The Rumor Mill Says …

– That Reo Hatfield is going to run for City Council.
– That Cory Alexander is going back to the UVa. bench.
– That a local paper is going online-only.

– That Reo Hatfield is going to run for City Council. I’ve heard this from several sources over the past 10 days. Hatfield is a two-time City Council member and two-time City Council loser, most recently in 2006 when he lost to Lorie Smith, against whom he is reportedly considering running again.

A political strategist couldn’t ask for an easier – or if you’re working for Hatfield, harder – job. Hatfield’s myriad personal issues and romantic dalliances have not been battle-tested despite his four runs for City Council and his one (aborted) run for sheriff. But that was in the old days of Waynesboro politics. The ’08 elections were made personal by the win-at-all-costs conservatives. Well, guess what? Two sides can play that game. Get ready for the pitched battle of all pitched battles.

– That Cory Alexander is going back to the UVa. bench. That’s what I’m hearing in the wake of the press conference at JPJ announcing Tony Bennett as the new men’s basketball coach. Alexander, a Waynesboro native, former UVa. star, former NBA player and (for now) current color commentator on UVa. basketball radio broadcasts, is reportedly interested in making a move from the announcer’s table to the coaching staff, and tonight Marty Hudtloff on NBC-29 talked up how Bennett is looking to fill out his staff with someone with ties to the state of Virginia.

I’m also hearing the name of one of Alexander’s teammates from his UVa. playing days, Jason Williford, who is currently on the staff at American University under former UVa. coach Jeff Jones, as a possibility for the new Bennett staff.

Williford, if I remember correctly, was talked about as a possible addition to the staff back when Dave Leitao took the UVa. job in 2005.

– That a local paper is going online-only. There has been speculation on the local blogosphere of just that. Nobody I’m talking with these days among the insiders is saying anything about that to me, but the moves this week (a newsroom employee laid off at the News Virginian, the move by the News Leader to outsource its printing operations) weren’t chattered about ahead of time, either.

– Story by Chris Graham