The Steel Wheels present the first annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival, sponsored by Blue Mountain Brewery and WNRN, on Friday through Sunday, July 12, 13 and 14 at Natural Chimneys Park in Mount Solon, located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.

As Bridgewater College's graduating seniors and their families celebrated on the campus mall Saturday, May 18, Virginia Supreme Court Justice William C. Mims urged the 301 graduates to remember society's timeless virtues and to build meaningful lives.

The Waynesboro Tourism Office and the Tourism Association of Greater Waynesboro have commissioned photographer Mark Miller to photograph the city’s attractions to be used for advertising.

One of the hallmarks of the Earl Hamner Jr. Theatre is its systematic development of new scripts. Although the theatre space in Nellysford was closed last fall, the Hamner has continued its Virginia Playwrights and Screenwriters Initiative (VPSI) under the direction of its Artistic Director Boomie Pedersen and joined with WTA's Gateway to present a new series of developing scripts.

The IRS recently admitted that certain conservative groups had been singled out for extra scrutiny based on political leanings, including some in Virginia. The IRS must be held accountable for this blatant abuse of power.

Virginia Republicans formally nominated Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to run for governor in 2013, and added as his ticketmates Mark Obenshain, a Harrisonburg state senator, as the attorney-general nominee, and E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake-based Baptist minister, as the nominee for lieutenant governor.

Rising crude oil prices continue to push gasoline prices slightly higher with the Memorial Day holiday weekend less than one week away. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline rose to $3.62 Friday. This price is six cents more expensive than one week ago and even with prices from one month ago.

Gov. Bob McDonnell today announced that Iluka Resources (Iluka), a world leader in mineral sands exploration, mining, processing and marketing, is advancing a potential major expansion of its operations in Virginia with the development of a mineral sands mining operation in Dinwiddie County.

East Rockingham Senior Center hosted volunteers from Wells Fargo for the annual United Way Day of Caring on May 15.

East Rockingham Senior Center began a lap robe raffle on May 13, with the proceeds going to VPAS for the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Region. The accompanying photo shows ERSC Substitute Director Y. Shoemaker (left) and Marie Frey holding the beautifully crafted quilt. Tickets are $1.00 each, and the lap robe will be displayed and tickets sold through Thursday, May 16, when a community clubs and organizations fair will be held that evening at the community center where ERSC is housed.

The Virginia baseball team has earned the No. 3 seed at the 2013 ACC Tournament and will open tournament play at 3 p.m. Wednesday against No. 6 seed Virginia Tech. The tournament will be contested Wednesday through Sunday (May 22-26) at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.

The Lynchburg Hillcats couldn’t polish off a sweep of the Carolina Mudcats with a 6-1 loss Sunday at City Stadium. It’s the first time in seven games they have lost to the Mudcats this season and gives the Hillcats an even 3-3 record on the home stand. David Rohm had his 12-game hitting streak come to an end in the shutout. It was the longest hitting streak in the Carolina League this season.