Category: Uncategorized
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Is Blackwater Successor in Ukraine?
By Peter Galuszka A private security company with ties to Virginia and northeastern North Carolina has been linked to rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia that some fear could turn into war. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement April 8 saying that a security firm named “Greystone” that is tied historically to the defunct…
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VCU Meets Supply-and-Demand
Surely Virginia Commonwealth University has an economics department. Surely, there is someone at the state’s largest institution of higher learning who is conversant with the law of supply and demand. But, then, maybe not… The VCU Board of Visitors will be asked to increase tuition 3.5% next academic year and pay a new $50 library charge,…
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The New West: Leaving Richmond Behind
By Peter Galuszka This story may seem a contrarian piece when it comes to smart growth and exurban sprawl but so be it. Back in 1969, road planners in Richmond came up with an idea for a superhighway, Route 288, that would span the iconic James River and connect the far western suburban areas of…
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Picking up the Pieces of the U.S. 460 Fiasco
by James A. Bacon Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne said today he suspended work on the U.S. 460 Connector project because he didn’t want to run the risk of paying the contractor millions of dollars for work on a project that might be radically revised. The state of Virginia has spent $300 million already on the proposed…
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Busy Day at the CTB
Many meaty stories from the Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting today. It will take me a long time to do them all justice, so, for the moment, I will settle for whetting your appetite with the highlights. The Charlottesville Bypass is dead. It may not be buried — a few ritual oblations remains — but it…
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More Data Points in the Income Inequality Debate
On the New Geography blog, Joel Kotkin has published an interesting list ranking the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan regions by the percentage of income derived from interest, dividends and rent. Inhabitants of metros that rank at the top of this list earn a higher percentage of their income from their investments than from salaries, wages…
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If Income Inequality Makes You Unhappy, Virginia Is Not a Bad Place to Live
Jed Kolko, the chief economist at Trulia Inc., by way of the Atlantic Cities blog, has published another spin on income inequality in the United States. This data set measures inequality on a regional basis (as opposed to a “city” basis, as I blogged about Virginia Beach recently.) Among the United States’ 100 largest metropolitan regions,…
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Welcome to the Big Leagues, Staunton-Waynesboro
Important news for data junkies: The Office of Management and Budget has updated its boundaries for America’s metropolitan and micropolitan areas. The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service has helpfully provided a map of the newly drawn boundaries. Here is a summary of the changes: Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County was upgraded from a micropolitan…
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The Virginia HOA Power Grab
by James A. Bacon When I was elected president of the Countryside Homeowners Association last month, I joked with our treasurer Russ Gambrell that our first order of business would be to plot our path to world domination. First we take over the homeowners association. Then we take over Henrico County. Then Virginia, the United…
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Virginia Missing from White House Climate Conversation
by Rachel Cannon On November 1st, 2013, President Obama signed an Executive Order “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change” – the newest addition to the Administration’s Climate Action Plan. One part of the Executive Order establishes the Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience: a collection of state, local and tribal leaders…
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Chesterfield Assessments up 3%. Bacon Checking out Crow Recipes.
Uh, oh, I may have to eat crow. I’m not eating it yet, but I’m firing up the grill just in case. During the meals tax debate, I drew attention to soaring home sales prices in Henrico County, suggesting that the county would enjoy a surge in property tax revenues far greater than the 2%…
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Virginia Population: 8.3 Million and Climbing
Virginia 2013 population growth highlights fresh from the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center: Current population: 8.3 million The state population grew 74,531, less than one percent and the slowest rate since before the Great Recession. Still, that rate was faster than the national average, making Virginia the 14th fastest-growing state in the country. Population…
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A Roadmap for the Future of Self-Driving Cars
by James A. Bacon Self-driving cars (SDCs) are coming. Will Virginia government, law and transportation planning keep up? There’s sign no of it. Indeed, the Old Dominion could experience a transportation crack-up in 15 to 20 years if we don’t start preparing now. There’s no excuse for not thinking ahead. A new study by the…
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Conservative vs. Progressive: Global Climate Change
Killer Bs. In an unprecedented move, two prominent Virginia blogs, Bacon’s Rebellion and BlueVirginia, have agreed to cooperate in a structured debate over a series of possible programs designed to combat global climate change. The programs were selected based on two major criteria – they had to be applicable to Virginia and they had to encompass actions…
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New Names for the Redskins
OK, this Washington Redskins controversy is getting out of hand. If people don’t like the name, let’s change it! My two nominations: The Rednecks Major advantage: With a little white-out, you wouldn’t even have to change the team stationery. The Palefaces Major advantage: The Palefaces didn’t win all the battles but they won all the…