In the wake of destruction, many south Stafford families are left to pick up the pieces of their lives after a tornado ripped through their homes late last week.

Democrat Mark Warner officially has launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Virginia Republicans will nominate their candidate later this month. Most observers expect Jim Gilmore easily to defeat Del. Bob Marshall. If all goes according to assumptions, two former governors will compete for the seat now held by John Warner, who will retire at the end of his term. 

There are no quick fixes to solving the current underage-drinking epidemic.

Justin Whitaker seemed to touch many people in his short life. He lived for 18 years, but it seems to be that of a life lived longer, because he was able to reach and inspire so many people in the time that he was here. 

Wednesday was the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded two dozen others at the Blacksburg college, before killing himself. 

The Middle College program at Germanna helps high school dropouts transition into college and the work force, meeting an important and easily overlooked need in the community. 

Hillary Clinton did not have to dodge sniper fire in Bosnia. Barack Obama thinks his grandmother is a “typical white person,” whatever that is. John McCain can’t keep the factions in the Mideast straight. These are interesting gotcha moments, but they are not nearly so important as what each of the candidates proposes to do about the nation’s entitlement crisis.