Farm Bureau: Taking agriculture back in time ‘will not feed the world today’

Chris Graham

Big companies are trying to change the way U.S. farmers operate their businesses, but some things don’t need changing. Restaurant chain Chipotle aired its “Back to the Start” advertisement April 12 during the Grammy Awards. The commercial portrays large-scale farming as dismal compared to bucolic grasslands on which pigs roam free. And McDonald’s recently announced…

Media General explores sales of newspapers

AFP

Media General announced on Wednesday that it is exploring the sale of its newspaper operations, including the Waynesboro-based News Virginian. The Richmond-based company said it has received inquiries from third parties regarding the potential sale of its newspapers. Media General’s newspapers include The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress and The (Lynchburg) News and Advance.

Singer/songwriter Eileen Edmonds at WTA’s Gateway

AFP

The popular folk-singer/songwriter Eileen Edmonds will appear at WTA’s Gateway on Friday, March 2. Edmonds, a lifetime resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is an accomplished Music Educator, Performing Songwriter and Recording Artist. She is known for her passion for collaborating and has spent years producing, performing and writing with bands.  She has toured extensively…

Agreement reached on Tax Fairness Bill

AFP

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced today that an agreement has been reached among the governor’s office, several members of the General Assembly, Amazon and stakeholders, including brick and mortar retailers, on SB597, commonly referred to as the “Tax Fairness Bill.” The House of Delegates Finance Committee approved amendments today authorizing the state to require an out-of-state…

VDOT awards $409,700 to City of Waynesboro for Safe Routes to School Program

Chris Graham

The City of Waynesboro has received a $409,700 Safe Routes To School grant to make safety improvements near four schools. The Safe Routes To School initiative is a federally funded program administrated by the Virginia Department of Transportation.  It will provide the City of Waynesboro with funding for a total of eight infrastructure projects to…

McDonnell announces support and funding for Safe Routes to School

AFP

Gov. Bob McDonnell today announced the Virginia Department of Transportation awarded $5.9 million in Safe Routes to School funding to 18 communities across the Commonwealth for the 2012 SRTS grant cycle. The funds will be used for projects that will make bicycling and walking to school safer and more appealing for students at 28 elementary…

State Senate vote codifies adoption discrimination

AFP

The State Senate on Tuesday passed House Bill 189, which Virginia Democrats say will set the Commonwealth backwards by codifying and expanding the ability of state-funded child-placing agencies to discriminate against gay and lesbian Virginians seeking to adopt. “We have been talking about conscience. But whose conscience are we talking about? My conscience is offended whenever the…