Augusta County Thanksgiving Eve snow

Photos by Kurt Michael


(See more photos here)

Korean War vet survived behind enemy lines

Saturday's Veterans Day parade in downtown Staunton, Va, saw many families lining the streets to wave American flags and cheer as floats passed by filled with local veterans. The community honored past and present military members including many who vividly remember the details of war.
One of those local veterans is a quiet, unassuming gentleman, slightly stooped with graying hair.

Until last year, few people knew that he had suffered life-threatening injuries during the Korean War.

Now in his 70s, Tom LaBarge (pronounced La-BARGE) does not like to bring attention to himself. That was very evident as he reluctantly gave in to my persistent prodding to talk about his military service after a surprise presentation in 2009 of war-time medals that had been long overdue. Four of his seven grown children had flown from Minnesota to Virginia for the event, and I had been invited by his wife Millicent to join them.... (continue reading here)

Oliver North speaks to Liberty University students

Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC (Ret), addressed Wednesday’s Convocation gathering.... (photo, continue reading here)

Gillespie's statement on canvassing process

On Wednesday, Ed Gillespie issued the following statement on the canvassing process in Virginia.... (continue reading here)

VPAP update on certifying U.S. Senate race

VPAP has the latest information about certifying the results from Virginia’s U.S. Senate race.... (continue reading here)

President George W. Bush surprises Gillespie’s ‘G-Force’ phone conference

“Thanks for the chance to speak with the mighty G-Force!”

With those words, President George W. Bush joined in as the special guest on an Ed Gillespie campaign phone conference Tuesday night, one week before Election Day 2014. In characteristic GWB style, he was funny.... (continue reading here)

LynnRMitchell.com endorsement: Ed Gillespie for U.S. Senate

LynnRMitchell.com Editorial

LynnRMitchell.com enthusiastically endorses Republican candidate Ed Gillespie for U.S. Senate 2014. His vision for the Commonwealth has re-energized Virginia’s citizens who have felt unrepresented by incumbent Mark Warner and, in the gridlock that is Washington politics, Mr. Gillespie brings fresh ideas with his proposed EG2 economic plan for Virginia. He is positive and optimistic, and has carried that upbeat attitude on the campaign trail with his belief that “the old normal is the new mediocre. We can do better.”  (continue reading here)

Remembering Dennis Burnett 1964-2014

[Editor's Note: When I left Augusta County almost two weeks ago to spend time with family in Florida, Dennis Burnett was working at his job bringing jobs to the Valley. When I returned last night, he had passed away and been buried. How quickly life can change in the span of a week. I wrote this while in Florida, reflecting about this friend to so many. See also Augusta County’s Dennis Burnett passes away and Memorial Service today for Dennis Burnett.]

“I like your pictures of the county!”

Dennis Burnett was across the room heading my way after a board of supervisors meeting at the Augusta County Government Center, trademark reading-glasses-on-top-of-head, with that wide Dennis grin.... (Continue reading here)

What if Dominion Virginia Power ran high speed internet with Atlantic Coast Pipeline?

What if the proposed natural gas pipeline running through Augusta County and beyond had fiber optics buried along with.... (Read more here)

Augusta County’s ‘Chapstick Girl’ has gone viral, Fox News calling

Ten-year-old Grace Karaffa’s common sense question asking why it is against Virginia’s Augusta County School Board rules to carry Chapstick to school has gone viral. Now Fox News has come calling.

Grace attended last week’s school board meeting armed with petitions.... (continue reading here)

RVA: My hometown is growing up

I'm a product of the Richmond area of our Commonwealth of Virginia so it's been fun to watch the city on the hill overlooking the James River come of age. From its heyday to the slump years of the 1970-80s, it has built into a mecca for young professionals and sports enthusiasts. History, architecture, government ... the city has in recent years become a mecca for craft breweries, food trucks, and festivals.

Now read the 26 (wonderful) things you need to know about Richmond before you move there. RVA: My hometown is growing up at LynnRMitchell.com.

Say hello to the new LynnRMitchell.com blog at WordPress

Blogger, we've had a long-time affair going back to 2006 but it's time for me to move on. This will remain the SWAC Girl blog for posting my mountains photos and personal writings -- for now -- but the harder hitting news and political feedback with photos are now published at LynnRMitchell.com.

The paint's still drying and I'm still putting up the curtains but it's time to open the front door and invite everyone inside. Come join the party with some friends who have joined me on this new group blog adventure -- check out the Contributors page and the About page that tells what we hope to achieve.

Join me ... the hors d'oeuvre are ready so stop by and browse at LynnRMitchell.com. See you soon!

