I read with appreciation and respect the thoughtful piece by Bradford Karony in the Times-Dispatch on April 28 conveying his concern with Abigail Spanberger’s words and actions as a Congresswoman given her CIA training and how that might bear on her words and actions as Governor.
Students experiencing homelessness remain one of the most overlooked populations in our public school systems despite the protections outlined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The policy was designed to remove and reduce barriers to enrollment and ensure students have a stable …
The phrase “all’s fair in love and war” unfortunately also applies to politics. Especially when it comes to gerrymandering in Virginia. But it is fair to say that the Democrat push for redistricting prior to the 2030 census has shattered the concept of fairness.
On April 14, Gov. Spanberger signed SB18, which establishes that no child under 11 years old can be considered a “delinquent” and instead redirects them away from the justice system and toward community programs.
Since Michael Paul Williams' column, “Spanberger disregards the Black community on cannabis,” was published April 19, the General Assembly has rejected the Governor’s proposed amendments to the bill. Will the Governor veto the bill, or is there still room for negotiation?
A 13-year-old sits in front of a screen, answers a series of questions, and minutes later is told what he or she might become. It sounds efficient. It sounds helpful. It is neither.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a strong step toward addressing youth mental health, but it cannot be our only solution. Many young people in this state, especially those involved in the juvenile justice system, are struggling long before they reach a crisis.
Virginia had fair congressional district maps in 2024. Democrats received 52% of the two-party vote totals and 55% of the seats in Congress. The new maps approved by Tuesday’s constitutional amendment are expected to award the Democrats 91% of the seats, an increase of 36 percentage points from 2024, by cramming as many Republican votes as possible into the new 9th district and dividing Northern Virginia’s Democrat voters into five districts extending deep into the state.
It is no secret that students desperately need support with reading and literacy skills; however, they are spending less time in the school library than ever before. As someone who has spent such a long time wanting to be part of the middle school library scene, finding out that students were spending less time than ever before in the library, so much so that some students do not even go as a whole group to check out books, broke my heart.
I feel that we Virginians have been slighted by the April 21 election. It has been championed as a “great defense of democracy,” when I feel that this has exposed the flaw of democracy. I mean this as in democracy is being used as a tool to impose tyranny upon us.
I graduated from Lexington High School in 1946. This is our 80-year reunion. We had 85 in our class, and I'm not sure, but I may be the only one still living.
I supported, voted for and canvassed several neighborhoods distributing literature supporting the successful OneVirginia2021 campaign for a constitutional amendment ending political gerrymandering in Virginia. I would do it again in a heartbeat, with enthusiasm.
Starting with Odie Donald II's guarantee of 1 year severance regardless of cause, and now Connie Clay getting $549,000 after departing her $158,684-a-year job, it seems leaving our city's government jobs is a lucrative business in and of itself. This on top of $630,000 in attorney's fees for the city. Waste indeed.
It was June 1964. I was 21 years old and just finished my junior year at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. I was home in Albany, New York, and my father developed a kidney infection. He ended up in the hospital, and they gave him an antibiotic that was available for that type of infection. He was allergic to the medicine, so they stopped giving the drug. My father's temperature climbed until he was consumed by the infection and he died.
Why would Virginia undo a fair system we fought for just four years ago? The April 21 redistricting referendum claims to “restore fairness,” but it’s a blatant power grab. It scraps the bipartisan redistricting commission we voters approved in 2020 with a two-thirds majority, returning map-drawing to the Democratic-controlled legislature. That’s not progress — it’s a step back to the same politicians we wanted out of the process.
As a constituent of Virginia’s 1st District, I am increasingly concerned by Representative Rob Wittman’s continued prioritization of party loyalty over the needs of our community.
We have a reprieve from our great country decimating a civilization and committing war crimes. Israel is not yet abiding by the ceasefire as it applies to Lebanon. The GOP Congress is not providing checks and balances or oversight on the war and has been sent home on vacation. The Trump Administration is running through weapons and money like water on a war that neither Congress nor the American people sanction.
Virginia’s struggle over mid-decade congressional redistricting reflects more than political advantage or the next election; it reflects character.
Doug Kelly recently argued in an opinion piece that Virginia should continue building more data centers to compete with China for AI dominance, because doing so is good for all Virginians. We should be wary, however, of imitating Chinese tactics.
As communities across the country grapple with rising fuel costs, air pollution and the growing impacts of global warming, one solution is becoming increasingly clear; the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
The recent article on the Virginia Virtual Academy was unfair to the school and unfair to the many parents and families across the state of Virginia that continue to choose to enjoy the flexibility VAVA offers. It would have provided a more accurate representation if you would have spoken to more VAVA families. We love VAVA, and it has been a wonderful school for our family over the past 12 years. Parents and families from across the Commonwealth would’ve told you very different stories.
Mr. Joe Morrissey’s opinion piece in the RTD of March 31 cries out for negative criticism. He does explain the good reasons why good people should never support gerrymandering. Indeed, he is correct, except he never mentions that President Trump’s push for gerrymandering in Texas and elsewhere is the reason why a “Yes" vote is now urgent in Virginia.
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It is a rare thing when I agree with Joe Morrissey on anything (this may be a first). As an Independent voter for over 50 years, his extreme views and actions over those years have not resonated well with me. However, his op-ed in the RTD of March 31 is a keeper. The current Virginia “special” referendum to redraw congressional districts to favor Democrats 10-1 is patently un-Virginian and un-American, especially considering that Virginia voters passed a non-partisan referendum on re-drawing the districts just five years ago!
The Times-Dispatch article about the Virginia Virtual Academy left out every family who loves the school and families that decided VAVA was the right place for their student. I think it is really important that readers know there are lots of families like mine that picked VAVA because it is the right school for their students.
Shame on Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — for holding hostage federal workers again, this time the TSA when we need them the most due to our security concerns. This action has also crippled airlines and their passengers. Also, many TSA agents have resigned as a result of having no paycheck for a long time.
To the editor: Thank you for presenting balanced information on the redistricting referendum. Voters now need to be aware of the gaslighting.
I agree with the Republican leaders when they describe partisan gerrymandering as being undemocratic and un-American. However, I find it hypocritical when they fail to mention that it was Donald Trump who called on states to redistrict mid-decade to give an advantage to their majority party.
Hello, my name is Margaux, and I am 10 years old. Recently, I heard a news story that was about the Iran war, and more specifically how a school was bombed. This action is unacceptable and killed over 100 innocent elementary school kids (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Think about what those lives could have been. Think about yourself and your school. Imagine that happening to you, and then no one caring about it. The country who bombed it, thinking it was a military base, not apologizing or showing remorse.
I have recently seen former President Obama telling Virginians about having fair elections and having the people involved with selecting representatives, not politicians. Now, our “moderate” Governor has told us that we need fairness in our elections and has signed on to the April redistricting gerrymandering plan.
As a Richmond resident, I’m watching the General Assembly’s ongoing budget and tax incentive debates with growing concern. While lawmakers are rightly focused on balancing fiscal priorities, we can’t lose sight of our long-term responsibility: protecting Virginians from pollution and climate change. Data centers, the state’s fastest-growing energy consumers, need to run on clean energy.
