AFP.com
Suspects arraigned for ‘Murder on the 13th’
Inspector Kathy, the detective for Wayne Theatre Alliance’s Murder at Fairfax Hall Mysteries, has order a number of suspects implicated in the death of a prominent local developer to appear at the presentation of Murder on the 13th on Nov 13, 2009 at Fairfax Hall. Implicated... [Read more...]
VirginiaPoliticsToday.com
Focus | Kaine offers advice to McDonnell on health care
Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell doesn’t think health-care reform with a public option is going to be “something that is going to help us in Virginia.” His predecessor recommends that he wait until Congress makes its final call on reform before painting himself into... [Read more...]
AFPTheMag.com
SRI marks formal grand opening
It’s nearly been three years since state leaders announced the move of SRI International to locate its East Coast research and development headquarters north of Harrisonburg. Local and state officials marked the formal grand opening of SRI’s new Center for Advanced... [Read more...]
ACCVirginia.com
Al Groh | Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Nov. 9 COACH GROH: We have had a particular interest in Mark’s (Herzlich) circumstances because at one time we were hopeful that he would be here. So we’ve had a lot of personal discourse with him during that time frame. I think you hear even more about the... [Read more...]
NDMag.com
How they do the TV news
It’s 24-7 at TV3 Story by Chris Graham It’s 9:30. Make that 9:32, actually. The staff is already gathered round the small table in front of the whiteboard near the entrance to the newsroom. Ed Reams wants to know what the WHSV-TV3 news team has, and the answer is - plenty.... [Read more...]
AFPTheMagazine.com
SRI marks formal grand opening
It’s nearly been three years since state leaders announced the move of SRI International to locate its East Coast research and development headquarters north of Harrisonburg. Local and state officials marked the formal grand opening of SRI’s new Center for Advanced Drug Research on Monday afternoon.
“Today, we celebrate an important milestone in SRI’s history, as SRI Shenandoah Valley dedicates a beautiful building that holds great promise for important research in infectious disease,” said Curtis Carlson, the president and CEO of SRI. [Read more...]
AFP Focus | Norris helps BBBS turn the corner
Dave Norris sort of fell into the lap of Big Brothers Big Sisters. And Big Brothers Big Sisters needed something to go right after its most trying year in its 30-year history.
“We are extremely optimistic about where we’re headed. Getting Dave on board was huge. We’ve had a year or more of struggles. Our funding streams just dried up. Bringing Dave on, he’s been able to do some organizational restructuring and rebuilding. We’re getting on the right track, definitely,” said Mike Kelley, the president of the board of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters, which hired Norris, the Charlottesville mayor and founding executive director of PACEM, a Charlottesville homeless shelter, in September. [Read more...]
AFP Focus | New life at United Way
It takes a special person to work in the nonprofit world. The hours are long, the pay isn’t comparable at all to the for-profit world. But at the end of the day, there are rewards that the IRS can’t tax you for.
“I believe that everybody ought to make it a point in their life at some point to be that person to make an impact in their community. I just happen to get to do it as my job,” said Marta Szuba, the new development director at the United Way of Greater Augusta.
The UWGA team is a group of newbies, by and large. Program development manager Lori Johns is the grizzled veteran with the group with two years of service. Office manager Tina Souders has been in the office for six months.
Szuba and new executive director Cynthia Pritchard started on the job just before the launch of the 2009 United Way campaign in September. Pritchard has been setting the Valley on fire with her relentless enthusiasm for the job and the breakneck schedule that she has been keeping meeting local business and industry leaders and people in charge of the United Way’s nonprofit community partners. [Read more...]
AFP Focus | Never say die
It was a good idea. We at AugustaFreePress.com would become effective groupies for Waynesboro High School football, and remember, before the season, we all thought this was going to be the year things started turning the corner down at the high school.
Steve Isaacs, mad scientist of football that he is, was entering his third season at WHS, and the kids knew his system, the single-wing, like the back of their hands.
The roster had slowly grown from mid-20s his first year into the 40s by year three. Good. More kids means depth, means the ability to shuttle kids in and out to keep your core fresh for the fourth quarter.