Richmonder Phyllis Galanti ... quiet POW crusader passes away, leaves legacy

"Lonely the days and nights, my love, that we have been apart. It seems almost forever since I held you to my heart. The moments are as restless as the waves that move the sea, but every second means a step nearer, my love, to thee."

-- POW Paul Galanti's words to wife Phyllis after his release as a POW
during Vietnam War, reciting the poem he had shared with her before they were married

Phyllis Galanti burst onto the world stage when her husband, Paul Galanti, a Navy fighter pilot shot down over Hanoi in 1966, became a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. She never wanted to be in the spotlight, this quiet and unassuming lady, but in 1971, five years after her husband's capture and imprisonment at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton," she took her battle to have him released to the people of Virginia, America, and the world, and became a national celebrity.

Sometimes the quiet reluctant ones are the chosen leaders. That was Phyllis Galanti.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Galanti passed away after battling leukemia. Her death was reported by her hometown Richmond Times-Dispatch who at first didn't see that they would become a big part in helping release Paul Galanti and other POWs from a living hell.

It was the Vietnam experience of the 1960s with a war that took America's sons halfway around the world ... a time of the draft when young men were not given the option of refusing military service, protests against the war and the military were a common occurrence on college campuses, and an overall disruption and unrest in America. As the war dragged on, brave young men who fought, died, and were captured seemed to be forgotten by most on the home front.

They were not forgotten, however, by Mrs. Galanti who waited years for her husband's release and finally had enough. Moved to action, in 1971 she addressed the Virginia Senate as she announced the "Write Hanoi: Let's Bring Paul Galanti Home," campaign. POW bracelets with his name were circulated and worn by countless Americans, and letters by the hundreds of thousands were written demanding his release.

In 1980, Don Dale wrote in Style Weekly of Mrs. Galanti's challenge to the Times-Dispatch that pulled them into what became a chapter in the history of the Vietnam War:

Early on, Phyllis had walked into the Richmond Times-Dispatch's newsroom straight out of a meeting with the governor and asked if the paper was interested in doing a story. It wasn't. Phyllis asked bluntly whether fashions and furniture were more important than the POWs, and left.

A few hours later, a T-D reporter was asking for an interview and Richmond had its own, self-described "token POW wife." Richmonders got to know Phyllis well, in print, on the radio and on TV. She told us Paul's story to make us care. And it worked. More than 450,000 Richmonders sent letters in a "Write Hanoi" campaign to urge North Vietnam to release the POWs.

Paul Galanti was released from Vietnam in 1973, two years after the letter-writing campaign began, and returned home to Virginia to continue a life interrupted.

From the Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center, Virginia War Memorial

Almost 40 years later, Paul and Phyllis Galanti were on hand when the Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center opened in 2010 at the Virginia War Memorial. The memorial's site sits high on a Richmond hill overlooking the James River and houses the names of all Virginians who paid the ultimate price for freedom. (Included among the names is my uncle, Clarence Osborne of Chesterfield, killed in Europe in the closing days of World War II.) The Galanti Education Center ensures that the sacrifice and service of America's military men and women who protect our freedoms and those of others around the world will never be forgotten.

The Galanti Center remembered and shared Mrs. Galanti's role in her husband's release:

While Paul was incarcerated as a POW, his wife Phyllis became chairwoman of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. In this role, she tirelessly petitioned US Congressmen, Senators and President Richard Nixon for the release of all 591 POWs.

Phyllis was instrumental in creating a letter writing campaign called “Write Hanoi.” She formulated the plan, gathered the financial support, collected the letters and then personally delivered, with the help of nine others, 750,000 letters from Virginians to the North Vietnamese embassy in Stockholm in 1971.

In 1973, President Nixon said of Mrs. Galanti and other National League of Families members, “The reason that I said these are some of the bravest people America has ever produced is that they never wavered. They always said, ‘We want our men back, but we also want peace with honor for what they fought for.’ That is what they are.”

John V. Cogbill III, the former chairman of the Virginia War Memorial Educational Foundation’s board of directors, told RTD reporters Brandon Shulleeta and Ellen Robertson that Mrs. Galanti was "a hero who was soft-spoken and easygoing, yet spent much of her life fighting for those who have served in the military, as well as spreading a message about the importance of Americans serving their country and citizens taking care of those who serve."

It is a message that should never be forgotten. I was a student growing up in Richmond during those Vietnam years when it became the epicenter of the POW movement. Mrs. Galanti appeared to be all over the news to my young eyes but I didn't realize the huge significance of it all at the time. When the war ended in 1971, we rejoiced because no more young men would be sent away in the vitriolic anti-war atmosphere prevalent in America at that time. When the POWs were released, we joyfully celebrated their return, then went about our lives.

