Nan Grogan Orrock: Reshaping Pentagon spending

Contributors

With the campaigns over, our leaders must roll up their sleeves and get to work on the serious financial decisions facing the nation. Congress has known for more than a year that automatic budget cuts and tax increases loom in January, but they’ve left all the work to be done at the last minute. They need to hear from us that we expect them to make a balanced deal to preserve programs that strengthen our nation while making sensible budget cuts to programs that are wasteful or unnecessary.

McDonnell proposes 2 percent pay hike for teachers

Contributors

Gov. Bob McDonnell joined Del. Kirk Cox and former Secretary of Education Jim Dyke, leaders from the Virginia School Boards Association, Virginia Association of School Superintendents, Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals and key business leaders on Thursday to announce part one of his 2013 K-12 education reform legislative agenda.

Dustin Rhodes: Out of the darkness

Chris Graham

When Dustin Rhodes was mulling over the offer to headline New Year’s Chaos, the debut show of Top Rope Pro Wrestling, he quietly asked who else was going to be a part of the show. Now we know why. “If I get booked on a show, I want to make sure that that locker room is not full of a bunch of drunks and things like that. Because that’s not good for me,” said Rhodes, who lists getting clean and sober at the top of his list of career accomplishments after 25 years in the pro-wrestling business.

Valley businesses team up to showcase gluten-free living

Contributors

Staunton dietician Anne Buzzelli has noticed lately she is teaching more and more clients how to avoid gluten, a protein found in wheat. So when she found out there are several local independent businesses featuring gluten-free products, she asked them to join forces to provide some additional ideas for interested individuals.

jim webb

Webb: Defense bill safeguards troops, advances critical defense, national security initiatives

Contributors

The U.S. Senate last night passed the National Defense Authorization Actfor Fiscal Year 2013, which includes numerous defense and national-security initiatives long advocated by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). The bill, approved by a vote of 98-0, will now be conferenced with the House Armed Services Committee.