Commentary
Virginia, there’s lots of people to be thankful for this year
Delena Buffalow took a gander at the two turkeys in the tub before her. She seized them by the drumsticks and gave them a sanitizing dip in vinegar and water. Buffalow said Sunday she’d also rinse the generous-sized gobblers in this pantry-kitchen. The building, in a Chesapeake shopping center, forms the base of operations for […]
Voters may have elected Biden to be ‘normal’, but they also need action
In the fallout over this month’s crushing elections, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger took President Joe Biden to task: “Nobody elected him to be F.D.R.,” she snipped to The New York Times. “They elected him to be normal and stop the chaos.” Biden, of course, won a solid victory over Donald Trump, but nothing close to […]
In Virginia, why can corporations treat animals in ways that would land individuals in jail?
“Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” – Mark Twain Who doesn’t see red reading the solid reporting that Kate Masters presented in the Mercury last week about allegedly inhumane treatment of beagles at a corporate dog-breeding facility in Cumberland? I certainly did. […]
What’s behind the bus driver shortage?
The good news for Blacksburg Transit is that demand for bus service has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. The bad news is that it has 20 percent fewer drivers than they need to reliably run their full schedule of service. “We went from carrying 4.6 million riders annually to last year carrying just 25 percent […]
Infrastructure law: High-speed internet is as essential as water and electricity
By Hernán Galperin, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nov. 15 was hailed by the White House and advocates as a historic investment to improve internet access in America. As a researcher who studies internet policy and digital inequality, I […]
When gun violence and domestic violence intertwine: Overhaul a culture of disdain and disrespect
Weep for Nicole Lovewine, 45; her longtime partner, Detra Brown, 42; and Sara Costine, 44. All three were gunned down, and two other women wounded, in a spasm of rage that Norfolk law-enforcement authorities say was linked to domestic violence. I could’ve said “three women” to start this column. But that trite anonymity tends to […]
Has Virginia’s energy transition hit a roadblock, or just a rough patch of pavement?
The election was a tough day for climate advocates. After two years of historic progress that included passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), the centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s plan to decarbonize the electric sector by 2050, voters handed a narrow victory to its critics. Republicans take over as governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general […]
The Virginia Supreme Court won’t let us down
By Thomas Wolf, Esq. This is for my fellow Democrats who fear having Virginia’s redistricting map determined by the Virginia Supreme Court, all of whose members were elected by a Republican-controlled house of the General Assembly. Don’t worry. Having practiced before that court, interacted with its members in person, and read their opinions for more […]
How rural Virginia made itself politically relevant again
It’s been a while since rural Virginia could claim it was heard in the corridors of state government power in Richmond as the populous northern Virginia and eastern suburbs turned the commonwealth a deeper hue of blue with each passing election. Until the second day of November this year, the last time most of ROVA […]
Why are prices spiking? Blame the supply chain.
By Craig Austin, Florida International University Consumer prices soared in October 2021 and are now up 6.2 percent from a year earlier — higher than most economists’ estimates and the fastest increase in more than three decades. At this point, that may be no surprise to most Americans, who are seeing higher prices while shopping for […]
Mountain Valley Pipeline has a terrible record. Why would regulators let it go forward?
By Richard Shingles Mountain Valley Pipeline is not a done deal. Much depends on the deliberations of Virginia’s State Water Control Board. The Department of Environmental Quality has written a draft permit to provide Mountain Valley Pipeline with what is effectively blanket permission to dig trenches for a 42-inch diameter buried pipe through 144 Virginia […]
Veterans Day: How crosses and mementos help these Marines remember fallen comrades
By Katrina Finkelstein and Derek H. Alderman On Veterans Day, people across America will thank veterans and active-duty military personnel for their service. But many members of the public don’t have a clear understanding of what service means to people in the military. How do they honor their own? What kind of spaces and activities […]