Wayne Theatre Alliance to receive tourism marketing grant
The Virginia Tourism Corporation has awarded the Wayne Theatre Alliance a $5000 grant through the Virginia Tourism Corporation Fall 2011 Marketing Leverage Program. WTA was one of 35 local tourism entries from throughout Virginia who were awarded grants.
The grants from the Virginia Tourism Corporation are designed to assist local and regional tourism entities to attract more visitors by leveraging local marketing dollars. The successful grant application was a partnership between the Wayne Theatre Alliance, the Waynesboro Office of Tourism and Stone Soup Books and Café to promote tourism in Waynesboro and WTA’s Gateway Theatre. The local partners provided a $5000 match for the grant, making a total of $10,000 available for the project. Read more
Hultzen makes significant donation to UVa. baseball program
Danny Hultzen, a former three-time All-American at Virginia and currently a pitcher in the Seattle Mariners’ organization, has made a $100,000 commitment to the baseball program for improvements to UVa’s Davenport Field. Hultzen was selected second overall in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Mariners.
“I am thrilled and honored to contribute back to the Virginia baseball program,” Hultzen said. “Virginia has done so much for me. My experiences at UVa have been critical in helping me grow into the player and the man that I am today, and I would not be where I am without my time there. I had an amazing experience at Virginia, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to UVa and help the program and its players remain among the best in college baseball.” Read more
Weekend Watchdog: Look ‘Hoos in contention
When I arrived in Charlottesville in the summer of 1995, the Virginia Cavaliers were coming off a finish in the NCAA Elite Eight.
The 16 seasons since the arrival of Ralph Simpson had been pretty good for the school – a pair of NIT titles, two visits to the Final Four and shares of four ACC regular season championships.
The 16 years since haven’t been much to talk about.
The 2011-2012 Cavaliers started strong, pushing their way toward the top. They get a chance to impress Saturday when they visit North Carolina at 1 p.m. on the ACC Network. Read more
Spring Fashion Debut: Anniversary bling
It’s an anniversary celebration 20 years in the making for Cookie Lee Jewelry, and three years for senior consultant Crystal Abbe Graham.
“This year marks 20 years for Cookie Lee Jewelry in the jewelry business which is just astonishing,” said Graham, who celebrates her third anniversary as a consultant with Cookie Lee on Feb. 9. “I still feel like I’m introducing Cookie Lee to the region, but it’s catching on fast.”
Cookie Lee Jewelry will be one of more than 20 vendors participating in the Feb. 11 Love is in the Air: Spring Fashion Debut in downtown Waynesboro from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Gateway. Read more
Bridgewater rallies late to knock off EMU
Rivalry games often have interesting twists, and this one sure did. The Runnin Royals hosted rival Bridgewater Wednesday night, and let a double digit lead slip away over the final minutes as the Eagles stole a crucial 79-77 decision.
Eastern Mennonite led by as many as seven points in the first half, but BC regrouped and took a 41-39 edge into halftime. Read more
Chris Graham: Winding down the Matt Brady era at JMU
A 21-12 record for Matt Brady’s third JMU basketball team in 2010-2011 gave the coach a tiny space for breathing room.
It was Brady’s second 20-plus-win season, sure, but neither of those teams qualified for NCAA or NIT postseason play. And at James Madison, where the Lou Campanelli/Lefty Driesell years are maybe a fading memory, but a memory nontheless, being in position to play into March is still something that the alums want to think that they can expect.
Six losses in seven games have turned what had been a decent 7-4 start to the 2011-2012 campaign into a 10-16 nightmare. And it’s soon going to be decision time for Madison athletics director Jeff Bourne, who four years ago faced a similar decision with Dean Keener. Read more
Mason notches 20th, knocks off Hofstra, 72-62
Overcoming a one-point halftime deficit, the George Mason men’s basketball team shot better than 50 percent from the field and pulled away late from Hofstra, securing a 72-62 Colonial Athletic Association victory on Wednesday evening at the Patriot Center.
Mason (20-6) notched its 20th win of the year, marking its 11th 20-win season in program history, staying atop the conference standings at 12-2. Hofstra dropped to 2-12 in conference and 8-18 overall in the loss.
Senior Ryan Pearson led a trio of double-digit scorers with 16 points, while sophomore Sherrod Wright added 12 points along with a career-high tying seven rebounds. Senior Mike Morrison chipped in 10 points, while Mike Moore led the Pride with a game-high 18 points. Read more
JMU loses … again
Guard Frantz Massenat scored 16 points while forward Samme Givens added 14 points and 13 rebounds to pace Drexel past James Madison 63-56 in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Wednesday night at the JMU Convocation Center.
Drexel improved to 20-5 overall for its second straight 20-win season and remained in a three-way tie for first place in the CAA at 12-2. The Dragons won their 12th game in a row after entering the night with the nation’s fifth-longest winning streak and also won for the 18th time in 19 games. JMU fell to 10-16 with its fifth straight loss and dropped to 3-12 in the conference. Read more
#19 UVa. blasts Wake Forest, 68-44
A three-pointer by Malcolm Brogdon ignited a 26-2 Virginia run, and the #19 ‘Hoos raced past Wake Forest for an easy 68-44 win Wednesday night.
Mike Scott was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor to pace UVa. (19-4, 6-3 ACC) with 19 points. Joe Harris scored 11 points, and Brogdon, Jontel Evans and Akil Mitchell had 10 each for the Cavaliers, who led by as many as 33 points in the second half. Read more
AFP sponsors 2012 Business Showcase
Augusta Free Press LLC is a major sponsor of the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce 2012 Business Showcase.
The Showcase will be held at the Best Western Inn & Suites Conference Center in Waynesboro on Thursday.
The event is free and open to the public from 1-5 p.m. Read more
Consumer groups comment on GA’s health exchange gamble
On Wednesday the Senate special subcommittee on health insurance failed to recommend any health exchange bills despite previously acknowledging the irresponsibility of waiting and denying months of work from the governor’s hand-selected health reform panel.
Subcommittee Chair Sen. Jeffrey McWaters moved to wait until after the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the constitutionality of certain provisions of the new federal health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Supreme Court will begin arguments in March 2012 with a ruling expected in June. Read more
Health District receives recognition
As local health departments nationwide strive to protect the public from new and infectious diseases, bioterrorism, natural disasters, and other public health threats, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has recognized the Central Shenandoah Health District for its ability to respond to public health emergencies.
The Central Shenandoah Health District met the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Michael Keatts, district emergency planner, and Jonathan Falk, district epidemiologist, spearheaded the yearlong submission process. Read more
