Top News http://www.dnronline.com/rss_new.php en-us Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 It was the summer of 2003 when Bob Blair woke with more than a good night's rest. An idea had been implanted in his brain, quite possibly during his REM cycle. The complete concept of what he should do, right down to the name, Volunteer Farm, had been given to him. Blair says even the fact that he should talk to 100 people to get the far http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44295&CHID=43 Tue, 26 Jan 10 00:00:00 -0600 Write to: Letters, P.O. Box 193, Harrisonburg, Va. 22801; letters@dnronline.com http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=39026&CHID=62 Tue, 26 Jan 10 00:00:00 -0600 Can't say it in 150 words? Then try an Open Forum. We need between about 675-700 words on a topic of interest to readers. Write to: http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=39027&CHID=32 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 There’s an old saying: A stopped, or broken, clock is right twice a day. In the eyes of conservatives, the same applies, at times, to their opponents on the left. Richard Cohen, a reliable liberal columnist, has exceeded that standard, at least on national security. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44415&CHID=36 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 WOODSTOCK – After months searching for the right candidate, the Woodstock Town Council named Virginia State Police First Sgt. Bryan Hutcheson as new Chief of Police. Hutcheson will begin his new position on Feb. 8. Chief Jerry Miller announced his retirement last fall after 25 years on the job. His last official day was Dec. 31. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44296&CHID=43 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Strasburg – As another year came to an end, many reflected on those who made a difference in the community. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the Strasburg Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet awarding many worthy individuals. Six main awards were received on Saturday evening including: Educator of the Year, Business of the Year, Commun http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44297&CHID=43 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 ELKTON — The Elkton Volunteer Fire Company got what it was looking for last week — inking of tentative approval of its loan application by the Cooperative Programs arm of the state Department of Agriculture. A document stating terms for the $2.4 million loan to purchase the former Dick Myers dealership building and grounds on http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44301&CHID=44 Fri, 05 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 "We can expect from 10 to 12 inches." "The weatherman says 12 to 24 inches." "My wife heard at work we could get 30 to 40 inches." Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields, Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air Hides hill and woods, the river, and t http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44356&CHID=27 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 SHENANDOAH — Two dozen merchants and citizens from Shenandoah held an animated meeting in the town’s council chambers last Wednesday night and agreed to the formation of a new group, the Shenandoah Merchants Association. “It was an unbelievable meeting,” said Karen Riddle, President of the Luray-Page County Chambe http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44302&CHID=44 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 In response to Mr. Layman’s anti-bicycle screed, I must point out the following (“Bicyclists Should Pay Fair Share,” Jan. 20). Automo http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=43957&CHID=62 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Reading the letters to the editor can make someone’s head spin. This “Bush Derangement Syndrome” has to end, but it lives on thanks to the president, senators, congressmen, the media and many citizens who must blame someone. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44394&CHID=62 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 I know this a bad economy and cuts need to be made, but cutting any elective in schools, including sports, is a bad idea (“Cut Sports, Not Teaching Jobs,” Jan. 26). http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44395&CHID=62 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 So Rep. Bob Goodlatte says there is too much wasteful government spending in President Obama’s plans (“Goodlatte: Spending Concerns Neglected,” Jan. 28)? http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44396&CHID=62 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 By John C. And Jared A. Geary TIME AND AGAIN America is awestruck by the incompetence of the Obama administration. In 2009, patriots watched helplessly as President Barack Obama propelled the U.S. economy into double-digit unemployment, mortgaging the future of all Americans with a national debt that illegally su http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44397&CHID=32 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 The word Mr. Urgo’s Bible translates as “homosexuals” is in fact the Greek “arsenokoitai,” whose meaning is highly controversial (“Christians Need Biblical Courage,” Jan. 21). It literally means “male b http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=43985&CHID=62 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 The Shenandoah County Free Clinic in Woodstock received approval for real property tax-exempt status from the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Woodstock’s free clinic operates to serve those who are at or under the poverty level and do not have health insurance. The facility is located behind Shenandoah Memorial Hospital a http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44298&CHID=43 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Ryan Knight, a walk-on guard who played 12 games