Author: James A. Bacon
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Parole Board Frees Murderers
by Kerry Dougherty In 2012, Debra Scribner, 58, was convicted of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder in connection with the shooting death of her son-in-law Eric Wynn in Halifax County. She was sentenced to 23 years in prison plus 6 months.…
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More Radio Punditry from PeterG
Listen to the latest Bold Dominion podcast from WTJU radio in Charlottesville, in which Peter Galuszka swaps views with the host.
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Autoimmune Response and Unequal Impacts
by Carol J. Bova When I first read of the racial differences in Virginia’s COVID-19 statistics, I wondered how reliable the numbers were. After exploring details from multiple sources, medical and popular, I no longer doubt there is a serious demographic divide in the impact of COVID-19. The disparities are is not limited by race…
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Looking for the Goldilocks Lockdown
by Chris Spencer Virginia has an opportunity to show the rest of the nation how to reopen and prepare for the next waves of COVID-19. We needed widespread mandatory restrictions in March to (a) flatten the curve to give the health system a chance to manage it and (b) impress upon people the seriousness of…
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COVID-19 Update: Hospitalization Signs Stable
by James A. Bacon Hospitalization of patients testing positive for COVID-19 continues to creep higher in Virginia, though not at the scarily rapid rate of earlier in the month. Social distancing measures, both those imposed and those voluntarily embraced by the population, are slowing the spread of the virus. The plague is still spreading by…
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No, Governor, Back-to-Work Protesters Are Not “Selfish”
by James A. Bacon Governor Ralph Northam has a problem with protesters who would like to see him reopen Virginia’s economy by phasing out his COVID-19 emergency decrees. In an interview with MSNBC, he said (as reported by Politico): I’m just as anxious as anybody else to open up our economy. We don’t need protesters…
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Ralph “No Hope” Northam
by Kerry Dougherty Gird your loins, Virginia. While some governors are preparing to gradually reopen their state economies with social distancing and restrictions, noncommittal Ralph Northam seems ready to stretch this misery out for months. Long after COVID-19 is forecast to be inactive. Last night, during a virtual town hall, Northam once again deflated expectations…
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Dozens of Machines in Virginia Are Processing COVID-19 Tests
Perhaps this slide will prove useful to the task force just appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to address the disarray in the Virginia Department of Health’s COVID-19 testing program. In the face of a declining number of tests reported to the Virginia Department of Health in the past week, Northam has said he won’t relax…
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Race, Injustice, the Northam Administration, and the Viral Inferno at Canterbury Rehabilitation
by James A. Bacon Virginia news outlets have published a spate of articles in recent days about the elevated rate of COVID-19 infection and mortality among African-Americans. Typical was this story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which highlighted the fact that in the City of Richmond, black people comprise less than half the city’s population but…
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Virginia Economy Held Hostage to Lousy Data
by James A. Bacon The number of COVID-related hospitalizations in Virginia is stabilizing. The curve is flattening, hospitals are in no danger of being overwhelmed, and Virginians want to get back to work. But Governor Ralph Northam says he will not relax his emergency social-distancing edicts until he gets better data. And there’s the rub. Virginia…
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Jumbled Numbers
by Carol Bova The Virginia Mercury published an article by Kate Masters April 6th about Virginia’s $27 million order for personal protective equipment (PPE). As of April 20th, the Governor’s Office had not responded to the Mercury’s Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of the contract or the specifics of the deal. The…
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COVID19 Testing: Tennessee Versus Virginia
Much has been written about the paucity of COVID-19 testing in Virginia. One place where the shortfall is most evident is in Bristol, a city bifurcated by the Virginia-Tennessee state line. On the Tennessee side of the border, anyone who wants a COVID-19 test can get one, reports the Roanoke Times. On the Virginia side,…
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Virginia Hospitals Have Capacity to Spare. Time to Rethink Elective-Surgery Restrictions.
Virginia is “pivoting away” from setting up field hospitals to handle the hospital overflow of COVID-19 patients, Danny Avula, director of the City of Richmond and Henrico County health departments, said in a Friday press conference. Although sites had been selected in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads, Avula said he saw less need to…
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COVID-19 Update: Hospitalizations, Deaths Still Rising
For what it’s worth, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported by the Virginia Department of Health this morning was 453, about the same level as it was two weeks ago. The official total now stands at 8,990. But with scarcity of testing supplies and delays in reporting, that figure isn’t worth much. As much…
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COVID-19 Update: Hospitalizations Way Up
Another day, another increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations. The Virginia Department of Health data indicated that 126 patients were hospitalized yesterday — a one-day record in the Old Dominion — bringing total hospitalizations to 1,422. According to Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA), there are now 820 patients in hospitals confirmed to have COVID-19, while another…