Housing market: All is well?

AFP

Gloom and doom, indeed. Existing-home sales were down 27 percent in July from what had been a healthy June on the national housing market. There can’t be any good news there – at least that’s the sentiment that’s been reflected in the news media. “There’s this huge decline in the number of people buying houses…

Roads report

AFP

The latest updated list of road work scheduled in the local area from the Virginia Department of Transportation.   ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY Interstate 64 * Mile marker 41 to 56 eastbound and westbound – Debris removal, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Interstate 81 * Mile marker 173 to 205 northbound and southbound…

Grant will help Smart Beginnings with ‘Getting Ready’

AFP

Smart Beginnings Shenandoah Valley, a local collaborative coalition working to improve the quality of early education and care in the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro, as well as in Augusta, Page, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties, has received a significant grant of $125,000 from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, a public-private partnership headquartered in Richmond….

Operation Purple: Camp for military kids

AFP

Operation Purple is under way at Camp Horizons in Harrisonburg. The camp, created in 2004, is for children ages 6-12 whose parents are serving in any branch of the military. In 2004, there were 12 Operation Purple camps across the United States. The program has grown to the point that this year there are 68…

VDOT road work schedule: The week of Aug. 16

Chris Graham

The following is a list of highway work that might affect traffic in the Augusta, Rockingham and Rockbridge areas in the coming weeks. Work scheduled is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. Also, when traveling through a work zone, be…

Capri, Hypes and a musical movement

AFP

Local celebrities Bobby Capri and Andrew Hypes are moving up into the big boys league. The duo has had shows here in the Valley as well as up and down the East Coast, including, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn and Manhattan. The pair have made their way from independent artists to collaborating and joining the independent label,…

Another Dem-less year in the Sixth

Chris Graham

It had been 10 years since the last Democratic Party nominee challenge to Republican Bob Goodlatte when Sam Rasoul made a run at the Sixth District seat in 2008. Goodlatte’s 61 percent showing in 2008 was convincing enough to convince Democrats not to field a candidate against the incumbent in 2010. The question today –…