February 28, 2008Clinton is down but not yet outTwo weeks ago, Kim Foster traipsed from her aunt's house through the bone-chilling cold and high winds to Patrick Henry High School to see Hillary Clinton. Even though weather forced the presidential candidate to cancel, the 18-year-old remains a strident Clinton supporter. When I caught up with the Salem High School senior Wednesday, she said she will not turn her back on Clinton, despite calls for the candidate to concede the race to Barack Obama. Junius Gaither, a lifelong Democrat, applauds the idea that Clinton "is holding the banner for female progress." But the 78-year-old Roanoker said "maybe it would be best for her to drop out, if it's going to bring healing to the Democratic Party." Democrats need "every day of the time between now and November" to come together to beat Republican front-runner John McCain, Gaither said. The young woman and elderly man epitomize a national debate swirling about whether Clinton should drop out of the race -- for the good of the party and for the good of her standing within the party. The suggestion is for her to exit with grace, rather than in humiliation. February 27, 2008Sports, anyone?Heard Tuesday that a Hoosier fan was giving up his season tickets until integrity is restored to Indiana University's basketball program. Integrity is not the first word I'd associate with IU's basketball program stretching back for a long time. Among Bobby Knight's embarassing behavior were the infamous chair-tossing and head-butting incidents. Kelvin Sampson was a serial NCAA rule violator. As my mother would say, "Six on one hand, half-a-dozen on the other." February 26, 2008Credit card fiasco is a matter of oversightThere are a lot of city-issued credit cards floating around Roanoke's city hall. On the heels of Alfred Dowe's forced resignation because he double-billed taxpayers for expenses he put on his city-issued credit card, we discover that 700 Roanoke employees -- 40 percent -- carry city cards. On its face, that sounds like a lot of municipal employees saying, "Charge it." But one local expert said the number is not unusually high, and a college professor said it reflects a changing workplace. Continue reading "Credit card fiasco is a matter of oversight" » February 24, 2008Dowe failed to fulfill promiseIt all began with such promise. In 2002, Alfred Dowe was a young, black man -- then 35 -- willing to step forward as a city leader. He was a hometown guy, a known entity; yet he was a relatively fresh face to Roanoke politics. He stood poised to make the leap from the planning commission, an appointed post, to elected office. About a week before the Roanoke City Council election, then-Roanoke Times' Editorial Page Editor Tommy Denton noted in a column that Dowe was among several who "pose the most abundant array of talented, capable and promising council contenders in many moons." Today, Dowe is an ex-councilman, a decent man forced out of office by his own poor judgment. February 23, 2008What the heck is the Secret Service thinking?Today's political dispatch comes from Dallas. Now, I don't know about you, but that unnerves me for a number of reasons. First, Barack was given Secret Service protection in May, earlier than any other presidential candidate because of death threats. At least one federal official in the know said some of the threats had racial overtones. Second, I read about the Texas security lapse moments after reading an Associated Press story about the hushed worry among blacks that the first serious black presidential contender could be assassinated. Some people are so freaked they plan not to vote for Obama out of concern for his personal safety. (That's a cop-out, but it's out there.) For historical reasons, you also would think the Secret Service would be particularly gun-shy about letting their guard down in Dallas. Furthermore, I have some trepidation about my industry reporting such a lapse. This doesn't rise to the same level of a national security matter, but if definitely merited some serious discussion in the newsroom. I understand that political candidates by nature of seeking to get elected open themselves up to security exposure. There's already enough evil or mental instability lurking out there in people looking to make a name for themselves. It doesn't need the Secret Service's help in making the job easier. s February 21, 2008Playing politics?We considered a Republican ticket question last time. This time we turn our attention to the Dems, with their Florida-Michigan delegate debacle. In short, the race is tight and the candidates are scraping for every delegate they can get. Because Florida and Michigan broke party rules and held their primaries early, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard "The Screamer" Dean said delegates from those two states wouldn't be added to the tally. Last I heard, Hillary is scrapping to include the delegates and Barack was warm to the idea, too. Mind you, they knew the rules up front. Add to the mix civil rights activists charging that the refusal to seat the delegates alienates a huge swath of black voters. Dean is getting weak-kneed and considering do-overs in both Michigan and Florida. My question to you: What to do!? For more insights on this subject, check out this piece from Forbes online. s
Workshop to involve parents in kids' livesAsk any teacher, and she or he will tell you there are a few loser parents out there. These mothers and fathers don't seem to care that their little darling can't read and is the terror of the classroom. But thank goodness the overwhelming majority of parents want their children to be successful in school; some just don't know how to help. That's why we all should be encouraged by a spring workshop Roanoke City Public Schools is planning called Parent University. The aim of the program is to teach parents to help their children succeed in school. Continue reading "Workshop to involve parents in kids' lives" » February 19, 2008King gala an appetizer for today's main courseA Monday evening reception at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center was a scene that would have warmed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s heart. Blacks and whites spanning the generations mingled with one another. A skilled laborer hobnobbed with a member of Gov. Tim Kaine's cabinet. The Who's Who of Roanoke noshed on chicken fingers with the Less Famous But Equally Important. With this morning's celebratory massing and marching of Southwest Virginians and the anticipated singing of the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome," today's long-awaited unveiling of Roanoke's memorial to King will be the main course. But Monday's reception was the appetizer, an event for those who worked tirelessly on the front lines along with their supporters to make the tribute a reality. Continue reading "King gala an appetizer for today's main course" » February 13, 2008A McCain-Rice ticket -- any takers?Condoleeza Rice as John McCain's veep? I can't say the idea was mine. One of my very astute readers broached the idea. It's certainly an intriguing political thought. Laura may rule the roost, but Condi is the strong woman behind Dubya on the job. Whether you agree with her politics, Condi is brilliant. Her presence would shore up McCain's street cred with the conservative wing of the party. If we assume people are voting along race/gender lines this year, Condi would give them a reason to vote for McCain.
