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Virginia sets an example on voting rights
Virginia is setting the pace for what a state should do to ensure a person’s race, color, or language aren’t barriers to exercise the ability to vote. It’s among the most cherished rights of citizenship in America. Legislators in the General Assembly passed a bill — awaiting Gov. Ralph Northam’s expected signature — that, along […]
We can, and must, do more to protect women from deadly domestic violence
If ever there were a case in which a known abuser of women had clearly telegraphed the intent to kill someone he’d dated, then Mark O’Leary would be Exhibit A. The 40-year-old felon now faces first-degree murder, felony firearm and other charges in the slaying of his estranged partner, Sammi Jo Burkhart, in Chesapeake in […]
Officials should have been more forthcoming on investigation into woman’s death after vaccination
Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver assured me this week that the death of Drene Keyes of Gloucester, just a few hours after she got a COVID-19 vaccination, was properly investigated by the state — even if there wasn’t a full autopsy. “When a medical examiner takes on a case, it’s not an autopsy versus […]
Get your vaccine when you can
I understand the wariness so many people harbor toward the new vaccines to fight the coronavirus. Some segments of the population, especially Black Americans, can point to a litany of egregious medical incidents over the decades, including sinister neglect, mistreatment and lack of consent for specific medical procedures. There could be questions about the speed […]
No more ‘no way’ on all police investigative records
We don’t have to. So we ain’t gonna. That’s been the response by law-enforcement agencies in Virginia to requests for records and details from the public, virtually all of the time. The state’s feckless Freedom of Information Act provides an easy escape hatch for many government agencies, including police. Unless FOIA requires police departments to […]
Trying to keep people away from the ballot box isn’t a winning strategy
Consider the following: A profligate prevaricator, the de facto capo of the Republican Party, spouted lie after lie in both the run-up to and after the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump was abetted by craven acolytes who knew better, and conspiracy theorists — in public office both in Virginia and elsewhere — for whom facts […]
Full vaccination of staff should be a prerequisite for going back to schools
Nearly everyone wants schoolchildren back in classrooms around the commonwealth as soon as possible, since they’ve coped with roughly a year of the pandemic and less-than-perfect teaching substitutes. Note my use of the word, “nearly.” More on that later. Gov. Ralph Northam wants a return to in-person studies, though he has only the bully pulpit […]
Save the checks for those who need them most
President Joe Biden wants to supercharge the sputtering economy, vaccinate millions of Americans against COVID-19, and help people by issuing another round of stimulus checks. He and members of Congress are grappling with the best way to do that, and Republicans have offered less-expensive alternatives to the president’s $1.9 trillion plan. I have a suggestion […]
‘Anything goes’ in Virginia when it comes to campaign donations
Which came first: a state legislator’s stance on an issue, or a campaign contribution? This quasi-“chicken-or-the-egg” question arises whenever lawmakers accept money from people and corporations with business before the Virginia General Assembly. Correlation isn’t always causation, as one researcher reminded me. Yet “coincidences” are simply too striking to ignore. Nor would you expect contributors […]
Holding local elections in the fall is the right move
You can hear the passion in Jeanne Hanewich’s voice any time she discusses citizen participation in local government. Nor is this a topic the Chesapeake stay-at-home mother — and former paralegal — just took up. She’s worked for several years to get Chesapeake to move local elections — for City Council, School Board and mayor […]
Republicans have no business talking about the integrity of elections
Claims by Republican legislators in Virginia about “voter integrity” can sound so, so seductive — until you peel back the layers of their arguments. Electoral policies often are near the surface when the General Assembly convenes, as it did Wednesday. Among the areas of debate this time: Democrats, including Gov. Ralph Northam, want to amend […]
Alden sets its sights on Tribune and a shudder runs through what’s left of two Virginia newspapers
People who value local journalism should be trembling at the announcement that a notorious hedge fund — dedicated to wringing out every last penny of profit moreso than informing the public — has targeted Tribune Publishing. The Chicago-based company’s media outlets include The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, billed as the state’s largest newspaper, and the (Newport […]