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The Weekender: Virginia opinions
Our round-up of commentary from around Virginia: Mercury commentary you might have missed: Ivy Main reminded readers about why biomass isn’t a great deal for power customers and the environment. Guest columnist Bobby Vassar warned Democrats against succumbing to gerrymandering temptation. And I had some thoughts on law-abiding gun owners who won’t abide any new gun laws. Speaking of “Second Amendment […]
Prison guards strip search 8-year-old girl; Judge set to take up LG Justin Fairfax’s defamation suit; a coal town tries to reinvent itself and more headlines
NEWS TO KNOW Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere. • Guards at Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn strip-searched an 8-year-old girl, who “was led to believe refusal would result in not being allowed to see her father.” A Department of Corrections spokeswoman called it “deeply troubling” and “a breach in our protocol.”—The Virginian-Pilot • […]
‘Law-abiding’ gun owners say they won’t abide any new laws
The irony is lost on them, apparently. For years, as they successfully argued to block new gun restrictions in the GOP-controlled General Assembly, gun rights groups talked about the horrific injustice that would be perpetrated on “law-abiding” gun owners by the passage of any new gun law, including the onerous imposition that they be required […]
The Weekender: our round-up of opinion from across Virginia
Mercury commentary ICYMI: Bob Lewis delved into whether Democrats will stick to the plan on a new redistricting commission to thwart gerrymandering or abandon it now that they have the keys to castle in 2021. Roger Chesley drew disappointing parallels between the the pair of gun-related reports released earlier this month: one on the mass […]
Report: As admissions surge, some state mental hospitals are understaffed, lack overtime policies
At a time when involuntary admissions to state mental hospitals are spiking, a review by state inspectors found that nearly half of the state’s 13 facilities do not have an approved policy that limits hours or consecutive days of overtime for increasingly overworked nurses and other staff. The report also says more than half of […]
The Weekender: a round-up of opinion and commentary from across Virginia
The Weekender: a round-up of opinion and commentary from across Virginia In Mercury commentary you might have missed, Bob Lewis noted that Virginia is increasingly looking more like two states than one because of growing “economic, cultural and demographic differences.” Guest columnist Irène Mathieu, a pediatrician, listed the risks of the proposed Cumberland County mega landfill […]
The Weekender: post-election edition
The Weekender: a round-up of opinion and commentary across Virginia The aftermath: Tuesday saw a seismic election for Virginia, giving Democrats full control of state government for the first time since 1993. Commentary on what it means and what comes next dominated opinion pages in the ensuing days. From the Mercury: My thoughts on the big […]
Northam: How do you like me now?
What a world of a difference nine months and an election make. In February, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam was fighting for his political life, with the blackface revelation and his less-than-inspiring response prompting widespread calls for his resignation from many in his party, which captured control of the General Assembly Tuesday for the first time […]
Virginia voters head to the polls today to decide control of the Capitol
After all the ugly mailers, the deluge of money and the nonstop loop of nasty attack ads, Election Day is here. Virginia voters will elect all 140 members of the General Assembly today, with Republicans hoping to defend razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate and Democrats aiming to capture control of state government for […]
THE WEEKENDER: a round-up of opinion and commentary across Virginia
Election Day is almost here. From mailers to TV spots, the mud is flying fast and furious, spurred by sky-high levels of campaign spending. It’s all a reminder of what’s at stake Tuesday: control of the Capitol. Mercury columnist Bob Lewis, a veteran former AP statehouse reporter, explained in his first column for us why this year is […]
The Weekender: a round-up of opinions from across Virginia
Mercury commentary you might have missed: Roger Chesley reminded elected officials, who often seem to view themselves as indispensable, that they’re all replaceable. And, in a guest op-ed, attorney Jon Sokolow made the connection between the long-running struggle for civil rights and the fight against Dominion Energy’s proposed Buckingham compressor station, part of the Atlantic Coast […]
The Weekender: Impeachment, eulogies, guns, gubbins and more
The Weekender: a round-up of opinions from across Virginia. Mercury commentary this week that you might have missed: If there’s a tie election this year in a House of Delegates or Senate race, we’re still going to the bowl (a random drawing). But that needs to change, I argue. Roger Chesley says a judge’s decision striking down Virginia’s requirement to identify […]