Author: James A. Bacon
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What if COVID-19 Never Goes Away?
by James A. Bacon Here’s a question my wife and I have been asking ourselves recently: What if COVID-19 doesn’t go away? From the beginning of the epidemic, we assumed that we (along with the rest of the country) were enduring a temporary inconvenience. We’d hunker down, restrict our social interactions, wear masks in indoor…
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Why Have Nursing Home Outbreaks Continued?
by Carol J. Bova In a July 29 tele-press conference, Dr. Norman Oliver, Virginia’s Commissioner of Health, said, “We’ve made a concerted effort at testing in nursing homes and other congregate settings. … We’ve done 456 such point prevalence surveys [PPS] covering all of our skilled nursing facilities and correctional facilities.” As of June 5th,…
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BE HEARD Act Could Cripple Virginia Small Businesses
by Hans Bader Small businesses in Virginia could face a very different business climate next year due to Joe Biden’s support for laws like the BE HEARD Act. It could easily become law if Democrats take control of Congress and the presidency (as most pollsters expect). Under the BE HEARD Act, even the tiniest employers…
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Bashing the Beach
by Kerry Dougherty I love Virginia Beach. This cul-de-sac by the sea has been home since 1984. We locals might complain about the place — greedy developers, corrupt politicians, no waves — but we don’t much like elitist outsiders blowing into town and bashing us after they leave. And that’s just what one man did…
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The Tide of Protests Has Crested
Judging by the number of local requests for state assistance, the George Floyd-inspired protest movements are losing momentum. This chart documents the number of incidents since Governor Ralph Northam declared a State of Emergency “in response to widespread First Amendment protests and civil arrest.” The chart comes from a euphemistically named “First Amendment Events” dashboard…
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Good Schools as Rural Development Magnets
by James A. Bacon An enduring question in Virginia’s economic development community is how to revitalize the state’s rural counties. Traditional rural industries such as farming, mining, timbering, and light manufacturing are shrinking. Young people are leaving to seek better career opportunities elsewhere, and few people are moving in to replace them. A contracting workforce…
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About that Shiny New Contact Tracing App…
by Kerry Dougherty After months of being next to last nationally – in COVID-19 testing – Virginia is finally first in something: A brand new contact tracing app. Yippee! “Virginia officials on Wednesday launched a smartphone app that uses Bluetooth technology to alert people when they have come in contact with someone who has tested…
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Dueling Biographies
I present here two readable accounts of Robert E. Lee, his tenure as president of Washington College, and his claims upon the modern imagination. The first was written by Washington & Lee journalism professor Toni Locy in a piece published in The Nation magazine, and the second by Al Eckes, W&L class of 1964, in…
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Still Asking: Who Is NAH LLC?
Jim Bacon talks to John Reid with WRVA’s Richmond Morning News about NAH LLC, its $1.8 million contract to take down the Confederate statues, the mystery of who owns the company, and whether Mayor Levar Stoney followed proper procurement policy in hiring the company.
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Will COVID-19 Spark a U.S. Manufacturing Renaissance?
by James A. Bacon Will the COVID-19 epidemic inspire the “re-shoring” of manufacturing to the United States and a revitalization of the U.S. manufacturing economy? If so, that could be great news for Virginia communities bet on manufacturing as a source of economic development. The story is not a simple one. Several commentators in the…
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With All the COVID-Relief Money Flowing, Why Is There an Eviction Crisis?
by James A. Bacon We’ve been living with the COVID-19 epidemic in Virginia for more than four months now. Given the fact that hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens have lost their jobs, it should not surprise us that some have had trouble paying their rent. But I am surprised to read that Virginia…
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Trust the USPS With the Next Election?
by Kerry Dougherty I’m playing postman, I thought a couple of weeks ago as I delivered mail to four of my neighbors. That was the day that every single envelope in my mailbox was addressed to someone else. It was a record. Usually there are no more than one or two wayward envelopes. Our regular…
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Lane Waives Public School Accreditation
Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane has exercised “emergency authority” to waive annual public school accreditation for the 2021-22 school year. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, public schools sent kids home early last spring and canceled the Standards of Learning (SOL) exams. Student performance on SOL tests in English, math and science are key metrics…
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As Deadline Approaches, JMU Enrollments Look Good
by James A. Bacon The big question college administrators are asking right now is how many students will enroll in their institutions this fall? A consumer revolt against the high cost of attending a four-year residential college was brewing even before the COVID-19 epidemic. Now many parents are questioning whether it makes sense to take…
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Hospitals Made Their Bed, but They Don’t Like Laying in It
by James A. Bacon The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association has joined the Virginia College of Emergency physicians in suing the state Medicaid program over emergency budget cuts that they claim will cost them $55 million in reduced Medicaid payments, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The cuts will create hardship for hospitals already struggling with increased…