A banner day opens school year at EMU

Contributors

Something slightly different contributed to the atmosphere of expectancy that permeated Lehman Auditorium at Eastern Mennonite University. In an all-campus convocation Wednesday morning, Sept. 2, Eastern Mennonite University President Loren Swartzendruber called attention to colorful handmade banners that grace the left and right sides of the stage area with the university vision and mission statements.

Another step backward

Chris Graham

We’re not to presuppose that the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce wants anything else than a seat at the table to discuss the stormwater utility fees adopted by Staunton City Council in July to get the Queen City moving on its backlog of more than $15 million in otherwise-unfunded stormwater projects.

Earth Talk | China and global warming

Contributors

Dear EarthTalk: Has China been making any progress reducing its output of global warming gases, and/or in tackling other environmental problems? –Bill W., Saugus, Mass. Decades of rapid-fire development and lack of government oversight has meant that China now faces some serious environmental challenges. According to research by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China surpassed…

Virginia gets another state-of-the-year honor

Contributors

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced that Virginia has been named the Infrastructure State of the Year by CG/LA Infrastructure LLC, a global leader in public and private infrastructure development. States were evaluated with a model that combines quantitative information, such as infrastructure investment per capita and end user cost of electricity, and an eight…

The devil we don’t know

Chris Graham

It wasn’t that long ago that Bob McDonnell was bragging about the grad-school thesis that he wrote 20 years ago at the age of 34 as being a blueprint for GOP action on welfare policy. Now he’s wishing he hadn’t brought up the thesis, since discovered in the Regent University library and shared with the…

A ‘different’ Bob McDonnell

Chris Graham

I wouldn’t say I’m bothered by what Bob McDonnell wrote two decades ago in his now-infamous master’s degree thesis. OK, I am bothered by it, personally. “While the proliferation in the day care industry was created in part by the financial hardships of women fostered by no-fault divorce, it was also stimulated by the private…

Architecture firm to formally open Valley office

Contributors

The Gaines Group PLC, an architectural firm with more than 22 years of experience in Central Virginia, will on Tuesday officially open its Harrisonburg office to serve its growing clientele in the Shenandoah Valley. “We are opening our second office in Central Virginia because of the huge demand for green architectural design and LEED consulting…