SPECIAL MESSAGE

May 19, 2021:

Hello Everyone,

Some of you may have wondered why our website and social media channels have seen a decreased amount of activity recently, especially during the past eight days. I am happy to feel well enough at this point to give you the back story.

Just before Christmas, I began to experience a series of medical events that followed a similar pattern. Each felt like a "24-hour bug" with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. I was in the Emergency Room the morning after Christmas and hoped antibiotics and treatment then would be enough.

On February 11th, the episodes returned, following a familiar pattern of twice in about eight days. On April 20th, it returned again, forcing me to miss the Atlee girls volleyball state semifinal match.

Last Tuesday, May 11th, just after 9pm, the cycle began again, only, this time, it wouldn't stop. I was transported by ambulance to Memorial Regional Medical Center to begin a four-night odyssey filled with chills, lack of sleep, pain, the inability to eat, lots of antibiotics and anti-nausea medication. 

I missed my daughter's commencement from Liberty University, where she was awarded a Master's Degree in Elementary Education with honors, a 4.0 GPA. I watched bits and pieces online. 

Saturday, I was able to return home. I face some significant time down, with a test scheduled for July 20th. I am feeling much better, but must stay constantly aware of what I'm eating and drinking (and avoiding!) as well as getting proper rest.

So, I say all this to say the following:

1) We will continue to update you on news, scores and information on our Twitter feeds and Facebook pages with increased activity returning by Monday (5/24).

2) We plan to be able to cover the upcoming spring sports postseason as much as I have the physical capacity. There will be less live Tweeting, but we'll keep you informed as best as we can.

3) Our website will be focused soon on postseason schedules and results as we draw this most unusual school year to a close on June 26th.

4) We are already in the midst of a reimaging, set to debut August 23rd, which will include changes both in how we send out information, but also how we present live events, and by relaunching our podcast.

5) We will have new and existing partnerships, looking forward to working with NBC12 again for high school football come August while our radio coverage of both our high school football and Randolph-Macon College football moving to our new home, Rejoice 101.3 (WREJ, 101.3 FM and 990 AM). We're also thrilled to be working with the Richmond Times-Dispatch on occasional projects and stories, as well as our weekly stories in Hanover County for both The Mechanicsville Local and The Ashland-Hanover Local.

In closing, THANK YOU for your incredible support over the years, and know that we are preparing to enter a future of hopefully a new and exciting level of coverage. But, in order to do that, I need to be healthy. That will be my primary focus over the next three months.

Thank you everyone! Stay safe, get the vaccine when eligible, as I have, and we'll see you soon!

Rob Witham