She got game

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Followers of women’s basketball know the significance of the numbers IX and 10. “IX” refers to Title IX, the landmark federal law that in 1972 mandated that schools, colleges and universities provide equal funding to men’s and women’s sports. “10,” of course, relates to the 10th season of the Women’s National…

She got game – and MJ knows it

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst was ready for the Atlantic Coast Conference golf championships – with a little help from a famous Tar Heel. “We had heard that he was out there playing, and so we were all really excited,” said Blumenherst, a freshman who won the individual women’s title at the ACC…

Grappling with Attitude: Virginia promoter talks about changes in industry

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham It used to be easier for Travis Bradshaw to draw a few hundred fans to his Vanguard Championship Wrestling shows. “The whole business changed after The Attitude era,” said Bradshaw, whose Smithfield-based promotion runs shows across the Commonwealth. “Kayfabe got killed, and wrestling got a bad reputation. That made it harder…

Bridging the race divide?

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham   Daryl Davis has plenty of detractors – people who question his motives for wanting to meet with white supremacists, who wonder why an African-American man would of his own volition attend rallies of the Ku Klux Klan, who outright doubt his stories of conversions of racial separatists as…

Virginia Tech’s ACC booster

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham The Big East was going up in flames around them, but Virginia Tech officials knew their bird, as it were, wasn’t cooked quite yet. Because they had a key ally in the moves being orchestrated by the Atlantic Coast Conference to raid the Big East for new members. “The…

Valley responds … or not

Crystal Graham

(This is the final installment in a six-part series on The Valley Responds, an effort that links the Shenandoah Valley with residents of Long Beach, Miss.)   Helping school children return to classes. Assisting an elderly couple in efforts to rebuild their home. Clearing land so that churches may resume services … The rebuilding process…

Pro-life votes in the ’05 election: Is Kilgore risking their support with run to the center?

Chris Graham

Story by Chris Graham Republican Party gubernatorial nominee Jerry Kilgore has been relentless in recent weeks in his attacks on Democratic Party rival Tim Kaine on one hot-button social issue, the death penalty. Look for Kaine to fight back at Kilgore by highlighting another hot-button social issue – abortion – in the 2005 campaign’s final…