Key Occupy Charlottesville leader steps down, warns others away after contentious meeting

AFP

Occupy Charlottesville has taken a turn for the worse, with more radical sub-elements censoring moderate members and ideologically purging others. Evan Knappenberger, who signed for the group’s first permit, was the first member to speak to city council, and helped to negotiate the group’s stay with police before campers began spending the night in Lee…

AFP editor to serve as moderator for Tea Party-sponsored candidates forum

Chris Graham

The Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots are sponsoring a forum for candidates running for seats on the Augusta County Board of Supervisors and Augusta County constitutional offices. The forum, moderated by AugustaFreePress.com editor Chris Graham, is set for Thursday, Sept. 15, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona. Candidates for the…

Local students, teacher recognized for youth traffic-safety efforts

Chris Graham

Members of the Stuarts Draft High School SADD Club (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and their sponsor, Martha Mikell, were honored with several traffic safety awards at the 2011 Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety Awards Program on July 28 in Bridgewater. The YOVASO Awards Banquet, held at Bridgewater College, recognized organizations, individuals, and…

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…

Virginia Eagle Distributing wins Green Award

Chris Graham

Virginia Eagle Distributing Company was recently honored with Shenandoah Valley Technology Council’s Green Award during the 11th annual Tech Nite Awards ceremony hosted at James Madison University. ech Nite is Shenandoah Valley Technology Council’s annual gathering highlighting Valley technology achievement and innovation in seven categories. On May 3, 2011 more than 250 attendees gathered to…

Robert Hurt: The first step, not the last, towards true health-care reform

Robert Hurt

The people of the Fifth District sent a clear message on Election Day in support of repealing the government takeover of health care. This week, I was proud to put the will of the people into action by co-sponsoring and voting to repeal the health care law that raises costs, increases taxes and spending, and…

The business of education

AFP

The Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Business at Breakfast forum on Wednesday at Fishburne Military School examining the business of education. The 8:30 a.m. event will feature a panel discussion looking at FMS’s plans to open a new military junior college, Blue Ridge Community College’s new advanced technology faciity, and Woodrow Wilson…

Spring spirituality conference at EMU

Jim Bishop

“Conversations on Attachment: Integrating the Science of Love and Spirituality,” will be held March 31-April 1, 2011, at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg. The conference, a first of its kind, will bring together nationally-recognized experts from a variety of disciplines to apply key insights from attachment theory to current research and practice. Program planner Tara…