Though I've met and talked with Paul Galanti a number of times in recent years while involved in Republican politics (Talking over iced tea with living history ... former POW Paul Galanti), I never had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Galanti, and for that I'm sorry. In 1971 when women were still finding their way in a man's world, she was a shining example of what was possible through hard work, perseverance, determination, and a plain old never-give-up attitude.

For my generation, Phyllis Galanti was a role model for what women could do ... for me as a shy introverted teenager, she was a role model who proved that even the quiet warriors among us have a place in battle and, sometimes, history.

“One dedicated woman and a handful of others had more influence
on the communist world than legions of armies and diplomats.”

--Governor Mills Godwin

Shenandoah Valley spring ... red tulips against the Blue Ridge Mountains

I love the red tulips found on a farm in Lyndhurst against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's the colors of spring in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Photo by Dr. Mark Robbins, with thanks for sharing.

Data.Virginia provides easy access

Governor McAuliffe today announced the launch of Data.Virginia, a new online portal that will provide easy access to Virginia’s open data and keep Virginians informed of major initiatives that take advantage of big data.

Speaking on the new initiative, Governor McAuliffe said: “Virginia is generating more data on a daily basis than ever before. Much of that information is intended for public access, but is often buried and hard to find. With this new initiative, Virginians will have a one stop shop to get access to data from a variety of sources. That’s empowering data that can be used by  citizens to make more informed decisions, by innovators to build cutting-edge applications, and by community stakeholders to plan smarter projects.”

Examples of open datasets that will be available through the Data.Virginia portal include the Department of Education’s State Report Card on school performances, the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s database of board and commission openings, and the Department of Transportation’s traffic data from across Virginia.

In addition to serving as a central repository for open data, Data.Virginia will also serve as an information clearinghouse for the Commonwealth’s  big data initiatives. Big data, with the common characteristics of volume, variety and velocity, refers to the collection and analysis of huge amounts of electronic information. Commonwealth initiatives that make use of big data include the new Virginia Longitudinal Data System, a project which makes use of a variety of education and workforce development datasets and applies analytics to produce data-driven solutions that improve student outcomes. 

Speaking on the importance of big data, Governor McAuliffe said:

“Traditionally, data has been used to solve a single problem.  Now, through big data and analytics, we can analyze large quantities of information from a variety of sources more efficiently and develop better insights and solutions to our challenges. Several Virginia universities have established big data initiatives, and we need to expand and institutionalize the use of data analytics across the Commonwealth.”

The security of personal information will remain a priority.  Electronic data held by the state is subject to federal and state laws, protecting especially sensitive data. The Commonwealth also has an extremely high-level of security in a top-rated data center with security operations that monitor network traffic 24 hours a day, every day. Tax identification, Social Security and credit card numbers and health and other personal records are protected by even more stringent security standards.

In closing, Governor McAuliffe re-emphasized the importance of Data.Virginia:

“By adopting a two-pronged approach for harnessing Commonwealth data, we will not only enhance the way we use big data internally, but we will also make it easier for our citizens to access information.  It is through initiatives such as Data.Virginia that Virginia will continue to be a nationwide leader in innovation, smarter government, and increased transparency.”

The new portal can be accessed at Data.Virginia.gov

Karaffa: Augusta County's Mill Place Commerce Park in Verona

By David Karaffa
Supervisor, Beverley Manor District, Augusta County

The Mill Place Commerce Park in Verona, is Augusta County’s industrial park and is in the Beverley Manor District. One of my campaign promises when running for the Board of Supervisors was to work toward filling Mill Place with new business. Since taking office, the park has seen a lot of activity and growth.

In March of 2013, Shamrock Farms out of Phoenix, AZ, decided to invest $50 million in a state of the art dairy. Once completed it will employ 60 people in a 130,000-square foot facility. It was a year-long process for Augusta County as we competed against locations up and down the eastern seaboard of the United States. Shamrock complements the valley with our culture and sense of community along with utilizing local materials and local source milk.

In June of 2013, Dascom Printing announced their purchase and investment in Mill Place. Their 23,000-square foot facility will add another 15-20 jobs in the printing industry with excitement about expanding into other technologies.

In 2014, private investment started moving dirt for more office space in Mill Place because the first building was filled. I am excited to see both small and large business coming together in the park.

Lastly, a yet-to-be-named business is poised for their announced coming to Mill Place and we will be happy to announce who they are once everything has been settled.

In all, Mill Place Commerce Park is on the move and doesn’t look to be slowing down. Augusta County and the Board of Supervisors are always introducing and touring the park with visitors and look forward to continued success.

