Roanoke Prevention Alliance and Roanoke Police Department Promoting a Safe Memorial Day weekend and ask everyone to: Designate a Sober Driver!

WHO: The Roanoke Prevention Alliance and Roanoke Police Department want everyone to be safe and ask, “If you are going to drink alcohol, please Designate a Sober Driver!”

WHAT

• Memorial Day weekend represents a 3-day weekend for most and has become increasingly associated with family gatherings, outdoor concerts, parades and the beginning of the summer festival season.
• The Roanoke Police Department is increasing sobriety checkpoints to target alcohol impaired drivers during the Memorial Day Weekend.
• It is estimated that drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 g/dL (the legal limit in VA) were involved in the deaths of 10,228 road users in the United States in 2010 and that, had all these drivers had BACs below 0.08 g/dL, 7,082 of these deaths would have been prevented (NHTSA).

WHEN

• For many Americans, Memorial Day weekend has become a popular opportunity to get together with friends and family, unfortunately, due to drunk drivers, the festivities can end in tragedy.
• This Memorial Day weekend if you plan on drinking alcohol, don’t drive and Designate a Sober Driver!

WHY

• The consequences of drinking and driving are serious and could include killing yourself or others, but people need to also remember the consequences can include significant trauma and financial costs as well.
• VA law now mandates that DUI charges come with a minimum $250 fine, the loss of their driver’s license or a restricted license for 1 year and the installation of an ignition interlock system to start their car for a minimum of 6 months.  Other consequences include higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, lost wages due to time off from work and having to bum rides to go anywhere.

What’s Your Plan?

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin:

• Before heading out, Designate a Sober Driver and have them pick you up.
• Know who to call before you are impaired and have the numbers programmed into your phone:  call a taxi, a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely
• Make arrangements to stay with the party hosts
• If you know someone who is about to drive impaired or ride with someone who is impaired, help them make other arrangements
• If a friend is drunk and wants to drive, don’t let it happen, even if it means taking the keys away
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement

– Submitted by Ray Bemis

From the Roanoke County website:

Final preparations are being made for the opening of Splash Valley Water Park on Friday, May 24. Visit our website for a complete season schedule. This year we’ve added new special events, weekly discounts and more! Full season add-on passes are available for Green Ridge Recreation Center members only.

Do you want to make a difference in your community? People count on the American Red Cross to help in times of crisis. You can make a difference by joining the Red Cross as a volunteer. It’s the power of its volunteer corps that enables the organization to deliver its mission of providing hope and help.

Volunteers are central to the work of the Red Cross in our community. These volunteers are people in action—whether providing comfort to a family whose home has been destroyed by a fire; teaching first aid, CPR and other lifesaving skills; supporting blood drives; or helping veterans, members of the military stationed overseas and their families at home.

Right now, the Red Cross especially needs people who are willing to respond to disasters. Each year, Red Cross volunteers bring food, shelter, comfort and hope to local families faced with rebuilding after disasters. Volunteers are needed to assist families with immediate needs after a disaster and help guide them on their road to recovery.

The majority of Red Cross Disaster Service volunteers are retired and searching for a rewarding experience by making a difference in their communities. There are even married couples searching for opportunities to do something together, and enjoy the volunteer experience. These volunteers are Red Cross Disaster Action Team (D.A.T.) members, responding to local disasters that occur, such as house fires, flooding and snow storms. Some also volunteer during national disasters like Superstorm Sandy.

People don’t have to have any special skills, only the desire to help others. It’s a simple process to become a volunteer and the Red Cross provides all of the training.

Join the movement. You might find your own life changed. People interested in volunteering can go to www.RedCross.org and type in their zip code to reach the local Red Cross office and find out more information about becoming a Red Cross volunteer.

– Submitted by Amy Whittaker, American Red Cross, Public Affairs Director

Legacy International invites you to host Indonesian students or Indonesian English teachers in your home this summer, June 7-17. Contact Innocentia Afa at 540-871-0882 and visit www.legacyintl.org for more information on this unique and exciting educational opportunity!

– Submitted by Innocentia Afa, Global Youth Village, Outreach Coordinator

Roanoke County is seeking interested citizens to join a new committee to help develop the next stage of the stormwater management programs for the County and the Town of Vinton. Due to regulatory requirements, the County anticipates significant changes in its stormwater programs and associated costs over the next several years.

Roanoke County hopes the Roanoke County Stormwater Advisory Committee (RCSWAC) will represent a wide range of interests, including individual citizens, home owner associations and civic leagues, developers, agricultural interests, local businesses, non-profit and religious organizations, large-acreage land owners and other groups impacted by the regulations. The ideal committee will represent a balanced and broad spectrum of viewpoints from across the County and Town of Vinton.

A more complete list of the many groups and organizations sought for the committee can be found on the county’s website at www.roanokecountyva.gov/swm.

