Breaking down the 24th Senate race

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham He had to fend off perhaps the fight of his political life in June with a party-primary challenge from Rockbridge County businessman Scott Sayre. With the change of seasons from summer to fall, 24th District Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger would seem to have if not the second-biggest fight of…

Driver fees and the GOP

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Conservative activist John Taylor noted with interest the story in The Daily Progress about Central Virginia Republican Del. Bill Janis coming out in support of changes to the controversial abusive-driver fees that have had GOP lawmakers on the defensive the past couple of months. “Now it’s almost a daily event that…

Moving on transportation

David Cox

Column by David Cox First a $20 billion problem. Then the travesty of a bill that doesn’t solve the problem, but does include fees which judges, one by one, are voiding as unconstitutional. Now a bridge collapses in Minnesota, drawing all eyes to how well – or not – our bridges are maintained.

Property Tax Fever

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham Quentin Kidd calls it a “sleeper factor” – though the mini-revolts that we have been witnessing statewide over what have become effective tax increases that have resulted from increased local property-value reassessments this spring could reawaken from their brief slumber in time to play a key role in next week’s Republican…

No bones about it – it was Ian’s day

Chris Graham

Golf Things Considered column by John Rogers [email protected]   In a subtle, pleated-pants way, golf has potential for those transcendent moments when we feel larger than life, when we go beyond our personal limits. It’s very rare, though, that achievements on the golf course rise to heroic. In my mind there was only Ben Hogan…

The battle for the heart and soul of the GOP

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   For a brief moment or two after the 2006 midterm elections, it had seemed that the Republican Party was perhaps going off its ideological moorings. The talk was reaching the level of near-clamor regarding how the GOP was going to have to consider retreating from the right-wing conservative…