We certainly didn’t foresee 1-8 heading into tonight’s season finale at Fort Defiance. Nor did we foresee the stunning lack of interest in the Waynesboro community for Waynesboro High School football. [Read more...]
AFP Focus | Mourning in Bedford subject of new play
A group of young men from Bedford, about an hour and a half down the Blue Ridge Parkway from Waynesboro, were among the first Allied soldiers to storm the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, D-Day.
The Bedford Boys, they are known to us now, 22 of them, died in the hail of Nazi gunfire that rained down on them.
The loss to Bedford, population at the time 3,200, was the highest per-capita loss on D-Day of any community in the United States.
“All of those boys that died in minutes - that was just a story that I couldn’t get out of my head. It’s amazing what happened. In a community of 3,200, 22 died in minutes,” said Waynesboro author and playwright Duane Hahn, whose play on the Bedford Boys, Tuesday Mourning, debuts as a Waynesboro Players production tonight at the Kate Collins Middle School Auditorium. [Read more...]
AFP Focus | Theater project moves forward in big way
Waynesboro hasn’t had a night at the movies since the Wayne Theater closed a decade ago. It seems an interesting locale to start a digital-movie revolution.
“We’ll have more digital screens than anybody else I’ve been able to find in Virginia. We will be the only all-digital theater that I’ve been able to find in Virginia. We will have more 3D screens than anybody else in Virginia. The rest of the industry is trying to find ways to avoid spending the money on 3D. I’m embracing the 3D technology, because it gives us a lot of options,” said Brett Hayes, a Greater Augusta-based businessman and developer and the founder and principal in Zeus Digital Theaters, which will be bringing an eight-screen digital multiplex to Waynesboro next Labor Day weekend. [Read more...]
Election Day | Greg Marrow in Waynesboro
AFP editor Chris Graham caught up with 25th House District candidate Greg Marrow Election Day afternoon in Waynesboro.
Chris and Greg talked about what he has been doing on Election Day at the end of his long campaign.
AFP Video. Length: 1:53. [Read more...]
AFP.com News
Suspects arraigned for ‘Murder on the 13th’
Inspector Kathy, the detective for Wayne Theatre Alliance’s Murder at Fairfax Hall Mysteries, has order a number of suspects implicated in the death of a prominent local developer to appear at the presentation of Murder on the 13th on Nov 13, 2009 at Fairfax Hall.
Implicated in the murder of Bill Hausrath, a prominent local developer, are members of the media, local activists, a local business person and a well-known Nellysford citizen. [Read more...]
Presidential Library to mark Veterans Day
In recognition of President Woodrow Wilson’s involvement in the formation of Veterans Day, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum is presenting a free Veterans Day program, open to the public, including a dramatic reading by Woodrow Wilson portrayer Judd Bankert of President Wilson’s Armistice Day address to Congress. [Read more...]
Break-ins reported at KCMS outside theater performance
Six vehicles were broken into outside a performance of the Waynesboro Players production of Tuesday Mourning at Kate Collins Middle School Saturday night.
The string of incidents was reported around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, following the performance of the locally-written and -produced play on the loss of 22 natives of nearby Bedford on D-Day, June 6, 1944. [Read more...]
AAA: Gas-price spike slows down
After weeks of steady increases, gasoline prices began to retreat slightly this week. The average U.S. retail price for regular gasoline dropped to $2.68 a gallon on Friday, down two cents over the week and 34 cents above year-ago prices.
Despite recent increases, gasoline prices are still $1.43 below the record price of $4.11 set last July.
Crude began the week at $77 a barrel and rallied through mid-week to above $81 a barrel, before retreating at week’s end to settle at $77.43 at Friday’s close, a 43-cent gain on the week. Crude’s mid-week rally was a result of a decline in U.S. crude oil inventories, a weakening dollar and slight demand increases. [Read more...]
Tech officials confirm Hasan connection
Virginia Tech has confirmed with the United States Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Va., that the alleged shooter at Fort Hood, Texas, once attended Virginia Tech.
