How they do the TV news
Story by Chris Graham
newdominion@ntelos.net
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
Story by Chris Graham
newdominion@ntelos.net
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
newdominion@ntelos.net
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
newdominion@ntelos.net
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
newdominion@ntelos.net
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
WaPo: McDonnell has commanding lead
A new Washington Post poll out Monday night has Republican Bob McDonnell with a commanding 11-point lead over Democrat Creigh Deeds with a week and a day to go to the Nov. 3 election.
The Post poll of likely voters has McDonnell at 55 percent and Deeds at 44 percent. The lead has grown two points from an Oct. 7 poll that had McDonnell up 53 percent to 44 percent.
The closest the race has been in the Post rendering was a Sept. 17 poll that had the gap at four points at 51 percent for McDonnell and 47 percent for Deeds. Read more
Treasurer forum set for Wednesday night
A Waynesboro citizens group is hosting a forum for the four candidates for the city-treasurer position in Waynesboro this week.
The Waynesboro Citizens for Responsible Spending forum is set for Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. in Meeting Room A at the Waynesboro Public Library, 600 S. Wayne Ave.
Two of the four candidates are on the ballot: incumbent Sandee Dixon and Republican nominee Stephanie Beverage.
There are also two write-in candidates: Terry Kent and Jim Serba.
The public is invited to attend the forum.
RMH implements temporary visitor guidelines
To help protect vulnerable populations from the H1N1 influenza that is prevalent in the community, RMH is implementing temporary visitation guidelines beginning today, Monday, Oct. 26.
The visitor restrictions are as follows:
- Children and young people under age 18 may not visit patients in the hospital.
- Adult visitors are limited to two per patient.
- Anyone under the age of 18 should not be brought into hospital waiting rooms unless that person is here for treatment.
Exceptions to these temporary restrictions may be granted for those visiting patients who have life-threatening conditions. Read more
Peacebuilding alum talks practical app of nonviolence
Her name is Leymah Gbowee, a 2007 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Before coming to EMU, Gbowee emerged into the world spotlight when she and a brave group of ordinary women, mostly mothers, banded together to do the unimaginable – use nonviolent methods to confront Liberia’s despotic president Charles Taylor and his warlord opponents.
Both sides used child soldiers who terrorized the population, including raping a large percentage of Liberia’s women and girls. The mothers dressed in white, held up hand-written signs saying “We Want Peace” and began to appear wherever the warring leaders could be found. They also told the men in their families “no sex” until you do everything in your power to stop the war. Read more
Al Groh | Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Oct. 26
THE MODERATOR: Unless Coach has an opening comment, we can start with questions.
COACH GROH: Well, the subject was brought up last evening, we had a complete flip here in one respect. We’re getting ready for a team that has passed the ball more and has used the pass more effectively than anyone else in the conference. Last week we played the team that runs the ball more than anyone is the conference.
So for all the conversation when a team plays Georgia Tech, about the uniqueness of it, you’ve got to play disciplined. You’ve got to fit on the plays properly. You’ve got to do your jobs. Clearly that’s the case here once again. You’re just deploying the same principles against a different set of variables. Where the probably best continuity of preparation is that the defensive alignments by the two — that the last opponent and next upcoming opponent are not dissimilar. So perhaps there is some good in that given we didn’t do a very good job with those alignments 48 hours ago. But to make sure we figure out how to do a better job against those alignments than we did last week. Read more
Tom Perriello | Fifth District Report
Last week, I had the honor of attending a very special bill signing at the White House. Surrounded by representatives from the major veterans service organizations, the President signed into law the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which will ensure our veterans get the health care they have earned. As a member of the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I was a co-sponsor of the legislation and supported it throughout the legislative process. Read more
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Daily Rant | Pay Low, Fly High
Posted on October 26, 2009 · 1 Comment
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with airline pilots, augusta free press, chris graham, daily rant