Author: James A. Bacon
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Uh, Oh, Another Bad Year for VRS Investments
by James A. Bacon The Virginia Retirement System earned 1.4% on its $82 billion investment portfolio in fiscal year 2020, far below the long-term average of 6.75% the VRS Board of Trustees assumes that it will earn over the next 30 years, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. VRS investments have returned 5.2% over the past three…
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Arlington Scraps Sidewalk Restrictions
by James A. Bacon Apparently, motorcycle riders and MAGA hat wearers are not the only people who resist complying with measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Yesterday the Arlington County Board repealed its ordinance restricting sidewalk gatherings after it was met “with defiance, confrontation and hostility,” reports the Washington Post. The Board…
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Northern Virginia Still Dominates Data Centers
by James A. Bacon Northern Virginia accounted for 64% of wholesale data-center construction in the U.S. during the first half of 2020, as measured by megawatts of electric power consued, according to a CBRE report, “Data Centers Critical to Business Operations.” The construction trend reinforces the region’s role as the biggest, baddest center for data…
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More Bad News for Our Local Newspapers
by Kerry Dougherty Yes, yes, we all complain about the local newspaper. Its editorials are too liberal. The news coverage is too thin. Mistakes are too frequent. No one can deny that The Virginian-Pilot is a shadow of what it was 15 years ago when the paper was humming with reporters and editors, when its…
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Metro’s Latest Breakdown: Control Room Operations
by James A. Bacon The Silver Line extension of the Washington Metro might not open on time. The latest problem, according to Greater Greater Washington, is that the commuter rail system may not be able to hire, train and retain enough rail controllers to operate the system safely. The Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) oversees…
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Mass Transit as the Newest Entitlement
by James A. Bacon Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has proposed eliminating all transit fares, and in a sign of how far left the City of Richmond’s political center of gravity has moved, his two main competitors in the mayoral race, Kim Gray and Alexsis Rodgers, support the idea. The city suspended fares during the COVID-19…
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The Media Meltdown Accelerates
by James A. Bacon First Norfolk’s Virginian-Pilot merged with the Daily Press in Newport News. Then, the parent company, Tribune Publishing Co., closed the Pilot’s Norfolk office, telling reporters, editors and other employees they could work either at the Pilot’s press operation in Virginia Beach or the Daily Press office across the river. Then, Tribune…
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Another Bust: $90 Million Spent on Industrial Megasites
by James A. Bacon Virginia’s Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission has invested $90 million to develop seven industrial “mega-sites” in Southside and Southwest Virginia, but so far only two sites have attracted tenants, reports the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) in a review of state economic-development incentives, “Infrastructure and Regional Incentives.” The two “successful”…
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Coal Severance Tax Credits Obsolete, JLARC Says
by James A. Bacon Virginia’s coal tax credits are obsolete, cannot forestall the decline of coal mining in the state, and should be eliminated, finds the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission in a new report, “Infrastructure and Regional Incentives.” The state provides two tax credits to encourage coal production: The Coalfield Employment Enhancement Tax…
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Ray of Hope in Virginia Senate
by Kerry Dougherty It’s not much. But it’s something. An anemic attempt to rein in some of the unfettered emergency powers that are being exercised by Virginia officials. I’m referring to the unanimous vote to pass SB5025 late last week by the Virginia Senate. This is one of the very few measures before the General Assembly…
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VCU Health to Launch Voter-Registration Drive on Hospital Premises
by James A. Bacon The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System has informed employees that it will participate in the VotER Initiative to encourage patients to register to vote and vote by mail. “A large body of research tells us that sick Americans are less likely to vote,” commences the communication from Sheryl L. Garland, chief…
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Media Waters Getting Colder and Colder
The shrinkage of newsrooms at Virginia’s commercial newspapers continues apace. Lee Enterprises, owners of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Daily Progress, and Roanoke Times, among other newspapers, have confirmed another round of layoffs. The RTD has eliminated positions for a business reporter, a photojournalist, a multimedia content provider, and a sports producer. Meanwhile, Iowa-based Lee Enterprises has…
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Protesters, Stay Away from Hospital ERs
by Kerry Dougherty Since Virginia’s lawmakers are determined to waste our money and their time on a special session in Richmond where they’re ramming through laws that should wait until they officially meet again in January, here’s one more to put on their list: How about making it a felony — with mandatory prison time…
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Will Virginia Teach Critical Race Theory to Kindergartners?
by Hans Bader This week, the Virginia Board of Education will meet to discuss a report that may promote destructive racial ideologies — the August 2020 “Report from the Governor’s African American History Education Commission.” James Sherlock laments “the fiercely negative approach to the teaching of African American history offered by the Governor’s Commission.” He…
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School Closings Reflect Ideology, Not Safety
by Hans Bader Schools in liberal northern Virginia and the state’s other metropolitan areas are currently educating students only online. In Virginia’s most conservative counties, students usually have access to some instruction in-person. In-person instruction is easier for elementary school students. They often have difficulty with remote learning, which can require mastery of electronic devices and concentrating…