According to Virginia Tech records, Nidal Malik Hasan first enrolled at Virginia Tech for Summer Session II in 1992, and completed coursework in Spring Semester 1995. He received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He minored in biology and chemistry. [Read more...]
Location for Harrington search party meeting changed
The meeting location for the Morgan Harrington Volunteer Search Party has changed for Friday-Sunday, Nov. 6-8.
Volunteers must now sign-in at the Department of Forestry located at:
900 Natural Resources Drive
Charlottesville, Va. 22903
Searches will begin this weekend at 9 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide photo identification, and are encouraged to dress in comfortable clothing. [Read more...]
AFP.com Blogs
Stop the Presses | In your prayers
I just found out this morning that a good friend, Tim Baker, is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor tomorrow.
Talk about sudden - Tim and I play on a rec-league basketball team together, and our last game was two weeks ago.
According to his Facebook Wall, he found out about the tumor three days after our last game.
The doctors, he said, believe the tumor is what has been causing his dizziness and nausea, which I remember Tim mentioning once or twice in the season, but not what I’d call in a complaining mood. [Read more...]
Chris DeWald | Central pain syndrome
Let me introduce you to central pain syndrome, a.k.a. CPS. This is a real nasty side effect from strokes and brain injuries. There are other causes of CPS, but let me shed some insight as to my partnership with CPS. CPS does not have to begin immediately after a brain injury, but can come on at a later stage from the result.
I have had a bilateral stroke, which means I had been attacked from both sides. My CPS was mainly in the top of my numb foot. Now although my foot is numb from touch. [Read more...]
Stop the Presses | Get it right, for once
So he wasn’t dead after all. Though we’d been told that he was dead for several hours.
And his name wasn’t Nader. Or isn’t Nader. (Because he’s still alive. He’s not a was. He’s an is.)
It’s Nidal. Or Nadal. (Or something.)
He did graduate from Virginia Tech. Not in 1997, as had been reported. Tech said today it was 1995.
He did shoot a lot of people. That’s for sure. [Read more...]
Bruce Sallan | Stuck between my wife and kids
In every marriage, spouses face an inevitable choice between their children and their spouse. It is a classic dilemma that confronts every couple and one that is inescapable and difficult. It is especially true in second marriages, like mine. I have to admit, it is an ongoing issue in our home and one I’m trying to figure out with the right amount of love and respect shown towards everyone. [Read more...]
Earth Talk | Green cars for the rest of us
Dear EarthTalk: Celebrities and billionaires are shelling out big bucks for cutting edge green-friendly cars like the Tesla Roadster. But what are the rest of us—who live in the budget-constrained real world—to do about buying a new car that does right by the environment?
- M.G., Stroudsburg, Pa.
With so many new energy efficient cars in showrooms today, there’s never been a better time to go green with your next car purchase. A few years ago the Toyota Prius was the go-to model for those with an environmental conscience and up to $30,000 to pay for the privilege of getting 35-40 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 45-55 on the highway. But today there is such a wide selection of fuel efficient and low-emissions vehicles that even those on a budget can afford to go green. [Read more...]
Anne R. Davis | The health care women need
Every day, I hear from another woman who is losing her job and her health insurance. Every day, I worry. As an obstetrician/gynecologist, I know firsthand what can happen when a woman can’t afford reproductive health care, whether she has lost her insurance or her insurance doesn’t cover women’s basic needs. Cervical cancer develops unnoticed. Pregnant women go without critical prenatal care. Sexually transmitted diseases progress unchecked. We see the results in the emergency room. [Read more...]
AFP.com Sports
Liberty takes advantage of VMI turnovers in 54-14 win
The #16 Liberty Flames took advantage of eight VMI turnovers and defeated the Keydets 54-14 in VMI’s Big South season finale, played Saturday evening before a crowd of 15,208 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg.
The eight turnovers were a season-high for the Keydets, as the six fumbles and two interceptions led to 30 Liberty points. [Read more...]
JMU holds on for second straight win
James Madison jumped out to a 22-0 lead through three quarters and held on for the 22-14 victory while benefitting from six Maine turnovers in a Colonial Athletic Association football contest Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.
