CTB approves funds for Charlottesville bypass

Chris Graham

The Commonwealth Transportation Board today allocated funding for construction of the Route 29 Charlottesville Western Bypass in Albemarle County. The CTB amended its Six-Year Improvement Program to provide $197 million for construction of the Western Bypass and an additional $33 million to widen Route 29 to six lanes from the South Fork Rivanna River north…

Five UVA Health System specialties honored by U.S. News

Five medical specialties at the University of Virginia Health System are ranked among the top in their field in U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals” guide. UVA specialties ranked in the 2011-2012 guide are: Diabetes and endocrinology (13) Neurology and neurosurgery (35) Ear, nose and throat (39) Gynecology (44) Cancer (48) “These rankings…

Millions of peaches, peaches for me

The peaches are ripe, the harvest looks very good and the festivals are gearing up. It’s time to check www.virginiagrown.com for a pick-your-own farm or farmers’ market selling fresh, juicy Virginia peaches. Many grocery stores and big box stores also offer Virginia Grown peaches. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) says the…

Group raises issue with funding for Charlottesville bypass

Chris Graham

On Wednesday, July 20th, the Commonwealth Transportation Board will be asked to sign-off on an expedited and controversial initiative of Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton. “We believe Secretary Connaughton has taken an overly aggressive stance on long-controversial transportation projects, and in doing so, is making major spending decisions without adequate analysis, public input or…

Wayne Theatre Alliance announces plans for grand opening at Gateway

Chris Graham

Waynesboro’s new entertainment center, the Wayne Theatre Alliance’s Gateway, will open on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 7 pm with a Grand Opening Celebration. “We are really excited to be able to show our audiences the possibilities for entertainment in our new space. We’ve lined up a great group of performers to delight our first Gateway…

Salem drops fifth straight

Chris Graham

Former Hokie Steve Bumbry shined in his most recent return to Southwest Virginia, finishing 2-5 with a two-run homer to help Frederick knock off Salem 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at LewisGale Field. Nick Haughian and Ryan Pressly were locked in a scoreless pitcher’s duel through four innings, but Pressly lost his command with two outs…

Cuccinelli releases campaign fundraising numbers

Today, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign and political action committee, Liberty Now, released their fundraising numbers for the first six months of 2011. The numbers show a strong grassroots fundraising effort by Cuccinelli’s political operation. A total of over $446,000 was raised from over 2400 individual donations with over 750 new donors. “I am proud…

Robert Hurt: We must put an end to Washington’s reckless spending

Robert Hurt

The current discussion in Washington regarding the President’s request to once again increase our nation’s debt limit is a timely reminder of the federal government’s consistent disregard for fiscal discipline. Given the importance of this issue, I spoke on the House floor this week about our debt crisis and the need to put an end…