You can learn more about Mill Place by clicking here or about Augusta County Economic Development Office by clicking here.
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David Karaffa, 30, represents the Beverley Manor District of Augusta County on the Board of Supervisors. A registered nurse, he is the Director of Nursing at Stuarts Draft Christian Home. He and his wife, Katie, have three daughters. Supervisor Karaffa can be reached at DavidKaraffa@comcast.net or by contacting the government center in Verona at (540) 245-5600.

Congressman Eric Cantor kicks off 2014 campaign with first ad

Virginia Congressman and U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has hit the ground running in the 2014 campaign season with an ad that was released Wednesday. The election spot focuses on how the Congressman is standing up for conservatives to repeal Obamacare and reduce spending while highlighting his efforts to create jobs and strengthen families not only in Virginia but in America.

Fundraising reports for this quarter showed Cantor raising $920,000 with over $2 million on hand while his primary challenger Dave Brat raised under $90,000 with only $42,000 on hand. Cantor's fundraising abilities as well as those of 7th Congressional District Chairman Linwood Cobb are impressive. That kind of leadership is needed as Republicans look to the future.

Bill Bolling posts Facebook status updates

Jean Ann and Bill Bolling

January 2014

Former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling recently posted a status update on his public office Facebook Wall  and regular Facebook Wall that caught the attention of his supporters.

On Saturday, April 12, he wrote:

Many of my Facebook friends have asked what Jean Ann and I are doing to stay busy now that my term as Lieutenant Governor has ended. So, for the next few days I will be updating you on some of the things we are doing to stay busy in the public and private sector. Stay tuned for Part 1 tomorrow.

Update #1 - On Sunday, April 13, the first update was posted:

Here's the first update on what I've been doing since my term as LG ended. Professionally, I have returned to the private sector and taken on some new duties as Managing Director of Virginia Operations for RCM&D, one of the nation's largest independent insurance brokers. You can read more about this below. While I enjoyed public service a great deal, I'm a business guy at heart, and I have really enjoyed getting back to the private sector full time and focusing on growing our firm's business in Virginia. More to come tomorrow.

Included was a link to the RCM&D News announcing that long-time employee "former Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling joined the firm on a full time basis when his term ended on January 11, 2014. Bolling assumed the position of Managing Director of RCM&D’s Virginia operations, and will have lead responsibility for managing all aspects of the firm’s strategic growth plans in the state."

RCM&D was founded in 1885 and ranked among the top privately-held independent insurance advisory firms in the country with over 300 professionals and six locations throughout the mid-Atlantic region including Richmond. They provide "property and casualty; management liability, and employee benefit services to clients in a number of critical business sectors, including health care, higher education, manufacturing, technology, construction and real estate, and transportation and logistics."

The announcement continued, "Lieutenant Governor Bolling has been affiliated with RCM&D on a part time basis since 2003. His focus had been on new business development and client retention. As Managing Director of RCM&D’s Virginia operations, Bolling will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic growth strategy for the firm in Virginia, and overseeing all aspects of the firm’s operations in the Commonwealth."

Update #2 - Monday, April 14:

In January, I agreed to serve as Chairman of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce's Industry Council on Business Climate and Economic Development. This is an excellent way for me to continue the work I did during the McDonnell administration as Virginia's Chief Jobs Creation Officer.

Update #3 - Tuesday, April 15:

At the request of former Gov. Jerry Baliles, I have agreed to serve as co-chair of the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative. One in four Virginians across parts of the Rural Horseshoe have less than a high school education, and this initiative seeks to change that.

Update #4 - Wednesday, April 16:

As an avid fly fisherman and outdoor enthusiast, I was honored to be appointed to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

It's good to see that the Bollings continue their involvement in public life even while finding a bit more private time like their recent trip to Cancun.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

Today in RVA: Congressman Cantor supports STEM education

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. Those are the components of STEM education.

Today Congressman Eric Cantor will meet with Richmond-area members of the start-up community at 804RVA to talk about expanding STEM education as well as creating a culture of innovation, and finding creative ways to solve problems in the community. He will also encourage participation in the upcoming Congressional App Contest.

The Congressman will be joined by Larkin Garbee, Chief Imagination Officer for 804RVA, Robby Demeria who is Executive Director of the Richmond Technology Council, and other local members of the tech community.

Education and technology ... the pathway to the future.

Eric Cantor calls for an America that leads on CNN's 'Out Front'

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)  appeared on CNN's "Out Front" last week to discuss the need for an America that leads with host Erin Burnett. The appearance, live from Lexington, Virginia, followed Congressman Cantor's major national security speech at Virginia Military Institute.