Virginia
updated
8:45 p.m.
All the brouhaha about Planned Parenthood began at Susan B. Komen for the Cure after the hiring of Karen Handel , a former far-right Republican gubernatorial candidate in Georgia who opposes the existence of Planned Parenthood (She's pictured above). When Handel ran for the Republican nomination for governor in Georgia, she made no secret of her hatred of Planned Parenthood. Komen may protes...
Blue Virginia - 4:27 p.m.
Today House Democratic Leader David Toscano gave a speech on the floor of the House of Delegates today talking about American job growth and asking why the state House Republicans in the majority have been sidetracked by a social agenda during this session. View it below and check out an interactive version of [...]...
Albemarle County Democratic Party - 3:42 p.m. - 8 clicks 
The Virginia legislature has raced to try to reach the top of the bigotry/repression/hate list among the states. No longer do the few less than 50% of Virginia's citizens count for anything. We simply do not exist! Here's some News from The ACLU: While there was some success defending reproductive freedom this week, the Senate did pass a bill (21-Y, 18-N) requiring women to h...
DailyKos (Virginia) - 3:24 p.m. - 11 clicks
In the same vein of bigotry demonstrated by the Virginia House of Delegates and supported by the religious extremists at The Family Foundation, Rick "Froth Mix" Santorum told a gay man at a campaign appearance in Missouri that the man was not entitled to civil equality because "gay relationships don't benefit society." Apparently, under Santorum's reading of the U. S. Constitution, the Eq...
Michael in Norfolk - 3:04 p.m. - 9 clicks
In yet another move that underscores that the GOP controlled Virginia General Assembly has nothing but contempt for LGBT Virginians - and the U. S. Constitution - the House of Delegates has passed a bill that permits adoption and foster care agencies being funded by the Commonwelth to discriminate against gays in adoption and foster care placements. The bigotry is yet the latest demonst...
Michael in Norfolk - 3:04 p.m. - 7 clicks
An update from KeepTheBan.org : Thanks to you and your hard work, the uranium industry did not have the votes in the General Assembly to introduce a bill to lift the ban. On January 19th, Gov. McDonnell was forced to concede that a report from the National Academy of Sciences identified "important questions related to the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment." As a ...
Blue Virginia - 1:43 p.m.
Per CBS News : In an effort to cut the unemployment rate among veterans, President Barack Obama is calling for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands . The president also will seek more grant money for programs that allow local communities to hire more police officers and firefighters . "Let's get more cops...
Blue Virginia - 1:04 p.m. - 9 clicks
An update from KeepTheBan.org : Thanks to you and your hard work, the uranium industry did not have the votes in the General Assembly to introduce a bill to lift the ban. On January 19th, Gov. McDonnell was forced to concede that a report from the National Academy of Sciences identified “important questions related to the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment.” As a ...
The Green Miles - 1:04 p.m. - 10 clicks
Using public records of grocery store locations and vehicle ownership, the USDA has mapped the locations of “food deserts,” regions where people lack access to decent food. Such areas have been popular to talk about and speculate about, but this is the first effort that I’m aware of to actually locate and measure them. →...
Waldo Jaquith - 11:29 a.m. - 2 clicks
Senator Creigh Deeds sends his latest weekly newsletter from the General Assembly Session in Richmond. Dear friend: January has come and gone. Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, and it appears that six more weeks of winter weather are ahead. We saw temperatures in the 70s in Richmond this week. Hopefully Phil is predicting six [...]...
Albemarle County Democratic Party - 10:05 a.m. - 10 clicks
by Paul Goldman As a general rule, an improving jobs picture nationally means that states like Virginia are going to be doing even better. The GOP 2012 strategy is anchored in blaming Democrats for the state of things economic. I read last night the transcript from the first Kennedy-Nixon debate, a fascinating read. The two future Presidents - the only time this has ever happened - debated dom...
Blue Virginia - 9:09 a.m. - 8 clicks
There's no other way to put this, but to say that this morning's jobs numbers were superb. Here's Ezra Klein's take : The strangest thing about January's jobs report is that it's pretty much all good . The headline numbers are great, of course: payrolls are up by 243,000 jobs. Unemployment is down to 8.3 percent. But the inside numbers are good, too. [...] The bottom line is that thi...
Blue Virginia - 7:27 a.m.
Update 11:53am : Komen has now reversed itself . Grassroots power wins! UPDATE 11:58 am by Lowell : Perhaps we shouldn't declare victory too soon ? There is only one way for us ordinary folks to fight against the rampant power of big money unleashed by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, plus the blatant influence on legislation by lobbyists with pockets full of campaign con...
Blue Virginia - 7:05 a.m.
David Axelrod, President Obama's political strategist, was interviewed by NPR's Steve Inskeep this morning: INSKEEP : What do you think has happened im the states that the president, somewhat unexpectedly in some cases, won in 2008 where he seems to be in deep trouble now, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia, all states that he won in 2008 and it would be hard to find an analyst who is cert...
