In this Town Talk, our publisher Mike McCool speaks with John Hutchinson, President of the Valley Conservation Council (VCC) in Staunton, Virginia.

John joined VCC as Executive Director in 2020. John has been engaged in fundraising, development, and policy research related to land conservation and battlefield preservation in Virginia and nationally for more than 36 years. Most recently, John directed the land acquisition and conservation programs at the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation beginning in 2001. He has protected thousands of acres on Civil War battlefields in the Shenandoah Valley through donation, bargain sale, and fee purchase.

The Valley Conservation Council is a Staunton-based nonprofit that preserves and protects the natural resources of the greater Shenandoah Valley region, recently aimed its conservation expertise and has recently helped bring protection to almost 1,000 acres of mountain land adjacent to the Shenandoah National Park that will eventually become part of its borders. (See story here)

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. If you have an idea, topic, or want to hear from someone in our community, let us know. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

Valley Conservation Council helps protect land & expand the Shenandoah National Park

In this Town Talk, our publisher Mike McCool speaks with Steven Hicks, Front Royal Town Manager. Hicks started as Town Manager on December 7, 2020.

Hicks has over 25 years of state and local government experience. He was previously the Town Manager of Selma, NC that provided a full range of services including Solid Waste, Water, Sewer, and Electric, as well as Police and Fire.

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. If you have an idea, topic, or want to hear from someone in our community, let us know. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

Steven Hicks to start as Front Royal Town Manager on December 7th, 2020

In this Town Talk, our publisher Mike McCool speaks with Stephanie Myers from ReWed Bridal. Stephanie has opened her business at 114 E. Main Street in Front Royal.

At ReWed, you are able to choose from new, samples, or gently pre-owned wedding dresses, formal gowns, and rental tuxedos. After the wedding, sell your dress by consigning it back to ReWed. They do all the work, your items get exposure to hundreds of brides and your dress will be expertly matched with someone who is sure to love it as much as you.​

ReWed started as a one-day wedding event where couples could rent a booth at a wedding venue to sell their wedding dresses or décor. These events were so successful that she decided to open a permanent retail space to help brides shopping on a budget.

Find out more about Stephanie and ReWed Bridal in this Town Talk.

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. If you have an idea, topic, or want to hear from someone in our community, let us know. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

In this Town Talk, our publisher Mike McCool speaks with Glenn Youngkin. Glenn says he is not a politician. He is a homegrown Virginian, and has spent the last 30 years raising his family, serving in his church, building his business, and creating jobs. Glenn also says he is guided by his faith, conservative values, and an unshakeable belief that Virginia should be the best.

Glenn said, “Political insiders and career politicians in Richmond are failing our Commonwealth with lives lost, businesses closed, jobs lost, and our basic rights challenged like never before. Together, we can bring a new day to Virginia with fresh ideas, shared values, and innovative solutions to rebuild and reimagine Virginia’s future.”

Glenn also announced the launch of his Election Integrity Task Force. As a political-outsider and business leader, Youngkin’s targeted five-point plan aims to ensure both Virginia’s election integrity and trust in the results.

“This is not a Democrat issue or a Republican issue, it’s a democracy issue,” said Youngkin. “Both parties have long raised concerns, and we must restore Americans’ faith in the integrity of our elections. I am proposing five common-sense steps to establish legal voting standards for our election processes. Virginians should not worry that votes aren’t counted properly or that improper voting occurred. I will ensure that all legal votes will count in Virginia. I hope all Virginians will join my campaign’s official Election Integrity Task Force and stand up for our democracy.”

Youngkin says he will make election integrity a top priority.  “All Virginians deserve a voting process in which they have faith, and election results they trust. Complicated ten-point plans never get done, and we need results. ”

Glenn’s five-point election integrity plan consists of straightforward and common-sense actions:

 Establish a politically independent and transparent Virginia Department of Elections;

 Update voter rolls monthly to provide accurate voter information;

 Strengthen Virginia’s voter identification in all methods of voting;

 Verify all mail-in applications and ballots are legitimate and timely; and

 Ensure ballot-counting integrity by requiring observer presence and the audit of voting machines.

Virginians can support Glenn’s plan and join his Election Integrity Task Force by signing up here.

Ensuring trust in the election process and election results is paramount. Election integrity is a bi-partisan issue with long-established concerns among both political parties. In 2016, a YouGov survey found that 42% of Democrats believed the 2016 election was “rigged.”

Learn more about Glenn in this Town Talk.

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. If you have an idea, topic, or want to hear from someone in our community, let us know. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

In this Town Talk, our publisher Mike McCool speaks with Pete Snyder. Pete Snyder is a small business owner, a serial entrepreneur, an innovator, and a problem solver.

Pete started his first company from his apartment when he was 26 years old. That company, New Media Strategies, became the world’s first and one of the largest social media marketing companies.

Under Pete’s leadership, New Media Strategies was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the “500 Fastest Growing Companies in America” for three years in a row. Pete also built an award-winning corporate culture, as both Washingtonian Magazine and Washington Business Journal named New Media Strategies one of the area’s “Best Places to Work.” Snyder was honored by Fortune Small Business for his innovative management style when they named him one of the “Best Bosses in America.”

Find more about Pete Snyder at https://petesnyder.com/.

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. If you have an idea, topic, or want to hear from someone in our community, let us know. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

On Saturday, January 30, at 10 am, join our publisher Mike McCool on Town Talk LIVE! – This plans to be a new series of Town Talk where we interview movers and shakers in our community. This series will be live-streamed and will include an interactive chat, so you can participate. In the first program, our in-studio guest will be William Huck from C&C Frozen Treats. We’ll be joined online with Sue Laurence from White Picket Fence and a few others.

The topic will be to discuss decorating ideas in the Town Gazebo area. The pros and cons and how to participate. And other ideas on how the community can promote itself in a positive light.

It will start at 10 am on Saturday – Join us.