We’ve all enjoyed a good laugh at the bull-testicles bill, but nothing strikes me as more mock-worthy than the debate over the right to carry concealed weapons in restaurants. Surely, people must have something better to worry about! I don’t own a gun, never have and never will. But I don’t get exercised about other…

American citizens have long associated the word “slum” with inner cities — and for good reason. That’s where the slums were. But Christopher B. Leinberger, a Brookings Institution fellow writing for The Atlantic, thinks the United States is on the cusp of a change: Tomorrow’s slums will be in what we commonly refer to as…

Protesting criticism of former President Gene Nichol by fellow board members, Paul Blair has announced his resignation from the William & Mary Board of Visitors. In a letter to the William & Mary community posted on a Student Assembly web page, he praised Nichol’s track record of promoting diversity at the university. Nichol resigned last…

Payday lenders got a black eye yesterday when Cameron Blakely denounced in a press conference yesterday the predatory lending practices he engaged in last year as manager of a Washington, D.C., Check ‘n Go. As the Associated Press reports, Blakely said he was trained to encourage people to take out the maximum $500 payday loan…

Via Jason, I see that one of Richmond’s most thoughtful and entertaining bloggers, Jon Baliles, is backing away from his keyboard to take a job with the city of Richmond. Jon explains his move here: …I have been offered and accepted a position within the Mayor’s Office as a Public Information Manager. I was not…

The state of Virginia is proud of its AAA bond rating. Local governments, like Henrico, are fond of such ratings, too. But what happens when the larger bond market suddenly decides it won’t buy any bonds at all — AAA rated or not? We’re seeing some of what can happen right now. Today’s Wall Street…

The Nichol controversy continues to bubble after the College of William & Mary president submitted his resignation Sunday. Faculty and students have held protests and vigils — Nichol, it seems, was a popular president. Meanwhile, the blogosphere is aflame with accusations that the firing represents a triumph of right-wing, Christian mullahs — a sentiment that…

Last night, I had the privilege of joining Shawn Smith at Richmond’s NBC affiliate, Channel 12, for a night of blogging, webcasting and commentary. Having not been in front of a camera for more than a decade, it was somewhat intimidating to think that my ugly mug would be beamed into unsuspecting households in central…

The NV Daily’s Garren Shipley has always been one of my favorite political reporters. Unlike some of the show horses at the capitol, he breaks stories and follows leads that actually deliver (gasp) useful, timely news. Garren blogged for a time at the NV Daily Depot, but that got scratched for business reasons. Now, it…

In late December, senior legislators with the House Republican caucus expressed their unease with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s revenue forecasts for the current fiscal year and the two years following. They urged him to reconvene a meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates to update the forecasts based on the latest economic figures.…

Delegate Bob Marshall inquires why Nichol shouldn’t be dismissed totally instead of reduced from President to tenured law professor – because he allegedly lied. “February 12, 2008The Honorable Michael PowellRector, College of William & Mary “ “Dear Mr. Powell: I have just learned that the e-mail that former president, Timothy Sullivan, sent to then-President, Gene…

Gene Nichol has resigned Sunday as president of the College of William & Mary. When the Board of Visitors decided not to renew his contract, he resigned immediately. He issued this statement today: I was informed by the Rector on Sunday, after our Charter Day celebrations, that my contract will not be renewed in July.…

Since the Governor remains committed to the idea of banning smoking hither, tither and yon, it might be worth considering a very bad, unintended consequence (via Tyler Cowen): A rigorous statistical examination has found that smoking bans increase drunken-driving fatalities. One might expect that a ban on smoking in bars would deter some people from…

For those who believe our unsustainable civilization’s collapse ought to happen in 3…2…1…now, Reason’s Ron Bailey peeks out of the survival bunker and decides, hey, we’re not so bad off after all: The Malthusian meme always insists “things just can’t go on like this.” Of course, if “things can’t go on like this,” then they…

Given the hype, I expected a long line at the Tuckahoe Elementary polls in Henrico this morning. But that wasn’t the case. There were a few signs waving in the chilly breeze, no poll workers and only a few folks ahead of me — all taking the red, Republican ballots (this being one of the…