Tag: James A. Bacon
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Excising the “Equity” from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
by James A. Bacon The biggest challenge Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin will face during his four-year term, scheduled to begin four days from now, will be to undo the “progressive” policy prescriptions of the Northam administration inspired by Critical Race Theory. The trickiest of these is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, or DEI, which is a benign…
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Cloth Masks Reduce Omicron Risk by 50%
by James A. Bacon More evidence is coming in that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has very different properties than Delta and other variants, and that polices and practices deemed appropriate for earlier versions might not be so for Omicron. The latest revelation comes from Dr. Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech engineering professor, who works…
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Littel Pick as Health Secretary Signals Youngkin’s Approach to Healthcare Reform
by James A. Bacon Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has appointed a new Secretary of Health & Human Resources to lead the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and also to pursue long-term reforms in mental health and healthcare. Youngkin’s pick, John Littel, is a Virginia Beach resident and recent president of Magellan of Virginia and chief external…
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Youngkin, UVa COVID Policy on a Collision Course
by James A. Bacon The debate over COVID-19 policy rages unabated. Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares announced today their intention to challenge Biden-administration vaccine mandates through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, OSHA, and Head Start. “While we believe that the vaccine is a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19,…
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Miller Appointed as Transportation Chief
by James A. Bacon Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has appointed Hampton Roads businessman Sheppard “Shep” Miller III as the next Secretary of Transportation. Youngkin’s press release offered no clues on how his transportation policy goals might differ from those of the outgoing administration. “Shep will be an invaluable leader as Secretary of Transportation as we fulfill…
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Chronic Complainers Notch Big Win Against Landlords
by James A. Bacon Whether you agree or disagree with Attorney General Mark Herring’s position on the case, a dispute between an unnamed individual with mental health issues and her Manassas landlords, Gia and Ernest Hairston, makes a fascinating case study. In a press release, Herring touts the outcome — the landlords paying the tenant…
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Red Alert! Omicron Now Everywhere
by James A. Bacon It’s crazy out there, folks. The Omicron variant is running rampant, racking up record numbers of cases across the Commonwealth and filling up hospitals. We have seen nothing like this spike in cases and hospitalizations during the pandemic, not even in last year’s winter surge. The main consolation is that deaths…
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McDermid for Secretary of Administration
The latest Glenn Youngkin appointment: Lyn McDermid as Secretary of Administration. Ordinarily, that is a low-key position. But, according to the press release, Youngkin is entrusting her with several high-profile tasks: revamping Virginia’s cyber-security system, fixing the Department of Motor Vehicles, repairing the Virginia Employment Commission, and the old chestnut, “root[ing] out waste, fraud and…
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Time for Fireworks — Youngkin Appoints Trump EPA Chief
by James A. Bacon Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has signaled a major shift in Virginia’s environmental policy with two appointments: Andrew Wheeler as Secretary of Natural Resources and Michael Rolband as Director of Environmental Quality (DEQ). “Virginia needs a diverse energy portfolio in place to fuel our economic growth, continued preservation of our natural resources, and…
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A Fitting Bookend to Northam’s School Misrule
by James A. Bacon Governor Ralph Northam has named Rosa S. Atkins as Virginia’s acting Superintendent of Public Instruction to replace the departing superintendent, James Lane. Atkins served 15 years as superintendent of the Charlottesville public school system before retiring to join the Virginia Department of Education as assistant superintendent for talent acquisition and development.…
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Indoctrination Nation
INDOCTRINATION NATION: Inside the parent-led rebellion against the left's war on our kids. What REALLY happened in Virginia? Was it "white supremacy," or was it a diverse, parent-led backlash? Daily Caller's first in-depth investigation. Watch: https://t.co/QtRFS98YQW pic.twitter.com/Lk4AY9wpgg — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 3, 2022 The Daily Caller is a conservative, Washington, D.C.-based media organization with…
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Stuck in a Snowstorm: Better to Have a Gas- or Electric-Powered Car?
by James A. Bacon Hundreds of motorists were stranded on Interstate 95 in freezing temperatures last night after two tractor-trailers jackknifed in a snowstorm and triggered a chain reaction as other vehicles lost control. Both lanes of the Interstate were closed. As night fell, reports the Associated Press, motorists posted messages on social media about…
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Charter Schools Looking Like a Political Winner
by James A. Bacon Virginia has long been one of the most difficult states in the country in which to form charter schools — publicly funded schools independent of school board control. There are only seven such schools in the state, and they enroll only 1,300 students. But the odds of change look better than…
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This Could Be Interesting… Virginia to Get a “Chief Transformation Officer”
by James A. Bacon This evening Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced several new key appointments, including his chief of staff and deputy chief of staff. But it is the appointment of Eric Moeller, a partner at McKinsey & Company, as “Chief Transformation Officer” that I find most intriguing. I don’t believe that the Governor’s Office has…
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Youngkin Expounds on His Expansive Economic-Development Vision
by James A. Bacon Virginia’s economy has grown at a sluggish 0.9% compounded annual rate of growth over the past eight years, says Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin, and he wants to get it “really cranked up” to a normalized rate of 2.5%. To accomplish that goal, he tells Virginia Business magazine, he proposes to do three…