Evan Jones
Brian Santos
A nationally-known expert on do-it-yourself painting and wallpapering is in Roanoke this weekend, sharing his expertise at the Greater Roanoke Home and Garden Show. Brian Santos is known as “The Wall Wizard”; he offers all kinds of tips on making paint and wallpaper projects easier, often using common household products — and he calls part of his work marriage counseling. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
A Liberty University program is literally taking off. Liberty says its Aeronautics program enrollment has grown from four students to more than 400 in the last ten years and the job placement rate for qualified graduates is 100%. Recent additions include two donated aircraft and three more flight simulators. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Virginia sent out more than one million tax refund checks last year — this year it will send out none. That’s because prepaid debit cards are taking their place. The Department of Taxation says they are insured like bank accounts and can be used many ways like any other debit cards. The department says the change will save Virginia $200,000 this year. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
The debit cards are issued under a contract With Xerox, and there are some associated fees that may occur under certain circumstances. Click here for full information from the Virginia Department of Taxation.
Click here for the full schedule of fees that can be incurred under certain circumstances.
What many called the “fiscal cliff” may have been averted in some respects last week, but communities like Roanoke still don’t know if automatic spending cuts called “sequestration” might kick in this year — including Housing and Urban Development grants. City officials say they are used to improve neighborhoods like Old Southwest and Hurt Park, and federal cuts would slow those efforts. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Sen. John Edwards
Roanoke State Senator John Edwards says Governor McDonnell’s transportation funding proposal has little chance of passage — and is the wrong way to address the state’s needs for roads, rails and airports. The governor wants to eliminate the gasoline tax and raise the sales tax, but Edwards says that gives out-of-state drivers a “free ride” through Virginia. He proposes raising the gas tax or adding a state sales tax to fuel purchases. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
Governor McDonnell proposes the elimination of Virginia’s gasoline tax, increasing the state’s sales tax from 5% to 5.8%, and dedicating that sales tax increase to transportation funding. The governor says it will provide a stable funding source at a time when gasoline demand –and fuels tax revenues — steadily decline. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.
(Continue reading for the governor’s full news release and plan details.) Continue reading
A Virginia woman with 15 years of museum education experience will be the next Executive Director at the Taubman Museum of Art. Della Watkins will come here from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. Her first day here is February 4th. She spoke with WFIR’s Evan Jones.
Roanoke Urban Farm photo
2013 will literally be a groundbreaking year for Roanoke’s new urban farm. The first fruit and vegetable crops will be planted in coming months at the farm in the Blue Hills area of northeast Roanoke. And as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, the people who will run it say it will also serve as an educational destination.
Center Executive Director Jim Sears (WFIR photo)
The outside work is done at Center in the Square, and so are the heavy-duty renovations inside. Now the building and its tenants prepare to move back in, with the grand re-opening set for May. The $27-million project will include five aquariums as you enter and a two-story rooftop — and those attractions will not require admissions. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story.