for James Madison last year, and just one this season before suffering a season-ending leg injury, was charged with a felony for throwing snowballs at cars last weekend. Charles Gill, a team manager for the Dukes, was also charged along with Knight. Both are 21. Knight, a 6-foot-2, http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44436&CHID=3 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 On Saturday the funeral for 90-year-old Amos Schwartz was held. He was a member of our church. I will always remember him as a friendly man who had a smile for everyone. He was a relative of both my grandmothers. It was a cold morning with the mercury dipping down to a little above zero the day of the funeral, which was held in the local Amish c http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44277&CHID=24 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 For Washington Redskins fans Dawn and John Morris, the last mega-exciting Super Bowl Sunday was in 1992, the most recent time their team made it to the big show - and 10 years before the couple threw their very first Super Bowl party. The key to a successful game day get-together, according to Dawn Morris, is not about the game. It's about the f http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44278&CHID=40 Wed, 03 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 It is very important to maintain your kitchen knives. When they are dull, they are not efficient. I realized my knives were dull but I just kept putting off sharpening them. My electric knife sharpener is a huge, heavy electric monstrosity and it is located in the very back of my cabinet. I wanted something light and easy to use. I found http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44280&CHID=23 Thu, 04 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 By Eugene C. Buie DEMOCRATS IN WASHINGTON, and in particular progressives who operate under the Democrats’ big tent, seem to believe they are ordained to reign over the American people through big government. There are those among the human race who are not content unless they are telling others ho http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44310&CHID=32 Thu, 04 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 For certain fashionistas, every outfit is a chance to create a work of art. For Mik Wright, it's mostly about the shoes - the ones he makes, that is. Wright, who was born in South Africa and now resides in Weston, W.Va., is a self-taught shoemaker. He, along with wife Barbara Volk, crafts multiple styles of shoes using different leathers http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44312&CHID=5 Thu, 04 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 On Valentine's weekend, the auditorium of Eastern Mennonite School will be filled with music and drama as MennoFolk Harrisonburg brings a variety of artists to the stage beginning with a performance of "Excellent Trouble" by Ted Swartz and Ingrid De Sanctis at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12. In "Excellent Trouble," Swartz and De Sanctis ex http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44313&CHID=5 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 The following property transfers, for at least $150,000 each, were recorded Jan. 25-29. Harrisonburg Jan. 27Jonathan B. and Nadezhda L. Ramsey to Victor and Dina Moroz, lot on Ramblewood Road, $185,000. Jan. 27Birdhouse LLC to Jonathan B. and Nadezhda L. Ramsey, 1195 South Dogwood Dr., $325,000. Jan. 2 http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44330&CHID=45 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 The following building permits, for at least $100,000 each, were recorded Jan. 26-Feb. 3. Harrisonburg Jan. 26Purple and Gold LLC, five four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom townhomes, 2181, 2183, 2185, 2187 and 2189 Purple and Gold Way, $120,000 each. Jan. 28865 East LLC, interior renovations for Salad Creat http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44331&CHID=45 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 I have driven in snowstorms in quite a few states on interstates and turnpikes. I don’t see as many accidents in other places as I do here on I-81. It seems that every time there is even a small amount of snow, there are accidents. These accidents cost everyone when there is loss of lif http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44336&CHID=62 Fri, 05 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Daily News-Record cartoonist John Rose draws the cartoon, but you write the caption. Make us laugh, keep it clean (this is a family paper), and keep it brief (brevity is the soul of wit). Mail the caption, along with the cartoon and your full name and city where you http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44340&CHID=60 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 by Nancy Bondurant Jones In helping launch this great nation, Thomas Jefferson set forth the startling idea that this would be a nation where, for the first time, “all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44342&CHID=32 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 President Obama is offering $5,000 per worker to encourage small businesses to expand. That wage is $2.50 per hour, below minimum wage. At $7.50 per hour, the full-time worker is paid $15,000 annually. Yet close to half the employer’s cost is consumed by benefits (Social Security, health care packages, etc.). So, the President must offer $ http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44343&CHID=62 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Gov. Bob McDonnell is wrong about increasing the speed limit to 70 mph on Interstates 64, 66 and 81. Most motorists now drive 70 or 75 on the posted 65 miles per hour speed limits. Why spend money on new signs? Also, when we drive at speeds exceeding 60 mph gas mileage decreases by about 28 percent! Instead of speeding up and spendin http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44344&CHID=62 