February 12, 2008A history buff faces a historic dilemmaAs the road to the White House speeds through Virginia today, it's only appropriate that Junius Gaither is strapped in for the historic ride. A history buff, the 77-year-old Roanoker has encountered his share of presidents -- from Franklin Roosevelt to Harry Truman to Richard Nixon to Lyndon Johnson. Gaither's wife, Lenora, even had tea once with Lady Bird Johnson in the late 1950s in Roanoke. Gaither was entering Patrick Henry High School on Sunday afternoon when he got word he wouldn't be able to add Hillary Clinton to his list of top-tier political sightings. Continue reading "A history buff faces a historic dilemma" » February 10, 2008City's memorial finally fit for KingCircle Tuesday, Feb. 19, on your calendar. That's the date Roanoke finally will realize its dream: The unveiling of a fitting tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "It's a monumental, historical moment for us," Assistant City Manager Jim Grigsby said Friday. Working with a citizens committee, purchasing manager Sharon Gentry has overseen the last leg of an effort that began 40 years ago. "You're going to see a lot of tears -- tears of joy," Grigsby said of the unveiling ceremony. February 7, 2008Today, get smart, get testedIf the Super Bowl hadn't dragged during the second and third quarters, Marquita Clements wouldn't have gotten bored. And if she hadn't gotten bored, she wouldn't have flipped away to the Lifetime channel and watched "Girl Positive." And if the movie about a high school girl infected with the deadly AIDS virus hadn't jolted Clements, the young black woman wouldn't have stopped by Roanoke's Drop-In Center just before closing Tuesday for an HIV test. "I watched a Lifetime movie," she said. "It was awesome." Then added the 23-year-old college student who said she requires her partner to wear a condom, "I've never been tested." I want to stress that testing at the Drop-In Center is always confidential, but Clements agreed to speak with me. Her test was negative. February 5, 2008Virginia may get primary actionIf Virginians are feeling a bit left out of today's Super Tuesday frenzy, don't. Depending on how things shake out in the political free-for-all playing out today in 24 states and American Samoa, Virginia's Feb. 12 Democratic and Republican primaries could be much more than a footnote. For evidence that candidates already are looking toward Virginia, look no further than Southwest Virginia's Pulaski County. February 3, 2008LT called it rightLast year, San Diego Chargers' running back LaDainian Tomlinson was the first to publicly say that the New England Patriots and team coach Bill Belichick had no class. I thought of LT's words Sunday night as Belichick left the field with a second left on the Super Bowl play clock. Talk about poor sportsmanship. The man who has the personality of a dish rag (sorry for insulting all dish rags) rushed off the field before Eli Manning could run out the clock. What a loser. Literally. I'm not going to hide my allegiance. I wanted the Giants to win. Eli should have called one last play and thrown a TD bomb in that one second. That's what the Pats did at times during the season, sometimes running up the score on hapless opponents. That said, I now will be entering my season of sports drought. I don't watch the Pro Bowl. I won't get jazzed again until my Detroit Pistons hit the playoffs come late April. And we know it's coming...Any Cleveland Cavalier or Boston Celtic fans wanna talk a little early smack!? All in fun, of course. s Satire succeeded in getting reactionThe column was satire. The point of my lament in this space last Sunday was to bemoan the idea of Advance Auto Parts' possibly leaving Roanoke to move 1,100 miles away to Minneapolis. Rather than write a predictable, chamber-of-commerce piece about what the Fortune 500 company would lose if it left Roanoke -- the lovely mountains, the friendly people, the loyal work force -- the column used humor to show what the business would gain if it moved to Minneapolis. |
About this blog In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
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