Live, on C-SPAN, it’s Stuarts Draft High School

AFP

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Hurry up and wait. That’s life on TV. Students in two AP government classes at Stuarts Draft High School know that all too well. “It was exciting. National television, that was pretty cool. But it was nervewracking at the same time,” said Akash Patel, a senior at SDHS, a few…

Our sixth week

Chris Graham

Column by Steve Landes We have now passed the midway point of the 2008 General Assembly session, commonly referred to as “crossover.” The House passed 616 of the 1,576 bills filed by delegates and the Senate approved 433 of the 795 bills filed by senators. Now, the House will spend the bulk of its time…

Warner addresses students at JMU

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham [email protected] You don’t often hear the term radical associated with people in the political center. Mark Warner wants to get you thinking of moderates as radicals anyway. “This is driven by people who are saying, We’re tired of partisanship. We want to get things fixed. They know in their gut that…

GOP leader endorses Smithdeal in Pastures race

Chris Graham

Op-Ed by Lynn Mitchell Travis Smithdeal is my choice for Pastures District supervisor. He will bring a new attitude because he is a listener with a calm presence, which will allow him to hear from everyone and not react without gathering information from all available sources including citizens and fellow board members.

Webb Site in Waynesboro next week

Chris Graham

Item by Chris Graham Jim Webb is bringing a Webb Site to Waynesboro next week. The senator will hold staff office hours at the Waynesboro Public Library on Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon. Constituents in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County can use the office hours to address questions related to Social Security and…

The hubris of Karen Schultz

AFP

Op-Ed by Seth Thatcher As of late, my mailbox has been filled with political mailings from state-senate candidates Democrat Karen Schultz and Republican Jill Vogel. As is her style, Jill Vogel is running a positive campaign based on important issues that face the 27th District. Jill Vogel stands up for protecting life, keeping taxes low,…

Gilbert-Athey, Mexican restaurant owner, Vogel

Chris Graham

Winners and Losers column by Chris Graham WINNERS: Clay Athey and Todd Gilbert raise issue with immigration appointment We’ll call them winners for now, anyway – because the two Republicans have been scoring political points for their party with their noise over the appointment of Esam Omeish to the Virginia Commission on Immigration. Public pressure…

Breaking down the race in the 27th Senate District

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham The 27th Senate District promised to be a wide-open affair even before moderate Republican Sen. Russ Potts announced his retirement plans. But now with Potts out of the picture, the battle between his successor as the Republican standard-bearer in the district that stretches from Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley…

Breaking down the 24th Senate race

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham He had to fend off perhaps the fight of his political life in June with a party-primary challenge from Rockbridge County businessman Scott Sayre. With the change of seasons from summer to fall, 24th District Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger would seem to have if not the second-biggest fight of…