Feel the power

Chris Graham

Column by Crystal Graham [email protected] At first glance, walking into a meeting of the Successful Women’s Alliance Network, or SWAN, might give you the feel of a BNI-type atmosphere. The group passes business cards, gives a 60-second elevator speech, and members work to help each other through a referral process – all routine parts of…

Staunton freezes city-government hiring to combat higher fuel, energy costs

Item by Chris Graham [email protected] Rising energy costs are forcing the budget hand of Staunton city manager Steve Owen, who announced this morning that he has implemented a hiring freeze as a first step toward offsetting the skyrocketing costs of fuel and electricity. “As with any city, our biggest expenditures are in the area of…

Winners and Losers: June 24, 2008

Chris Graham

Compiled by Chris Graham [email protected] WINNER: Waynesboro Mayor Tom Reynolds goes out on a high note Nice tribute from Waynesboro City Council members to the outgoing mayor, Tom Reynolds, last night. Big ups to Tim Williams for sharing a personal story that broke through the tensions that we’ve been feeling here in the ‘Boro in…

You can smearmonger better than that, can’t you?

Chris Graham

Fear and Loathing in Waynesboro column by Chris Graham [email protected] Stewart Hall wasn’t around for the end of the now-infamous interview of John Lawrence that was conducted late last year by a group of self-styled business conservatives for their informal nomination to run for city council’s Ward B seat. According to Lawrence, Hall got upset…

Summer movies: The best of the rest

Carl Larsen

Carly at the Movies column by Carl Larsen Now that the summer blockbusters have begun falling about our ears (some with surprising accuracy), let us quickly retreat to our bomb shelter and plan our forthcoming Cineplex excursions with care. In other words: Now that Indy Jones has landed, is there anything left to see besides…