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

Have an open date? JMU wants to fill it for you

Story by Chris Graham
sportsdom@ntelos.net

Wake Forest, George Washington and Maryland at home, Pittsburgh in a holiday tournament, Clemson and Liberty on the road.
Kenny Brooks will play anybody anywhere anytime.
“We’re no longer trying to win 22 games playing against nobody and don’t have a shot at an NCAA bid. We’re trying to get a shot at an NCAA bid,” said Brooks, whose James Madison women’s basketball team earned an at-large invite to last year’s NCAA Tournament out of the midmajor CAA in large part due to Brooks’ scheduling philosophy. Read more

Winners and Losers – 2007 Year in Review

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

WINNER: Virginia Tech sports
The men’s basketball team qualifies for the NCAA Tournament.
Men’s soccer goes to the Final Four.
The football team ends the part of the season that matters ranked #3 in the BCS.
The first two are probably the most important.
Tech is not just a football school anymore.

ASCENDING: Virginia Tech, Virginia, James Madison
HOLDING PATTERN: Richmond, George Mason, ODU, VCU, Liberty, VMI
DESCENDING: William and Mary

LOSER: Fans of pro-sports teams in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas
The ‘Skins are mediocre. So are the Ravens, and we expected something out of them.
The Nats are horrible. The O’s even worse.
The Wizards are … zzzz.
The Caps … zzzz.
We have nothing, and have to like it.

ASCENDING: Are you kidding me?
HOLDING PATTERN: Washington Wizards, Washington Redskins
DESCENDING: Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals

WINNER: Al Groh
Hey, I had the guy getting fired before the end of the season.
Ahem, then he ended the season as the ACC coach of the year.
Yeah. I was wrong.

ASCENDING: Al Groh, Frank Beamer, Dave Leitao, Dave Clawson, Kenny Brooks
HOLDING PATTERN: Seth Greenberg, Brian O’Connor, Mickey Matthews, Jim Larranaga
DESCENDING: Debbie Ryan, Jimmye Laycock