Senator Ralph Northam wrote an op-ed for Thursday's Virginian-Pilot in which he discusses his bill, SB 966, which provides for 150 minutes of physical education each week for grades K through 8. The bill does not require schools to hire more teachers. All teachers in grades K-8 are already certified to teach P.E., so hiring … Continue reading Northam: P.E. bill would fight obesity
Category: Virginia
Redistricting: what if VA looked like this?
This map (click to enlarge) surfaced yesterday as a potential way the Congressional districts in Virginia could be drawn. The alignment shows that there could be a second black majority district in Virginia. I'm hearing that such a map is doable - except a certain Democratic Congressman is blocking the attempt, even though said Congressman … Continue reading Redistricting: what if VA looked like this?
Women’s History Month: A long, ongoing journey
My latest op-ed, title above, appeared in The Virginian-Pilot today. Two of the women mentioned are Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Norfolk acting (hopefully soon-to-be permanent) police chief Sharon Chamberlin. I managed to get through an entire column without once mentioning Gloria Steinem, one of the leaders in the women's movement from the 1970s, … Continue reading Women’s History Month: A long, ongoing journey
VLBC pre-veto session reception
(Click to enlarge) The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus is hosting a reception on April 5. Of special note are the directions to Plant Zero, since the address is not included in GPS systems. (A fact I can attest to 😦 ) Tickets can be ordered online here.
Quick links 3/15/11
Stealing the idea straight from my friend, Waldo, here are a few links that caught my eye today: Documents reveal efforts to control Goochland's ex-treasurer. "As a constitutionally elected county officer, Grubbs answered to voters, not auditors, and was virtually untouchable — barring criminal conduct." And the General Assembly, so far, refuses to correct this. … Continue reading Quick links 3/15/11
Welcome to Sunshine Week
By Mark Brooks This is the 7th Annual Sunshine Week and is being celebrated by lovers of open government all over the country. Started by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and supported through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, it has become a popular event each year for those … Continue reading Welcome to Sunshine Week
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
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.
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
Power instead of governance
A tip of the hat to Del. Albert Pollard, whose resignation (pdf) provided some much-needed inspiration for my latest op-ed. And congratulations to the General Assembly, whose unanimous passage of the budget gave me hope that it is possible to put politics aside and do what is right by the people.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 