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Trump, Northam pay lip service to safety for workers at meat processing plants
You can tell a lot about a person by assessing his priorities. So it’s clear President Donald Trump places a greater value on beef, pork and chicken than he does on human life. It could be due to his love for Quarter Pounders and other fast food. Think that’s hyperbole? Consider this: Trump hesitated to […]
Before calling for reopening economies, ask yourselves who’s expendable
Here’s a question for all those people rushing headlong to reopen the U.S. economy, some of whom protested in various state capitals over the past week, including here in Virginia. Which one of your children, siblings or parents should be sacrificed on the altar of Wall Street so that consumer spending can return to normal […]
Amid virus, volunteers pitch in
Feelings of helplessness have enveloped Priscilla Stephens throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. The new coronavirus is ravaging nations around the globe and communities across America. But how could she fight back? Stephens decided to become one of hundreds – perhaps thousands – of Virginians who have stepped up recently by volunteering across the commonwealth. The retired […]
Are cameras on the way to stop speeders – or merely to boost municipal coffers?
Lead foots around Virginia, beware: State legislators have just made it tougher for you to break speed limits with impunity, at least in certain circumstances. The General Assembly this week passed a bill allowing state and local police to use speed cameras in school and highway work zones. Go at least 10 miles above the […]
The ‘city that cares’ is now Virginia’s second-largest
I bet you can name the largest city in many states across America. But what about the second largest? California’s is easy: San Diego trails Los Angeles. North Carolina? Many know Raleigh, the state capital, is No. 2 behind Charlotte. What about Virginia? Spoiler alert: The city of Norfolk, long the second city to the […]
Virginia should do away with clause exempting lawmakers from arrest during session
When is a drunken-driving arrest not really a drunken-driving arrest? When a Virginia legislator is behind the wheel — and the General Assembly happens to be in session. Del. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery, knows all about it. A traffic stop involving the delegate has shed some light on a little-known section in the state Constitution. An […]
We know where Pompeo’s propensity for bullying comes from
Here’s a piece of advice for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, one of President Donald Trump’s chief sycophants and enablers: Get an extra layer or two of skin. You’re definitely on the thin side. And bone up on the ground rules that journalists use. You’re way too ignorant of them. Pompeo — who’s obviously in […]
Holidays honoring Lee, Jackson, were always a slap in the face for black people
These are the circumstances black Virginians faced in 1890, the year the General Assembly established the forerunner of Lee-Jackson Day to honor the two Confederate generals from the Civil War: Seven black people had been lynched in the commonwealth just the year before, according to the book “100 Years of Lynchings,” by Ralph Ginzburg. The […]
Cooperative approach on new arena in Hampton Roads is a slam dunk
No one would argue that Hampton Roads is “just fine” without a new arena. Quite the contrary. The two major ones, Hampton Coliseum and the Norfolk Scope, have no more than about 13,000 seats – even fewer depending on the configuration for specific events. Both are roughly a half-century old, and they often look it. […]
Governor’s support of HBCUs laudable, though financial, other struggles continue
Gov. Ralph Northam’s pledge to boost funding for the state’s two, public black universities — assuming the General Assembly agrees — will help counteract decades of state neglect and provide financial flexibility to campus administrators. What it won’t do is solve the ongoing conundrum facing historically black colleges and universities: How do they attract enough […]
Turning to ex-Sen. John Warner, among the last of a breed, as Trump trial looms
We have few honest brokers in Congress anymore. It’s one of the most inarguable statements about the lawmakers sitting in judgment of Donald Trump. The House of Representatives, controlled by Democrats, just approved two articles of impeachment against the president because Trump urged a foreign nation – Ukraine – to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. […]
Pair of firearms reports inspires despair more than hope
Two reports involving guns were released in the past week – one on possible firearms legislation in Richmond, the other studying the horror of the massacre at the Virginia Beach municipal complex this spring. After reading both, call me bewildered. The lack of recommendations from the former, and the absence of “warning signs or prohibited […]