Author: sherlockj
-
Is there a Better Way to Manage Virginia’s State Colleges and Universities?
by James C. Sherlock My wife and I had the pleasure of dining recently with a woman pursuing a career in the financial services industry. I asked her about the leadership of her company. What was the climate in her workplace? She answered that the first thing she learned was to “color inside the lines.”…
-
Suggestions to Ease Virginia’s Housing Crisis without Additional State Money
by James C. Sherlock The Richmond Times-Dispatch, on cue, wrote in an editorial the other day that more state money was needed to fund local housing. Maybe. But that is not the first place to look. The governor wants to condition development aid to local communities on their reforming land-use policies to permit more construction.…
-
Are Virginians Putting the State’s Economy on Their Credit Cards?
by James C. Sherlock I wrote the other day about efforts to increase housing in Virginia. That story is very complicated at the levels of the federal, state and local governments. But at the end of that pipeline is the economy. We have read in many places that consumers are spending the savings they built…
-
Profoundly Unethical: UVa Children’s Hospital Hides Child Gender Transition Information from Public Scrutiny
by James C. Sherlock I published a series of articles earlier this year that criticized the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital on its approach to gender transition in minors as young as 11. As a result, the hospital made at least some movement towards change by announcing it was assigning pediatric clinical psychologists to join…
-
Housing in Virginia – Context for Debates
by James C. Sherlock Dick Hall-Sizemore did a nice job earlier today describing the phenomenon in which people are specifically against in a particular iteration public policies that they support in the abstract. The subject was middle income housing in Arlington County. The problem with short articles by anyone (including me) about housing issues is…
-
The Progressive Left Has Only One Story. It is on Endless Loop in the Press
by James C. Sherlock It is called defining the terms of the debate. Sort of like naming a climate bill the “Inflation Reduction Act.” The war to define the ground in a headline debate in Virginia is between supporters of either: Virginia DOE’s draft “2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity and Respect for All Students and…
-
Virginia Mental Health Services in Deep Trouble – A Survey
by James C. Sherlock Nov. 29 updates in blue. Supply cannot begin to keep up with demand. In this case, the consequences involve personal welfare and public safety. And they can be terrible in both cases. Governor Youngkin will propose to the 2023 General Assembly additional funding and policy prescriptions for the state’s mental health…
-
A Grand Compromise on Crime, Mental Health and Guns
by James C. Sherlock Had enough? People organize into governments first for their collective protection. Virginians are not sufficiently protected from violence. The mass shootings of the past couple of weeks in Virginia offer an impetus to strike a grand bargain on public safety. Staying in corners waiting for control of all three branches of…
-
The Governor Asks Virginians to Support Food Banks
by James C. Sherlock Amen.
-
Homelessness in Petersburg – Part 2
by James C. Sherlock I wrote yesterday about the excellent investigative reporting by the Progress-Index about the knock-on effects of the renewal of fire and building code enforcement in Petersburg. My position is that Petersburg must enforce its codes for public safety and the livability of the city. But I also recognize the need to provide…
-
Virginia Should Enforce Threat Assessment Laws. Noting Lack of Compliance Not Enough.
by James C. Sherlock I have written about the Threat Assessment Teams (TAT’s) of two state universities, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. I assessed Tech to be compliant with state law. I reported that UVa is not. That of course raises the issue of the rest of Virginia’s colleges and universities. The Virginia…
-
Petersburg Resumes Important Actions Against City Code Violators — Homeless Needs Increase
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes absolutely necessary actions have more than one outcome. Such is the case in Petersburg. Joyce Chu of Petersburg’s indispensable Progress- Index last evening initiated a multi-part series on the impacts of the city’s closure due to safety violations of two motels used by otherwise homeless people. Her first article makes…
-
Food Bank Shelves Emptying — Time to Help
by James C. Sherlock Showing the dual effects of inflation — more people need food assistance and the costs of providing that food have risen — a local food bank we have long supported ran out of food this weekend. First time ever. The director told us that this is happening everywhere. See empty shelves…
-
Threat Assessment Done Right — Virginia Tech
by James C. Sherlock Yesterday I harshly critiqued the structure, authorities and actions of the University of Virginia Threat Assessment Team. Today, in stark contrast, I offer Virginia Tech. Tech has complied with state law by simply doing what the law requires, and done it thoughtfully. As a result, Tech has established a far more…
-
UVa Policy on Threat Assessment So Flawed It Seems Intentional
by James C. Sherlock I have reported in this space on the actions and inactions of the Threat Assessment Team (TAT) and its members at the University of Virginia in the case of the man now in jail for three murders and two woundings. I refer readers to my previous posts for my take on…