How much longer must we suffer this idiocracy?

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] Most of us agree that Virginia has itself a roads problem. You don’t have to sit in traffic for too long in Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads or Richmond or deal with congestion on U.S. 29 in Charlottesville or Interstate 81 anywhere in Western Virginia to recognize that much. The…

Ah, Bach!

Jim Bishop

Item by Jim Bishop Among the gifts offered to those attending the 16th annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival were visible enthusiasm among participating musicians as they re-created and interpreted selections by some of the world’s most beloved composers. Guest guitar artist Michael Partington stated: “I’m able to play what I want to play, and I…

A parent’s worst nightmare

Jim Bishop

Item by Jim Bishop Every parent’s worst nightmare is to have a child abducted. In Uganda, that may mean knowing your child is being forced to perform atrocities or being used as a sex slave. This was the reality for Angelina Atyam for seven years. Last week, Atyam told her powerful story of hate and…

Is $125K too much for a city manager?

Chris Graham

The Local Beat column by Chris Graham [email protected] There has been some interesting discussion about how much outgoing Waynesboro city manager Doug Walker gets paid in the days since the announcement that Walker will be stepping down from his job effective June 30. The focus of the talking has been that $125,000 a year is…

Eagles concert provides ‘Peaceful, Easy Feeling’

Jim Bishop

Column by Jim Bishop The stage lights came up, applause and cheers erupted, and I stared down on music legends. The Eagles had landed. The incredibly popular band, formed in the early 1970s in Los Angeles, Calif., was in Charlottesville, Va., on its “Long Road Out of Eden” tour. Tickets, though outrageously priced, were available,…

Virginia lagging behind in carbon-footprint reductions

Chris Graham

Item by Chris Graham [email protected] The Richmond and Northern Virginia-Washington, D.C. metro areas are among the top 15 metro areas in the country with the highest levels of carbon emissions per capita, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Brookings Institution. But that’s not the rest of the story regarding carbon footprints.

Local Libertarians talk up Barr as presidential nominee

AFP

Item by Chris Graham [email protected] Former Republican congressman Bob Barr is the Libertarian Party’s nominee to run for president. Charlottesville-area Libertarians are excited with the choice. “Unlike the Democrats and Republicans, whose conventions are nothing more than coronations, our convention was full of suspense and drama. No one knew who was going to win going…