DN-R publisher named president of VPA

Chris Graham

On July 1, 2011, Peter Yates of the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg became the 111th president of the Virginia Press Association and Virginia Press Services, Inc. (VPA/VPS) Yates began his newspaper career in 1985 at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville. He became publisher of The Herald-Tribune in Batesville, Ind., in 1987. Yates published several newspapers…

It’s official: Swimming lesson was world’s largest

AFP

The Waynesboro YMCA took part in an event that has now been confirmed by the Guiness Book of World Records as the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. The June 14 event included swimming lessons at multiple venues across the country. The Waynesboro Family YMCA helped break this record by teaching water safety and swimming basics to…

Emergency food, shelter funds available

AFP

Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro will be awarded federal funds under the Phase 29 Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program. The selection was made by the National Board and is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA,…

Business owner steps up to benefit Meals on Wheels

Chris Graham

Rocky Simonetti saw a story on WHSV this week about the difficulties being faced by the Staunton Senior Center getting drivers to volunteer to deliver meals through its Meals on Wheels program due to high gas prices. And then he did something about it. “Gas is getting so high – three dollars and five cents…

Legal aid attorney named to 2010 Virginia Legal Elite

AFP

Virginia Business magazine has named local legal aid attorney John Whitfield to its 2010 list of Virginia’s “Legal Elite.” Whitfield, a resident of Staunton, has served for the past 22 years as the executive director of Blue Ridge Legal Services, the non-profit legal aid society serving the Shenandoah and Roanoke Valleys. To determine its 2010…

Grant will help Smart Beginnings with ‘Getting Ready’

AFP

Smart Beginnings Shenandoah Valley, a local collaborative coalition working to improve the quality of early education and care in the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro, as well as in Augusta, Page, Rockingham and Shenandoah counties, has received a significant grant of $125,000 from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, a public-private partnership headquartered in Richmond….

Stuff the Bus effort reports success

AFP

The 2010 Stuff the Bus weekend sponsored by the United Way of Greater Augusta was a solid success – collecting 2,250 boxes of crayons, 22,240 pencils, 2,978 spiral notebooks, 5,800 pens, 1,360 bottles of glue, 11,330 glue sticks, 200 backpacks and 1,191 packs of notebook paper, as well as hundreds of other items. The total…

Emergency food, shelter funding available

Chris Graham

Edited by Chris Graham [email protected]   Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro have been awarded $53,842 in federal funds under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program. The selection was made by the National Board and is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red…

Center promotes volunteer opportunities

AFP

Edited by Chris Graham [email protected]   The United Way of Greater Augusta formally announced today the launch of the Greater Augusta Volunteer Center. The Center will serve as a hub for coordinating and connecting volunteer’s with opportunities that support nonprofits serving Greater Augusta. Anyone seeking to serve as a volunteer can simply register at www.unitedwayga.org…