Tag: James A. Bacon
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If You Thought Virginia Higher Ed Couldn’t Get Worse…. You’re Wrong
by James A. Bacon The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) announced today that it has joined forces with dozens of higher education and student organizations in a “shared commitment” to make “democracy learning” a top priority for higher education. In a SCHEV press release, this commitment is expressed in the most neutral…
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Cardinal News Takes Flight
A new digital publication serving Southwest and Southside Virginia, Cardinal News, has launched today under the editorial direction of Dwayne Yancey, recently retired as editorial page editor of The Roanoke Times. The inaugural edition opens with articles and editorials on Grayson County Wi-Fi, how redistricting affects western Virginia, and headlines from around the region. In explaining its…
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How Not to Create a Diverse, Welcoming Workplace
by James A. Bacon Michelle Vermillion was raised an old-fashioned liberal. She grew up thinking that people should be treated as individuals, judged, as Martin Luther King once dreamed, by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. She supports civil rights causes and endorses diversity in the workplace. Getting to know…
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Behind the Labor-Shortage Headlines
by James A. Bacon The news is full of stories about labor shortages. The latest case in point, which prompted this column, is Virginia Mercury article focusing on the paucity of nurses. The author lists several plausible reasons to explain the deficit, from COVID-related burnout to a shortage of nursing school faculty. Similarly, Bacon’s Rebellion…
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The Public Schools’ Crisis of Legitimacy
by James A. Bacon Virginia public schools are facing a crisis in legitimacy. Never in recent history have parents been so up in arms. This morning I published three columns submitted by readers, all on the subject of the dismaying disconnect between educators and parents in K-12 schools. I did not solicit them. Readers sent…
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Canceled by McAfee?
What the h-e-double hockey sticks? I have a dormant McAfee PC security app on my PC that I can’t seem to get rid of. It periodically butts into my business, notifying me of potential security issues. This morning the warning shown above popped onto my browser when I used it to call up Bacon’s Rebellion.…
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VDOE Excels at Complying with Federal Bureaucratic Guidelines
by James A. Bacon For the 10th consecutive year, Virginia has earned the federal government’s “highest rating” for improving outcomes for students with disabilities and for complying with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Virginia Department of Education said in a press release yesterday. Only five states and state-level education systems have earned the…
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Out-of-State Money in Virginia’s Election
Once again, the Democratic Party candidate for governor excels in raising out-of-state money, according to data published by the Virginia Public Access Project. Democrat Terry McAuliffe has raised 48% of his $15.6 million in total donations from out-of-state contributors, compared to 26% of Glenn Youngkin’s $11.4 million haul. The big outside money for McAuliffe comes mainly…
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UVa Petri Dish Update
by James A. Bacon About a month ago I suggested that the University of Virginia would make an interesting real-world experiment in the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination mandates during the Delta Variant phase of the epidemic. The Ryan administration required vaccinations for all students, allowing only a handful of medical and religious exceptions. Vaccinations were…
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Pandemic and Pounds. Buy Bigger Belts
by Kerry Dougherty I’m shocked. Who could have predicted that closing fitness centers, filling public parks with sand, draining public pools, curtailing youth sports, shuttering schools and telling workers to stay home would result in a sharp increase in obesity? And who would have guessed that being obese would contribute to more serious outcomes for…
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Bacon Bits: The Fraying Social Fabric Edition
Honor is an antiquated slaveholders concept anyway. The University of Virginia’s student Honor Committee has voted to alter the honor code to eliminate the single sanction against lying, cheating and stealing from expulsion to a two-semester suspension. Before the change can be adopted, it must be approved by a vote of the student body. Third-year…
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Virginia Schools Grappling with COVID After-Effects
by James A. Bacon Straw in the wind #1: Two students were wounded in a shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News Monday. The incident didn’t fit the profile of a mass shooting by a mentally distressed student lashing out at random. The shootings, in which a male student was shot in the side…
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Flag Vandalism at UVa a False Alarm, Ryan Says
by James A. Bacon A few days ago I reported an alleged act of vandalism against 2,977 tiny American flags planted in the ground as part of a 9/11 commemoration at the University of Virginia. The evening after the service, which was sponsored by the conservative Young Americans for Freedom and attended by President Jim…
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VEC Made $930 Million in “Incorrect” Payments Last Year
by James A. Bacon Inundated by unemployment claims during the COVID-19-induced recession last year, the Virginia Employment Commission made an estimated $930 million in “incorrect” payments last year, according to an update by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The magnitude of wasted dollars has gone largely unnoticed as the media and the Northam…
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Wait, What? Renter Credit Scores Are Improving?
by James A. Bacon Who would have guessed? For all the angst over the “eviction crisis” precipitated by COVID-19-related job losses, it turns out that the financial condition of low-income renters improved overall as the epidemic wore on, according to a new report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The federal bureau credits stimulus…