Blue Virginia - 7:05 a.m. - 9 clicks
Few things upset and sicken me more than seeing the continued death toll of LGBT teens - or those perceived to be LGBT - from suicide. It's a tragedy that might easily be avoided but for the ongoing anti-gay jihad of Christianists (and in some parts of the world, Muslims) who seem to take delight in making the lives of LGBT people everywhere a living Hell. Sadly, it's almost as if the wan...
Michael in Norfolk - 7:05 a.m. - 2 clicks
The utterly out of touch Mitt Romney continues to attempt damage control after his incredibly insensitive - and stupid - remark that he wasn't concerned about the poor. Yet the very safety net that he claims protects them is under attack by Romney's fellow Republicans as are programs for poor children. One can already picture Obama ads running clips of Romney's statement over and over again ...
Michael in Norfolk - 7:05 a.m.
Peter G. Decker, Jr., Norfolk lawyer, judge and philanthropist, has died. My condolences to the family. I think everyone has a favorite Uncle Pete story. Mine is the recording provided to me by pianist Pat Curtis, who worked with Decker on it. Decker sang “My Funny Valentine,” and it was amazing. Filed under: Local, Norfolk ...
Vivian J. Paige - 6:27 a.m. - 10 clicks
Some of the younger folks may not get this quiz but back in the day, there were often discussions about people being either mostly left-brained or mostly right-brained. You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.Left brained people are good at … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - 6:27 a.m.
On the same day the Obama administration announced streamlined permitting process for offshore wind energy, possible turbines off the Virginia coast took a big step forward : Dominion Virginia Power is interested in building up to 400 wind turbines in Atlantic waters in what could be a powerful message for a slowly emerging domestic source of clean energy. "If everything aligns and it mak...
The Green Miles - 6:06 a.m. - 19 clicks
Here are a few Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, February 3. Tim Kaine warns against 'swiftboat'operative Chris LaCivita to raise money for Senate campaign Va. expected to lift handgun limit House votes to ban subsidies for poor women who abort fetuses with birth defects House passes bills to allow primary write-ins, change primary date Feds allo...
Blue Virginia - 4:03 a.m. - 7 clicks
Have you noticed how it's perfectly fine in the minds of the far right for businesses to back what they believe in politically and/or on the social issues front as long as it conforms to Christianist prejudices and bigotry? For example, the Christianists love Chick Fil -A and it's public displays of religiosity in the form of being closed on Sundays and all of the funding it provides to...
Michael in Norfolk - Thu 8:07 p.m. - 2 clicks
Living in Virginia we have many embarrassing politicians. Indeed, the entire GOP delegation to the Virginia General Assembly largely qualifies as knuckle dragging Neanderthals with a penchant for mindlessly following the dictates handed down by the Christofascists at The Family Foundation. But when one factors in sleaze, the Congressman Eric Cantor has few rivals when it comes to being an ...
Michael in Norfolk - Thu 7:44 p.m. - 10 clicks
The truly perverted priorities of the Roman Catholic Church are again on sharp display as two news items once again demonstrate that the Church will do all it can to avoid compensating victims of sexual abuse by priests - sometimes blaming lack of money as the excuse for underhanded tactics to screw over abuse victims - yet the Church hierarchy seems to have no problem finding money to throw ...
Michael in Norfolk - Thu 7:08 p.m. - 2 clicks
The Beltway conventional wisdom : If Obama is on the rebound, someone forgot to tell swing voters in the most important up-for-grabs states in 2012. The idea is that while Obama may be up nationally, he's lagging in the battleground states. But is that true? It's not. You'll see why below. FLORIDA : It looks like the week of GOP primary campaigning in Florida didn't help their chanc...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Thu 1:04 p.m. - 18 clicks
On a warm Groundhog Day & with mild temperatures forecast to continue across Virginia through the 10-day outlook, E&E News (sub. req.) takes a closer look at at how global warming is impacting Punxsutawney Phil & friends: Groundhogs are one of the few animals that achieve true, or "profound," hibernation, burrowing down below the frost line for the coldest months of the year. During this peri...
Blue Virginia - Thu 10:42 a.m. - 9 clicks
From reports in national media outlets , Donald Trump will not be endorsing Newt Gingrich. Instead, he is endorsing the Mittster...Willard "Mitt" Romney. I fail to understand how an endorsement by Trump helps Romney one iota. #1: Romney, the son of a man who was born in Mexico, not the United States, is going to tie himself to one of the leading detractors of President Obama's b...
Blue Virginia - Thu 10:02 a.m. - 2 clicks
For more information about the films and the event go here . Click on the art above to enlarge it. To see the Facebook event page go here . For plenty of old Biograph stories click on the picture of the theater below. ...
SLANTblog - Thu 10:02 a.m.
Update by Miles : "Dominion Virginia Power is interested in building up to 400 wind turbines in Atlantic waters in what could be a powerful message for an emerging domestic source of clean energy," reports the AP . Good news, courtesy of Environment Virginia (see statement on the "flip") and the Obama Administration. Of course, Bob McDonnell - and even, in fairness, several leading Democra...
