Author: Robin Beres
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Roanoke County Quietly Extends Contract For $109,000 Year Registrar But Questions Persist
by Scott Dreyer For many historical and cultural reasons, America has traditionally been what sociologists call a “high-trust” society. As reported in this report from the Pew Research Center, cultures with high trust (such as Canada and Sweden) usually have low crime and corruption while the reverse (such as South Africa and Peru) is also…
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NAEP Before and After COVID
by John Butcher We’ve been hearing about the post-COVID declines in scores on the National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP) tests. The NAEP database offers some (in fact, an abundance of) details. Here, as a small sample, are the 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics data for the nation and Virginia. First, reading:
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Hey Amanda, Woman-Up and Let It Go
by Andrea Epps It’s no secret that I was thrilled to watch Glen Sturtevant’s name replace Amanda Chase’s on the election night ticker. However, this isn’t about my disdain for Chase, nor my approval of Sturtevant; I don’t even know him. This is about simple math and what I believe to be a last-ditch effort…
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Occupational Hazard, 4 of 4
by Joe Fitzgerald Two recent signs of the deterioration of journalism. One is this comment from President Biden to a gaggle of reporters: I hear some of you guys saying is, ‘Why doesn’t Biden say what a good deal it is?’ Why would Biden say what a good deal it is before the vote? You…
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Occupational Hazard, 3 of 4
by Joe Fitzgerald In “A Pirate Looks at Forty” Jimmy Buffett describes the dilemma of one for whom the cannon doesn’t thunder: “My occupational hazard being my occupation’s just not around.” He could be describing journalists as well. Journalism and piracy aren’t the only occupations disappearing, of course. The Chronicle of Higher Education and other…
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Occupational Hazard, 2 of 4
by Joe Fitzgerald A perceptive friend recently spoke to me about press releases his outfit would send to the Daily News-Record back in the day. He said they always wound up in the paper with small inaccuracies, and his perception was that the releases were handed to the least experienced reporters to teach them how…
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Occupational Hazard, 1 of 4
by Joe Fitzgerald Harrisonburg police rescued a possible abduction victim one day last month after shooting the apparent perpetrator. A city press release said a domestic dispute on Old Furnace Road around 6:30 p.m. turned into an abduction. Police pursued the suspect’s vehicle to downtown, where they shot the suspect, who was apparently armed. The…
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Colleges Falsely Claim Juneteenth Was ‘The Day Slavery Ended in the U.S.’
by Hans Bader Many colleges and progressives are claiming that Juneteenth — June 19, 1865 — was “the day slavery ended” in the U.S. But slavery actually remained legal in Kentucky and Delaware until December 6, 1865, the day the Thirteenth Amendment’s ban on slavery went into effect. Yale University has a web site titled,…
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Light Rail: Idiotic Idea In 2016. Idiotic Idea Now.
by Kerry Dougherty Virginia Beach voters THOUGHT they drove a stake through the heart of the absurd plan to bring light rail to the city after an overwhelming vote in 2016 against the nutty, developer-driven boondoggle. But never underestimate cultists with an agenda. You know, developers who believe taxpayers have a duty to open their…
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Cash On Hand Determining Outcomes in Virginia Senate Primaries
by Shaun Kenney On 20 June, Virginians in both political parties will be selecting their nominees for the November elections to the General Assembly. Virginia Democrats seem to be caught in a literal death spiral of trying to out-abortion one another, as flyers are going about accusing certain candidates of being “pro-life” while others proudly…
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The Problem Isn’t Guns, It’s Richmond
by Shaun Kenney Do you ever sit around and wish that a public figure would actually stand up and call out a problem for what it is? Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears is out there doing just that when it comes to Richmond’s rising tide of violence. Virginia Democrats have responded to last week’s tragedy at…
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Prediction: General Assembly Elections*
by D. J. McGuire Election Day is five months out; early voting begins in a little more than three months. Primary Day isn’t for another week and a half. Still, yours truly is ready to make my first asterisk-heavy prediction on who will win the General Assembly in November. The prediction is based on assumptions…
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Pat Robertson, 1930-2023
by Kerry Dougherty To those of us who live in Virginia Beach, Pat Robertson, who died yesterday at the age of 93, was more than just a religious broadcaster who ran for president in 1988. He was a man who built a television network, a university, a major charity, and a law school in our…
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Town of Bedford Honors June 6 D-Day
by Scott Dreyer World War II saw conflict across Europe, North Africa, Asia, and the oceans of the world. However, the charming Central Virginia town of Bedford is the site of the famous D-Day Memorial. Bedford sent 35 men to land at Normandy, France. The memorial honors the 19 local boys who died on June…
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Mountain Valley Pipeline Back Thanks to McCarthy-Biden Debt Deal
by Shaun Kenney As part of the debt ceiling deal, the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), long thought dead, is now suddenly back in the cards. But don’t expect bulldozers back in Virginia anytime soon, as the 4th Federal Circuit Court of Appeals is not expected to grant permission to cross any streams or wetlands before…