A Virginia Teachers Union faces widespread ridicule today after making errors teachers wouldn’t expect from second graders. The union’s president said it accidentally sent out a draft letter that used “our” instead of “are,” among other childlike grammatical errors. As Fox News reports: “On behalf of the members of the Arlington Education Association, this dire […]
Sophisticated Cyberattack Hits Virginia General Assembly
An “extremely sophisticated” ransomware attack has crippled the IT agency serving the Virginia General Assembly and shuttered the computer systems for Virginia’s legislative agencies. The cyberattack has left officials in Richmond scrambling. Gov. Northam has directed executive branch agencies to assist the IT agency, officially known as the Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS). Ransomware […]
While You Weren’t Looking, California Took Control of Virginia’s Auto Sales
Even though it’s more than 3,000 miles away, California will begin playing an outsized role in dictating Virginia’s automobile sales. Thanks to the geniuses in Sacramento, it’s possible that dealers may not sell new internal combustion engines after 2035. Steve Haner explains: The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board, acting not with discretion but on orders […]
Richmond Joins Other Regions Diverting Mental Health Calls Away From Police
The City of Richmond has joined four other regions in Virginia using the Marcus Alert. The law, passed last year, aims to minimize the likelihood of individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises from going to jail. A trained professional will first attempt to resolve the situation over the phone in mental health calls—before deciding […]
Virginia Native, Last Surviving Officer Immortalized in ‘Band of Brothers’ Dies
The last surviving officer of Easy Company featured in Stephen Ambrose’s book “Band of Brothers,” and the HBO miniseries of the same name has died. Col. Edward “Ed” Shames was 99 and a Norfolk native. The New York Post further reports: Born in Norfolk on June 13, 1922, Shames was the oldest surviving member of […]
Democrats’ Recount Fails – Republican Takeover Official
Democrats have failed to overturn one of the contested seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, making the Republican takeover of the state’s lower legislative chamber official. A three-judge panel in Virginia Beach confirmed the final tally between incumbent Alex Askew (D) and Karen Greenhalgh (R). Per WAVY: Greenhalgh was named the winner with a […]
Is There an End in Sight to Virginia’s Tax Crisis?
In 2018, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D) successfully lobbied for Virginia’s capital city to increase its meals tax to 7.5%. The 25% tax increase imposed on anyone dining out came on top of the city’s combined sales tax of 6%. Despite its status as a mid-size American city (albeit a hip one), taxes and living […]
Winsome Sears’ Interview Goes Viral After Vaccine Questions
Virginia Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears’ interview with CNN’s Dana Bash has officially gone viral. During their conversation, Spears questioned the need for people to get vaccinated if they’ve already gotten COVID-19. Indeed, the National Institute of Health has confirmed that more than 95% of people who recovered from COVID developed a lasting immunity for up to […]
Welcome to Virginia’s Very Own Chicago
Portsmouth, Virginia isn’t the most corrupt or dysfunctional city in the country. That (dubious) honor arguably goes to Chicago—although I’ll admit I’m biased as Midwesterner. Regardless, there’s plenty of localities to choose from. Seattle had an autonomous zone set up by anarchists during the summer of 2020. The mayor initially dubbed the chaos as “the […]
Prominent Democrat’s Election Postmortem Gets It Exactly Right Again
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) had a stark warning for members of her party in the aftermath of the Democrats’ underwhelming performance in the House of Representatives in 2020. Less than two days after Democrats failed to gain a single seat prognosticators like Larry Sabato and Stuart Rothenberg said they would, Spanberger told her caucus in […]