Author: sherlockj
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Alleged Shooter’s Dorm Room on UVa Property Exposed Him to University Actions Not Taken
by James C. Sherlock Updated Nov. 19 at 8:50 AM. See details at end. So, the University of Virginia conducted a formal threat investigation of allegations of student possession of firearms on the Grounds. Except it really didn’t. The accused was found after three murders and two woundings to have possessed in his dorm room…
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UVa’s Investigators Missed an Arsenal in Shooter’s On-Grounds Dorm Room
by James C. Sherlock The Daily Progress just reported: The student charged in the shooting deaths of three University of Virginia football players had a semi-automatic rifle, pistol, ammunition, magazines and a device used to make bullets fire faster in his on-Grounds dorm room, according to a search warrant inventory that the Daily Progress obtained.…
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Who is an “Appropriate Disciplinary Authority” at UVa? Excellent Question, as it Turns Out
by James C. Sherlock The University of Virginia, as required by state law, has a policy on Preventing and Addressing Threats of Acts of Violence. It defines “unsanctioned possession of firearms, weapons, or other dangerous items.” as Violent or Threatening Behavior. The policy currently states: The (Threat Assessment Team) TAT does not serve as a…
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President Ryan’s Ship Has Hit the Shoals
by James C. Sherlock This is the Nov 16, 4:35 p.m. update to my highly controversial article on the failures of the University of Virginia to act against the alleged killer of three students before the crime. I was too gentle with the leadership of the University, my alma mater, in that article. I wrote…
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Afghan Immigrants and Their Children in Virginia – Part 1
by James C. Sherlock The flow of Afghan refugees into Virginia has been at a much higher volume than is generally appreciated. I have data on Virginia resettlements of Afghanis from 2016 through the middle of 2021, when the total was 8,560. The current total is far higher as a result of the Kabul airlift.…
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Loudoun’s School Board Special Election
by James C. Sherlock The people of Loudoun County have spoken — just barely. They elected Tiffany L. Polifko to the School Board. Ms. Polifko is a conservative with 20 years experience as a public and private school special education teacher. She currently serves as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst working with children on the autism…
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UVa Tragedy Reasonably Preventable? State Investigation Required
by James C. Sherlock Updated Nov. 15, 2020 at 8:36 AM (see end of article) We have two related pieces of information about the UVa tragedy that call into question the effectiveness of the University’s state-mandated threat-assessment process. We have the statements of senior University officials. And we have Code of Virginia § 23.1-805. Violence prevention…
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Tragedy at UVa – Suspect now in Custody – Troubling Reports about UVa Police Effectiveness
by James C. Sherlock From the Charlottesville Daily Progress: “Sean Perry, 22, and a linebacker and defensive end for the University of Virginia football team, is one of three people who was shot dead at Culbreth Garage on UVa Central Grounds at the University of Virginia Sunday night, Perry’s father Sean Perry confirmed Monday morning.…
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Fredericksburg is the Crime Capital of Virginia
by James C. Sherlock I wrote Friday that Fredericksburg has a major crime problem. After hours of plowing through state crime statistics for 2021, I can now declare Fredericksburg the crime capital of Virginia. Public safety is the number one job of local government, followed by running its schools. The statistics suggest the Fredericksburg law enforcement…
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Will Fredericksburg Revert to Being a Town?
by James C. Sherlock There are two major reasons that Virginians organize themselves into local governments: public safety; and public schools for their children. Fredericksburg has proven unable to provide either competently. It’s record is unapproachably bad given its assets. We have documented its deplorable schools. When I wrote in that piece that they need…
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The Commissars of Charlottesville
by James C. Sherlock Leon Trotsky, who headed the Red Army from 1917-22, did not trust it. On 6 April 1918, he wrote in Isvestia: The military commissar is the direct political agent of Soviet power within the army. His post is of the highest importance. Commissars are appointed from the ranks of exemplary revolutionaries,…
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Virginia Needs to Adopt the Uniform Act on Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking
by James C. Sherlock Seldom can we mitigate bad problems with solutions that work and are handed us on a platter. But we can do that in Virginia in the case of human trafficking. The Department of Justice defines human trafficking as follows: Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a crime that…
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Hospital Quality Matters – A Lot
by James C. Sherlock A recent note from a reader brought up the issue of emergency room quality. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that Virginians made 423 ER visits per 1,000 population in 2017 (the most recent data available). That number doesn’t have to be current to be attention-grabbing. VDH’s vhi.org does not report on quality…
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Is Inova the Best Regional Hospital System in America? How about Virginia’s Others?
by James C. Sherlock Answer: Inova is at least in the mix for that title. Fewer than 14% of the hospitals in the country have 5-star quality ratings from Medicare. Another 29% are rated 4-stars. Inova operates five hospitals. Three of them are rated 5-stars (of 9 in the state) and two 4-stars by Medicare.…
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Virginia Hospitals’ Quality Ratings – Which Need Improvement?
by James C. Sherlock Medicare star ratings for Virginia hospitals constitute a high stakes game in every respect. It’s the best information a consumer can get. Careers in hospital management rise and fall on the results. All Virginians should pay attention. I’ll list our best hospitals in another article, but we’ll look today at those…