Airstrip changes delayed

High school students get ahead

Higher sewer rates may be seen in the future

Increase in church membership raises brows

Transportation proposal gets second chance

Facelift for Lee Chapel

California cold spell may affect local fruit prices

Lime Kiln risks future on a game of chance

Museum of the Confederacy may move to Lexingon

The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors will wait to vote on whether more airplanes can land and take off from Hotinger's Landing Strip. The board is waiting on a letter verifying that no conflict of interest exists between Supervisor Mack Smith and the owners of the airstrip.

Rockbridge County High School juniors and seniors are getting an early start on their college educations. The program, dual enrollment, allows students work towards their high school diplomas by taking college-level courses.

Improvements to the local wastewater treatment plant may result in higher sewer rates for residents. These changes fall under new state regulations to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

St. Paul's Anglican Church is reporting its most significant increase in membership since the church's birth in the early 1980s. The rector at St. Paul's, Reverend C. Thomas Hardy, speculates that the increase in members may be due to recent decisions made by the Episcopal Church. They include approval of an openly gay bishop and the selection of a female presiding bishop.

Governor Tim Kaine's $850 million transportation proposal is being dusted off by the General Assembly after more than a year-long wait. But the Republicans have their own ideas for the proposal. Republicans call for $2 billion in bonds for long-term road, rail, and transit upgrades, and an additional $250 million out of the general fund.

Washington and Lee's Lee Chapel museum is undergoing a $1 million renovation project. The renovations are part of a $6 million campaign designed for the preservation of the Museum and the Chapel.

An unexpected freeze hit California fruit growers hard last week. Millions of dollars worth of citrus fruits and avocados were destroyed, especially oranges. The impact has not yet been felt in Rockbridge but local stores, restaurants, and residents are bracing themselves for the expected high prices.

After nearly closing last year, Lime Kiln is staying alive. The theater recently had its annual fundraiser, Monte Carlo night, which much of the community attended. The gambling night is credited with raising most of the money needed to keep the theater running.

Richmond's Museum of the Confederacy is looking for a new home and may settle in Lexington. The museum needs more space and has toured the Rockbridge County Court House as a possible relocation site since the Board of Supervisors and City Council voted for a new courthouse on Nelson and Randolph. The Lexington Tourism Center is excited but stresses that the plans are preliminary. Other sites in Richmond and Virginia are being investigated for the museum also.