Commentary
Navigating asbestos: the silent threat affecting Navy veterans in Va. and beyond
By Cristina Johnson Navy veterans have always been known for their resilience, commitment and unwavering dedication to protecting our nation’s interests. Yet, as these brave men and women transition into civilian life after their years of service, many find themselves facing a different kind of battle, one that is often invisible and insidious: the […]
Preparing for the unexpected
By MaryAnn E. Tierney As an emergency manager, I spend my day preparing the mid-Atlantic for the unexpected – and in my work, the unexpected can be deadly. A summer shower can quickly turn to dangerous flash flooding. A dropped cigarette can ignite a wildfire. A hurricane can make landfall on the Gulf Coast and […]
Appreciation: ‘Sin lobbyist’ Charlie Davis
It’s hard to imagine the ecosystem of Virginia’s General Assembly in the late decades of the 1900s and the first couple of the 21st century without Charlie Davis, known and universally celebrated as “the sin lobbyist.” He animated the place. Charlie, a smooth urbanite who never strayed too far from his Rocky Mount, Virginia roots, […]
Kerfuffle over Christian prayer at board meeting is overblown
Publicity surrounding the temporary shutdown of a recent school board meeting in Suffolk – sparked by a citizen asking if she could pray publicly for the division as the 2023-24 year approached – is yet the latest example of some Christians complaining they’re under siege in America. They’re not. Especially when Christians account for nearly […]
In Harrisonburg, reconnecting Northeast will help heal urban renewal’s old wounds
Before 1960, Harrisonburg’s Northeast neighborhood was a vibrant, predominantly Black community filled with homes, businesses and families striving toward a brighter future during the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement. But starting in the 1960s, the dreams and progress of many of those Northeast families were crushed by the city’s urban renewal projects, which destroyed […]
Utility-scale solar is coming to a farm near you
By Robert “Bobby” Whitescarver We are undergoing a wonderful, historic, frustrating and devastating transition to renewable energy. Solar panels will be on buildings and parking lots, and in highway medians, landfills, and brownfields. Utility-scale solar should be installed in those places before we put it on farmland. But that’s not what’s happening. Like it or […]
Be careful what information you post about children on social media
By Neera Doss Burner The internet has become a part of our daily life. Whether you access it on a computer, or a mobile device such as a cell phone or tablet, the internet has opened doors for us. Unfortunately, there can be scary surprises behind some of those doors. We pay a price to […]
A bright spot at the intersection of farming, electric vehicles and solar energy
The energy transition is in full swing across the U.S. and the world, but the changes now underway are not simple or linear. In an economy as complex and connected as ours, progress in one area will often affect other parts of the economy, creating winners and losers. And then there are the changes that […]
Eminent domain’s long-ago racism still hinders African Americans today
More than a half-century ago, several colleges in Virginia benefited by usurping the onetime properties of Black people. The cruel irony? Those African Americans whose homes were snatched, often legally by utilizing eminent domain, weren’t welcomed at those same universities. Those property seizures are a stain on the commonwealth. They were racist in result – […]
Much of the maligning of Susanna Gibson is rooted in misogyny
You’ve probably heard Susanna Gibson’s name mentioned a lot this week. Headlines blared the torrid news about Gibson, a Democratic candidate running to represent the 57th District in Virginia’s House of Delegates: She performed sex acts with her husband for an online audience and asked viewers to chip in tips, a violation of porn site […]
Power of the disability vote
By Helena Berger The seventh annual Disability Voting Rights Week is being celebrated throughout the United States this week. Across Virginia, organizations collaborating with REV UP Virginia — a non-partisan, statewide coalition of disabled individuals, disability organizations, and ally groups working collectively to increase the political power of disabled Virginians — are holding events to […]
Violence benights another shared treasure of our communities: Friday night’s lights
Remember the thrill of getting ready for Friday night’s football game against your archrival? The pep rallies. A bonfire. Players wear their jerseys to school on game day. Storefronts in small towns are festooned in school colors. Occasionally, even a parade! Then it’s almost game time. As the setting sun bathes the field in a […]