JMU won its second in a row to improve to 4-5 for the season and 2-4 in the CAA. Maine dropped to 4-5 on the season and 3-3 in the league. [Read more...]
Rams handle VUU in exhibition
The most frequent question that Head Coach Shaka Smart received leading up to the 2009-10 season was about how his Virginia Commonwealth University basketball team was going to replace Eric Maynor.
The class of 2011 showed part of that plan with juniors Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.), Brandon Rozzell (Richmond, Va.) and Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla.) combining for 47 points in VCU’s 85-55 exhibition victory over intra-city rival, Virginia Union, on Thursday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. [Read more...]
VirginiaPoliticsToday.com
Focus | Kaine offers advice to McDonnell on health care
Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell doesn’t think health-care reform with a public option is going to be “something that is going to help us in Virginia.” His predecessor recommends that he wait until Congress makes its final call on reform before painting himself into a corner.
“What I would say - he’s going to make his own decisions - I think he should see the final bill before he makes his decision,” Gov. Tim Kaine told reporters after an event in Harrisonburg Monday afternoon. “Because to say in advance, I’m going to opt out regardless - nobody would say that Medicare, for example, nobody would opt out of Medicare, which is a public option, a public product that serves our seniors, nobody would choose to opt out of the VA system, a public service that serves our veterans. [Read more...]
The Pulse | ‘Interesting’ week for Kaine, DNC
The media and Republicans are howling about the gubernatorial-election trainwrecks in Virginia and New Jersey spelling early doom for the agenda of President Barack Obama not even a year into his term.
It’s Tim Kaine’s job as Democratic National Committee chairman to put a silver lining in the smoke clouds.
I asked Kaine after a governor’s visit to Harrisonburg today to mark the formal opening of the SRI International research and development facility about the early lessons for the DNC from last week’s stinging defeats.
Cue the silver lining. [Read more...]
Group thanks Perriello for vote on health care
Americans United for Change is putting $35,000 behind a media buy thanking Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello for his vote on health-care reform.
“Virginia families are closer than ever having access to the quality, affordable health care they deserve thanks in no small part to Congressman Tom Perriello Representative Perriello stood up to the big health insurance industry and stood alongside the AARP, the American Medical Association and the clear majority of the American people with his support for the Affordable Health Care for America Act,” said Tom McMahon, the organization’s acting executive director. [Read more...]
Tom Perriello | Fifth District Report
The House of Representatives recently passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will make health care affordable for the middle class, provide security for seniors, and reduce the federal deficit. After months of listening to constituents, doctors, and seniors around the 5th District, I cast my vote in favor of this bill because we cannot sit back and let health-care costs continue to crush middle-class families and our seniors. [Read more...]
The Pulse | One reason Deeds lost
And it’s a small thing, because Waynesboro isn’t going to turn an election one way or the other all by itself.
But my experience as the Democratic Party chair in Waynesboro the past couple of election seasons can be instructive nonetheless.
It strikes me that I hadn’t even bothered to look at how Creigh Deeds did in Waynesboro in last week’s state elections until this morning. That’s probably a sign of, one, how bad the beatdown was overall, and two, how little I felt I had invested in the effort at the local level. [Read more...]
The Rant | Bob’s Lesson to the GOP
Keep calling it “socialism” and referring to the Obama administration as “Nazis” and “Communists.” That strategy will lead Republicans back to familiar territory - losses on Election Night.
Virginia Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell is showing the national GOP another approach, AFP editor Chris Graham says in today’s installment of The Rant. Not that Capitol Hill is listening, anyway.
AFP Video. Length: 2:45. [Read more...]
What Virginia’s delegation had to say on health-care vote
The House of Representatives voted 220-215 late Saturday night to approve legislation that includes mandates to insurance providers and consumers and creates a public option for the provision of insurance coverage.
One Republican, Joseph Cao of Louisiana, joined 219 Democrats in voting for the bill; 176 Republicans and 39 Democrats voted against the legislation, which next goes to the Senate. It can be expected that whatever health-care bill makes it to the Senate floor will have some differences in language with the House version, so if and when the Senate were to pass similar legislation, it would be up to a House-Senate conference committee to work out differences and present a compromise bill for additional consideration by the two legislative chambers.
