Author: Bob Rayner
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After Arrest at Loudoun School Board Meeting, Court Finds Man Not Guilty
by The Republican Standard staff After a two-day trial, Judge Fleming of the Loudoun County Circuit Court acquitted Jon Tigges of a criminal misdemeanor charge of trespassing when he was arrested at the June 22, 2021 Loudoun School Board meeting for remaining in the meeting room to exercise his First Amendment rights after the former…
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RVA’ s Chronic Absenteeism (Formerly Known As Truancy)
by Jon Baliles It’s hard for young students to learn if they are not in class, and Richmond Public Schools revealed some “unacceptably high” numbers regarding “chronic absenteeism” (aka truancy) at their meeting this week. Tannock Blair and Rolynn Wilson at WRIC filed a report in which Shadae Harris, RPS’ Chief Engagement Officer, presented the…
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Richmond Cold Weather Shelter Finally Finalized
by Jon Baliles The inability of the City to open warm weather shelters for the homeless during the big freeze on Christmas weekend was enough to draw the ire of most of City Council and many others. The recent thawing of temperatures has made it less of a pressing issue, but the cold is coming…
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‘Second-Look’ Bill to Release Inmates Is Back Without Safeguards
by Hans Bader In 2022, legislation allowing inmates to seek a reduction in their sentence after 15 years in prison passed the Virginia state Senate, but died in a 5-to-3 vote in a House subcommittee after a lobbyist for the bill boasted it would empty two entire Virginia prisons. The bill, SB 378, was viewed by…
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New VCCS Chancellor Focuses on Linking Industry and Education
by Shaun Kenney One of Virginia’s hidden jewels is our community college system. For both bang for the buck and ease of access, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is perhaps one of our most underutilized resources, not simply because of the architecture or infrastructure, but because of the sheer quality of both the professors…
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Trust, but Verify
by Jim McCarthy Thirty-five years ago this past December, President Ronald Reagan asserted U.S. policy with respect to international nuclear arms controls was to be guided by “Trust, but Verify” (TBV). Mikhail Gorbachev who led Russia from 1985-1991 through dissolution of the Soviet Union had led the promotion of glasnost, a policy of openness and…
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Thawing the Brain Freeze at City Hall
by Jon Baliles We can be thankful for a weather warm-up this week after last week’s bitter cold. Maybe it will help thaw the brain freeze at City Hall and enable them to fix the shelter situation before the next bitter cold arrives (hint, it’s coming back). Last week, after Tyler Lane at CBS6 filed…
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Virginia’s Largest School System Pays $455,000 for ‘Equal Outcomes’ Consultant
by Hans Spader Students vary widely in intelligence and willingness to work hard. Why would anyone expect “equal outcomes for every student, without exception”? But that’s what educational consultants paid for by Virginia’s largest school district expect. The consultants were hired by Fairfax County Public Schools, which have 180,000 students. Their goal is to “produce…
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Farewell to the Conscience of Virginia Beach City Council, John Moss
by Kerry Dougherty If you were in Virginia Beach on Wednesday morning, November 8, 2022, you could almost hear the sighs of relief. That collective exhalation came from the cronies on city council who would no longer have to deal with Councilman John Moss, who came in second in a three-way race for the newly…
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Cold Iron in Downtown Richmond
by Jon Baliles The Free-Press Editorial page’s second at-bat this week also scored a hit with “No Hot Iron Here.” The piece calls out the Mayor for allowing the hot iron of development opportunity to cool to the disadvantage of the City. It mentions the selection of five teams that bid on the “City Center”…
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Who Kept Your Grocery Taxes High This Holiday Season?
by Scott Dreyer Turkey, ham, chuck roast, pork loin, cornish hens, cranberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, corn, cheese, flour, sugar, egg nog, hot chocolate mix. Quick! What do these items have in common? For one thing, they are popular food items, most not only year-long, but especially at the holiday season. Plus, if…
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After Arctic Blast, Do We Still Want to Californicate Our Grid?
by Scott Dreyer An old saying goes, “You don’t miss the water till the well runs dry.” In modern days that might be, “You don’t miss the electricity till you lose the lights. And heat. And hot water. And wifi. And TV. And microwave. And phone charger. And electric blanket, and The Roanoke Star….” Around…
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When the Pursuit of “Equity” Cheats High Achievers
by Kerry Dougherty Imagine for a moment that you’re a top student in a highly competitive science and technology high school. In your junior year you take the PSATs and enter the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program competing against the elite students in high schools from coast to coast. Imagine that in mid-October of your…
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Empty Pews in America
by Kerry Dougherty Of all the disheartening news this week, the piece that hit me hardest was this story in The Hill: “Churchgoing and Belief in God Stand at Historic Lows, Despite a Megachurch Surge.” The Hill cited studies that showed a dramatic drop in church attendance and – more alarmingly – a loss of…
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Youngkin Delivers Early Christmas Gift
by Barbara Hollingsworth (This column was first published by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.) Virginians received an early Christmas present this year. For four years, the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy has been strongly urging state officials in Virginia to lighten what has become a steadily increasing tax burden on residents and…