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 SATURDAY »ELKTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 205 Warren Ave., is competing in the “Souper Bowl of Caring” event to help the hungry and less fortunate in the community. Non-perishable food items or monetary donations may be dropped off at the church at 9:30 a.m. All donations will be given to EAUS. Dona http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44345&CHID=14 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 WASHINGTON "I AM NOT an ideologue,” protested President Obama at a gathering with Republican House members last week. Perhaps, but he does have a tenacious commitment to a set of political convictions. Compare his 2010 State of the Union to his first add http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44346&CHID=59 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 JOHN COLEMAN, FOUNDER of the Weather Channel, in an hour-long television documentary titled “Global Warming: The Other Side,” presents evidence that our National Climatic Data Center has been manipulating weather data just as the now disgraced and under investigation British University of East Anglia Climate Research http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44347&CHID=59 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 BEHIND EVERY SEEMINGLY good deed in the Obama White House, there’s a deep-pocketed, left-wing special interest. Take first lady Michelle Obama’s crusade against childhood obesity. Who really benefits from the ostensible push for improved nutrition in the schools? Think purple — as in the purple-shirted army of http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44348&CHID=59 Fri, 05 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 WASHINGTON THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE of 2008 and 2009 did so much damage to the United States that only now can we begin to measure the devastation. A sentence buried in the budget that President Obama submitted to Congress this week screamed for attention. “Household http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44349&CHID=59 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Testifying on Jan. 20 before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center admitted that “a very significant number” of those on the federal terrorist watchlist have been allowed to enter the United States. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44373&CHID=36 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Proposing a $3.8 trillion budget, as President Barack Obama has, is one thing. An urge to scratch a populist itch with regard to America’s financial institutions is another. Coupled tog http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44374&CHID=36 Sat, 06 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 A sagacious senior observed, "We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse." Case in point: You're about to get another punnelling from your Punsylvania pun pal. Don't look, Ethel! Too late - may as well grin and bear it, starting with this burning question: Why is it that one careless match can start a forest http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44378&CHID=28 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 ELKTON - Mike Powell saw firsthand much of the history that's now documented at the town's welcome center.The walls of the former furniture store, located on Spotswood Trail in the heart of downtown, are covered with photographs showing the many faces of Elkton, past and present.The center evolved fr http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44399&CHID=65 Mon, 08 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 ELKTON - If it seems as though longtime business partners Mike Lucci and Raul Castillo speak a language only they can understand, it's because they do. "Spitalian," as Lucci described with a laugh, is a combination of mostly Spanish and Italian with a little English mixed in. The hybrid communication is one manifestation of the E http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44400&CHID=65 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 TOWSON, Md. - Late in Monday night's game at Towson Center Arena, James Madison forward Julius Wells threw an inbounds pass intended for Denzel Bowles, but the pass sailed too far, eventually stolen by Towson's Jarrel Smith. Bowles turned his palms up and gazed at Wells inquisitively. Wells, in turn, squinted at Bowles, http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44421&CHID=3 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 In a Friday piece for The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Robert Reich, who served as secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, labored mightily to explain the &ldq http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44416&CHID=36 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Esteemed members of the General Assembly have been bouncing from clotheslines to coyotes and wet cars to wineries with some social engineering added in ("Voter ID Bill Killed,” Jan. 29). http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44417&CHID=62 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 Is the fox guarding the henhouse? I am beginning to think so. Paula Cullen, executive director of Life Services of Spokane, says in Washington state they are considering legislation to have Planned Parenthood abortion clinic http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44418&CHID=62 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 George Hedrick spoke of the need returning veterans have for a pat on the back and a job (“What Returning Vets Really Need,” Jan. 29). He’s right. