Tag: James Sherlock
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Predatory Virginia Nursing Home Owners
by James C. Sherlock Merriam Webster: Pred*a*tor: (noun) one who injures or exploits others for personal gain or profit. The most medically vulnerable of us reside in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). Nobody plans to be there, but that is where about thirty thousand Virginians find themselves at any one time. People who are moved from hospitals…
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Past Time for Serious Sanctions for the Commonwealth’s Worst Nursing Homes
by James C. Sherlock Effective May 1 of this year, Karen Shelton M.D. became Virginia’s Health Commissioner. Dr. Shelton is now the licensor and regulator of Virginia’s nursing homes. By law, state-licensed nursing homes must comply with federal and state laws and standards. By regulation, the Health Commissioner “may impose such administrative sanctions or take such…
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Virginia’s Best Nursing Facilities
by James C. Sherlock This is part 4 of a series on nursing homes in Virginia. Part 1 here Part 2 here, Part 3 here. Medicare.gov curates and publishes a system of nursing home assessments that is outstanding in both design and execution. As discussed in earlier parts of this series, Virginia has far more…
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Lee Enterprises Newspapers in Virginia Combine Huge Online Subscription Price Increases with Difficult Cancellations
by James C. Sherlock Lee Enterprises, in a bold move, has massively raised prices for online subscriptions to its Virginia newspapers, to some of which I subscribe. Lee’s “brands” here include: The Daily Progress – Charlottesville The Free Lance Star – Fredericksburg Danville Register Bee/Go Dan River – Danville Bristol Herald Courier – Tricities –…
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School Boards, Model Policies and Parental Rights in the Raising of Children
by James C. Sherlock The Virginia Beach School Board will vote tomorrow. The announced subject will be transgender rights in schools. It is couched by The Virginian-Pilot as the school board defending transgender students against “unnecessarily cruel policies.“ As opposed, one supposes, to necessarily cruel policies. The local paper refers, of course, to the Youngkin…
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Scandal in Plain Sight – Virginia’s Failed Regulation of Law-Avoiding Nursing Home Owners
by James C. Sherlock One of the most important and heart-wrenching decisions families make for their elderly loved ones is whether they are able to keep them in their homes as they get older and sicker. Sometimes that is not feasible for a long list of reasons in each case. More than 30,000 Virginians live…
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Federal Flood Insurance Needs to Cover Its Costs
by James C. Sherlock Virginia is suing FEMA over its new risk rating methodology for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Virginia’s suit says that the new methodology: doesn’t recognize many mitigation efforts, nor does it clearly explain how rates are calculated based on mitigation efforts. This means that (Virginia’s) mitigation efforts don’t result in…
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New Style of Computer Adaptive Testing for Math and Reading SOLs in Spring 2023
by James C. Sherlock End-of-year SOLs will be released this summer and are much anticipated to see how well kids are recovering from enforced shutdowns during COVID. Some readers know the current testing system like the backs of their hands. But nearly all of us took standardized tests in school in which everyone took the…
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A Rebound Towards Excellence — and Smiles — in Newport News Public Schools
by James C. Sherlock The national and international headlines were awful. The shooting of Abby Zwerner at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News was horrible. The investigative reports were chilling. Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) has chosen the right path forward — positivity, community consultation and openness centered on the children. There are signs that…
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A Fool’s Errand Finds Takers in Charlottesville
by James C. Sherlock As an experiment, I went to the UVa Ed School research page and searched “all topics” for “Charter Schools.” The response: “No research items found matching your search.” So, I expanded the search to “Charter” and got the same response. I then investigated what should have proven a promising lead. The…
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UVa’s Undergraduate Female/Male Demographics vs. Diversity, Equity and Federal Law
by James C. Sherlock The University of Virginia measures its diversity efforts by statistics. We’ll hold them to their own standards. That seems only equitable. President Ryan has said that the demographic composition of students is easy to measure. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office, proving him right, proudly displays a Diversity Dashboard. All eyes,…
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DEI Presentation at Tomorrow’s UVa Board of Visitors Meeting Attempts to Deflect the Discussion
by James C. Sherlock Tomorrow, June 2, there will be a meeting of the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia. The University has published a preview of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion presentation to the Board. That presentation is designed quite clearly to deflect the conversation from the true issues. It attempts to:…
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New Offshore Wind Power Project Proposed to Come Ashore in a Virginia Beach Flood Zone
by James C. Sherlock There is a dominant engineering problem in bringing offshore wind-generated electricity ashore in Virginia Beach. Flooding and water tables very close to the surface are the twin reasons there are few basements in Virginia Beach. And those that have them regret it. The 2020 Virginia Beach FEMA Flood Hazard Map is…
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Sentara Does a Very Good Thing
by James C. Sherlock Sentara brass will not believe that I wrote that headline. We have a history. But right is right. A Sentara mobile care unit will start June 1 to provide primary care service two days a week in two separate locations in Petersburg. The people of Petersburg desperately need it. That city…
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Read It and Weep – DEI at UVa
by James C. Sherlock Kerry Daugherty’s column this morning was heart-wrenching for anyone who cares at all about kids’ educations. The Norfolk School Board voted 6-1… to begin teaching gender ideology, masturbation, sexual identity, homosexuality, abortion and lesbianism in middle and high schools. To kids who cannot read or perform mathematics at grade level. Now…