A year-end review and coming distractions

Column by Jim Bishop

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is,
and walk in it.”
- Jeremiah 6:16

As 2007 nears its close and a new year is about to unfold, I’m impressed anew – how one looks at things makes a world of attitudinal difference. Read more

Peace in the Middle East

Column by Bob Goodlatte

Just a few weeks ago, President Bush and Secretary of State Rice hosted an international conference at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The conference focused on supporting the efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Abbas on their road to peace. Read more

Outreach to rural residents focus of UVa. medicine program

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

I’ve written about the struggle that government leaders in rural communities in Virginia are facing trying to gain broadband access for their residents and businesses and industries.
An aspect to this story that had not come to mind until a couple of weeks ago has to do with the use of broadband to enhance the delivery of health-care services in rural areas.
A federal grant to the University of Virginia Office of Telemedicine will augment the 14-year-old program by providing funding for the construction of high-speed Internet networks linking rural medical providers to facilities with more sophisticated resources – and linking patients in rural areas to specialists and subspecialists that tend to be based in metro areas.
“All this funding is to develop a more robust telecommunications infrastructure in the Commonwealth of Virginia, which will be the infrastructure over which we and other medical centers support telemedicine services for citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Karen Rheuban, the medical director of the UVa. Office of Telemedicine, in an interview for this week’s “Augusta Free Press Show.” Read more

Winners and Losers – 2007 Year in Review

Winners and Losers column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

WINNER: SRI International brings Silicon Shenandoah promise
It will be years before we know this for sure, but …
Look what SRI did to the Silicon Valley in California.
Its presence in the Valley will be transformative. Write that down.

ASCENDING: SRI International, James Madison University, Coors, Waynesboro retail sector
HOLDING PATTERN: Valley poultry industry
DESCENDING: Staunton retail sector

LOSERS: Valley Democrats
Not that this is anything new, but …
David Cox fell short – well short – in his bid to unseat Emmett Hanger in the 24th Senate District. Ditto for our friend Maxine Hope Roles in her challenge of Mark Obenshain in the 26th Senate District. And Karen Schultz in her campaign against Jill Vogel in the 27th.
Dems didn’t even field challengers in races for open House seats in the Valley.
And then there was the upset of Democrat Lee Godfrey in her race against 23-year-old Republican Jeremy Shifflett for the open Beverley Manor District seat on the Augusta County Board of Supervisors.

LOSERS: Valley Republicans
All the success at the local level was nice, but …
Dems are in control of the Virginia Senate and the governor’s mansion.
Translation: We can pass all the fiscal and social legislation that we want, and it’s never going to see the light of day in the end.

ASCENDING: Chris Saxman, Mark Obenshain
HOLDING PATTERN: Emmett Hanger, Steve Landes, Ben Cline
DESCENDING: Anybody with a D beside their name

LOSER: The News Virginian circulation down sharply
Not that long ago, the Waynesboro daily was hyping how it was bucking national trends showing declining newspaper readership.
But from a circulation base of nearly 8,000 Monday-through-Friday and 7,500 on Sunday as of this past summer, the numbers are heading south faster than Canadian geese. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulation report for the six-month period ending Sept. 30, the NV’s circulation was below 7,400 Monday-through-Friday and right at 7,000 on Sunday.
That’s about a 5 to 6 percent drop in the course of a few months.
Media General shareholders cannot be happy.

ASCENDING: NBC29, News Leader
HOLDING PATTERN: Daily News-Record, Daily Progress, WHSV-TV3
DESCENDING: WVPT, News Virginian