Monday, Monday

This promises to be a busy Monday evening. Capturing the Valley headlines is the GOP forum and a decision, perhaps tonight, to nominate a replacement candidate for Chris Saxman who surprised all by quitting the race in the dog days of summer. There is speculation all over the place, including here, of which candidate the local party chairs will pick behind closed doors. One thing is sure, whoever is picked won't please everyone. While the 20th leans R, a split in the GOP will give the Democrat, Erik Curren, an unexpected opening and make this a very interesting contest.

Another meeting in Staunton this evening may start the discussion about the fate of the annual July 4 celebration. Back in the day, it was called Happy Birthday USA and the Statler Brothers performed along with other national names, bringing in tens of thousands of fans and lots of dollars for charities and other local causes. The parade and daylong activities continued even after the Statlers stopped performing. But, the costs of the event are rising and Staunton City Council has cut funds for next year.

Across the mountain, the Orange County Board of Supervisors will take up Walmart's invasion of the Wilderness Battlefield at a forum tonight. It isn't to late to register your views. This may be a local decision but the ramifications go far beyond and will affect Virginia tourism and our heritage.