Archive for May 2011
Out in the Park returns to Norfolk
This Sunday, Out in the Park will be held in Norfolk’s Town Point Park after five years in Chesapeake. With 8,000 attendees last year, it is expected that 10,000 will attend this year. That is a far cry from the much smaller numbers the premiere GLBT event in Hampton Roads garnered in 2005 when I … Continue reading
Norfolk public hearing on redistricting
Norfolk will have a public hearing on redistricting next week, according to the City’s website. An article in Sunday’s Compass gives a hint of what the council is facing. While the mayor proposed a simple fix of moving the Northside precinct, other members of council would like to see different changes. Four plans are under … Continue reading
Memorial Day 2011
From Wikipedia: Memorial Day is a United Statesfederal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who died in military service for their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After … Continue reading
Friday fun: political scandals
In the latest edition of Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, writer Brendan Nyhan says that President Obama is due for a scandal: …the first Obama scandal is likely to arrive sooner than most people think. Whether or not it happens, we’ve already experienced a number of political scandals. Can you name the parties involved in these … Continue reading
Del. Abbott to run in new 93rd
Delegate Robin Abbott, the current representative of the 93rd district, announced Thursday evening that she will be running in the newly drawn 93rd district. Redistricting drew the first-term Democrat into the 94th, currently represented by Republican Glenn Oder.
ICYMI: Tracking your legislators with ease
My latest op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Wednesday. (Once again, I have to say the newspaper presentation was much better than the website.) Richmond Sunlight is not new to those of us who follow the General Assembly closely. Although I did not have my own portfolio this year, there were several public portfolios that I … Continue reading
Transportation meeting 5/25 canceled
The long range transportation plan public meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening has been canceled due to storm damage to the HVAC system at the Hampton Public Library. The meeting will be rescheduled.
Norfolk council appointments online
All I can say is WOAH! It’s been a long time coming but Norfolk has finally joined the digital age! As Councilman Tommy Smigiel pointed out in his post Monday, the City’s website has been updated to include not only the membership of the boards and commissions appointed by council, but also contains a fill-in-the-blank … Continue reading
Tailgating in Virginia Beach: why the disparity in ordinances?
Guest post by Maria L. LoPresto Parrotheads, the common name fans who follow singer/songwriter/best selling author Jimmy Buffett are an eclectic, fun, group of folks who are all ages (children are called “parakeets” and I have seen individuals at Buffett shows in their mid 80s, dancing to famous hits such as “Fins”, “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” … Continue reading
This is the police: put down your camera
This is the title of an article on NPR’s website, about a woman who was detained for taking video of an officer when he boarded the bus to deal with a drunk passenger. Joel Rose brings us the details. Last year, Fitchette, who was 16 at the time, was riding a city bus in Newark, … Continue reading
Norfolk City Council: 5.24.11
Tomorrow there will be 26 regular agenda items for council to vote on at the formal session. The increase in agenda items was most likely caused by the new meeting schedule and budget discussions dominating most of the informal meeting time. A few months ago the City Manager implemented a few changes on how agenda … Continue reading
Rigell doesn’t get Medicaid
That was the title of a letter to the editor printed in Monday’s Virginian-Pilot in response to 2nd Congressional District Representative Scott Rigell’s support of the Ryan budget plan. The fact is, around 65 percent of Medicaid spending goes to the care of the disabled and elderly — mostly for long-term care in nursing homes. … Continue reading
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