May-November romance: Staunton examining options for moving local elections
The Top Story by Chris Graham
Dickie Bell hears the question more than you would think.
“I get asked quite a bit – why don’t you have your elections in November?” the Staunton City Council member said, and he admits that he doesn’t have a ready answer.
Bell is among a group of members of the city council backing a move to move council and school-board elections from May to November – possibly in time to affect next year’s election cycle.
To Bell, the benefits are obvious. Read more
Beloved former EMU professor passes
Story by Jim Bishop
“A teacher in whose classroom wit and wisdom vied for supremacy.” That was one of many tributes paid to G. Irvin (“G.I.”) Lehman at a recognition and retirement dinner held in his honor May 1, 1980 at Eastern Mennonite University.
Dr. Lehman died Monday at Oak Lea Nursing Home in Harrisonburg. He was 92.
Lehman, a professor emeritus of Old Testament at EMU, taught at the former Eastern Mennonite School, 1940-1941, and rejoined the EMU Bible and religion department in 1952, teaching Old Testament courses there until 1976. Read more
Singing the praises of Labor Dazes
Bishop’s Mantle column by Jim Bishop
Like many other people, I don’t have off Monday of Labor Day weekend. It’s been this way for years, but I’m still trying to come to terms with it. Read more
What he says, and what we hear
Stop the Presses column by Chris Graham
News item: Michael Vick backs out of radio interview, according to the host, because “he was afraid they might take any part of our interview out of context as he talks to black America.”
So …
What was he going to say to black America that was any different than he was going to say to, I don’t know, white America?
And what would white America have heard out of context, as it were, had he gone through with the interview? Read more
Web premiere of ‘Road Trip to History’ series set for this weekend
Story by Chris Graham
A new Shenandoah Valley web portal is debuting a video series highlighting life along the Great Valley Road.
“We had been planning to launch ShenandoahValley.com as a Web site during the summer of 2007 when we got the idea to include Road Trip to History video,” said Hank Zimmerman, the owner and operator of ShenandoahValley.com, which will debut the Internet version of the “Road Trip to History” series featuring the Valley on Saturday. Read more
This week: Waynesboro referendum, JMU basketball, Staunton elections
Winners and Losers column by Chris Graham
PUSH: Waynesboro decides to hold fall capital-projects referendum
I don’t know who will get the upper hand out of this one.
Certainly the moderate majority on city council is thinking that it will be their side – and that a victory in November will spell doom for their conservative friendly foes in next May’s city elections.
But … this year’s elections are going to be of the low-turnout variety, what with there being no presidential or gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race at the top of the ticket and all.
I would be surprised if turnout in the city in November is even at 25 percent – which means that it might not be so much the merits of one side or the other but the side that can get its voters to the polls that will be the key factor here. Read more
Time to take a stand
Stop the Presses column by Chris Graham
I think I’ve been too hard on Staunton officials who have dared to suggest that they will take any means necessary to prevent a porn store from setting up shop in town. Read more