Blue Virginia - Thu 8:49 a.m. - 11 clicks
by Paul Goldman In the history of American politics, no Southern Republican on the Eastern side of the Big Muddy has ever been nominated for national office. The VP power lists are already being circulated on the GOP side with the assumption that Mitt Romney will be the party's presidential pick. The latest one lists Virginian McDonnell as #2 on Dick Clark's hit parade, behind Florida Senator ...
Blue Virginia - Thu 8:49 a.m. - 12 clicks
A bill that I introduced this year, which outlawed open carry of guns while drinking alcohol, failed in committee yesterday. Last year, this bill garnered unanimous support on the Senate floor. This year, Republicans hypocritically voted it down in committee. I am outraged at the hypocrisy of my Republican colleagues. Last year, this bill passed the Senate with a 40 to nothing vote. Last year...
Blue Virginia - Thu 7:47 a.m.
The same mild temperatures that are bringing up some spring flowers in the middle of winter may cause groundhogs to emerge from hibernation too soon , leaving them without their spring food sources and vulnerable to sudden cold snaps: Punxsutawney Phil will be pulled from his caged slumber tomorrow to do his faux forecasting duty, but most groundhogs in the wild will sleep through to sprin...
The Green Miles - Thu 6:46 a.m. - 4 clicks
Hard to believe you’d be 49 today. Harder still to believe it has been almost 17 years since you were taken away from us. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you. Happy birthday, little brother. Filed under: General ...
Vivian J. Paige - Thu 6:01 a.m.
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. In it, I urge the voters in Norfolk to sign the petition to place on the ballot the question of whether Norfolk should have an elected school board. I don’t believe it can be said too many times: the issue right now is to get … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Thu 6:01 a.m. - 13 clicks
I often disagree with much of what columnist Nicholas Kristof has to say. But in a column in the New York Times , he provides a good history of the Republican Party and makes the case that it is today's far right extremists in the GOP who are the aberration and "Republicans in Name Only" a/k/a RINO's . The far right and hate-filled "family values" crowd have perverted the GOP into someth...
Michael in Norfolk - Thu 4:42 a.m. - 4 clicks
I wrote just the other day about how a Philadelphia court had ruled that retired Catholic Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua was competent to testify in the upcoming sexual abuse trial in which Rev. William Lynn, a Monsignor in charge of priests for the archdiocese, is accused of covering up for sexual predator priests and shuffling them from parish to parish. Indications are that Lynn may be unwil...
Michael in Norfolk - Thu 4:42 a.m.
Here are a few Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, February 2. Also, check out the video about how Willard doesn't give a rat's hindquarters about the poor OR about the middle class. Nope, he's 100% about the top 1%. And last but not least, see the video in the comments section of President Obama announcing "African Americans for Obama" in African-American his...
Blue Virginia - Thu 4:21 a.m. - 14 clicks
Last night in a 28-21 vote, the Washington State Senate passed a bill that would give full marriage equality to same sex couples in that state. It is expected that the legislation will pass the House not later than next week and that Governor Christine Gregorie has promised to sign the bill when it arrives on her desk. Sadly, Democrat Brian Hatfield who voted for the bill is still supporti...
Michael in Norfolk - Thu 4:00 a.m.
Hermanze Edwin Fauntleroy Jr. So I was on twitter last night and happen to see this. I thought it was an interesting idea and I decided to try it out. All day I've been kind of torn on who I wanted to really focus on first. Then I thought "maybe I should go local" and well, it probably doesn't get any closer than this. You see for the firs...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Wed 9:00 p.m. - 13 clicks
Virginia Governor Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell and his fellow Christofascists in the Republican Party of Virginia are striving to make abortion unavailable - even if not technically illegal - in Virginia. The excuse for implementing new clinic regulations to force the closure of clinics is always couched in terms of "safety" and "protecting women." The latest GOP effort in the General Assem...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 7:22 p.m. - 13 clicks
In a truly self-inflicted wound, Mitt Romney stated during an interview that he's "not concerned about the very poor." He claimed that the rest of his statement - i.e., that there's "safety net" for the very poor - mitigated the offensiveness and totally out of touch aspect of his statement. One can only wonder if Romney has ever meet anyone very poor or understands that most have NO health...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 7:09 p.m.
I guess "better late than never" is the way to describe Seattle, Washington based Amazon's somewhat belated announcement that it supports the marriage equality bills now before the Washington State legislature. Other Washington State based corporate giants came on board weeks ago. Still noticeably absent from the list of supportive corporations is Boeing. The Seattle Times has coverage o...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 6:21 p.m.
As part of its never ending effort to utterly prostitute itself to the Christian Right, the GOP constantly targets Planned Parenthood - an organization that utilizes only 3% of its budget/funding to provide abortion services. As the chart above from the Washington Post indicates, the other 97% goes to needed services - such as cancer screening - given principally to poor and less affluent ...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 5:20 p.m.
