Is the Valley safer?

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., were a wakeup call for those involved in the emergency-services community in the Shenandoah Valley. “The big thing that came out of 9/11 was the thought that, hey, we’ve got to look at our policies and…

The end of the car tax as we know it – revisited

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham Tim Williams doesn’t like passing the buck to taxpayers any more than he has to – particularly when Richmond is awash in money from those same taxpayers. “The state has a surplus, and here they are passing this onto us. I don’t understand that. They made the promise, and…

Staunton leaders consider tweaks to development plan

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham Dickie Bell hates thinking that he might have been prescient when he raised objections to the proposed economic-development plan that was eventually adopted by Staunton City Council in 2002 that put the bulk of the focus of the city’s development efforts on the retail and tourism sectors.

Property Tax Fever

Chris Graham

Column by Chris Graham Quentin Kidd calls it a “sleeper factor” – though the mini-revolts that we have been witnessing statewide over what have become effective tax increases that have resulted from increased local property-value reassessments this spring could reawaken from their brief slumber in time to play a key role in next week’s Republican…