School nurses dispense positive attention and track trends in health conditions in addition to their traditional duties.

This was perhaps the one public occasion when former Lynchburg Mayor Jimmie Bryan was guilty of not being optimistic enough. After he helped celebrate the groundbreaking of the city’s first Habitat house with a stab of his gold-plated ceremonial shovel on Dec. 1, 1988, Bryan (known for his cheery pronouncement, “It’s great to be alive and living in Lynchburg, Virginia”) told onlookers: “Let’s get behind this. Let’s build 20 houses.” Little did he know. Just over two decades later, the Greater Lynchburg Habitat chapter has surged far beyond Bryan’s expectations — 270 completed dwellings, including two Habitat subdivisions.

Del. Ben Cline, R-Rockbridge County, said Friday he has asked the federal government to move ahead with plans to sell oil-drilling leases off Virginia’s coast in 2011.

Lynchburg police said Friday afternoon they are still searching for a suspect in a July 15 drive-by shooting.

The number of University of Virginia students who have reported flu-like symptoms continued to climb Monday, with more than 120 students sickened during the fall semester so far.

Liberty High School has a new principal, Bedford County School officials announced Thursday.

The Lynchburg Community Action Group has been awarded $363,631 in stimulus funds for use in a Homelessness and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

The Rustburg Branch of the Campbell County Library will host an Avoiding Investment Fraud Seminar at 10 a.m. Sept. 24.

Breaking up, Neil Sedaka once told us in song, is hard to do. But not for the Lynchburg-based Blue Newt Band. In their case, breaking up was easier than finding a new lead guitar player.

Two plays could have changed the outcome of a hapless affair with in-state foe William & Mary, but they also summed up a night of missed opportunities in UVa’s 26-14 loss.

In the midst of the national debate over health care costs and quality, local physicians Wednesday celebrated what they are doing right for those measures.

A week after the bodies of two Lynchburg-area teens were discovered in Montgomery County, authorities still are searching for leads in the case.

The Central Virginia Land Conservancy is holding its Land Jam fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 20.

The 11th annual for Kids Sake Safety Day will be held at River Ridge mall on Sept. 19.

The economy’s crippling effect on construction has led the Bedford County Planning Commission to scarcely review land use projects in 2009, according to mid-year report on activities and trends. The commission did not receive any requests this year from Jan. 1 to June 30 for rezonings, zoning text changes or special review projects and held only two public hearings on separate requests for special use permits.