Commentary
This Virginia teen is saving our skin
More than 7,300 miles separate Virginia from Ethiopia, the birthplace of Hemen Bekele, a Fairfax teen newly named “America’s Top Young Scientist” for his potentially groundbreaking invention of skin cancer-fighting soap. Despite the distance, Bekele keeps his homeland close to his heart and credits it as his inspiration for creating a soap designed to treat […]
Teacher’s lawsuit should force needed re-examination of workers’ comp, classroom violence
Beyond the arguments over whether a former Newport News teacher can sue for damages, or should instead be limited to the remedies in Virginia’s restrictive, century-old Workers’ Compensation Act, lies this reality: No educator should ever be the victim of a shooting by a student – especially when the child is only 6 years old. […]
Why it’s better to let counties review solar projects case-by-case
A journey through rural Virginia, especially the Southside, will reveal that large-scale solar development is widespread. As of October 2023, around 200 projects have been approved at the county level, totaling over 7,000 megawatts AC (MWac) in electrical generation, and there were 27 projects in commercial operation statewide. Many forthcoming projects are in the process […]
The future of D.C. Metro depends on Va. lawmakers doing the right thing
Northern Virginia is among the fastest growing regions of the state, in part due to its proximity to our nation’s capital. As state lawmakers in Richmond look ahead to the future, a well-functioning Washington, D.C. Metro system – which includes multiple rail lines, bus routes, and paratransit into Virginia – is essential for continued economic […]
Nurse practitioners can help increase Virginians’ access to behavioral health care
In September, Centra opened Virginia’s first emPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing) unit in Lynchburg, and last month, Riverside Health System opened Virginia’s first psychiatric emergency department in Hampton. With one in five adults receiving some kind of behavioral health care, and the U.S. Surgeon General calling youth mental health a public health crisis, […]
The quiet resolve of election eve: a remembrance
This time tomorrow, Virginia voters will be busy electing a new General Assembly in another of the elections we hold every November. Here, we never take a year off. This evening, before the polls open, take a stroll if you can through your neighborhood. Maybe even drive around your community — roll the window down, […]
Governor’s mismanagement of voting process continues as Election Day looms
Officials in Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration, including the de facto state Republican Party chief himself, can’t get voting right in Virginia. The latest piece of evidence is the purging of nearly 3,400 citizens who, as former felons, had had their voting rights restored. They were then incorrectly taken off the rolls because of probation violations […]
Ally is a verb: supporting Va.’s LGBTQ+ students
We are nearly through the first semester, with Thanksgiving break around the corner. This year, Virginia students and teachers have had to bear in mind new policies – policies that have divided communities. Unfortunately, barriers and biases against transgender and nonbinary youth have persisted in the ongoing debate as to whether they have a right […]
How to fix the broken political system that led to a Speaker-less House
Well, we finally have a new Speaker of the House of Representatives. After more than three weeks of intra-party strife, Republicans voted unanimously to elect Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana. This marks the longest period of time (mid-session) that the House has ever gone without a Speaker. This rudderlessness in our most powerful governing body […]
Republicans nationwide could follow Virginia’s lead on early voting
By Chris McIsaac and Robert Melvin When Democrats were in power in 2020, Virginia enacted one of the longest early voting periods of any state. Now, Governor Glenn Youngkin and GOP candidates for the Virginia legislature are seeking to capitalize on this law to propel themselves to a Republican trifecta of state government control by […]
One year in, what has Gov. Youngkin’s Partnership for Petersburg delivered?
When Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced last month that a new mobile supermarket would be setting up shop in the city as part of the one year anniversary festivities of his Partnership for Petersburg initiative, residents’ reactions ranged from celebratory to concern. Would the new tractor-trailer grocery help close a decades-old food desert or was the […]
A Democratic conundrum as Spanberger aims at the Executive Mansion’s glass ceiling
Is it selfish for Democrats in Congress to want Abigail Spanberger to stay put in her hard-won seat representing Virginia’s notoriously purple 7th U.S. House district? Is it selfish for Democrats on Capitol Square to want her to leave Capitol Hill and proclaim her candidacy for governor in 2025? News reports say Spanberger has told […]