Have questions for your candidates? The News Leader wants to hear them.
The News Leader's staff is in the early stages of planning candidate forums for the upcoming House of Delegates race in districts 35 and 36, the Augusta County School Board and the Augusta County Board of Supervisors. Currently, the plan includes a forum for each race, but this could change as candidate scheduling allows.
Ahead of the forum, The News Leader staff is calling for readers to submit any questions they might have for the three races. Please send any questions or thoughts about what you'd like to learn from the candidates to STA-LOCALNEWS@newsleader.com.
The races, and candidates, include:
Augusta County Board of Supervisors, Beverley Manor District – Stephen J. Grepps Sr.
Augusta County Board of Supervisors, Middle River District – Gerald W. Garber
Augusta County Board of Supervisors, Beverley Manor District – Independent Tracy C. Pyles Jr., Republican Chris S. Kincheloe
Augusta County School Board, Beverley Manor District – Daniel H. Whitmire, G. L. "Butch" Wells, Dan J. Ferraro
Augusta County School Board, Middle River District – David R. Shiflett
Augusta County School Board, Pastures District – Timothy M. "Timmy" Simmons, John L. Ocheltree, Jr.
House of Delegates District 35 – Republican Chris S. Runion, Democrat Jena L. Crisler
House of Delegates District 36 – Democrat Makayla R. Venable, Republican Ellen. H. Campbell
More: Project GROWS' youth leadership program has been 'heart changing' for some area teens
More: Two Waynesboro police officers indicted amid allegations they assaulted fellow cop
Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It's welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Submit questions ahead of planned candidate forums from The News Leader
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
10 minutes ago
- Fox News
‘Tired of Democracy dying': Gavin Newsom redistricting push facing possible lawsuit
California Republican Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo is threatening to sue over Governor Gavin Newsom's redistricting push, which she says is 'disenfranchising Californians.' (Office of Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo)
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Legislative committees advance CA redistricting legislation
(The Center Square) — Legislators, taxpayers and others debated passionately Tuesday for several hours as Democratic-led election committees in the California Assembly and Senate advanced congressional redistricting legislation. The bills making up the Election Rigging Response Act received support from the Democratic majorities in the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee and the Assembly Elections Committee. Ultimately they're expected to land on the floors of the Assembly and Senate on Thursday. They're backed by the Democratic supermajorities in both houses, as well as by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. With their passage certain, the legislation will mean voters on a Nov. 4 special election will decide whether to revise boundaries for congressional districts in response to redistricting in Republican-led states such as Texas. But the Republican minority in the Legislature scored what they called an early victory Monday night by delaying Thursday's floor votes. "The bill was stalled until after 7 p.m., meaning the earliest it can be legally voted on is Thursday evening. That leaves only hours before the special election deadline for passage and Newsom's signature," Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, posted on X. Democrats and Republicans agree democracy is at stake and that California has a gold standard with its independent, nonpartisan Citizens Redistricting Commission. Republican lawmakers argued the will of voters, who approved a constitutional amendment creating the commission, was being disregarded. But Democratic legislators stressed voters can see the proposed map, which is posted at They also noted that unlike people in Texas, Californian voters will have the final say on whether congressional districts are changed and that the independent commission can resume its work after the 2030 census. "We are not asking California to rubber stamp maps behind closed doors," Assembly Elections Committee Chair Gail Pellerin, a Democrat, told the committee. "As a former election official, I would never stand for that. This is about defending democracy itself, making sure checks and balances our kids learned in government class are alive and well after the 2026 election." Other Democrats on the committee voiced their support. 'Who should have the control of the vast power of the federal government?' asked Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D-Ventura. 