Much has changed since my last publisher’s note. Our City of Roanoke was vibrant, people walking everywhere, businesses open to customers and our children were getting off the school bus daily. I was planning our fifth-year anniversary with staff and thinking how blessed and fortunate I am. Now,...
I recently passed a sign promoting the upcoming “Dreamgirls” musical at Mill Mountain Theatre. I was excited to see that the musical is coming to Roanoke. I also was thrilled to see that other such performances are scheduled to come to the Star City. The arts are an aspect of our city that often...
A simple definition of leadership is “the art of motivating a group of people to act toward a common goal.” They are the people in the group who possess the combination of personality and character to make others want to follow. There are many who think we all possess the ability to lead. I am […]
New Year’s resolutions cause one to explore the coming year with hope and dreams. We plan for a safe and prosperous year for our friends, family members, and ourselves. Not all those dreams and hopes will materialize, but we remain optimistic. This past year – 2019 was up and down and many...
The Holiday season is upon us and with that season comes an air of hope and thankfulness. At this time of year, families gather and individually reflect on achievements and even the disappointments of the year. The song already has begun playing – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. However,...
This year, Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. is proposing an ordinance to move the mayoral and city council elections to November from May. He expressed several reasons, but the main reason is that historically voter turnout in May is very low. In fact, roughly only 10 percent of Roanoke’s registered voters vote...
I recently attended a community meeting where a young woman was sharing her excitement about a new job. Then she said, “Now I have to figure out how to get to work.” Her job is at Orvis near the Roanoke County line headed to Botetourt County on U.S. 460. She lives in Lansdowne apartments. Her […]
During the past month, our nation again experienced more mass shootings. Thirty-one people – 22 in Texas and nine in Ohio – lost their lives to shooters, bolstered by senseless narrow-mindedness and hate and rhetoric spewing from the leader of the free world and others. My heart is heavy...
During the past few years, gun violence has become a serious issue in our community. Since returning to my hometown about four years ago, I have witnessed many families burying their sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. Issues related to gun violence have given awareness to the problem, but there has been...
As we enter our fourth year at ColorsVA magazine, I have faced tremendous hurdles this year. Typically, during your fourth year of business, you start looking at the direction of the business. Is it on the right path? Could you do anything different? Is the product you are generating valuable to the consumer?...