"HBO filmmaker Josh Fox arrested at the February 1, 2012 House Science Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment fracking hearing (Source: House Science Committee Democratic Staff)." For more on the Republicans version of the First Amendment (corporations have unlimited "speech" rights, individuals have only those the corporate masters and their political puppets decide individuals sh...
Blue Virginia - Wed 4:10 p.m.
I wanted to know what was the last date of the preceding month to now… regardless of when now is… The UNIX/Linux cal command came to the rescue: cal -3 | cut -c1-16 | grep -v "^ $" | tail -1 | sed -e 's/^.. \([23][0-9]\)/\1/' It turns out you need a fairly modern version [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Wed 2:07 p.m. - 2 clicks
Last night, I read about a new proposal in my home state. It’s yet another one of those bills that propose forcing a woman have an ultrasound before she has an abortion. This has always been something I disagreed with, but only out of general principle. It seems like yet another barrier between a woman and her right to terminate a pregnancy. Another hurdle, another annoyance. What I didn’t kno...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Wed 12:48 p.m. - 3 clicks
It should come as no surprise to most film buffs that sometimes there was a dark side to the business of doing business after dark. While some saw the Biograph Theatre as a beacon in the night, for others it was a place to hide out from a sad reality. Like any business, sometimes things just went wrong. A man died watching "F.I.S.T." (1978). The guy was in his early-30s; he breathed his last sitt...
SLANTblog - Wed 11:07 a.m. - 3 clicks
If you haven’t seen the video of the floor amendment offered by Sen. Janet Howell to the ultrasound bill, check it out below. If it weren’t so sad, this would be funny. Filed under: Local, Politics, Virginia ...
Vivian J. Paige - Wed 9:29 a.m. - 14 clicks
One summer afternoon in the mid-1970s, I was walking about 20 yards behind a guy heading east on the 800 block of West Grace Street. Then, like it was his, he casually picked up the Organic Food Store’s hand-painted sandwich board style sign from the sidewalk in front of the store. Without even looking around for any witnesses to his act of dishonesty the sign thief kept going at the same pace....
SLANTblog - Wed 8:04 a.m. - 2 clicks
The Norfolk Public Schools will hold a meeting this evening to “discuss the community’s educational priorities in the development of NPS’ Fiscal Year 2013 budget,” according to the website. The meeting will begin at 6:30pm at Norview High School, located at 6501 Chesapeake Blvd. I understand the format of tonight’s meeting was changed last night … Continue read...
Vivian J. Paige - Wed 5:48 a.m. - 13 clicks
As noted in a prior post, Mitt Romney's anti-gay positions make it impossible for me - and I suspect many LGBT Americans - to support him. And lest there be any misunderstanding of how willing Romney is to trash LGBT citizens and back anti-gay agendas, Romney himself participated in a conference call with leading haters so that he could underscore his agreement with their anti-gay jihad. Here a...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 5:24 a.m. - 3 clicks
A long grueling primary fight can often most help the opposing political party as the primary contenders bludgeon each other and often provide the opposing party with future campaign ad materials. In addition, less engaged voters may become tired of the whole process and sick to death of hearing about candidates thus giving the opposing party candidate the opportunity to appear fresher and le...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 5:24 a.m.
The National Organization for Marriage has lost yet another court round in its efforts to hide the identities of its donors from the public. NOM claims to be a "grassroots" organization, but certain filings have shown that NON's money principally comes from less than a dozen donors each of which has given large amounts of money. As a result, it would seem that despite its crocodile tears...
Michael in Norfolk - Wed 3:41 a.m.
Given the painfully slow recovery from the 2008 economic meltdown and the nasty recession it set in motion, it follows that Obama would struggle to get reelected. Given the glaring flaws of the two GOP frontrunners, it still mystifies me that the GOP hasn't been able to locate a better candidate to run against Obama. Given the anxiety and anger in the air, it would seem Team Elephant could do be...
SLANTblog - Tue 10:02 p.m.
Speaking of sexual abuse by priest, in a positive development a Philadelphia court has ruled that retired Roman Catholic cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua (pictured at right) is competent and his recent deposition testimony can be used at an upcoming priest abuse trial. The Church had endeavored to argue that Bevilacqua suffered from dementia and that, therefore, he could not be deposed or call...
Michael in Norfolk - Tue 7:25 p.m. - 2 clicks
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus held a "Protect Our Vote" Rally on the morning of January 31, 2012 at the Bell Tower in the lower southwestern corner of Capitol Square in downtown Richmond, Virginia (near the corner of 9th and Franklin Streets). The "Protect Our Vote" Rally featured Special Guest Civil Rights leader Dr. Benjamin Chavis. The General Assembly voted on voter suppression bi...
The Richmonder - Tue 5:04 p.m. - 16 clicks
The BRAD BLOG has received confirmation that the Virginia Attorney General's office is investigating the Newt Gingrich campaign for fraud after some 1,500 signatures needed to get Gingrich on the GOP primary ballot were found to be bogus. Gingrich failed to get the necessary signatures needed to get on the primary ballot in Virginia; the only ones who did were Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. More af...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Tue 2:03 p.m. - 14 clicks
Virginia GOP U.S. Senate candidate George Allen has been named the first member of the 2012 League of Conservation Voters Dirty Dozen : ...
