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Should my child get the COVID-19 vaccine? 7 questions answered by a pediatric infectious disease expert
By Dr. Debbie-Ann Shirley, University of Virginia The Food and Drug Administration expanded emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 to 15 years of age on May 10. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed with recommendations endorsing use in this age group after their advisory group meeting on […]
The Colonial Pipeline cyber attack and the SolarWinds hack were all but inevitable. Why national cyber defense is a ‘wicked’ problem
By Terry Thompson, Johns Hopkins University The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline on May 7 exemplifies the huge challenges the U.S. faces in shoring up its cyber defenses. The private company, which controls a significant component of the U.S. energy infrastructure and supplies nearly half of the East Coast’s liquid fuels, was vulnerable to an […]
Fixing flood woes made harder by Virginia’s Constitution
By Skip Stiles About this time, every four years, I am reminded of the cruel trick that Virginia’s Constitution plays on those of us working on the commonwealth’s nagging issues. It seems we’re just making progress when our one-term, four-year governor has to leave office. Virginia’s short, single term for governor is unique in the […]
Give us a path to citizenship
By Sun Hee Choi On Mother’s Day, I took Sunday off because my daughter wanted me to go to her college graduation. I felt pride when I saw her in a cap and gown. But because of my undocumented status, I cannot relax. I have been living in the U.S. for almost 17 years. As […]
Do we want to enable fossil fuel amateurs?
By Beth Kreydatus State agencies have good reasons to uphold regulatory standards when fossil fuel developers propose big new projects in Virginia. First of all, it’s the law. But after watching the destructive chaos unfold in Texas this February, we know that regulations protect citizens from significant economic risks and ensure steady access to affordable […]
Make the survival of Black mothers a priority
By Tyran Green Today in Virginia, Black mothers like me still struggle to survive having children. Virginia’s maternal mortality rate for Black mothers is more than twice what it ought to be (compared with White mothers). That’s the statistic, but people need to know what it’s like to be a young, pregnant, Black person in […]
Dominion should provide transparency on lobbying expenditures
By Freeda Cathcart Dominion Energy shareholders today have an opportunity to vote on a shareholder resolution calling for a full disclosure of the company’s lobbying activities and expenditures. “We believe in full disclosure of Dominion’s direct and indirect lobbying activities and expenditures to assess whether Dominion’s lobbying is consistent with its expressed goals and in […]
What the United States can learn from Canada’s cannabis clarity
By Michael J. Armstrong and Paul Seaborn The inherent contradictions of American cannabis laws seem to appear in the news almost every week. At the state level, for example, Virginia recently became the latest jurisdiction to allow adult cannabis use, effective this July 1. But just days later, a court upheld United States federal tax laws that […]
Virginia’s GOP gambles on creative ranked-choice voting for 2021 nominees
By Mark J. Rozell The Republican Party of Virginia has a chance this year to reestablish itself as a competitive force in statewide elections. After a dozen years without a statewide victory, the GOP leadership needed to take a careful look within to understand why voters have turned their backs on the once dominant political party […]
A battle of borrowed status
By Makya Renée Little A few years back, I visited upstate New York with a friend to celebrate the medical school graduation of another friend. We both forgot to pack lotion and decided to grab some on our way to the celebration. Unfortunately, the pump on the bottle was defective. Sensing my frustration, my friend […]
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine: A doctor explains why benefits far outweigh risks
Q & A with William Petri, University of Virginia Editor’s Note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration lifted the pause on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on April 23, 2021, but the labels and fact sheets given to patients will carry a warning about the exceedingly low […]
A focus on equity this Earth Day
By Mark Hoggard and Aliya Farooq As we move toward Earth Day 2021, we do so in the shadow of Derek Chauvin’s trial in the murder of George Floyd and remembering countless victims of police violence who sparked last summer’s protests. Last week, a police officer right here in Virginia has been fired after pointing […]