north-south lines along the I-81 corridor. But that north-south project is far in the future, Hixon said.

According to a state report released in January, the rail yard would employ about a dozen people and generate $3.5 million to $5.3 million in annual economic activity. Its spinoff effects could spread 740 to 2,900 jobs, annual economic output of $140 million to $550 million and $18 million to $71 million in taxes over a nine-county, five-city area from Lynchburg to Radford, from Franklin County to Monroe County, W.Va.

-- Tim Thornton

The Associated Press published a story that ran in today's Roanoke Times about a group of 103 college presidents who have signed an initiative to re-examine lowering the drinking age.

Hollins University, Washington and Lee University and Hampden-Sydney College were among the signatories of the Amethyst Initiative.

While not specifically advocating lowering the drinking age, the group's web site is adorned with photos of young people drinking and states "that the 21 year-old drinking age is not working, and, specifically, that it has created a culture of dangerous binge drinking on their campuses."

Virginia Tech Vice President for Student Affairs Zenobia Hikes said that "at this time the university is not prepared to be one of the signers of the Amethyst Initiative. It is something that we, I'm sure, will continue to watch and examine as other educators do across the country."

So what do you think? Should the drinking age be lowered?

- Greg Esposito

Radford University graduate Goran Nava has set a Serbian record for running 1,500 meters. Nava finished sixth in his qualifying heat at the Olympics, but it's the fastest anyone running for Serbia has covered the distance.

Read more about it here. Read more about Nava's time at RU here.

-- Tim Thornton

Blacksburg police believe a box left in front of the town's Republican Party office was a prank.

The box, left on the sidewalk in front of the office on College Avenue Extension, was reported to police just after 6 p.m. Friday, according to Blacksburg police Sgt. Nathan O'Dell.

Believing the box could be a type of explosive device, police closed College Avenue Extension, evacuated nearby businesses and closed the area to pedestrians. North Main Street remained open to vehicles, O'Dell said.

Blacksburg police called in Virginia State Police bomb technicians. Their initial investigation determined that the box didn't contain explosives or materials associated with explosives, O'Dell said. College Avenue Extension and the businesses then reopened.

The incident is still under investigation, O'Dell said, and anyone with information about it is asked to call Blacksburg police at 961-1150 or the tip line at 961-1819.

-- Shawna Morrison