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44419&CHID=62 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 By Kathleen Parker WASHINGTON REPEALING "DON'T ASK, don’t tell” may be the right thing to do, but there’s only one reason to do it: military effectiveness. Yet, repeatedly, we hear the argument that di http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44420&CHID=59 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - With 9:50 left in Monday's women's basketball game against James Madison, Drexel - after trailing by as many as 13 points - rallied to cut the Dukes' lead to two. At that point, things were going well for the Dragons, who finally seemed to find flow in their intricate, ball-control offense. They mounted a http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44422&CHID=3 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 During the past nine years, I have talked about different items related to backing up your personal files or data files on your computer. During that time, I have written about where to back up your files. Three years ago, I talked about what files you should regularly back up. In both of those columns, I only touched on what to use to back up y http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44423&CHID=21 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - A year ago, Tyler Hodges hit .373 with 27 runs scored and 22 RBIs for the Bridgewater College baseball team and won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year award. This spring, the former Broadway High School star is selling his baseball bat and working construction. Hodges said Monday he is http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44424&CHID=3 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - A high-speed police chase through eastern Rockingham County came to a halt Monday night in Harrisonburg, when the object of pursuit flew off East Market Street and landed on its side in the median. Raymond Ward, 45, of Waynesboro, is accused of leading police on a chase on U.S. 33 from Elkton to the city a http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44425&CHID=1 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - It's been almost a week since Kevin Tysinger and his Harrisonburg High School boys' basketball team last played a game. They'd better get used to it. The HHS boys and girls on Monday moved the date of their scheduled doubleheader with Turner Ashby for the second time, pushing it back from tonight until Wed http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44426&CHID=20 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - On Saturday night, as last weekend's snowstorm started to subside, Spc. Sean Wheeler and Sgt. Derek Braswell of the Virginia National Guard received a mission much different than any they experienced while deployed in Iraq. Wheeler and Braswell, along with two firefighters from the Luray Volunteer Fire Dep http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44427&CHID=2 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - DuPont Community Credit Union reported that the number of loans it issued rose again during the fourth quarter of 2009, marking the institution's fourth straight quarterly increase. The Waynesboro-headquartered credit union, which operates nine branches in the central Shenandoah Valley, reported a 1.4 perc http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44435&CHID=11 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - The snowiest winter to hammer the Shenandoah Valley in more than a decade has drained Harrisonburg's snow-removal budget. Now, it's about to exhaust the city's stockpile of salt, too. With another snowstorm set to hit the Valley beginning this morning, Harrisonburg is running low on salt to treat roads. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44428&CHID=1 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority is seeking a rezoning and special-use permits to allow a home at 715 N. Main St. to be used as a shelter. The city Planning Commission will take up the issue when it meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 409 S. Main St. If approved as proposed, Our Community http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44429&CHID=2 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - The central Shenandoah Valley is set to experience a frigid déjà vu today, and the arctic pummeling could put this winter at the top of the record books. A snowstorm could dump 6 to 12 inches  between this morning and Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, which http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44430&CHID=1 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 ELKTON - Jack Rimer's not the kind of guy who just coasts through life. A self-described "model nut," the Harrisonburg resident and entrepreneur finds success by creating items found in hobby shops. And his latest business venture, CoasterDynamix, may be on the verge of taking off. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44431&CHID=2 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 A petition recently filed by a national conservation organization in an effort to protect bat populations could result in the closing of some caves in Rockingham County. The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity drafted the petition, which was filed Jan. 21 with the departments of the Interior, Defense and Agriculture, requesting http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44432&CHID=2 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - Two James Madison University students apparently are learning a hard lesson: If you're going to throw snowballs at cars, make sure they're not police cruisers. Now Ryan William Knight and Charles Joseph Gill, both 21, of Harrisonburg, are charged with throwing missiles at occupied vehicles, a felony. http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44433&CHID=1 Tue, 09 Feb 10 00:00:00 -0600 HARRISONBURG - Pilgrim's Pride Corp. reported a net income of $33.6 million and an overall operating profit of $7.6 million for the quarter that ended Dec. 27, according to financial results released this month by the Pittsburg, Texas-based poultry company.  The results include an income tax benefit of $102.4 millio http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=44434&CHID=11