Escape from New Orleans: Refugee, Staunton native, talks about Katrina, rebuilding

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham Scott Obenschain is glad he answered his phone. “I was going to stay, originally, but on the Sunday before the storm hit, a friend of mine called me up and said, ‘It’s a Category 5, and it’s heading our way. Let’s go,’ ” said Obenschain, a Staunton native who…

Being Russ Potts

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Russ Potts is running for governor as an independent – to the consternation of Republican Party officials in Richmond and elsewhere in the Old Dominion. The state party asked Potts to resign his Virginia Senate seat – and declared that Potts is no longer a member of the GOP. Potts, for…

Getting to know Tim Kaine

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Tim Kaine knew when he made his mind up that he was going to run for lieutenant governor in 2001 that he was committing himself to another political campaign four years later. “Honestly, when I ran for lieutenant governor, I thought, you know, if I am lieutenant governor, then I will…

Taming the beast of tournament golf

Chris Graham

Golf Things Considered column by John Rogers [email protected]   Tournament golf is no more like casual golf than bowling. That’s a slight exaggeration, but it’s what I tell my junior golfers when helping them prepare for competition. It might be a better analogy to say that playing tournament golf is like playing golf with someone…

The Valley media market

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Another attempt by another publisher to add to the Central Shenandoah Valley media-market offerings has breathed its last breath. “Our board of directors has examined all of the aspects of our operation since we began in mid-March and has determined that the costs of delivery, news gathering and printing far exceed…

Waynesboro’s growing pains

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham  Waynesboro City Council members have come across in recent weeks as being at odds among themselves and with city manager Doug Walker over issues involving the debt load that the city can take on and the city government’s handling of a recent political controversy regarding a proposed West End fire substation….

Allen fights back at Kaine remarks

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham   U.S. Sen. George Allen isn’t taking the political attacks being lobbed at his former secretary of public safety, Republican Party gubernatorial nominee Jerry Kilgore, lightly. “I read with bemusement Tim Kaine’s reaction to Jerry Kilgore’s positive proposal to continue battling violent street gangs in Virginia, many of which are made…

Matalin breaks down ’05 gubernatorial race

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham   The eyes of the nation are on the 2005 Virginia gubernatorial race, said Mary Matalin, a political commentator and former advisor to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. “This race is and will be the most-watched race in the country,” Matalin told Republicans across the state gathered for a…