Nazi Commonwealth
Bipartisan team seeks compensation for victims of forced sterilization.
Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy. But a bipartisan effort now under consideration in Richmond would hand each and every one of them a $50,000 check from the people of Virginia. According to one calculation, that could mean as much as $73 million.
Four Northern Virginia Senators Targeted
Redistricting effort puts Fairfax County seats in the spotlight.
Four Northern Virginia state Senators are targets of a Republican-led effort to draw new districts — Sen. George Barker (D-39), Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37), Sen. Toddy Puller (D-36) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). Democrats say the redistricting effort is a cynical attempt to take advantage of the absence of Sen. Henry Marsh (D-16), a prominent civil rights veteran, who was in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration on Monday. But state Sen. John Watkins (R-10) of Powhatan defended the effort as a way to create a sixth majority black Senate district in Southside. It passed the Senate on a 20-to-19 vote.
Editorial: More Fodder for Comedy?
2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly will tackle serious issues.
The 2013 30-day session of the Virginia General Assembly begins on Wednesday, Jan. 9. We can only hope that the various legislative proposals do not provide as much fodder for comedy as last session. The Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia will offer live streaming video of the 2013 Legislative Sessions, and it is well worth tuning in once or twice.
Parents Plead for Delay in Training Center Closing
Timeframe for closure puts disabled adults at risk, advocates say.
When it was Kenneth Gans’ turn to speak to the panel of Virginia state legislators, the 78-year-old father of a severely-disabled son kept his remarks brief.
Vienna in 2013
A look at the new year through the vision of elected officials, citizens.
Q: What are the most important issues or challenges facing Vienna businesses today? What is the Town Business Liaison Committee doing to promote Vienna businesses?
Should Virginia’s Governor Be Able to Run for Reelection?
Longstanding ban on second consecutive term to be reconsidered this year.
Virginia is the only state that limits its governor to a single, four-year term, a vestige of the distrust Americans had for executive power during the American Revolution. Now, more than two centuries later, the commonwealth may finally be ready to ditch the longstanding term limit and allow Virginia’s governor to run for reelection.
Legislators Are Not Gun Shy About Responding to Connecticut Shooting
Should access to guns be limited or expanded?
Last year's mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut has already prompted a heated debate about gun control in Virginia, where the upcoming session of the General Assembly is likely to feature a number of bills on both sides of the issue.
Use of Food Stamps Skyrocketing in Northern Virginia
Program doubles in Arlington, triples in Fairfax and quadruples in Alexandria.
The use of food stamps is skyrocketing in Northern Virginia, and the spike isn’t just about the recession.
Uranium Money Spreads Across Virginia in Radioactive Debate
Upcoming General Assembly session to feature effort to lift ban on uranium mining.
The uranium deposits under the farmlands of Pittsylvania County are miles away from Northern Virginia, but the debate about what happens there is shaping up to be one of the hottest issues of the upcoming General Assembly session.
Obama, Clinton, Kaine Fire Up Virginia Crowd
Campaign rally in Bristow, Va. attracts 24,000 supporters.
President Obama, President Clinton, and Senate hopeful Tim Kaine gather supporters at a Virginia rally.
Romney at GMU: ‘He Believes in Us’
Fairfax crowd gives Romney ‘energetic’ welcome as more than 10,000 supporters gather inside and outside Patriot Center.
By the time GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney took center stage at George Mason University’s Patriot Center around 4 p.m. Monday, the crowd was fired up.
Editorial: Feeling Important
Presidential campaigns traverse Northern Virginia on last days, mark the importance of every vote.
The images from the last weeks of the presidential Election of 2012 make it clear that it would be hard to overstate the importance of voting, especially in Virginia, especially in Northern Virginia.
Absentee Voting Down Slightly from 2008 Election
More confusion about redistricting reported at polls, not Voter ID.
The line of 100-plus voters casting absentee ballots at the Reston Government Center Friday evening moved quickly.
A ‘Tremendous Turnout’ in Vienna
At Wolftrap precinct, about 100 voters were standing in line by the time the polls opened, some having been there since 5:10 a.m.
Election Day proved to be a cold, but busy morning at Colvin Run Elementary School in Vienna.
First-time Voters Viewpoints: "Who are you voting for and why?"
"I'll be voting for Barack Obama for several reasons. First of all, I've been pretty liberal all my life and I've grown up overseas in France, Belgium and Greece and it's no secret that Europe is pretty liberal also. It put American politics into perspective for me and helped shape my views. Also, I'll be going to college next year and it's increasingly expensive..."