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Curbing killings also means changing culture
Anti-violence groups in the commonwealth, spurred on by a national organization started by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, have staked a claim for tens of millions of dollars in federal pandemic and economy-boosting money at the General Assembly’s disposal. The fledgling Virginia Community Violence Coalition has made a smart, critical bid for $37 million of […]
A clearer picture is emerging of Glenn Youngkin
It was difficult, at first, figuring out who Glenn Youngkin is. The Republican nominee for governor in Virginia has been something of a chameleon so far, hard to characterize, often evasive on positions. You get the sense this is no accident, that the candidate and his campaign would prefer to spout pithy platitudes – “We […]
More smiles. More health. More life.
Kyle Willis is the poster man for the importance of maintaining healthy teeth. Not “poster child.” The 24-year-old’s story is one sadly shared by too many low-income adults across the country, though not always with the tragic outcome Willis endured. It’s astounding what he experienced could happen in the United States. That’s why a new […]
Partisanship, race play too much of a role in recall efforts around Virginia
When supporters of a rarely used tactic to remove a politician from office – in this case, state Sen. Louise Lucas – feel compelled to say the effort isn’t racially motivated, be very, very suspicious. After all, recall efforts of local and state elected officials in Virginia in recent years have often spotlighted African-American politicians. […]
Yes scams are numbingly commonplace. But since people keep falling for them, it’s crucial to spotlight the grifters.
I hope there’s a special place in hell reserved for the ringleader of an overseas scam that fleeced thousands of Americans — mostly the elderly — of an eye-popping $10 million. They included a Chesterfield County woman, listed in federal court records as “VICTIM #1,” who was taken for nearly a half-million dollars. That was […]
Overcoming vaccine hesitancy with FOMO
Too many people in Virginia and nationwide are refusing the COVID-19 vaccines that can help us quash the current pandemic. It’s a dying shame. That’s not a misprint. As I write this, about 600,000 Americans have perished since February 2020 from the disease. The rate of deaths, though, have dropped considerably since the advent of […]
System ‘needs to be broken’: Pharrell Williams launching Norfolk private school
Virginia Beach native and multiple Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams has announced he’ll create a private school in Norfolk initially aimed at third-to-fifth-graders from low-income families. He will thus become the latest entertainer around the country to spearhead an alternative to traditional schools. It will be called Yellowhab and provide tuition-free education for the original […]
There’s an easy fix for complaints about a labor shortage. Cutting benefits isn’t it.
Prescriptions for getting Virginia back to work, written by two business leaders from Hampton Roads, are so tone deaf and offensive that I wondered if they were serious. The leaders of their local chambers of commerce — one of whom has pocketed an annual compensation package of nearly $300,000 — wrote recently that the commonwealth […]
Do you believe us now?
“Do you believe us now?” That’s what Black people are saying across Virginia about the way people of color are stopped, sweated and searched by law-enforcement officers in the state. Often based on racial profiling. Often due to nothing more than a whim. First came the now-viral video of two Windsor patrol officers and their […]
Virginia should jettison its special privileges for lawyer-lawmakers
Billy Robinson Jr., the brilliant, late legislator-attorney, was the worst abuser of a state law that allows repeated delays if court dates conflict with time periods surrounding General Assembly sessions and committee meetings. News stories on the Norfolk Democrat — chronicling complaints from crime victims and prosecutors in cases Robinson handled — were plentiful during […]
The pride of Maggie Walker H.S., Norfolk State finally gets his due
Bob Dandridge, a true son of Virginia, never strayed too far from the commonwealth — before, during or after his illustrious NBA career. That makes Sunday’s announcement that the 13-year veteran was selected, finally, to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame all the more special. The question is what took so long. The smooth-shooting […]
Take it from a former fast-food worker, the minimum wage increase is way overdue
Here’s a story for all the folks who thought Virginia shouldn’t have raised its minimum wage this month to $9.50 an hour, from the previous rate of $7.25. It’s the first increase in a dozen years in Virginia, which had followed the federal standard. Yours truly entered the workforce back in high school, toiling at […]