The Green Miles - Tue 10:26 a.m. - 28 clicks
Delegate David Toscano sends his third update from the General Assembly Session in Richmond, “Voter Suppression and Attacks on the Poor.” This week of the 2012 General Assembly will be the busiest yet as Republicans in the House try to pass a number of bills targeted primarily at low income and minority [...]...
Albemarle County Democratic Party - Tue 9:02 a.m. - 3 clicks
Funeral arrangements for Matt Geary (1969 - 2012) have been released. Matt will return one more time to our alma mater, Benedictine High School, before he is laid to rest. Visitation Wednesday, February 1, 2012 5:00PM-8:00PM Bliley's Funeral Home Central 3801 Augusta Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23230 Funeral Mass Thursday, February 2, 2012 12:00 Noon Saint Benedict Catholic Church (at Be...
The Richmonder - Tue 9:01 a.m. - 19 clicks
Devilishly brilliant. Too bad it got shot down. To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication. "Erectile dysfuction medication"...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Tue 6:45 a.m. - 11 clicks
That would be the Norfolk City Council, save councilman Tommy Smiegel. I may have to go back to referring to them as the seven bumps on a log. In an article today, Smigiel, in his first term on council and a contributor to this blog, stands alone in wanting his colleagues to pursue some kind … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Tue 6:25 a.m. - 22 clicks
Called A&E Appliance Repair for appliance repair of both a Viking under-counter fridge and a Dacor double oven. Identified both by specific model number and asked if they repaired those models and brands. Walked the A&E dispatcher through the error codes on both devices and the exact model numbers, and asked them to pre-buy the [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Tue 6:25 a.m.
My first diary be gentle From Blue Virginia a Dem ( woman with balls ) http://www.bluevirginia.us/... Wow. I've decided I really like Janet Howell (D-Fairfax)! As the Virginia State Senate was ready to pass a bill requiring women who seek an abortion to undergo an ultrasound and then be asked whether they wished to view the results and hear the fetal heartbeat, Howell decided the time ...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Tue 6:06 a.m. - 16 clicks
Marty Jewell (center) with Occupy Richmond on December 18, 2011 Some embarrassing financial questions have cropped up to dog Richmond City Councilman Marty Jewell on the eve of his run for re-election: Richmond City Councilman E. Martin Jewell hasn't accounted for all of the money he spent in his re-election campaign four years ago or reported almost $4,000 he raised at a fundraiser last spri...
The Richmonder - Tue 3:10 a.m. - 16 clicks
Warren Olney’s “To the Point,” the PRI show carried by NPR affiliates across the country, has long struck me as a bit of a parody of NPR. The name, for starters. I can’t remember the names of any of the faux NPR stations in “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,” but they’re all names exactly like [...]...
Waldo Jaquith - Mon 11:20 p.m. - 6 clicks
Probably for Redskins fans only: All-Pro Washington linebacker London Fletcher's take on the Giants, with their stingy defense, and the offensive-minded Pats: "Absolutely, because of his level of preparation. Because [Brady is] going to know you, he's going to study you, and know what you're going to do and what you like to do. So you've got to be on top of your assignments and execution, becau...
SLANTblog - Mon 9:26 p.m.
This Place Augusta Series January 31, 2012 7:00PM Augusta County Government Center “Town and Country Augusta” gives the farmer’s perspective on the rural lifestyle. Farms and forest drive the economy and add to quality of life. What are the changes and the challenges for those who work the land? (Speaker Steve Saufley, Virginia Farm Bureau Board Member) FREE. Refreshments provi...
Blue Ridge Data - Mon 8:07 p.m. - 15 clicks
Crossposted at ProgressVA . In direct conflict with his months of criticizing the stimulus, George Allen spent the last two weeks touring and touting the economic successes of two Virginia firms that received millions in stimulus grants. One of them, Ennis Electric Company, Allen visited last week and left out of his praise for the company was the fact the firm has benefitted from nearly $1...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Mon 12:04 p.m. - 15 clicks
Scottsville Supervisor Christopher Dumler sends his latest update on what’s happening with the Albemarle Board of Supervisors . With two meetings under my belt, I’ve really begun to dive into some issues of importance to me and many of the citizens of my district. I would [...]...
Albemarle County Democratic Party - Mon 10:48 a.m. - 6 clicks
On Super Tuesday (March 6) Virginians will be given very limited choices. There won't be any Democratic primary and the Republican primary will feature only two options Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. Virginia does not have party registration, though, so any registered voter can vote in this primary, and I am encouraging all Obama supporters to do so and vote for Paul to give Romney an emb...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Mon 6:28 a.m. - 15 clicks
Matthew Geary, former candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Henrico, dead of apparent suicide: Geary’s campaign ran into trouble after a highly orchestrated attack on his character by Republican leaders, including U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7th. The leaders revealed that Geary had engaged in an affair with a married woman in recent years. I watched this … Continue reading ...
