www.newrivervalley.com

A pilot project sponsored by the YMCA at Virginia Tech may turn the concept of seasonal eating on its head by making it possible to grow local food 12 months a year.

Traditional greenhouses shelter plants from frosts and trap heat from the sun to extend the vegetable growing season in cool climates. But a “solar greenhouse” currently under construction off Maywood Drive could make year-round local food production possible, Blacksburg environmentalist Dave Roper said.

Read Roper's research and see the greenhouse and community garden designs here.

See the Nov. 29 Current for the full story.

-- Tonia Moxley

Two small brush fires this afternoon in Montgomery County appear to have been intentionally sparked with fireworks set off from passing vehicles, the sheriff's office said.

The first fire was on Lovely Mount Road, at the Radford City line. It burned less than a quarter of an acre, Sgt. Mark Hollandsworth said.

The second, on Wintergreen Drive, burned less than half an acre, he said. It took less than 45 minutes to put the fires out, he said.

Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call the sheriff's office at 382-6900.

--Shawna Morrison

Virginia Tech is mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article this month about bureaucratic interference in India stifling the growth of universities there.

The All India Council for Technical Education, a government entity in India that serves as a national approving group, is cracking down on foreign interests in the country trying to benefit from the huge demand for education there. Some are legitimate and some are not.

A few years back, Tech partnered with the Mumbai-based S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research to offer a Masters in Information Technology Program.

The program grew quickly, from 30 students in the first class to 59 in the third, and most recent, cohort. Demand grew at an even faster rate, with applications growing from 200 to 800, said John Dooley, Tech's vice president for outreach and international affairs. Read more »

Radford Mayor Tom Starnes pointed out at the council meeting Monday night (Nov. 24) that Radford had abgout 1,000 new voters in the presidential election. He estimated that 70 to 80 percent of them were in the East precinct. (That's where most Radford University students would vote.)

"If they're residents of the city and they own vehicles they more than likely should be paying property taxes in the city," Starnes said.

So he wants to send each new voter a letter congratulating them on participating in the democratic process and telling them that since they've registered in the city, their cars need to be registered there, too.

"It probably would be a win-win situation," Starnes said. "Because the taxes here are cheaper."

-- Tim Thornton

If you're a little overdue returning those library books,  the Radford Public Library has a deal for you. From Nov. 29 until Dec. 19, the library will accept non perishable food for fines. The food will go to the local food pantries. Be sure to bring enough food to cover your charges.

-- Tim Thornton

The lawsuit against a group of Christiansburg bloggers may continue, as developer Roger Woody filed a Notice of Appeal Wednesday with the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Woody sought more than $10 million in actual damages and $350,000 in punitive damages from Terry Ellen Carter, Tacy Newell-Foutz, Carol Lindstrom and Meghan Dorsett for their alleged involvement in blog postings critical of his business practices and a topsoil stockpile at his property on Cambria Street in Christiansburg.

The lawsuit filed by Woody's attorney, B.K. Cruey of Shawsville, accused the four women of working "together for the purpose of developing a website on the internet to be used willfully and maliciously" to cause injury to him and his business. The Web site listed in the filing, www.think christiansburg.com is operated by Carter and Newell-Foutz.

A motion for demurrer, the plea for dismissal, was heard July 31 for Carter and Newell-Foutz, filed by American Civil Liberties Union attorneys Rebecca Glenberg and Jonathan Rogers, citing constitutional rights as a reason for dismissal.

Lindstrom and Dorsett were later dropped from the case due to no clear involvement in the blogs. Last month Judge Ray Grubbs ruled that Carter and Newell-Foutz' request for demurrer be sustained, and the two were cleared of all charges.

Cruey filed the Notice of Appeal on Woody's behalf citing Rule 5:9 of the Supreme Court of Virginia, which states that a notice may be filed 30 days from the civil case ruling. The nonsuit granted to Lindstrom and Dorsett was upheld, as only Carter and Newell-Foutz' names appeared on the Notice of Appeal.

--Lerone Graham

A Monday morning fire that destroyed the historic Pulaski Railway Station and a town museum has also displaced the Greater Pulaski Alliance.

In addition to discussing the future of the train station and museum, on Tuesday evening Town Council took up the question of how to help the alliance, a group of businesses and residents working on ways to revitalize the town's economy.

The alliance had just gotten up and running before the fire broke out, Councilman Larry Clevinger said. Now the alliance finds itself homeless and without both a computer and a telephone just as registration for the winter farmer's market is ongoing.

Town Manager John Hawley suggested that some temporary office space might be found in the Municipal Building. Some public monies might also be available to help the group lease office space somewhere else in town, officials said.

-- Tonia Moxley

David Clarke, administrator of the Virginia Department of Transportation's Christiansburg residency said that Monday’s forecast threw him off.

“We had crews out all night, smaller than what our normal nightshift would be just in case we did get something,” but weren’t expecting as much accumulation as the area received Monday night, Clarke said.

Clarke said that he and his staff checked the weather reports as late as they could, which gave a precipitation forecast of 30%. He sent crew members home early so that they could rest up to be prepared to work all night. They returned at 9 p.m. to prepare the trucks.

“This is one of the harder ones to fight because you can’t just send them on typical routes. It’s not a uniform snow so it really makes it hard,” Clarke said.

Clark said that since VDOT is a state organization, it is responsible for primary roads and interstate in Montgomery County outside of Christiansburg and Blacksburg.

According to the town of Christiansburg’s website, VDOT handles snow removal on the U.S. 460 Bypass from I-81 to the North Town limits and U.S. 460 Business from Cambria Street to the North Town Limits.

Town manager Lance Terpenny said Tuesday that the basic protocol for town snow removal is to handle primary roads which tend to have the most traffic first. Emphasis is also placed on “hotspots,” which tend to see accidents in these types of situations.

--Lerone Graham

A plan to drop $10,000 in cash from a helicopter over the new First & Main retail center in Blacksburg has been scrapped.

Blacksburg Deputy Town Manager Steve Ross said today (Nov. 18) that officials expressed safety concerns to the organizers -- an Ohio-based advertisting firm working for First & Main.

The cash drop was to be part of a Nov. 28 grand opening event for the retail center and would have coincided with the traditional kickoff of the Christmas shopping season, also known as Black Friday.

Cash and prizes will apparently still be given away. Details are still to be announced.

-- Tonia Moxley

According to Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Jim Weaver, the contract between the school and the Town of Christiansburg pertaining to the town's new Aquatic Center is in the hands of both parties' attorneys.

To aid with the center's costs, the town will be receiving a substantial amount of help from outside sources, including a partnership with Virginia Tech to host tournaments.

In return, Tech will pay the town $250,000 a year -- or $5 million over the next 20 years.

Weaver said that the school's budget cuts imposed by Gov. Tim Kaine will have no effect on the deal, because the facility will be funded through the Athletic Department, which relies on outside sources as opposed to state money.

“The institution of Va. Tech will definitely live up to their end of the deal in this project,” Weaver said.

--Lerone Graham