In the holiday spirit

AFP

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, produced by ShenanArts and the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School, is being offered on Dec. 10, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 at 7 p.m., Dec. 12 and Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. The production is directed by Hannah Woodrum and Matthew Riley, senior theatre students at the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School,…

Press Conference: Mike London

Chris Graham

Virginia football coach Mike London talks with the news media. UVa. (4-5, 1-4 ACC) hosts Maryland (6-3, 3-2 ACC) on Saturday. What is your strategy on guys returning kicks from four or five yards deep in the end zone? It depends on who’s back there, number one. And then obviously the returner’s got to see…

High expectations for FMS postgrad hoops

Chris Graham

Ed Huckaby created the monster. “There are a lot of expectations, but I’d rather have expectations than no expectations. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made, even though we’ve got a long way to go,” said Huckaby, the former Division I assistant who built a top-10 national power at Fishburne Military School in 2009-2010…

David Cox: ‘No’ on a worthy sentiment, bad law

David Cox

When I come to the second of three amendments to the Virginia constitution on next Tuesday’s ballot, I hope I don’t punch a hole in the machine when I vote “No.” This proposal aims to help disabled veterans by exempting them from property tax. How could anyone oppose so worthy, so charitable a goal for…

Sarah van Gelder: Families can’t afford to stay home on Election Day

AFP

If you’re like me, this election doesn’t feel anything like 2008. The excitement and hope of that historic election have been replaced by worry and disappointment. The 2008 campaigns at least occasionally addressed our country’s serious problems. This year it’s all noise, attacks, and accusations. Little actual policy makes it through. Meanwhile, billionaires, big oil,…

State constitutional amendments on November ballot

Chris Graham

State senators George Barker and Linda “Toddy” Puller are working to educate voters about the three state constitutional amendments on the ballot in the Nov. 2 general elections. An amendment sponsored by Barker, D-Alexandria, gives counties and cities complete flexibility regarding property tax relief for elderly or disabled persons. “I have found that many older…

VDOT fills senior staff positions

Chris Graham

The Virginia Department of Transportation, in a late-afternoon Friday news dump, made several announcements regarding staff additions, including the hiring of a new chief financial officer, John W. Lawson. The 21-year VDOT veteran will oversee VDOT’s $3.3 billion annual budget and will provide oversight and bring innovation to VDOT’s spending of state and federal resources….