Vivian J. Paige - Mon 5:28 a.m. - 16 clicks
If you haven’t seen this map from Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, then you might be missing why the tide seems to be turning towards Mitt Romney. Sabato calls it a “Newt-mare,” a spin on the word nightmare. If Gingrich is the nominee, it’s not just the presidency that Republicans lose, but a lot of those … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Mon 5:00 a.m. - 17 clicks
Opponents of climate action pointed to estimates that it may have slowed economic growth by 1 to 3.5% by 2050 as reason to maintain our status quo on energy, transportation & community design. But as a new PBS series details, the cost of sprawling communities that are unhealthy for either people or the planet may already be at least that high: “We have built America in a way that is, I...
The Green Miles - Mon 4:28 a.m. - 43 clicks
Not that there’s been much action here lately, but there’s going to be something of a gap. I’m hoping I can occaisionally update via phone from the road. If not, back in a few weeks …...
Blacknell.net - Sun 9:00 p.m.
Peyton Williams, a retired Army special forces Lt. Colonel, announced he was going to run for the 5th District seat in the House of Representatives. The Daily Progress has more: Originally from Norfolk, Williams has lived in Charlottesville since 1996. He and his wife, Bobbie, have been married for 33 years. Williams received [...]...
Albemarle County Democratic Party - Sun 4:49 p.m. - 18 clicks
Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor issued the following statement in connection with the passing of Matt Geary earlier today: Shannon Taylor Expresses Profound Sympathy on Matt Geary’s Passing Henrico – Today, Shannon Taylor, Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney, released the following statement on hearing of the passing of Matt Geary. Ms. Taylor said, “I want to offer m...
The Richmonder - Sun 2:40 p.m. - 20 clicks
Matt Geary, the former Republican candidate for Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney, has been found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound. Geary was found around 1:00pm today in a home on 2200 block of Lauderdale Drive. More details as they become available. Here is Matt's bio from his website; he had recently updated it to reflect his return to private practice: Currently, Matt G...
The Richmonder - Sun 2:01 p.m. - 28 clicks
A message from Brian Moran, Chairman of the Democratic Part of Virginia: DPVA Asks You To Take Action To Protect Every Virginians Right To Vote Dear Friends – There’s something happening in Richmond that I think you should know about. Right now,Republican legislators are going out of their way to make it harder for Virginians across this Commonwealth to vote. Republicans are pushing legis...
The Richmonder - Sun 11:09 a.m. - 13 clicks
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus has issued a call to action and requests your presence at their "PROTECT OUR VOTE" RALLY on the morning of January 31, 2012 at 10:00am at the Bell Tower in the lower southwestern corner of Capitol Square in downtown Richmond, Virginia (near the corner of 9th and Franklin Streets). The "PROTECT OUR VOTE RALLY" will feature Special Guest Civil Rights leader...
The Richmonder - Sun 9:46 a.m. - 11 clicks
Former Congressman Tom Perriello has a guest blog post up at Think Progress entitled "The GOP's Racial Politics": From the subtle to the sickening, this Republican primary season has seen a normalizing of racist and racially-coded language. It was not so long ago that the chairman of the Republican National Committee apologized for his party’s history of “trying to benefit politically from rac...
The Richmonder - Sun 9:04 a.m. - 2 clicks
Please join Former First Lady of Virginia Anne Holton for a reception honoring Governor Tim Kaine to benefit his campaign for U.S. Senate Host Committee (In formation): Annie Kasper ~ Frances Lewis Alexa Quinn ~ Susan Swecker Sponsors (In Formation): Heidi Abbot ~ Amy Bridge ~ Rosann Bocciarelli ~ Gina Boyle Kimberly Bowers ~ Sherrie [...]...
The Farm Team - Sun 8:06 a.m. - 18 clicks
"We have to decide: Are we going to fight for jobs or are we going to let others take our jobs?" she says. "We cannot bring a knife to a gun fight, and that's what we have done." http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146033135/made-in-the-usa-savi Made In The USA: Saving The American Brand by NPR Staff Source: National Public Radio ...
Blue Ridge Data - Sun 6:41 a.m.
I stopped by the opening of the new Obama Richmond campaign office opening this afternoon, but I didn't get very far. The turnout was huge and completely overwhelmed the building. I peeked through the window and saw Congressman Bobby Scott and Mayor Dwight Jones addressing a packed room. With the crowd inside jammed elbow to elbow and a line stretching out the door I realized that I'd never ...
The Richmonder - Sat 11:25 a.m. - 19 clicks
Having grown up in Richmond, Virginia, I understand some things about a certain strain of conservatism. I know that to some conservatives any idea that challenges the establishment will be called “liberal.” In the 1960s people who opposed the war in Vietnam were called “pinkos,” which was a pale shade of red -- meaning Bolshevik. Citizens who worked to end Jim Crow laws and segregation in public...
