Month: March 2011

Let’s shift to a full-time legislature

My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. (Newspaper version here.) Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know that this isn't the first time I've suggested a change to both the pay of the legislature and the calendar. Nor will it be the last 😉 I recognize that there … Continue reading Let’s shift to a full-time legislature →

Catching up

A few quick items: Former Del. Bobby Mathieson has been nominated to be the U.S. Marshall for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mathieson will have to be confirmed by the Senate. Best wishes to Bobby. I hope he gets the appointment. (And I'll bet Chris Stolle Ron Villanueva hopes so, too 😉 ) ~ Sen. … Continue reading Catching up →

Big changes coming to Norfolk Council

Last August, I wrote this: Norfolk’s council should consider meeting just twice a month and only in the evenings. Such a change would serve multiple purposes. First, it would broaden the pool of applicants. While the number of candidates in this past May’s elections was the largest in 40 years, typically Norfolk’s elections draw fewer … Continue reading Big changes coming to Norfolk Council →

March 8: International Women’s Day

Today is International Women's Day. Activities are going on all around the world. Here is a message from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. One of the activities includes standing on a bridge. Locally, the League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads will march from Christopher Newport University to the  Lion's Bridge. Details are here.

ODU wins CAA tournament

Congratulations to my alma mater, Old Dominion University. The team won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament tonight, defeating Virginia Commonwealth. The CAA has an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and with this win, ODU is in! The game got close at the end. If my Twitter feed is any indication, Monarch fans across the … Continue reading ODU wins CAA tournament →

ICYMI: Pilot editorials on GA ethics

The Virginian-Pilot editorial board wrote a couple of editorials Sunday and Monday on the problem of General Assembly members policing themselves on ethical issues. Good stuff.

Norfolk City Council: 3/8/11

Change is in the Air By Tommy Smigiel With the arrival of spring in the next few weeks, Norfolk’s new city manager has already started some spring cleaning.  The addition of Marcus Jones to city hall has added a new and refreshing approach to the way business is conducted.  In the few short weeks he … Continue reading Norfolk City Council: 3/8/11 →

American Idol Results 03/03/11

American Idol took a weird turn with its results show Thursday night. Based  on the voting Tuesday and Wednesday night, ten of the top 24 contestants were placed into the top 10. The remaining fourteen contestants were put into a wildcard round. The judges then selected six of the 14 for a final sing-off. From … Continue reading American Idol Results 03/03/11 →

Not a bad year, all things considered

By Steve Vaughan The 2011 regular session of the Virginia General Assembly is in the books. Compared to recent years, I'd say the legislature did pretty well. Sure, they took an extra day to get the budget worked out, but that happens more often than not these days. And it's not really partisan gridlock that … Continue reading Not a bad year, all things considered →