Tag: James A. Bacon
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Arlington Union: Test Everyone or Close the Schools
by James A. Bacon I can’t decide which is scarier: a letter from the Arlington Education Association (AEA) urging school superintendent Francisco Duran not to resume full-time instruction tomorrow in the absence of sufficient COVID-19 testing, or the insouciant attitude toward punctuation and grammar by the signatory, AEA president Ingrid Gant. Take your pick: no…
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One More Race Baiting for the Road
by James A. Bacon Days before leaving office, Attorney General Mark Herring has filed a complaint against the Town of Windsor in Isle of Wight County, charging the police department with a pattern of unlawful racial discrimination. The lawsuit cites data showing that between July 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, 42% of the traffic…
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Standards? We Don’t Need No Stinking Standards!
by James A. Bacon The Arlington County Public School system has designed a sure-fire strategy for ensuring “equitable” educational outcomes — set standards so low that everyone can pass them no matter how little effort they make. In the process of updating its policies and PIPs (peer intervention programs), Arlington’s school board proposes to change…
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Virginia Omicron Update: December 29
by James A. Bacon Omicron is upon us, cases are surging and local media are sounding the alarm. Nationally, hospitalizations are setting “grim records,” according to the Washington Post. Closer to home, Loudoun County’s government-run drive-through testing center reached capacity within an hour of opening. Mary Washington Healthcare providers are closing a COVID clinic after…
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The 2021 Election: Firing up the Base
Virginia’s electoral map favors Democrats. But according to this graphic from the Virginia Public Access Project, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin did a better job of boosting turnout in Republican-leaning localities in November than his rival Terry McAuliffe did in Democratic-leaning localities. See the details here. — JAB
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Is Virginia’s Higher-Ed System “Inequitable”?
by James A. Bacon State appropriations per student to Virginia’s four-year colleges and universities vary widely, ranging from $14,121 in FY 2019 for the University of Virginia’s College at Wise to $4,460 at George Mason University, according to a recent report, “Higher Education School Finance Inequity and Inadequacy in Virginia.” Not only is state funding…
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What’s the Matter with Charlottesville?
by James A. Bacon In his bestselling book of 2007, Thomas Franks asked the question, What’s the Matter with Kansas? Why do blue-collar inhabitants of the Sunflower State, he wondered, so consistently vote for Republican politicians who pursue policies supposedly antithetical to their material self-interest? Perhaps the answer is that level-headed Kansans could see where…
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Old Guys Rule
by James A. Bacon Rather than compile a list of young business executives on the move, Virginia Business magazine earlier this year profiled “Eight Over 80” — old guys still active in business or in the community. The list, which the magazine is highlighting in its end-of-year recap of top stories, included such successful entrepreneurs…
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Good for Kamras
by James A. Bacon Yes, you read that headline correctly. And, yes, that’s Jason Kamras, superintendent of the Richmond Public Schools we’re talking about. Bacon’s Rebellion has been highly critical of Kamras in the past, but we have to support his recent statement that he has no intention to close city schools, even in the…
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Uh, Oh. Charlottesville Strengthens Its Police Review Board
by James A. Bacon Earlier this year Charlottesville police officer Joseph Wood stopped a vehicle driven by a local musician, LaQuinn Gilmore. Gilmore proved uncooperative and, according to local media reports, the encounter ended with Wood throwing Gilmore to the ground. A subsequent internal affairs investigation found that Wood had unlawfully detained Gilmore, but rejected…
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Northam’s Economic-Development Legacy
by James A. Bacon Business Facilities magazine has ranked Virginia first in the nation for its overall business climate, while Tennessee and Massachusetts snagged top spots for business dealmaking and the best workforce/education system, respectively. The site-selection publication cited Virginia’s location adjacent to Washington, D.C., its pro-business work environment, and its strong workforce and educational…
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Cummings Appointed Secretary of Finance
Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin has tapped the private sector once again in his selection of Secretary of Finance: Steve Cummings, former president and CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in the Americas. “Lowering taxes and restoring fiscal responsibility in Richmond is a primary focus of our Day One Game Plan, and Steve’s experience and expertise will…
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Youngkin Taps Merrick for Commerce
by James A. Bacon Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin has appointed Caren Merrick, a Northern Virginia investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, as his Secretary of Commerce and Trade. Merrick is best known as co-founder with her husband of one of Northern Virginia’s most successful home-grown IT companies, webMethods. They launched the company out of their house in 1996.…
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Looks Like Omicron Cases Are Surging in Virginia
by James A. Bacon It has been nearly three weeks since the Omicron variant of COVID-19 reached Virginia. Nationally, Omicron now accounts for almost three out of four new COVID cases. So, how’s Virginia doing? Here is the number of cases reported on the Virginia Department of Health COVID dashboard around noon today. The red…
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Bacon Bits: Hampton Roads Edition
Wind power to the rescue? Hampton Roads, Virginia’s second-largest population center, is the anchor dragging down Virginia’s economic growth. Could that be about to change? The region has pinned its economic-development hopes upon leveraging Dominion Energy’s $9.8 billion offshore wind farm to become a manufacturing and supply- chain center for the burgeoning East Coast wind…