SLANTblog - Sat 11:04 a.m. - 15 clicks
This is just sad sad sad. From the Washington Post The Virginia House of Delegates has passed legislation repealing a requirement that girls receive a vaccine to prevent a virus that can cause cervical cancer...The House voted 62-34 Friday to pass the bill, sponsored by Republican Del. Kathy Byron of Campbell County. The bill now goes to the Senate, where similar legislation died last yea...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Sat 11:04 a.m. - 12 clicks
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus is holding a rally Tuesday morning, January 31, to demonstrate the opposition to some of the bills that have been introduced that would reduce the right to vote. Civil Rights leader Dr. Benjamin Chavis will be there, along with U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott and Richmond mayor Dwight Jones. Participants are … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Sat 9:00 a.m. - 14 clicks
@BlueRidgeData Lower productivity, rising wages in China send jobs to US MT @SocMfgEng RT @knightglobal: emerging renaissance in US #mfg ow.ly/8Iu3j ... The conventional wisdom is changing. Economic pressures and operational inefficiencies in China are persuading major businesses to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. No one thinks it will return to post-WWII l...
Blue Ridge Data - Fri 11:05 p.m.
The Richmond City Democratic Committee met on Thursday night and elected its officers and executive committee for 2012 and 2013. Chairman Emeritus Jim Nachman presided over the election in a packed meeting room in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The results of the election were as follows: Officers Chair: JJ Minor 1st Vice-Chair: Nick Kessler 2nd Vice-Chair: Jeff Bourne 3rd Vice-Chair: Oph...
The Richmonder - Fri 10:42 p.m. - 17 clicks
Today at noon, the Obama Campaign opens its Richmond campaign headquarters. You are invited to attend the grand opening. Congressman Bobby Scott--along with other special guests and local Obama supporters--will celebrate the office's official opening. Click here if you would like to RSVP Saturday, January 28, 2012 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM 408 E. Main St. Richmond, VA 23219 ...
The Richmonder - Fri 9:48 p.m. - 15 clicks
MILWAUKEE, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new nationwide poll shows that most voters want this year's presidential candidates to take stronger positions on both manufacturing and infrastructure issues. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/27/4219580/new-nationwide-poll The nonpartisan Clarus Poll found that 70% of the national ele...
Blue Ridge Data - Jan 27
Senator Creigh Deeds sends his latest weekly newsletter from the General Assembly Session in Richmond. Dear friend: The 2012 session of the General Assembly is moving by rapidly. Deadlines for the submission of bills and budget amendments have long passed, and both houses of the Assembly are in full swing. There were both good and [...]...
Albemarle County Democratic Party - Jan 27 - 17 clicks
Cross posted from Blue Virginia This morning in the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates, a nasty piece of voter disenfranchisement legislation , HB 9, passed out of committee on a 15-6 vote. Sponsored by Del. Mark Cole (R-Spotsylvania), this bill would effectively "suppress the vote of the elderly, the young, the poor and minorities," whil addressing the non-existen...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Jan 27 - 18 clicks
At Richmond Magazine Harry Kollatz focuses his blog, The Hat, on the Biograph Theatre's 40th anniversary celebration and perhaps a new artsy cinema in the works: The Biograph Theatre closed in December 1987, just shy of its 16th anniversary and amid its “Last Gasp Film Festival,” when the landlord padlocked its doors, ending a consistent run of art-house repertory cinema in Richmond. ...
SLANTblog - Jan 27 - 14 clicks
The Norfolk Citizens for An Elected School Board is holding its second meeting tomorrow morning. The time has changed from the original announcement: it will be held at 10:30am at the Pretlow Library in Ocean View. The meeting is expected to last an hour, with an advisory committee meeting following. Both meetings are open to … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Jan 27 - 26 clicks
BlueRidgeData ( @BlueRidgeData ) Red team not so much RT @KeepitMadeinUSA Last question of #CNNDebate , @RickSantorum takes on @BarackObama 's #manufacturing proposals. ... The dull tools in the Red shed have no clue on the exponentially increasing support for US Manufacturing. Their love for off shoring and out sourcing, encouraged by Reagan, Romney-Bain an...
Blue Ridge Data - Jan 27
Everything You Need to Know About the President's Blueprint for Manufacturing | The White House http://m.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/25/everything-you-need- Read & smile, if you love Made in the USA! ...
Blue Ridge Data - Jan 27
There have been so many things I have looked at and read lately, I haven’t been able to write about all of them. So today, I will be leaving a few items here for you to look at when you get the time. This first story has the unlikely title, “Another CVS Claims Uterus Is … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Jan 27 - 3 clicks
RT @ScottPaulAAM: A new vision for America: Restoring a country that makes things wapo.st/yUJhu4 // #manufacturing Read it online: http://twitter.com/KeepitMadeinUSA/status/162586638218821634 ...
Blue Ridge Data - Jan 26
The DC area's forecast for Friday calls for temperatures near 60 degrees with thunderstorms. In January. But you won't catch our television weather presenters attributing the bizarre forecast to global warming loading the dice for extreme weather ! No, sir! Expect to hear lots of things like, "Wow, tropical weather in January. Uh ... weird!" If they mentioned our changing climate, t...
