The Valley Today

There's no such thing as a "teacup pig," and that mini pig you're eyeing could still top 100 pounds. On this Extension Office Friday, Janet Michael is joined by Virginia Cooperative Extension agents Elizabeth Baldwin (Page County) and Cynthia Fairbanks (Warren County) for a down-to-earth conversation about mini pigs, mini cattle, backyard chickens, goats, and what the average homeowner should know...

No family history of breast cancer? You still need that mammogram. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Janet Michael sits down with Dr. Anita Minghini, breast surgeon and Medical Director of Breast Care Services at Valley Health, to bust some of the most common myths about breast cancer, from who is really at risk to what genetic testing can (and can't) tell you. Dr. Minghini explains why every wom...

A 10-year-old who pulled a drowning child from a lake. An off-duty officer who saved his own wife with CPR. These are the kinds of stories that fill the room at the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber's Valor Awards, and Janet Michael gets a preview with Taylor Coumes, Director of Event Management at the Chamber, and Brandon Lorey, President & CEO of Bank of Clarke, the event's presenting sponsor. No...

Janet recorded this one from the pilot's seat of a real helicopter, perched on the roof of the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum and hanging about 10 feet out over Cork Street. A few weeks after watching a crane lift it into place, she climbs aboard with Executive Director Dawn Devine and Taylor Wilmoth to talk about how the "impossible" project came together, and why it matters so much for kids...

If a fire started in your home tonight, you might have less than two minutes to get out, and Deb Fleming wants to make sure you spend those minutes getting out instead of grabbing your laptop. Janet Michael sat down with Deb, Executive Director of the Greater Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, in the Secret Garden at the Espresso Bar on the Old Town Walking Mall to talk about hom...

Frederick County voters will see a school sales tax question on their ballot this November, and here's what it actually does. Janet Michael sits down with Frederick County Administrator Mike Bollhoefer and Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. George Hummer to walk through the up-to-1% sales tax referendum on the November 3 general election ballot (early voting is already underway). M...

Think you have to go away to a four-year university to get the "real" college experience? Think again. On this Laurel Ridge Community College episode, Janet Michael and Director of Marketing Guy Curtis are joined by John Owens, coordinator of Student Life & Engagement, and student ambassadors Adam Gagnon and Alyssah Rodgers to bust one of the biggest myths about community college. Adam shares how...

What if the tasks keeping you up at night could just… take care of themselves? On this Valley Business Today, recorded in the lobby of the Front Royal Warren County Chamber of Commerce, Janet Michael and Chamber President Niki Foster sit down with Joe Peters, owner of Buzzy Work Pro, a Front Royal company built to handle the "anything admin" work small business owners never seem to get to. Joe exp...

Small business is economic development, and Frederick County's new economic development director is ready to plant her flag on that hill. For Tourism Tuesday, Winchester-Frederick County edition, Janet Michael and Justin Kerns sit out back at the Visitor Center with Amanda Killen, the new Director of the Frederick County Economic Development Authority, just four weeks into the job. Amanda shares h...

Imagine a preschooler racing to the mailbox every month, shouting, "It's my book day!" Janet Michael sits down with Beth Williams, Executive Director of the Clarke County Education Foundation, to talk about the foundation's push to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library back to every child from birth to age five in Clarke County. Beth shares how a September "Dolly Day" kickoff and two generous g...

A rooftop tennis complex on top of a free parking garage at Jim Barnett Park? It's a real proposal, and Winchester Parks Director Chris Konyar is here to walk through the facts. Janet Michael sits down with Chris at Jim Barnett Park for their regular check-in on everything happening at Winchester's parks this fall and holiday season. Chris shares what's ahead on the calendar: Spooky Fun on October...

That new e-bike in the driveway can hit 20 miles an hour, and Captain Warren Gosnell wants parents to think hard about what that means on a road shared with 6,000-pound SUVs. It's Public Safety Thursday, and Janet Michael is live in the studio with Captain Gosnell of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office for his monthly visit, starting with stories from his 15th-anniversary trip to Las Vegas and a...

A hula lesson, a string of honor beads, and a moment where you realize you are not alone — the Out of the Darkness Community Walk packs all of that into a single Saturday morning at Sherando Park. Janet Michael sits down at the Espresso Bar on the Old Town Walking Mall with returning guests Patricia Brewer and Mandy Foxley, co-chairs of the Stephens City walk, to talk about this year's event on Oc...