Which is to say, it’s not over yet, not by a long shot.
But the Saturday vote was historic nonetheless, and no matter as to what side of the political or ideological aisle you happen to be on.
We collected on-the-record comments from Virginia’s congressional delegation on the legislation from yesterday and late last night. Here’s what your congressional delegation had to say. [Read more...]
Goodlatte statement on health-care reform
Sixth District Congressman Bob Goodlatte issued the following statement on Thursday after House Democratic leaders unveiled their latest proposal for health-care reform:
“The health-care proposal that was unveiled today is a repackaging of what Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat leaders were pushing all summer: a Washington takeover of our health-care system —one defined by federal regulation, mandates, a myriad of new big-government programs, and a significant increase in federal spending and debt. There is nothing in this latest draft that will ease the concerns of my constituents and millions of other Americans who have overwhelmingly expressed their opposition to Nancy Pelosi’s health-care reform proposals. [Read more...]
ACCVirginia.com
Al Groh | Weekly Press Conference
COACH GROH: We have had a particular interest in Mark’s (Herzlich) circumstances because at one time we were hopeful that he would be here. So we’ve had a lot of personal discourse with him during that time frame. I think you hear even more about the story and it extends to the fact that the least once he attended lacrosse camp here so he’s very familiar with the University of Virginia, we’re very familiar with Mark. As a result of that experience while we have not played Boston College while he’s been there, we have been tuned into the success he’s had as a player. So when we heard about the circumstance in the spring, we were very sensitive to it.
So it’s nice to see him apparently well on top of this situation and doing very well with it. Anything more on Mark and his situation? Aaron can give with you more on that. [Read more...]
ACC on TV this weekend
The Atlantic Coast Conference Sunday has announced the following game times and networks for the games of Saturday, Nov. 14.
- Clemson at NC State, Raycom, noon
- Georgia Tech at Duke, ESPN2, noon
- Florida State at Wake Forest, ESPNU, noon
- Virginia Tech at Maryland, ESPN360.com, 1 p.m.
- Boston College at Virginia, ESPN360.com, 3:30 p.m.
- Miami at North Carolina, ABC/ESPN*, 3:30 p.m.
FSU’s Ponder out for season
Florida State redshirt junior quarterback Christian Ponder, who leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing and total offense, will miss the remainder of the season with a right shoulder injury that will require surgery.
“Christian suffered a grade-3 right shoulder AC (acromioclavicular) separation,” FSU director of sports medicine Randy Oravetz said. “It has been determined that this is a season-ending injury and surgery will be performed in the next few weeks.” [Read more...]
ACC players of the week
Clemson senior running back C.J. Spiller racked up a career-high and ACC season-best 312 all-purpose yards en route to being named this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Back of the Week, announced today. The honor is Spiller’s first Offensive Back of the Week selection, but third overall this season, as he was named Specialist of the Week twice.
In addition to Spiller, four other player of the week selections are appearing on the list for at least their second time this season. Miami senior offensive tackle Jason Fox, Virginia Tech senior outside linebacker Cody Grimm and freshman running back Ryan Williams, and Maryland sophomore wide receiver Torrey Smith have all been honored at least twice this season. Spiller set a school record, while Smith set an ACC mark in their performances over the weekend.
North Carolina garnered two picks in this week’s group, with sophomore defensive end Robert Quinn and sophomore kicker Casey Barth garnering the Defensive Lineman and Specialist of the Week honors, respectively. [Read more...]
Sunday Morning Quarterback | The beatdown at The U
MINUS: Can we make it official now?
The Al Groh Era is over. Nine years into the run, Groh can’t field a competitive football team. That was plain and obvious Saturday.
It wasn’t just the score - though 52-17 is, ugh, you know, it’s atrocious. Worse, far worse, are these numbers - 515 yards total offense for Miami, 149 yards total offense for Virginia.
The fact of the matter is, it should have been a lot worse as far as the score, and would have been had Virginia not blocked two punts and Ras-I Dowling not returned an interception into the red zone to set up the 17 UVa. points. [Read more...]
