Greater Augusta: A helping hand to those in need

Chris Graham

Op-ed by Linda Sloan and David May By the time you and your readers see this, our area will have helped to choose a new President-elect, Congressman-elect, and U.S. Senator-elect. After month upon month of hearing from others who we should vote for, we will have finally exercised our right to step up, vote, and,…

Election ’08: Obama, Warner get nod in final pre-election polls

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Gallup and Larry Sabato are calling it a Barack Obama landslide, and a summary of the other major national polls has the Democrat on the verge of making history. Gallup’s final pre-election estimate has Obama winning 55 percent of the vote to Republican John McCain’s 44 percent. Sabato, the University…

The Valley Blue Dog: Sarah Palin is a Closet Socialist

Steven Sisson

Column by Steven Sisson Yes, Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin is a Closet Socialist. The governor’s state of Alaska receives more federal dollars, in subsidies and earmarks and government assistance, than any state in the USA. The Blue Dog says Palin is a tried and true socialist. Like I wrote in the Blue Dog column…

Valley: Ag Secretary designates drought disasters

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Gov. Tim Kaine on Monday announced that the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture has designated 11 Virginia counties primary natural-disaster areas due to the spring and summer drought, including on that list Nelson County, and that 24 contiguous counties including Rockbridge and Augusta had also received contiguous disaster status, making farmers…

Photocast: Barack Obama in Roanoke

Chris Graham

Photos by Mark Miller Barack Obama addresses 10,000 Virginia Democrats today at the Roanoke Civic Center. U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., serves up some red meat. Ninth District Congressman Rick Boucher warms up the crowd. Handmade signs relayed a variety of progressive messages. NBC29 Shenandoah Valley bureau chief Ken Slack reports live from Roanoke.   …

Winners and Losers: Frederick, Gilmore, Rasoul, Bush, McCain

Chris Graham

Compiled by Chris Graham [email protected] LOSER: Jeff Frederick and the right to vote The guy whose aim seems to be to sink the Republican Party of Virginia to the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay was at it again this week. “This might not be illegal, but it sure stinks to high heaven. Is this really…

White House ’08: Another one goes to the scorecards

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham [email protected] John McCain, it was said going into last night’s presidential debate, should have the advantage in the town-hall format, and he would need to exploit that advantage, it was also said, to be able to change the course of the ’08 presidential race. Turns out the talk about McCain being…

John Horejsi: A bailout for the rest of us

Letters

Column by John Horejsi, Vienna The government’s promise to back mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae now seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. As I write this, Congress is debating a massive bailout for financial institutions. Many are blaming the “greed” of Wall Street, and many others are bemoaning the fact…