Former White House press secretary to speak in Staunton

Chris Graham

Marlin Fitzwater, press secretary for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, will reflect on his White House experiences at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6 in John Lewis Auditorium at Lee High School in Staunton. The program will be a conversational interview conducted by Don Wilson, President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library…

Charlottesville lands operations center for investment firm

AFP

CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals with operations in the Charlottesville area, New York, London, Hong Kong, and Brussels, will invest $24.5 million to establish its operations center in the City of Charlottesville, creating 45 new jobs. The organization plans to redevelop the former Martha Jefferson Hospital facility. “The adaptive reuse of the…

Draft Roundup: Five ‘Hoos, two Dukes, lead local MLB Draft selections

Chris Graham

Five Virginia baseball players were selected Tuesday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Rounds two through 30 were conducted Tuesday; Virginia’s Danny Hultzen (Jr., Bethesda, Md.) was selected in the first round Monday. Virginia had three of its starting pitchers selected in the first 10 rounds, as Will Roberts (Jr., Richmond, Va.) and…

McDonnell launches teacher performance-pay initiative

Chris Graham

Gov. Bob McDonnell has invited 57 school divisions that may have difficulty attracting, retaining and rewarding experienced, fully licensed teachers to participate in his Virginia Performance-Pay Incentives initiative for hard-to-staff schools. The initiative — which was approved by the 2011 General Assembly — is a centerpiece of McDonnell’s “Opportunity to Learn” education-reform agenda. It provides…

EMU alumna in national spotlight on immigration issue

AFP

Isabel Castillo, a 2007 Eastern Mennonite University graduate, has become a nationally recognized spokesperson for the plight of undocumented young people in the United States. Castillo was featured in a Feb. 20, 2011, New York Times article, “Dream Act Advocate Turns Failure into Hope.” This publicity led Jesuit-run University of San Francisco to invite her…

Earth Talk: Can Japan do without nuclear energy?

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: Were Japan to close all its nuclear plants following the recent damage and radiation leaks from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, what could its energy mix look like? Would it be able to provide all of its power in other ways? – Richard Miller, New York Most experts agree that Japan would…