'Our founding fathers agreed hundreds of years ago on a special form of democracy, designed to protect our democracy from power grabs.' If people in power try to change the rules to seize power undemocratically, then democracy advocates must also change their rules in response, Bennett argued. But Assemblymember David J. Tangipa, R-Clovis, who sits on the committee with Bennett, told the committee that Republicans weren't given enough time to review the legislation in advance of Tuesday's hearing. He also noted the proposed congressional map changed at 8 p.m. Monday. Pellerin countered that she understood the map was posted at 8 a.m. Monday. Pellerin and Tangipa clashed during the hearing as the latter asked extensive questions of Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, who spoke on behalf of one of the three bills making up the Election Rigging Response Act. Pellerin said she was trying to keep the meeting moving, and Tangipa stressed the importance of his questions on topics such as funding. A large number of residents throughout California, union representatives and representatives of organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the California Teachers Association, spoke in favor of redistricting at the Assembly committee meeting. But what appeared to be an even bigger number of taxpayers from throughout the state, as well as representatives of Republican organizations, spoke against the legislation. Comments on the two sides echoed those made by the Democratic and Republican legislators. The Assembly committee rejected a motion by its ranking Republican, Vice Chair Alexandra Macedo of Tulare, that the committee recess until its members could read all 16,000 comments that voters have made in a portal on the Assembly website. "Democratic power bosses want to take the power away from the people," Macedo said. She called the Election Rigging Response Act a coordinated effort to tear down the independent commission and gerrymander districts for political gain at a time California faces severe budget shortfalls. The Assembly Republican Caucus has said the Nov. 4 election will cost voters more than $235 million. Democrats have countered the Trump administration has cost the state much more than that by cutting or withholding funding.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florida man executed for 1982 abduction, murder of Panhandle woman
STARKE — A man convicted of abducting a woman from a Florida Panhandle insurance office and killing her received a lethal injection Tuesday evening in the state's 10th execution this year. Kayle Bates, 67, was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The execution extended Florida's record for total executions in a single year, and two more are planned within the next month. Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, killing of Janet White in Bay County. The woman's husband, Randy White, was one of the witnesses to Tuesday's execution. At the scheduled 6 p.m. execution time, the curtain to the death chamber promptly went up. Bates was already strapped to a gurney with his left arm extended and the IV line for the drugs already in place. When asked if he wished to make a last statement, Bates replied, 'No.' The execution began at 6:01 pm. Bates began breathing more rapidly about a minute after the drugs began flowing, and then he stopped after about another minute. At 6:05 p.m., the warden touched Bates' face, shook his shoulders and shouted his name with no response. Several minutes later, he was declared dead. Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for second place with four each. With Tuesday's execution, a total of 29 men had died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and at least nine other people were scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. According to court documents, Bates abducted White from the insurance office where she worked, took her into some woods behind the building, attempted to rape her, fatally stabbed her and tore a diamond ring from one of her fingers. Attorneys for Bates had filed appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as a federal lawsuit claiming DeSantis' process for signing death warrants was discriminatory. The lawsuit was recently dismissed by a judge, who found problems with the lawsuit's statistical analysis. The Florida Supreme Court recently denied Bates' pending claims, including arguments that evidence of organic brain damage had been inadequately considered during his second penalty phase. The court ruled Bates has had three decades to raise these claims. And the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Bates' last appeal Tuesday. The Department of Corrections said Bates awoke at 5:15 a.m. Tuesday and had three visitors: his daughter, his sister and his brother-in-law. He declined a last meal and did not meet with a spiritual adviser, department spokesperson Ted Veerman said. Two more executions are planned in Florida in coming weeks. Curtis Windom, 59, is set to become the 11th person executed in Florida on Aug. 28. He was convicted of killing three people in the Orlando area in 1992. David Pittman, 63, would be the 12th person executed in Florida if his death sentence is carried out as scheduled Sept. 17. He was found guilty of fatally stabbing his estranged wife's sister and parents at their Polk County home before setting it on fire in 1990. Florida executions are carried out using a three-drug lethal injection: a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections. By DAVID FISCHER, Associated Press
