Author: James A. Bacon
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What Cost to Make a 100% Carbon-Free Grid Resilient?
by James A. Bacon The Northam administration has set the goal of achieving a zero-carbon energy grid by 2045, that is, an energy grid that uses zero fossil fuels. Natural gas and coal would be replaced in the Clean Energy Virginia plan Governor Ralph Northam announced yesterday, with “new investments in solar, onshore wind, offshore…
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Homeschooling the New Normal in Loudoun?
by Elise Daniel By trying to please everyone with their COVID-19 response plan, Loudoun County Public Schools are angering most parents. When the LCPS school board voted last week to move forward with a hybrid model for schooling in the fall, it disappointed the majority of parents who voted to keep their children in school…
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Amidst Recession, Some Companies Are Still Investing
by James A. Bacon Tired of reading about COVID-19 and the culture wars? I’m sure tired of writing about them. For a change of pace, let’s focus on something positive. While the coronavirus-related shutdown continues to depress employment in Virginia — and crowd out good economic news — Virginia has landed a slew of economic…
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Northam Backpedals on Nutty School Rules
by Kerry Dougherty I hate to say I told you so, but I did. In early June, Gov. Ralph Northam unveiled rigid guidelines for reopening public schools that guaranteed students would be spending most of their time at home this fall, mouth breathing while staring at their computer screens. None of Northam’s restrictions make sense,…
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Brace Yourself for a Zero-Carbon Electric Grid
The defeat of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is just one battle in the ongoing war against fossil fuels in Virginia. Consider these statements in a column published by Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, in the Virginia Mercury: It’s no longer enough to say you support wind and solar power. You…
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The New Regency, Better than the Old Regency… But Not the Best It Could Be
by James A. Bacon The most important urban redevelopment project in Henrico County is taking place at the old Regency Mall, once a typical suburban mall anchored by department stores, surrounded by acres of asphalt, and disconnected from the shopping centers and neighborhoods around it. Once upon a time, the idea of driving to the…
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Coping with COVID on Campus
by James A. Bacon In a growing movement, more than 900 college and university professors across Virginia have signed a petition demanding the right to decide whether to teach classes this fall in person or online. Faculty members also insisted they be allowed to improve all instructional plans for returning to campus, and that adequate…
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The Truth about George Washington’s Choppers
There’s a new meme about George Washington’s teeth circulating on cable television — I’ve heard it twice in the past couple of days. It once was commonly held that Virginia’s most famous son had a mouth full of wooden teeth. But recent archival research indicates that he wore dentures made of carved hippopotamus ivory —…
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Existential Angst at a University Named After a Confederate General and a Slaveholder
by James A. Bacon The culture wars are raging undiminished at Washington & Lee University, where the university community is struggling over the name of an institution honoring a former Civil War general and a slaveholder. On June 23, President Will Dudley laid out his administration’s priorities to promote diversity and inclusion. Building on the…
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Time to Buy a Gun?
by James A. Bacon I’ve never owned a gun. The last time I shot a rifle, using a 22 for target practice, was about 55 years ago when I was a kid. Guns always made me nervous. I don’t hunt — I don’t like killing animals. Besides, I felt I was far more likely to…
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Northam Administration Targets American Flag
by Kerry Dougherty It’s official. Virginia is run by virtue-signaling morons. Their purpose is clear: They want to kowtow to the lawless elements in society. From paroling murderers to applauding massive protests during lockdowns, the Northam administration has shown little interest in law and order and less in protecting public property. On Friday these government…
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Civil War Statues… Slaveholder Statues… the Flag
This Washington Post story needs no commentary. It speaks for itself. RICHMOND — Construction workers erecting a new office building for Virginia lawmakers unfurled an enormous American flag on the structure this week, just in time for the Fourth of July. But hours after the flag went up, state officials ordered it removed, calling the…
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Virginia’s Latest Folly – Offshore Wind Power
by David Wojick Dominion Energy is planning to begin construction on 2,600 MW of offshore wind generating capacity within the next few years. The wind farm planned off the cost of Virginia Beach would be the largest offshore project in the United States. We are talking about something like 220 giant windmills, embedded in the…
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The COVID Surge — Virginia Hangs Tight
by Verhaal Kenner As of July 1st, Virginia is now in “Phase III” reopening as our state’s COVID cases seem to be almost holding mostly steady despite record daily infections in a few hot spots such as Hampton Roads. Phase III means the reopening of non-essential retail and restaurants (with six-foot table spacing). The complete …
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Dominion Scraps the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Breaking news: Dominion Energy and Duke Energy have announced the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, citing ongoing delays and increasing cost uncertainty. The cost of the project had escalated from $5 billion to $8 billion, and, despite winning a victory in the United States Supreme Court, the power companies still have no certainty of…