Bob Wooten: Out of the dark that covers us

The first sign of trouble was a flicker in the overhead lights. It was just before noon on Tuesday when the fluorescents started to blink here at The Northern Virginia Daily. Once, twice, then a third time, and then they...

Bob Wooten: Phil and portents of doom

The moment of betrayal is upon us. Look for it on Thursday. That's when the mild winter weather we've enjoyed may well come to a end, when a furry little monster named Phil in Punxsutawney, Pa., emerges from his burrow...

Bob Wooten: Mystery of Twinkie to be solved?

I wonder how many teenagers can imagine life without Apple Inc., a company that has helped shape their world with its electronic wonders.

Bob Wooten: You will soon talk to a TV

Some temptations are nearly impossible to resist. I'm a sucker for a good pulled pork sandwich. Or an ice-cold beer on a hot afternoon. Or buying a lottery ticket when the jackpot climbs into $100 million territory. Seldom, however, do...

Bob Wooten: Stick a sock in it, California

There's nothing like a good joke, even when the joke's on us. Being laughed at by Californians, however, is a little hard to swallow.

*Accounts vary on details of assault on officer

BERRYVILLE -- Accounts differ on the details of an April 20 incident in which a town man struck a police officer, who then fired his gun in self defense.

*Officials trace park fire's origin to wood stove ashes

FRONT ROYAL -- Wood stove ashes that were improperly disposed of helped to spark one of the largest fires in Warren County's history, according to fire officials.

Bob Wooten: Ringing in busy season at Daily

It feels like Christmas here at The Northern Virginia Daily, and not just for the obvious reasons.

Bob Wooten: Politicians consistent if nothing else in 2010

With just a couple of weeks left before the new year, one might think the politicians down at the other end of Interstate 66 had run out of ways to look foolish in 2010.

Bob Wooten: Assange was not the only villain

In comic books, the villains were always more interesting than the heroes.

Holiday stresses just part of season

Considering there were a couple of tween-age girls in the house and it was the day after Thanksgiving, I can hardly complain about the movie pick.

Bob Wooten: Turkey, football and time to reflect

Surprises are fine for birthdays and Christmas mornings, but Thanksgiving is all about certainty.

Bob Wooten: Could winter be far behind?

It has become a postcard autumn in the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

Bob Wooten: University parties on new level

We sure knew how to party back in the day. As I recall, it was always easy to find a weekend beer bash at James Madison University in the 1970s.

Bob Wooten: Trading with the currency of trust

Rare as it is to hear genuine wisdom from the lips of a politician, I found just such a pearl back in 1987 while watching the televised congressional hearings on the Iran-Contra scandal.

Bob Wooten: Starting fires not in clergy manner

The young crowd at the Presbyterian church I attended as a teenager usually congregated in the balcony.

Bob Wooten: Restaurant inspection database on our website

The breakfast rush was over and we were prepping for the lunch crowd when The Man popped through the swinging doors.

Bob Wooten: Signs of new season

Out on Interstate 64, heading west after a trip to Hampton Roads, I followed a large SUV for several miles on Sunday, wondering all the time whether there was actually a driver behind the wheel.

Bob Wooten: Jim Boy for office? No, thanks

Jim Boy was the weirdest guy I can remember from my college days. He and I weren't really buddies. Jim Boy -- a nickname I doubt he ever realized he'd picked up -- was just a friend of a friend.

Bob Wooten: Motorists beware, it's Yard Crawl Day

Driving through Toms Brook on my way to work Friday morning, I had my first close call with a bargain hunter.