Talking trajectory

Chris Graham

Golf Things Considered column by John Rogers [email protected]   Golf is a game of angles. Lots of angles. There are shaft angles, spine angles, clubface angles, angles of approach and many others, including launch angle, which basically determines the trajectory of a golf shot. “Trajectory” is a commonly used word in the world of golf,…

The Valley Responds: The healing power of God

Crystal Graham

(This is the fifth installment in a six-part series on The Valley Responds, an effort that links the Shenandoah Valley with residents of Long Beach, Miss.)   Sunday religious services along the Gulf Coast have been very different since Hurricane Katrina knocked out most of the church structures in Long Beach, Miss. Services have been…

Pro-life votes in the ’05 election: Is Kilgore risking their support with run to the center?

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Republican Party gubernatorial nominee Jerry Kilgore has been relentless in recent weeks in his attacks on Democratic Party rival Tim Kaine on one hot-button social issue, the death penalty. Look for Kaine to fight back at Kilgore by highlighting another hot-button social issue – abortion – in the 2005 campaign’s final…

Liberal use of the L-word

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham   To say that the Jerry Kilgore campaign is efforting to paint Kilgore’s Democratic Party rival Tim Kaine as a liberal would be to understate things by quite a bit. Virginians can hardly turn on their television or radio these days without seeing or hearing the L-word in reference to Kaine,…

The man who stopped the Unabomber

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham David Kaczynski didn’t believe for a second that his brother, Ted, could have been the man known to the world as the Unabomber. “My initial reaction was, ‘Well, Ted’s never been violent. I can’t imagine him harming other people like this,’ ” said Kaczynski, whose wife, Linda, confronted him…

Where all is bright and gay: Virginia at forefront of gay-rights debate

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   There was an unspoken tension in the room – beneath the surface, but very much palpable. The Valley Family Forum hosted an event last week in Bridgewater titled “Gay Activism: Its Impact on America.” The idea was to get Shenandoah Valley residents together to hear from a group…

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…