Month: December 2010

Opinion, please: Truancy policy a step too far?

Consider this: A 17-year-old male is walking to school when, with the school in sight, a police officer stops him and asks him where he's going. The youth says school. The officer says he has to drive him there - standard procedure for dealing with truants. When the kid refuses, he is handcuffed, put into … Continue reading Opinion, please: Truancy policy a step too far? →

Monday morning quarterback: Redskins lose again

The Washington Redskins continued their march toward irrelevancy with a closer-than-expected 30-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The only thing good at this time is that, despite the loss, the Redskins are still ahead of the 'Boys in the standings due to their better conference record - not that they still won't end up in … Continue reading Monday morning quarterback: Redskins lose again →

Senate passes DADT repeal

By a vote of 65-31, the United States Senate passed H.R. 2965 which repeals the Clinton-era compromise policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  The bill will now be sent to the president for signature, having previously passed the House of Representatives 250-15. My thanks to Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner for voting in … Continue reading Senate passes DADT repeal →

Webb could support overturn of DADT

Seems all of the calls and emails have paid off: The senior senator from Virginia, with a background steeped in distinguished military service, said he would support repealing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," policy, provided there is "sensitivity" toward how change would be applied, particularly to combat units. [...] "I believe that the certification … Continue reading Webb could support overturn of DADT →

5% to retirement? Not gonna happen

Governor Bob McDonnell has been releasing his budget proposals over the last few days. Yesterday, he announced his proposal that all workers contribute 5% of their salaries to the state's retirement plan.  As The Virginian-Pilot reported, the state has been making this contribution on behalf of the employees since 1983, when it did so in … Continue reading 5% to retirement? Not gonna happen →

Norfolk officials knew of LR overruns

Color me surprised - NOT! City Manager Regina V.K. Williams, former City Councilman W. Randy Wright and Assistant City Manager Stanley A. Stein knew about overruns and did not immediately divulge that information, the audit says. I've spent some time reading the report. It is damning.  That so many players in this fiasco are no … Continue reading Norfolk officials knew of LR overruns →

Northam announces re-election run

Senator Ralph Northam announced today that he will seek a second term in the Virginia Senate. In his newsletter to constituents, of which I am one, the first term Democrat says that while some things have been accomplished, there is still work to be done. I want to help solve these problems for our region … Continue reading Northam announces re-election run →

More bloggers join the MSM

It has been interesting over the years that I've been blogging (almost five now) to watch both the response of the main stream media (MSM) to the blogosphere as well as the reverse. Nearly every MSM site includes blogs now, mostly manned by staff. Newspapers and other MSM sources continue to be the primary source … Continue reading More bloggers join the MSM →

Mayor’s presentation on transportation

Last week, Norfolk's Mayor Paul Fraim made a presentation to Norfolk civic league presidents on transportation. The video of the event is here and is about 30 minutes long. On that same day, The Virginian-Pilot had a lead story which included the picture to the left (click to enlarge) which graphically demonstrates the transportation woes … Continue reading Mayor’s presentation on transportation →