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Four months after first Thanksgiving in New England, what happened in Virginia mattered much more
By Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving in New England. Remembered and retold as an allegory for perseverance and cooperation, the story of that first Thanksgiving has become an important part of how Americans think about the founding of their […]
How the pandemic helped spread fentanyl and drove opioid overdose deaths to a grim new high
By Andrew Kolodny, Brandeis University For the past 20 years, I have been engaged in efforts to end the opioid epidemic, as a public health official, researcher and clinician. And for every one of those years I have looked on as the number of deaths from drug overdoses has set a new record high. Yet […]
Infrastructure law: High-speed internet is as essential as water and electricity
By Hernán Galperin, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15 was hailed by the White House and advocates as a historic investment to improve internet access in America. As a researcher who studies internet policy and digital inequality, I […]
The Virginia Supreme Court won’t let us down
By Thomas Wolf, Esq. This is for my fellow Democrats who fear having Virginia’s redistricting map determined by the Virginia Supreme Court, all of whose members were elected by a Republican-controlled house of the General Assembly. Don’t worry. Having practiced before that court, interacted with its members in person, and read their opinions for more […]
Why are prices spiking? Blame the supply chain.
By Craig Austin, Florida International University Consumer prices soared in October 2021 and are now up 6.2 percent from a year earlier — higher than most economists’ estimates and the fastest increase in more than three decades. At this point, that may be no surprise to most Americans, who are seeing higher prices while shopping for […]
Mountain Valley Pipeline has a terrible record. Why would regulators let it go forward?
By Richard Shingles Mountain Valley Pipeline is not a done deal. Much depends on the deliberations of Virginia’s State Water Control Board. The Department of Environmental Quality has written a draft permit to provide Mountain Valley Pipeline with what is effectively blanket permission to dig trenches for a 42-inch diameter buried pipe through 144 Virginia […]
Veterans Day: How crosses and mementos help these Marines remember fallen comrades
By Katrina Finkelstein and Derek H. Alderman On Veterans Day, people across America will thank veterans and active-duty military personnel for their service. But many members of the public don’t have a clear understanding of what service means to people in the military. How do they honor their own? What kind of spaces and activities […]
Homeowners associations continue to be a hurdle for rooftop solar installations:
By Matt Gooch and Chris Meyer Many Virginians are aware of the transformational energy legislation enacted in 2020 by the General Assembly, most prominently the sweeping Virginia Clean Economy Act. But a lesser-known bill significantly expanded the rights of homeowners living in homeowners associations (HOAs) who wish to install and use rooftop solar arrays. This […]
In Virginia, Glenn Youngkin can’t stop the clean energy revolution
By Mike Tidwell The outcome of last week’s election in Virginia might spell trouble for many progressive issues. But on climate change, there’s no need for immediate panic. That’s because President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act, if passed, will bring a whopping $14 billion or so in clean energy investments and climate justice spending […]
Supreme Court weighs if the right to keep a gun at home applies to carrying weapons in public
By Morgan Marietta, University of Massachusetts Lowell The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Nov. 3, 2021, on a clear question: Does the constitutional right to possess a gun extend outside the home? The answer may alter gun regulations in many states. The crux of the issue before the court is captured by a […]
Pfizer’s vaccine for children: A pediatrician explains how it was tested for safety and efficacy
By Debbie-Ann Shirley, University of Virginia Elementary school children in the United States will soon have one more layer of protection to keep them safe from COVID-19. On Oct. 29, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. The move came days after a […]
I’m disabled and on a fixed income. The child tax credit is helping my family make ends meet
By Elizabeth Cropper As a single mother, I’ve sometimes struggled to provide for my family. Things became even more difficult six years ago, when I sustained a hip injury while working at my job in a warehouse. This accident left me permanently disabled with debilitating chronic pain and unable to work. My son and I […]