Committee members will be educated about the County’s existing stormwater programs, regulatory requirements, and anticipated costs. The committee members will develop recommendations for the Board of Supervisors on the desired levels of stormwater services with associated costs, and also recommend possible funding strategies. The intent is to identify the fairest, most equitable, source of reliable revenue to operate the County’s stormwater programs. Funding strategies will have differing costs for different parts of the community, including homeowners, businesses, non-profits, religious organizations, and others.

Committee members will be expected to review briefing packets prior to meetings, attend approximately seven monthly meetings beginning in July, provide honest opinions, respect the viewpoints of other committee members, and work to develop consensus recommendations for the Board of Supervisors.

Interested citizens and organizations are encouraged to visit www.roanokecountyva.gov/swm for additional information and to complete and submit the application form for committee membership by June 8, 2013. County staff will review the applications and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for final approval. For additional information, contact David Henderson at (540) 772-2083 or email dhenderson@roanokecountyva.gov.

– Submitted by Gray Craig

HSH Insurance will be holding a CPR, AED and First Aid certification class on May 18 at 9 a.m. at the HSH Training Center. The class usually takes between 4-5 hours. It costs $65 per person, but group discounts for 3 or more are available. This training center is authorized by the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI). Please visit www.hshi.com for more information or call our office at 540-389-2327 to register.

– Submitted by Tiffany Gibson

Here is a picture of my daughter’s 18th birthday present. Matching tattoos. Daughter’s name is Tabitha (tattoo on back). Got them at Blue Lotus Tattoo in Salem. Thanks Christinia.

– Submitted by Tim Chewning

National Study: Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008

New, nationally projectable survey results released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, a 33 percent increase over the past five years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study also found troubling data on teen misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants. One in eight teens (13 percent) now reports that they have taken the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, at least once in their lifetime. The new PATS data confirm that misuse and abuse of prescription drugs is now a normalized behavior among teens:

• One in four teens (24 percent) reports having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime (up from 18 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2012), which translates to about 5 million teens. That is a 33 percent increase over a five-year period.
• Almost one in four teens (23 percent) say their parents don’t care as much if they are caught using Rx drugs without a doctor’s prescription, compared to getting caught with illegal drugs. Of those teens who said they abused Rx medications, one in five (20 percent) has done so before age 14.
• More than a quarter of teens (27 percent) mistakenly believe that misusing and abusing prescription drugs is safer than using street drugs.
• One-third of teens (33 percent) say they believe “it’s okay to use prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them to deal with an injury, illness or physical pain.” Teens are more likely to use prescription drugs if they believe that their parents are more lenient toward prescription drug misuse or abuse compared to illegal drug abuse, and if their parents use drugs themselves.
• One in five parents (20 percent) report that they have given their teen a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them.

The PATS survey also found that 17 percent of parents do not throw away expired medications, and 14 percent of parents say that they themselves have misused or abused prescription drugs within the past year.

“Parents need to be very clear in the messages they send their kids about the misuse and abuse of prescription medications,” said Dennis White, President and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “It is important for parents and caregivers to set a good example in their own families. This includes using their own medicines properly, safeguarding medications in their own homes and properly disposing of unused medicines so teens won’t have easy access to them.”

– Submitted by Kathy Graham Sullivan, RAYSAC Director

Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Household Water Quality Program will host the “Roanoke Valley Drinking Water Clinic” for citizens whose water supply comes from wells, springs or cisterns.

The “Kick-Off” meeting is on Monday, May 20 at 6:00 p.m., at the South County Library, 6303 Merriman Road, where participants will receive instructions and the water sample kit.

The sample “Drop-Off” day is Wednesday, May 22, between 7:30 and 10 a.m. At this collection point, the samples will be iced in coolers and taken to the Biological Systems Engineering Water Quality Lab in Blacksburg for analysis. The analysis and creating the water test reports takes about four weeks.

The “Interpretation Meeting” will be on Monday, June 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., where participants get their confidential results along with an educational program explaining the results and possible treatment options.

The water will be tested for: iron, sodium, fluoride, coliform bacteria, manganese, copper, pH, E. coli bacteria, sulfate, nitrate, total dissolved solids, lead, hardness and arsenic. The $49 fee covers the cost of one sampling kit and analysis (a $200 value).

Please register by May 10. Forms are available at our office, 3738 Brambleton Ave. S.W., Roanoke, VA 24018 or on our website at http://offices.ext.vt.edu/roanoke. Payment can be cash, check or charge. Either drop off the registration form and cash or a check made payable to “VCE Roanoke” at our office, or mail in the registration and check. You can also pay with credit card only at our website and then email or mail a copy of your receipt to ksturgil@vt.edu along with your registration form.

Registrants will receive confirmation email containing directions prior to the Kick-Off. Please help us manage postal costs by accepting email from Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The goal of the Virginia Household Water Quality Program is to improve the water quality and health of Virginians with private water supplies, such as wells, springs and cisterns. Drinking water clinics are being held in counties across the state to give people with private water systems access to affordable water testing, help interpreting their water test results, and information about possible treatment options.

– Submitted by Chuck Lionberger

Sally Miller took these photos of the Monkey Rodeo at the Salem Red Sox game on Friday, April 26.

Submitted by Suzanne Miller