Friday Morning Quarterback | Tech gets back off the schneid
PLUS: Ryan Williams comes back in style
He had three yards on his first four carries, and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz was saying he was running tentative after his late fumble cost the Hokies in their 20-17 loss to UNC last week.
Williams promptly busted off a 46-yard, three-broken-tackle run, and ended the night with a career-high 179 yards on 26 carries. [Read more...]
Focus | When is Lewis going to get some love?
Thaddeus Lewis had just thrown his fourth interception of the season, and the situation looked dire for his Blue Devils.
Virginia led 17-12 with eight minutes left, and Duke was struggling mightily in the red zone, to say the least.
But Lewis was confident.
“After the interception, just knowing that there was so much time left on the clock, we knew we had the opportunity to go down and score,” said Lewis, who after the Duke defense forced a UVa. three-and-out did just as he said he would, leading the Blue Devils on a five-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 42-yard TD pass to Conner Vernon that gave Duke an 18-17 lead with 3:45 to go. [Read more...]
Q and A | Miami football coach Randy Shannon
Miami (6-2, 3-2 ACC) hosts Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday at noon.
ACCVirginia.com brings you UM coach Randy Shannon’s press conference talking about the upcoming game. [Read more...]
TheNewDominion.com
How they do the TV news
It’s 24-7 at TV3
Story by Chris Graham
It’s 9:30. Make that 9:32, actually. The staff is already gathered round the small table in front of the whiteboard near the entrance to the newsroom.
Ed Reams wants to know what the WHSV-TV3 news team has, and the answer is - plenty. It’s the morning of the United Way of Greater Augusta campaign kickoff, which would work well for noon. As would an update on the victim of a Staunton trolley accident. Reams asked aloud if anybody had any ideas on local reaction to comments made by former president Jimmy Carter on race and President Barack Obama, which was a local story because Carter was about to be honored by James Madison University for his work on international peace initiatives. [Read more...]
Experience is the emphasis at 29
Bureau chief is a sexy job title, but being the bureau chief means you end up doing things like spending the morning at a middle school making sure the station can do live web-streaming of a House of Delegates debate scheduled for the next night.
WVIR-NBC29 veteran Ken Slack eventually got around to doing some reporting work, setting up an interview with Augusta County Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Howdyshell to discuss county emergency services, and editing an interview with another Board of Supervisors member, Nancy Sorrells, for a report for the news at noon. [Read more...]
‘A true community’
Once a fixer-upper, Staunton’s Newtown
now shining light in Queen City
Story by Chris Graham
People thought Michael Organ was crazy. That old home in Newtown was jaw-dropping beautiful, sure, but who in their right mind would stay at a bed-and-breakfast where you were as likely to get your hubcaps stolen or run into a prostitute or drug dealer as you were to enjoy the sunrise over Betsy Bell and Mary Gray?
“Gutsy” is the word Organ uses to describe his idea of the popular view of his move in 1982 to develop what has become the Belle Grae Inn, which encompasses the bed-and-breakfast, apartments designed for longer-stay corporate guests and an 80-seat restaurant. [Read more...]
Democrats aim high
Marrow, Curren face steep hills to climb
Story by Chris Graham
A candidate for public office needs to shake as many hands and slap as many backs as possible. A Democratic Party candidate in the bright-red Shenandoah Valley has to work twice as hard to have a shot on Election Day.
“You’ve got to beat the streets, pound the pavement,” 25th District Democratic Party candidate Greg Marrow said before a meet-and-greet with voters in Waynesboro earlier this month. “I’ve gone through two pairs of shoes already. You’re hot, sweaty, tired. You want to go home and play with your children. But you just know that it’s worth it. You have to believe that it’s going to happen.” [Read more...]
One cool cat
That Richard Adams fellow does it all
Story by Chris Graham
It’s hard to imagine Richard Adams stifled. Or without a gig.
But Adams, who you can see several nights a week in Staunton and Waynesboro playing Shenandoah Pizza or the “River City Radio Hour” or doing local community theater, felt stifled by what was shaping up to be a solid career in education and left his counseling job without another gig lined up. [Read more...]