The Green Miles - Jan 26 - 12 clicks
A must-read piece today from Grist's David Roberts on why clean energy is a huge political winner : With the Wall Street Journal editorial page beating its chest, Politico making sweet, sweet love to the Solyndra non-scandal , and the Chamber of Commerce dumping money into attack ads, Democrats have gotten unduly spooked. They’ve started believing John Boehner’s trash talk , that energ...
The Green Miles - Jan 26 - 2 clicks
Why another list of old movies? With the Biograph Theatre’s 40th anniversary celebration on Saturday, February 11, in mind -- "Breathless" (1960) and "Lonely Are the Brave" (1962) will be screened -- my theater manager's instinct to promote good movies was reawakened. Whereupon, I forced myself to assemble a big fat favorites list and post it at the James River Film Journal. The 139 movie...
SLANTblog - Jan 26
My latest op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. In it, I take a brief look at some of the implications of a merger between Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School, a study of which has been proposed by Del. Johnny Joannou in HJ173. As an ODU alum, I would love to have a … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Jan 26 - 5 clicks
Earlier this month, in the last few days of his term, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour pardoned five men, including four convicted murderers, who worked in his mansion. The AP FOIAed the records about their pardons and—darnedest thing—there aren’t any. The attorney general says that they’re nowhere to be found. This is headed to court in [...]...
Waldo Jaquith - Jan 25
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” was intense! Gary Oldman never fails to deliver, and neither does Benedict Cumberbatch nor Mark Strong. Excellent casting all around, especially of John Hurt. You have to like a mystery, for there is almost no sex and almost no action; but it is a very suspenseful thriller with stunning acting all [...]...
Life is a State of Mind - Jan 25
As I've pointed out in the past, the new movie based on inspired by with the same name as the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax looks like it will downplay the book's ecological lessons . Kate Sheppard reports at the Mother Jones Blue Marble blog that some elementary school students have started a Change.org petition protesting the movie's commercialized storyline . The Green Miles is especially ...
The Green Miles - Jan 25
In its informal session yesterday, Norfolk City Council received a presentation on the proposals for Waterside. The document that was presented is here (pdf) and the video is here. Of equal interest to me in the session yesterday was an update on the Community Services Board. City Manager Marcus Jones’ information on how to handle … Continue reading » ...
Vivian J. Paige - Jan 25 - 9 clicks
State Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia Are all these GOP state legislators and governors meeting up on the same Facebook page? One would think so given the speed with which these usually slow-moving politicians on issues like clean energy and environmental protection have embraced bills to drug test people collecting welfare and unemployment checks. The latest entry is Virginia. Before...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Jan 25
By Michael Strickland Frank Batten Sr. (1927–2009) created the Weather Channel in 1982, despite mocking by colleagues in the media that around-the-clock weather broadcasts would be as exciting as watching paint dry. The network, and later its companion website, Weather.com, became the largest private weather company in the world and an American cultural icon. Such is the story in Fra...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Jan 25
Chicago recently announced that they’d be sharing the GPS-tracked positions of snowplows online, for people wondering when their neighborhood would be plowed, and what roads are cleared. Now VDOT is doing the same in Virginia, although only upstate. →...
Waldo Jaquith - Jan 25 - 6 clicks
Just in case you wondered what it would look like if someone attended their own funeral, take a look at Eric Cantor's reaction to President Obama's plan to incentivize companies to bring jobs back to the United States. Eric Cantor bet against the United States, and he's none too happy that he's about to lose his bet. ...
The Richmonder - Jan 24 - 2 clicks
Overall, it felt like a clumsy attempt to co-opt Occupy Wall Street's message with little policy substance to back it up. Only a fleeting mention of global warming despite a record year for extreme weather disasters in 2011 . And as ThinkProgress Green's Brad Johnson points out, President Obama blamed Congress for climate inaction while himself proposing more oil and gas drilling ...
The Green Miles - Jan 24 - 4 clicks
Right wing terrorists Schaeffer Cox, Coleman Barney, and Lonnie Vernon face additional charges related to their plan to wage war against the United States: Schaeffer Cox and two of his followers in the Alaska Peacemaker Militia appeared in court on Monday expecting to file more motions to dismiss the charges against them. Instead they were greeted with additional indictments by a federal grand jur...
The Richmonder - Jan 24 - 3 clicks
Crossposted at ProgressVA . Conservative lawmakers in Virginia's House and Senate are so eager to attack working Virginians, they're throwing smart business protections for taxpayer dollars out the window--and they're doing it with the help of the national, pro-corporate greed group ALEC . Legislation that has been approved by House and Senate committees seeks to prohibit Project Labor Agr...
DailyKos (Virginia) - Jan 24 - 3 clicks
The 71-year-old paper isn’t convinced that endorsements mean much anymore, and are worried that the practice gives the appearance of bias in their coverage of politics. So they’re giving it up. I wonder if this is the beginning of a trend, or of the Sun-Times will stand alone? →...
Waldo Jaquith - Jan 24
