Harrisonburg: Candidates in Sixth talk issues

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] The economy, Iraq, health care and interestingly, term limits. Voters in the Sixth District were able to get a glimpse into the differing approaches of Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte, Democrat Sam Rasoul and independent Janice Lee Allen on those issues and others in a candidates forum sponsored by WSVA-550AM in…

Harrisonburg: Annual relief sale a big success

Chris Graham

Story by Jim Bishop Economic woes apparently took a back seat to spectacular weather that helped draw an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 10,000 to the 42nd annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale held Oct. 3-4 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. This year’s sale raised approximately $307,638 in total receipts for Mennonite Central Committee. This does not…

Local Politics: Are we all losing our minds?

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] Dinah Gottschalk is a volunteer in the Waynesboro Democratic Committee. She’s a committed Democrat, a lifelong Democrat, and she’s been working hard this campaign season at the local Waynesboro Dems election headquarters in Willow Oak Plaza with me and dozens of other Waynesboro and Augusta County Democrats. She was, to…

Carly at the Movies: This is Coen Brothers Country

Carl Larsen

Column by Carl Larsen Lucky for us film fans, the Coen Brothers march to the beat of their own bizarre drum. Their latest offbeat effort, “Burn After Reading,” is currently playing at the Colonial Mall Cinemas and will soon move to the Dixie in Downtown Staunton. The Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel, write and direct…

Waynesboro: Credit union wins three state awards

Chris Graham

Staff Report The Waynesboro-based DuPont Community Credit Union has won three community service awards in competitions sponsored by the Virginia Credit Union League and the Credit Union National Association. DCCU earned a first-place award in the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Awards, which honor credit unions for their commitment to teaching personal finance basics to young…

Local Politics: A view of the ’08 election from BRCC

Chris Graham

Story by Riley Murray blueridgedata.blogspot.com In the swing state of Virginia, the deadline of Oct. 6 for voter registration is fast approaching. Across Virginia, voter registration efforts are breaking records. With the race for the White House entering its last full month, the focus is on the Shenandoah Valley region. This rural region, in the…

White House ’08: McCain has to stick with Palin

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] I wrote a piece yesterday about the growing sentiment among conservatives that it might be best for John McCain’s sinking campaign if Sarah Palin would volunteer to step aside as the GOP vice-presidential nominee in favor of another more seasoned candidate. Here’s what I think – that would be the…

Carly at the Movies: Pretty dreary ‘Nights in Rodanthe’

Carl Larsen

Column by Carl Larsen “Nights in Rodanthe” is the fifth novel by Nicholas Sparks to be adapted for the screen, and it’s a natural disaster in more ways than one. Diane Lane and Richard Gere star in a film that’s light on believability and heavy on emotional baggage. And the fact that they were so…

White House ’08: Obama nearing biggest lead of ’08 cycle

Chris Graham

Item by Chris Graham [email protected] Two national tracking polls have Barack Obama opening the biggest lead of the fall campaign and close to the biggest lead of the ’08 campaign cycle over John McCain. Gallup’s tracking poll has Obama ahead of McCain by a 50 percent-to-42 percent margin. Those numbers are based on interviews conducted…