Winding its way through the state Senate is a bill (SB38), authored by Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, that would turn the job of redistricting over to an independent, bipartisan commission. A bill that wins the support of Democrats Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and former Gov. Mark R. Warner as well as Republicans Lt. Gov. Bill…

Ever wonder how our busy elected officials ever find the time to write op-ed pieces for local newspapers? Sometimes they have the pieces written for them. Last week, Sen. Phillip Puckett-D-Lebanon, distributed a public opinion column giving his reasons for stripping air pollution permitting power from citizen boards and giving it to the Department of…

This is interesting. From the Wall Street Journal: Harbinger Capital Partners Funds, a low-profile hedge fund managing $18 billion, nominated four candidates Friday for election to the board of New York Times Co. Together with another investor, Harbinger has 4.9% of the Times. The same day, it made a similar move on the Richmond, Va.,…

I’m still plugging away on my “Economy 4.0” series. This edition, I tackle the topic of setting priorities for civic investment. I start my column, “Tomahawk Chop,” with a brief discussion of the much-lamented decamping of the Richmond Braves to Gwinnett County, Ga. The Braves cited the inability of the Richmond region to settle upon…

In the depths of the cold, gloomy winter, there’s only one thing you can count on to set your hearts ablaze — not to mention the lord’s manors, the courthouses and debt records, and other symbols of oppression. The Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine! View the January 28, 2008, edition here. To make sure you never miss…

John Pierce, a Bristol resident and gun-rights activist, stepped into an elevator in the Capitol complex Monday and overheard a remark by Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Springfield, the senate majority leader. The Bristol Herald-Courier quotes Pierce as follows: “He turns to his companion and says, ‘You can tell we’re debating a gun bill today. Half the…

Every year the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) compiles and ranks the endowments for higher educational institutions in the United States. Last year was a good year for investors, and higher ed endowments performed quite smartly. By my calculations, between fund raising campaigns and investment returns, endowments of all Virginia colleges…

As the economy flirts with recession, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has conceded that he needs to revise revenue forecasts downwards in the next two-year budget. He will present his new projections to the General Assembly money committees in February, reports Jeff Schapiro with the Times-Dispatch. Kaine’s decision validates criticisms that Republican legislators leveled in December…

And…. one more set of poll questions from CNU’s Center for Public Policy. The highest priority issue facing the General Assembly, according to Democrats and Republicans alike, is “changing the law to stop people with a history of mental health problems from purchasing guns.” Three out of four respondants gave issue that a “highest priority”…

More good stuff from CNU’s Center for Public Policy polling: Virginians harbor ambivalent sentiments about illegal immigrants. When asked if they favored cutting public services to undocumented workers, even children, 53 percent said yes. And 55 percent agreed that police should have the authority to stop any driver they suspected of being an illegal alien…

Del. Robert Marshall, R-Prince William, is tweaking liberal noses again. This time the object of his outrage has nothing to do with sex (except indirectly, if you consider this). He has submitted a bill that would require the College of William & Mary to have a majority of its 17-seat board of trustees elected by…

The final financial reports have come in for the 27th senatorial district campaign last year. Spending for all candidates, including R’s, D’s and I’s and primary candidates, totaled $3,623,431.19, according to the Winchester Star. That campaign, in which Republican Jill Holtzman Vogel emerged victorious, was the most expensive in Virginia senate history. I’m old enough…

I’ve long argued on this blog that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to many of the crucial issues facing Virginia today. But education does seem to be a topic where a glimmer of daylight appears between the two. With Democrats, the answer is simple: mo’ money.…

These General Assembly days, one can’t get past any newspaper without another idiotic attempt to somehow disenfranchise foreigners or foreign-born Virginians. Some 100 laws are now proposed to “restrict” undocumented foreign residents. If successful, no “illegal” immigrant (and perhaps some legal ones) could go to a state school, get a drivers license, work for various…

Virginia is looking more like California every day. The William & Mary student council has agreed to provide $1,450 to help bring the Sex Workers Art Show to campus. The event, which is on nationwide tour, features monologues and performances by porn actors, strippers and other sex workers, reports the Daily Press. More than a…