Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110015
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Russell Potter of Roanoke has uttered the word "checkmate" thousands of times in his life. The five times he said it Labor Day weekend meant he would share the title of Virginia chess champion.
Potter competed with the state's 100 best players in a six-round tournament in Charlottesville. His score tied him with Geoff McKenna of Arlington. The two men never met in competition; the tiebreaker was the judges' call based on which player had faced tougher opponents.
Potter said he was edged out by the Arlington man to take home the traveling trophy, but it was he who took the trophy from McKenna after they tied three years ago.
A Roanoker has won, or tied for the win, in the Virginia Chess Federation Tournament just four times since 1937 - and twice it was Potter.
Northern Virginia normally dominates the tournament, Potter said.
He began playing chess at age 9 and teaches the game full time. He estimates he has reached some 18,000 children with his work.
``My market is the same as that for an oboe teacher,'' he said, chuckling about his chosen profession.
His first career was in social services, but layoffs and cutbacks cemented his decision to go full time teaching chess in 1981.
``Regardless of your socioeconomic background, if you stick with it, mass achievement is possible," he said.
'Mother' knew best
For a few confusing minutes recently in a Roanoke courtroom, testimony revolved around a man named Mother.
A rape victim testified that her friend had warned her not to get into a van after the driver stopped to offer her a ride.
Was that Linda? defense attorney Gary Lumsden asked. No, she replied, it was a man named Mother.
"Mother Teresa," Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Phillips explained. "He's a transvestite."
Strange, yes. But not unheard of, considering the scene was late at night on Salem Avenue Southwest, where cruising transvestites and prostitutes are almost as common a sight as shoppers on the City Market.
Falsely accused of fortunetelling
Miss Stella is still in prison, but the city of Roanoke has not relinquished its dogged pursuit of rogue palm readers.
The city attorney's office took Lola Rae Reynolds to court recently, claiming she owed $1,358.72 - the cost of a business license, plus late fees and interest, that she did not pay for before allegedly practicing palm reading in the city.
Not guilty, Reynolds said. Yes, she did run a newspaper advertisement with her telephone number, asking, "Have you been swindled by the local palm reader? For help, call 345-6666."
All she was trying to do, Reynolds said, was help police track down victims of Lola Rose Miller, aka Miss Stella, a palm reader and fortuneteller sentenced to a year in prison in January for defrauding her customers.
"I am not aware of her doing any palm reading in 1994," said Reynolds' attorney, Lance Hale. The judge agreed and dismissed the civil complaint.
Ousted by a groundhog
Annie Motley is still bedeviled by a big groundhog at her home on Loudon Avenue Northwest.
All summer, the woman has battled the brazen critter as it ripped her porch furniture and made holes in her yard. She says it sits on her porch and she can smell it.
Nothing has changed since a newspaper story early this summer. "He's still out there," Motley said.
Her landlord filled burrows that the beast dug next to Motley's foundation, but the groundhog just made new and bigger holes around the yard. City workers cleared brush from a vacant lot next door and that didn't help, either. At least the animal hasn't damaged some new porch furniture.
Motley is looking for another rental house. "This is too much for me," she said. "Isn't it something to let an animal run you out of your own home?"
by CNB