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The biggest threat to American democracy comes from within
By Janice Ellis Ukraine’s desperate fight to avoid authoritarian rule is a stark reminder of how important our democracy is — how much we need to treasure it, protect it and continue to work to make it better. Ensuring that our democracy prevails must be done in every unit of government in this great republic. […]
A homespun stitch in time could save us
By Aaron Brown My wife and I recently enjoyed a rare evening out. Like with most parents, such occasions allow small joys that our busy lives often prevent. I picked the entertainment, so Christina got to go to the fabric store. She likes to loom knit and thought she might try her hand at crocheting. […]
The Emmett Till Antilynching Act doesn’t change the law very much. That’s OK.
By Cullen Seltzer After more than a century of trying, a federal anti-lynching act was signed into law yesterday. The good news is that the country, with passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, is at long last on record opposing lynching. There have been thousands of lynching victims. There are countless thousands more who’ve […]
Clean energy, climate action not to blame for pain at the pump
By Debra Rodman The Russian invasion of Ukraine is being televised. While some choose or choose not to follow the deadly conflict via the news, one thing you can not ignore is the price of gas, which in Richmond remains around $4 per gallon, adding to the pain Virginians are already feeling in the wake […]
Energy security and climate change demand real action, not shaky promise of ‘low-emission gas’
By Dan Grossman Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscores the extent to which energy security is national security, not only in the U.S. but across the globe. With the current roiling of global energy markets, we need strong action to keep these resources in the pipes, rather than our atmosphere. Alarmingly, U.S. oil and gas operators […]
What is the new COVID-19 variant BA.2?
Via The Conversation: A new omicron subvariant of the virus that causes COVID-19, BA.2, is quickly becoming the predominant source of infections amid rising cases around the world. Immunologists Prakash Nagarkatti and Mitzi Nagarkatti of the University of South Carolina explain what makes it different from previous variants, whether there will be another surge in […]
Link between gas prices and presidential approval seems to be weakening
By Kyle Kondik With inflation at a roughly 40-year high, the electorate appears to be focusing on high prices. A Wall Street Journal poll released late last week showed that about half of voters named inflation and the economy as the top issue they want the federal government to address, far more than any other issue. More than […]
‘Flattening the curve’ of overdose deaths in Virginia
By Eisha Jain, Hunter Hewlett, Natalina Contoreggi, Caitlin Womack, Kevin Parham Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus, Americans have been subjected to a crash course in epidemiology. Phrases like “percent positivity” and ‘flattening the curve,’ once academic, are now common vernacular. Given our community’s newfound education in public health science, we should be gravely concerned about […]
We can unhook from oil and gas wars with solar
By Anthony Smith Full disclosure, I’m a reformed oil trader now hedging energy costs with solar for public serving entities. As it turns out, our company’s solar work is reducing our vulnerability to oil wars and creating clean energy jobs in coal country to support the transition to a renewable energy economy. In its early […]
Fully fund our schools
By Ella Shields I thought my middle school years would be filled with drama, craziness and immature boys. However, my experience at Binford Middle School in Richmond was difficult in other ways due to the facilities and lack of funding. When kids were given glue sticks for classroom work, they were told to share with […]
Virginia has become a climate leader. The Senate is right to ensure it stays that way.
By Anne Kelly The future economy of the U.S. Southeast is being built in Virginia. In just the last two years, the commonwealth has adopted a bevy of policies that are rapidly transforming it into the region’s leader on renewable energy and the electric vehicle future. Seizing this role was, of course, a climate imperative […]
Virginia deserves a comprehensive gun violence solution
By Valerie Slater Virginia communities deserve a comprehensive solution to the increase in violence that has come in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Richmond just suffered the highest number of homicides in 15 years, and cities around the commonwealth are similarly struggling. This violence disproportionately impacts communities of color, whose voices must also come first […]