“DarkSyde,” a participant in the The Daily Kos blog, has a lot to say about Bristol-area teacher Larry Booher, who has been asked to put a halt to teaching creationism in high school biology class. Booher, a highly popular teacher, apparently, has been giving students the option to read the book, Creation Battles Evolution, a…

Tim Kaine has issued a detailed analysis of Virginia’s transportation crisis. Two key points emerge: He does not support higher taxes for transportation, although he would use surplus revenues for one-time transportation projects. He would give greater attention than any previous governor to tying transportation and land-use planning. Read details and analysis on the “Road…

The first thing one must understand about the Supreme Court and human settlement pattern cases is that no matter how good or bad the initial press coverage makes the case seem, the facts turn out to be different. The validity of the City of New London action and the court’s opinion depends on whether the…

There goes the neighborhood. I wonder what our human settlement pattern folks will have to say about this decision. Writing for the court, Justice John Paul Stevens said local officials, not federal judges, know best in deciding whether a development project will benefit the community. Update Round-up: James Young and Rick Sincere have posts on…

Virginia has altered its teacher licensing requirements by eliminating a basic skills test and replacing it with a more rigorous reading and comprehension exam. The result is that teachers will have to be more literate and proficient in the subjects they teach, but educators who do not teach math will no longer have to pass…

Beneath the story of boom times in Northern Virginia is the story of day laborers, all too often immigrants, being exploited by unscrupulous contractors. From today’s Washington Post, a sample: Adonay Hernandez, 26, of Arlington said he worked three days this month installing sheetrock at a home in Reston. The contractor gave him a check…

Gubernatorial hopeful Tim Kaine spoke to Boys State participants at Liberty University yesterday, the day after Jerry Kilgore. Kaine apparently concentrated on education issues, but it was interesting that he spoke of Linwood Holton’s political career–Holton, the ultimate nominal Republican’s Republican, is his father-in-law.

The Daily Press in Newport News has leaped to the defense of the Warner administration against Republican charges that the state’s massive budget surplus vitiates the case for the 2004 tax increase. The anonymous editorial responds that Warner was acting to protect Virginia’s AAA bond rating. I suspect that some subtle re-writing of history is…

At the risk of making this blog a 24/7, “All Potts, All Debates, All the Time” instrument, I want to make one more point about this controversy. There’s a slippery slope forming. The Virginian-Pilot editorial page has joined the seemingly unanimous view that Russ Potts deserves to be in the debates right now: A four-term…

If Jerry Kilgore is feeling any pressure from “Debate-Gate,” it didn’t seem to show at his appearance yesterday at Boys State. From this account, he sounded relaxed and engaging at this annual gathering of young leaders. Hard to believe, but I attended Boys State 35 years ago.

I missed this yesterday–a Roanoke Times account of a Weekly Standard reporter going hunting with Roanoke’s famous political consultant, David “Mudcat” Sanders. The story, and Sanders’ specialty, can be neatly summarized from this passage: It’s easier to get someone to believe he [Sanders] ate deer droppings than to get Northeastern Democrats to understand the culture…

Jerry, you’re mistaken. People don’t pull for the overdog. Let Potts in, or spend the rest of your life second-guessing yourself on what might have been.

With the revelation that Virginia is running another gigantic surplus, the debate over the budget and taxes is heating up again. The terms of debate, as I argue in this week’s Bacon’s Rebellion, have shifted decisively in favor of the low-tax advocates. Last week, Jerry Kilgore argued that the surplus proves that last year’s tax…

Kilgore will, in fact, agree to debate Potts. He has no choice. If he doesn’t, his campaign is done, finished, and the tent is folded. He’s got some awfully bright folks advising him and I’d say they’re looking for the language that will allow the reconsideration of his earlier position–even as you read this. And…

Despite the recent spate of Russ Potts commentary, Virginia’s favorite and longest-lived game remains, “What will Doug do?” Lee Hockstader of the Washington Post analyzes Tim Kaine’s need for Richmond Mayor Doug Wilder’s endorsement–the earlier the better. Speaking of Russ Potts, though, Hockstader doesn’t mention Potts as a possible recipient of Wilder’s endorsement. I would…