Sayre takes no-tax pledge

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham It should be no surprise that Scott Sayre has made formal his pledge against raising taxes. Sayre, a Buena Vista businessman who is challenging incumbent Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, for the Republican Party nomination in the 24th Senate District, made it official on Tuesday – announcing that he has signed…

‘Giving up’ is not always sweet surrender

Jim Bishop

Bishop’s Mantle column by Jim Bishop No one promised me a rose garden, but man, plowing this early spring ground is hard work. Some weeks ago, I made the “mistake” of declaring, via this column, my intention to give up chocolate – one of my “favorite things” – and desserts in general for Lent. This…

Easter movies vs. Passover films: Six of one, half-dozen of the other

Carl Larsen

Carly at the Movies column by Carl Larsen A couple of important religious holidays are popping up next week, so naturally the Hollywood floodgates will open and your TV will be inundated with spiritual films galore. Dozens of films have been made about the Jews’ exodus from Egypt, and just as many about the crucifixion…

Smucker family faces wait and a weight, part two

Jim Bishop

Bishop’s Mantle column by Jim Bishop Dave and Shari Smucker were stymied. Nearly three years had passed, and it didn’t appear hopeful that Aaron, now 3 years old, would ever join their family in Harrisonburg. The couple had made several visits to the youngster’s home in Guatemala, and each time, some technicality prevented them from…

Sayre gets VCAP endorsement

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham Scott Sayre will need to get the backing of grassroots conservatives for his bid to unseat 24th District state senator Emmett Hanger to be successful. He picked up the endorsement of the cash- and member-rich Virginia Conservative Action PAC today – leading to the obvious question. Should Sen. Hanger be worried?

The Bubba Card

Chris Graham

Stop the Presses column by Chris Graham Did you hear presumed Democratic Party presidential nomination frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s fake Southern drawl the other day during remarks made at a black church in Alabama for a commemoration of the 1965 Selma voting-rights march? I don’t know – it would have been one thing if it had…

Three strikes, but not out

Jim Bishop

Bishop’s Mantle column by Jim Bishop “EMU – Bluffton baseball game cancelled.” This notice in small type on the calendar of the sports section of the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record might normally command a passing glance. But on this occasion, these few words jumped out at me like special effects in a 3-D movie, a jarring…

It’s Dickie V, baby!

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Dick Vitale thinks the ACC got a “raw deal” only getting four teams into the Big Dance last March Madness. The ESPN analyst and 2007 Basketball Hall of Fame nominee thinks the conference is going to get seven or maybe eight teams into the NCAA Tournament this year.