A haunted trail, campsites decked out for Halloween, and Yogi Bear himself — fall at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Luray is a lot more than pitching a tent. On this Luray-Page County edition of Tourism Tuesday, Janet Michael and Gina Hilliard of the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce welcome general manager Bryan Fykes — better known around the park as "Ranger Bryan" — to talk about one of Pag...

"I was stuck. You guys unstuck me." That's what one participant told Winchester CCAP Executive Director Andrea Cosans, and it's the heart of THRIVE, a new two-year program helping local families move from constant crisis to real self-sufficiency. Janet sits down at CCAP with Andrea and Jordan Hurley, Executive Assistant at Connected Communities, to talk about how four local nonprofits are joining...

There's a cheese shop on the Old Town Walking Mall where you can taste anything in the case before you buy it, and yes, they make grown-up Lunchables. Janet Michael and Brady Cloven of Friends of Old Town pull up a chair at Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop with owner Terri Boyd, two years after she first joined the show just after opening. Terri explains what "fancy cheese" really means (hint: it's not as...

For some kids in our area, Friday's school lunch is the last meal they can count on until Monday's breakfast. Janet Michael checks back in with Elise Stine-Dolinar of Bright Futures Frederick/Winchester to talk about the hidden hunger in our local schools, and how neighbors across Winchester and Frederick County are helping more than 1,200 students get fed every week. Elise walks through what goes...

New lanes on I-81, a brand-new bridge at Exit 313, and longer turn lanes on the roads you drive every day: VDOT's Ken Slack is back with the latest on the road work around the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Janet Michael checks in with Ken, communications specialist for VDOT's Staunton District, on the big highway projects that make headlines and the smaller fixes that change your daily drive. Ken ex...

North Mountain Vineyard & Winery's first Ravenwood Faire is almost here — and owner Jill Edlich says getting a 90-vendor medieval festival ready on a working vineyard has been its own kind of harvest season. Janet Michael and Kary Haun catch up with Jill for Shenandoah County Tourism Tuesday, checking in on everything that's changed since February: a new accessible walkway, a horse arena, and a vi...

Grab a team, grab a driver, and get ready to venture across the Northern Shenandoah Valley — for a good cause. Janet is back on the Zooms with Gina Hilliard, president of the Luray-Page Chamber of Commerce, and Greg Stockton, development director for Seniors First, to talk about the Valley Venture Scavenger Hunt, an app-based fundraiser happening October 17th across six counties. Greg walks throug...

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association is bringing back its fall symposium after a pandemic-era hiatus — and this year it comes with a theme, a full slate of local experts, and a challenge for every gardener in the room. Janet talks with Candace DeLong, Frederick County's Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, and Chris Jorgensen, president of the NSV Master Gardener Association...

A brand-new, 36-foot pink mobile mammography unit just rolled into the Shenandoah Valley — and Janet Michael is sitting right next to it on the Winchester Medical Center campus to find out what it means for local women's health. On this Community Health episode, Janet talks with Jenny Grooms , Executive Director of Valley Health Foundations and Jason Craig, Senior Director of Community Health abou...

Wings & Wheels is coming back to the Winchester Regional Airport on Saturday, October 3rd, and it's free to get in the gate. Janet sits down with Taylor Coumes of the Top of Virginia Regional Chamber and Pete Warren of United Bank to talk about how this beloved community event — think warbirds, classic cars, Air Force simulators, and food trucks — has grown to draw more than 3,000 people a year, a...

It's Tourism Tuesday, Berryville/Clarke County edition, and that means one thing every September: Art at the Mill is back. Janet Michael is joined by Nathan Stalvey, Executive Director of the Clarke County Historical Association, for a full rundown of what's new this fall — from the juried art show's opening weekend to a brand-new exhibit exploring the little-known history of Black horsemen in Cla...

When a disaster destroys your home, the shelter is never meant to be the ending point — it's step one. Janet Michael sits down with Deb Fleming, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of the Greater Shenandoah Valley, for a deep dive into the Red Cross's Shelter Resident Transition (SRT) program: the behind-the-scenes work of moving disaster survivors out of shelters and into permanent, sust...