A religious Revolution: Waynesboro church turns tradition on its head

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The pastor was tired of hearing all the Woe is me! talk that had been making its way around his congregation.
“The people who have the hardest time dealing with a crisis are Christians,” he said, leading into a series of tales from the Bible and contemporary life involving people who had [...]

Webcast: A Revolution in Waynesboro

Listen to “The New Dominion Magazine Presents.”
New Dominion Magazine editor Chris Graham presents “A Revolution in Waynesboro,” featuring an inside look at Revolution Church in Waynesboro.
Show Length: 7:48

2025 Vision: What does Greater Augusta look like in the future?

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
I don’t remember the year, but I remember the map. It might have been something from the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission, it might have been something that the three local community planners had come up with on their own, whatever. The important thing was what it had us looking like. [...]

Inside the Vision

Compiled by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The canvas was clean. The answers to my questions would paint the picture.
What will the Greater Augusta area look like in 2025?
I asked several local leaders to weigh in on the topic. As you will see, the conversations were open and honest.
 

Vineyards in the Valley: Wine industry gaining foothold in Augusta, Rockingham

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Apples had once grown there by the bushel, but by the time John Higgs had settled back onto the family farm in Barren Ridge, it had been overgrown for years. Not that it mattered to Higgs one bit that he had several years of work out ahead of him to turn [...]

Webcast: Vineyards in the Valley

Listen to “The New Dominion Magazine Presents.”
New Dominion Magazine editor Chris Graham presents “Vineyards in the Valley” - a webcast featuring interviews with Barren Ridge Vineyards owner John Higgs and Cross Keys Vineyards general manager Mark Parsons.
Show Length: 9:05

Around the Valley in a baseball daze: Promotion spreads love of summer league

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Jerry Carter had this wild idea.
If you know Jerry Carter, you know I need to be a lot more specific than that.
“So Dad says, Hey, you guys want to go down to Covington? And we’re thinking, Where the heck is Covington?” said his older daughter, Sabrina.
“And then three hours later, We’re [...]

Mr. All Things Valley League

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
If you’re familiar with the name John Leonard, then you’re really in the Valley League Know.
Leonard, 38, is All Things Valley League, literally. The Eastern Mennonite High School English and journalism teacher by trade turns into a daily sports blogger in the late spring and summer at allthingsvalleyleague.typepad.com - with reports [...]

The L Word: Losing an election isn’t necessarily sweet sorrow

Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
It was the toughest thing that I’ve ever had to do.
I turned the corner from the living room to the deck attached to the back of the house of my friends and campaign supporters Mary McDermott and Bill Jongeward on Election Night, and all I could think was, This is the [...]

Who am I? And other important questions that deserve an answer

Story by Elizabeth Geris
After the game of pacing between the folding tables and washing machines at the local laundromat finally reached its amusement threshold, I spotted a magazine table boasting a relatively recent Newsweek. Within minutes I was knee-deep in a story about Family Tree DNA, a Houston, Texas,-based company that will mail customers cheek [...]

Book ‘Em promotes literacy, crime prevention

Story by Faryal Zubair

Fast-paced. On the go. Stressful. That’s life in the 21st century. We lack the time to do things that were once so important to us. For example, when was the last time you were able to pick up a book and read it cover to cover?
It might sound like a luxury [...]

50K and counting at Wildlife Center

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
What if it was a possum? Or a fawn whose mother had not actually abandoned her, but would soon miss her just the same? There was dread and anticipation heading into the spring as the ticker edged closer and closer to the 50,000 plateau.
And then the Wildlife Center of Virginia got [...]

History by fabric: A patchwork of events to celebrate Quilts: Past, Present and Future

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net 
Quilts aren’t always about warm and cozy nights by the fireplace.
“They started as scrapbooks, if you will, for very functional reasons,” said Martha Degen, the coordinator of Quilts: Past, Present and Future, a monthlong celebration of the art of quilting that will feature events throughout the Central Shenandoah Valley throughout the [...]

The Edge

What you might have missed from augustafreepress.com …
“Artsy smartsy” - Arts means more than cultural opportunities. It’s also big business in Staunton and Harrisonburg. How big? Try millions of dollars a year and growing. Get inside the Valley arts industry and learn how it works for our local economy.
“No thanks, PAC man” - Sixth District [...]