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Story by Chris Graham Staunton commissioner of the revenue candidate Maggie Ragon stumbled on the question initially. She had just been asked by a candidates’ forum moderator her thoughts on the issue of whether or not the office of commissioner of the revenue should remain an elected office. “That’s a good question,” said Ragon, who…
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(This is the fifth installment in a six-part series on The Valley Responds, an effort that links the Shenandoah Valley with residents of Long Beach, Miss.) Sunday religious services along the Gulf Coast have been very different since Hurricane Katrina knocked out most of the church structures in Long Beach, Miss. Services have been…
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Story by Chris Graham The death penalty has become the central issue in the 2005 Virginia governor’s race – and by extension, so has the view of the Catholic church toward the death penalty. Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine, a Catholic, has been under fire since the outset of his race against Republican Jerry…
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Story by Chris Graham Constitutional-office races are generally afterthoughts – if they’re even given that much thought. At best you’ll see a heated race when a long-time revenue commissioner or sheriff or treasurer decides to retire – but even then, the issues, such as they are, come down to ones of personality. Which is why…
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Story by Chris Graham Political observers across the Commonwealth have the 26th House District race on their radar screens – and for good reason. The contest between Democrat Lowell Fulk and Republican Matt Lohr is very much a toss-up at this stage – which is headline news for a political campaign in the Republican-leaning Shenandoah…
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Story by Chris Graham Waynesboro City Council members have come across in recent weeks as being at odds among themselves and with city manager Doug Walker over issues involving the debt load that the city can take on and the city government’s handling of a recent political controversy regarding a proposed West End fire substation….
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Story by Chris Graham The eyes of the nation are on the 2005 Virginia gubernatorial race, said Mary Matalin, a political commentator and former advisor to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. “This race is and will be the most-watched race in the country,” Matalin told Republicans across the state gathered for a…
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Story by Chris Graham The rhetoric does it. So do the newspaper and radio ads. The Jerry Kilgore Republican gubernatorial campaign has cleary made referring to Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine as a liberal a point of emphasis.
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The Top Story by Chris Graham The group from John C. Myers Elementary School in Broadway was wrapping up its Thursday-afternoon field trip to downtown Harrisonburg when it happened upon a real-life civics lesson. Republican Party gubernatorial-nomination candidate Jerry Kilgore was at a Court Square eatery holding court with reporters on the issue of, yep,…
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The Top Story by Chris Graham It sounds like magic. The state comes in and guarantees that homeowners aren’t forced to bear the brunt of the tax burden for local governments, and, voila, it is done, and everybody is happy. Except for local-government officials, who have to figure out how to balance their books without…
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