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 announces candidacy in 24th

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Scott Sayre wants to take his conservative values to Richmond. He also wants to take the high road from the Shenandoah Valley to the State Capitol. “This is going to be a very, very positive campaign,” said Sayre, who announced today that he will be challenging the three-term incumbent in the…

Sime happy as independent

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham The headlines last summer had Arin Sime working hard behind the scenes to try to convince local Republican leaders that he could be the man to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger. And there was what was actually taking place. “That whole episode was interesting,” said Sime, a Crozet businessman who…

The battle for the heart and soul of the GOP

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   For a brief moment or two after the 2006 midterm elections, it had seemed that the Republican Party was perhaps going off its ideological moorings. The talk was reaching the level of near-clamor regarding how the GOP was going to have to consider retreating from the right-wing conservative…

Can we all just get along?

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   The Shenandoah Valley is usually pretty tame as far as its politics goes – but even the solid Republican Mountain Valley has seen its share of contentiousness this political season. To wit … – One of the highlights of the Augusta County Fair this summer was an episode…

Next on the Mark Warner agenda: Is former governor, White House candidate ready to again be a player on Virginia political scene?

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   Mark Warner made it a point to tell Virginia politics reporters covering the final year of his term as governor of the Old Dominion that he really felt he was hitting his stride in the job – and while the focus of their editors seemed to be on…

Warner bows out of ’08 nomination field

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   Former Virginia governor Mark Warner was being talked about as a top contender for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination. To say that his announcement in Richmond today that he will not seek the nomination was a surprise, then, is a pretty good understatement. “It was definitely a…

Race issues dog Allen

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   A group of former University of Virginia football teammates of U.S. Sen. George Allen alleges that the former quarterback regularly used the n-word to refer to African-Americans. A second group of the Republican’s former teammates has stepped up to say that this is not true. Meanwhile, the state’s…