Winners and Losers column by Chris Graham
WINNER: Staunton Police Department
News item: Police motorcycle used in the filming of “Evan Almighty” fetches $13,000 in online auction.
Now here’s the deal – the PD was going to retire the chopper and its brother anyway after police chief Jim Williams determined that they had outlived their usefulness.
The city would have certainly gotten something for the two in a traditional auction – but after Morgan Freeman was seen sitting on one of the models in the summer blockbuster, their value went up sharply.
LOSER: The Waynesboro City Council majority
Talk about being on the defensive …
The local chamber of commerce wants the city to delay implementing much-discussed stormwater fees – after a capital-improvements plan that had been on the table for several months passed only because the majority pulled several controversial items off the table and offered to put them to city voters in a November referendum.
One guess as to how that referendum will go …
My take: The minority on council has all the momentum right now.
WINNER: The average concerned citizen in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Living debuts last month. Longtime staple eightyone begins posting its monthly stories online.
Hburgnews celebrates its first anniversary. The New Dominion and The Augusta Free Press beef up their offerings – including podcasts and a soon-to-be-announced over-the-air radio debut.
The long-dormant alt-news industry in the Valley is here – to stay?
Chris Graham is the executive editor of The Augusta Free Press. Look for his Winners and Losers column on Sundays.
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