I'm not really surprised that a poll by ODU and The Virginia Pilot found that a lot of people want spending cuts but not in areas that affect them, are you? There's really a simple answer to the deficit, one that Congressman Bobby Scott has been saying for a while now: let the Bush-era tax … Continue reading Cut spending, but not defense or entitlements
The comparisons to Isabel were made by many during the days preceding the arrival of Hurricane Isabel. In that storm, I lost eight trees on my roughly one acre lot. The ground was so saturated from the rain that they literally came up by the roots. This year, I only lost one, down at the … Continue reading Goodbye, Irene
No, it's not the name of a new soul group, just what Hampton Roads has been experiencing and is about to experience. First, we've been dealing with the effects of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge fire, which is currently just 35% contained.. Then there was the earthquake. Now we're facing Hurricane Irene, currently … Continue reading Fire, earth, wind: Hampton Roads prepares
My latest op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot Thursday. For those who just read it online, you missed how the article was presented: side-by-side with this Cal Thomas piece touting it with a picture of our governor, Bob McDonnell, in the middle. Some thought I was taking on Thomas, but in truth, I hadn't seen his … Continue reading Surplus? What surplus?
That's the number of contested seats in the legislature this fall: 26 in the 100-member House of Delegates and 24 in the 40-member Senate. This is what happens when districts are drawn in such a way as to not be competitive. And of the 50 contested races, how many will be competitive? Maybe 10? Hate … Continue reading 50 out of 140
In the two Hampton Roads primaries yesterday, both incumbents facing challengers won their races - and not by small margins. In the Democratic primary for the 90th House of Delegates, Del. Algie Howell beat Rick James 59.75% to 40.24%. In the Republican primary for the 3rd Senate, Sen. Tommy Norment defeated Mark Frechette 72.52% to … Continue reading Post-primary wrap up
I was on the ODU campus all day today and was in a colleague's office when the building rumbled. A few seconds later, a small after shock, kinda like I was dizzy or something. Check out these photos from around Hampton Roads. Where were you when the earth moved? Did you feel anything? And yeah, … Continue reading While we wait for election results…
There are only a couple of primaries in Hampton Roads today: the one on the Southside in which Democratic Del. Algie Howell (90th) is being challenged by Rick James and on the Peninsula in which Republican Senator Tommy Norment is being challenged by Mark Frechette. In both cases, the winner of the primary will likely … Continue reading Hampton Roads primaries: 90th HoD, 3rd Senate
The op-ed page of Monday's Virginian-Pilot featured an article by Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich in which he praises a bill introduced by Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner, both Democrats, related to offshore energy. The bill also has the support of Governor Bob McDonnell and … Continue reading Newt, Webb & Warner?
As big of a story as the opening of Norfolk's first-in-the-state light rail line was this weekend, it is another event which kept riders such as myself away from it: the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge fire. According to this story, the fire started August 4 and has grown to be the largest since … Continue reading Cough, cough, cough
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 