Category: Children and Families
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Is SEAL Team 6 Out of Control?
By Peter Galuszka Dam Neck Annex is a forgettable piece of beachfront landscape amidst the strip malls of Virginia Beach. F-18s Hornet jets roar past from nearby Oceana Naval Air Station and the traffic is typical for the area: vans with soccer moms, bikers’ choppers and sedans with families headed for the sand. Surrounded by…
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Richmond Childrens Hospital Deal Collapses
by James A. Bacon To be sure, building a new, free-standing childrens’ hospital for the Richmond region would be an expensive proposition — on the order of $600 million. But when mega-philanthropists Alice and William H. Goodwin are willing to kick in $150 million, a fund-raising campaign has been organized to raise another $100 million to $150…
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How to Frame the "Loving" Movie
Hollywood is producing a new film about Richard and Mildred Loving, who were arrested in 1958 for violating a Virginia law prohibiting interracial marriage. Ruling on a lawsuit they filed in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws against mixed marriages. In a press release, Governor Terry McAuliffe Thursday said, “Loving is a significant American story that should…
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How to Frame the “Loving” Movie
Hollywood is producing a new film about Richard and Mildred Loving, who were arrested in 1958 for violating a Virginia law prohibiting interracial marriage. Ruling on a lawsuit they filed in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws against mixed marriages. In a press release, Governor Terry McAuliffe Thursday said, “Loving is a significant American story that should…
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This NRDC Report… Cough! Cough! … Has a Few Problems
by James A. Bacon Richmond has been awarded the dubious distinction of being the “sneeziest and wheeziest” city in the United States in a report issued yesterday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. And thanks to global warming, says the NRDC, conditions are likely to get worse. Scientific studies have also shown that our changing…
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Are Do-Gooders Making Food Insecurity Worse?
by James A. Bacon Food deserts are back in the news here in Richmond with the premier of a documentary, “Living in a Food Desert,” at the Richmond International Film Festival. First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, who has made food security her signature cause, attended the screening and addressed the audience. More than 300,000 Virginia children are…
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The McDonnell Saga Is Far From Over
By Peter Galuszka Former Virginia First Lady Maureen McDonnell has been sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison, but the GiftGate saga is far from over. She will appeal as has her husband, former Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, who was sentenced to two years in prison last month. The now estranged couple was…
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In Politics: “Cherchez la femme?”
By Peter Galuszka The two governors couldn’t seem more different. One is a popular progressive who dressed in an “urban cowboy” style of boots, jeans and down jacket and ran a state as green as a rain forest. The other favored Joseph A. Banks suits and helmet hair-dos while pushing a “God, Mom and Apple…
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The Real “War on Coal”
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in Business and Economy, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Courts and law, Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement, Disasters and Disaster Preparedness, Energy, Environment, Federal issues, Infrastructure, Insurance, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, Media, Money in politics, Politics, Regulations, Gov’t Oversight, UncategorizedBy Peter Galuszka Over in West Virginia, some things never seem to change. Families of the 29 miners killed on April 5, 2010 at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch are asking a federal judge to lift her gag order so they can testify before West Virginia legislators considering tougher rules that would make it easier…
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Tutoring Future Members of the Political Class
As fellow blogger Don Rippert never tires of reminding us, Virginia’s political system is stacked in favor of vested interests and the status quo. It is not one that many other states would want to emulate. But the General Assembly does do one cool thing — it runs one of the most, if not the most,…
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Is U.Va. Possessed by the Devil?
By Peter Galuszka Over the past weeks there’s been plenty of blogging about Rolling Stone’s coverage of the University of Virginia and lots of comment by two conservatives who believe there is an evil “hook up” culture that involves casual sex and today’s loss of morality. Well, I’ve been feeling sort of down recently (maybe…
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The Gift of Care Giving
by James A. Bacon B.K. Fulton, a senior Verizon Virginia executive, grew up in Hampton with his younger sister Shauna. As a baby, Shauna seemed normal. She developed like any other child. Then, around two years old, she began regressing. She lost the ability to walk. Her verbal skills disappeared. No doctor could tell her family what…
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Virginia’s Top Stories in 2014
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in Business and Economy, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Courts and law, Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement, Demographics, Disasters and Disaster Preparedness, Economic development, Education (higher ed), Education (K-12), Electoral process, Energy, Environment, Federal issues, Government Finance, Government workers and pensions, Gun rights, Health Care, Housing, Immigration, Infrastructure, Insurance, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, LGBQT, Media, Money in politics, Planning, Politics, Poverty & income gap, Property rights, Public safety & health, Race and Race Relations, Regulations, Gov’t Oversight, Science & Technology, Social Services and Entitlements, Taxes, Transportation, Water-waste waterBy Peter Galuszka The Year 2014 was quite eventful if unsettling. It represented some major turning points for the Old Dominion. Here are my picks for the top stories: Robert F. McDonnell becomes the highest-ranking former or serving state official to be convicted of corruption. The six-week-long trial from July to September of the Republican…
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Dominion’s Pipeline: The Battle Is Joined!
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in Business and Economy, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Courts and law, Demographics, Disasters and Disaster Preparedness, Economic development, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Insurance, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, Media, Planning, Politics, Property rights, Regulations, Gov’t Oversight, Science & Technology, UncategorizedBy Peter Galuszka One hundred and seventy-eight Virginians will be getting not-so-merry Christmas presents from the electric utility Dominion Resources soon – official notifications that lawsuits have been filed against them that Dominion demands access to their land so it can survey for a $5 billion natural gas pipeline. According to the Waynesboro News Virginian,…
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Rolling Stone Backs Down on Rape Story
By Peter Galuszka This just in. I am sure there will be plenty of comment. It seems that the descriptions that “Jackie” had of her alleged rapists don’t match reality. The very fact that Rolling Stone now says it has “misplaced” its trust is a huge and troubling step that will seriously damage its credibility.