Category: Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement
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The “Rat Pack” Makes the Point
By Peter Galuszka On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman took the historically enormous step of integrating the U.S. Armed Forces. The Virginia Military Institute, which prides itself on its warrior panache, didn’t get around to that until 1968 and even today there are serious questions about racism at the state-supported school. The past…
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Senator Warner’s Odd Silence on Violence
by Emilio Jaksetic Since the tragic death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 at the hands of a police officer, there have been thousands of (mostly peaceful) demonstrations and hundreds of riots and civil disturbances in towns and cities across the United States. Some took place in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Fredericksburg and other…
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Virginia’s Driving-in-the-Dark Bill Is Dead
by Kerry Dougherty Finally. A bill so boneheaded that even Gov. Ralph Northam couldn’t sign it. I’m talking about HB 5058, which contained a driving-in-the-dark measure that would have prevented police from pulling over motorists tooling about at night without headlights, tail lights or brake lights. You know, those “add ons” for cars that no…
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Parole Board Sets Free Another Murderer
Letter from Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, sent yesterday to Governor Ralph Northam. Dear Governor Northam, In August 2019, the Parole Board denied Harry J. Williams, DOC # 1008730, parole. These are the reasons they gave Mr. Williams: His history of substance abuse. The serious nature and circumstances of his offense(s). His prior failure(s) and/or…
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Germs, Guns and Schools
by James A. Bacon Twenty days into the school year, more than one in five (21.2%) of students in Richmond Public Schools have been chronically absent, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Chronic absenteeism has always been a problem in the school system, but it’s worse in 2020 — up three percentage points from last year.…
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Does Racism Still Reside At VMI?
By Peter Galuszka On this blog, at least, there has been plenty of grief at the University of Virginia over controversies involving diversity. But over at Lexington, a town not far away, an even bigger battle involving the issue has been engaged. Black students and alumni at the Virginia Military Institute, the state’s public military…
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The November Election, Marijuana and Northern Virginia
By DJ Rippert Up for grabs. In about three weeks Americans who haven’t already voted will go to the polls and vote. The presidency, the U,S, House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are all in play. Regarding the impact of the legalized adult use of marijuana in Virginia, the U.S. Senate is the key.…
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What Is Cuccinelli’s Role in Defining Extremism?
By Peter Galuszka Allegations that the Wolverine Watchmen, a far right extremist group based in Michigan, discussed kidnapping Gov. Ralph Northam draw questions about the role another Virginia politician has played in defining extremist threats. Kenneth Cuccinelli a former Republican attorney general and failed gubernatorial candidate, has been accused of helping delay a report by…
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The Plot to Nab Northam
By Peter Galuszka Self-styled “militia” members based in Michigan accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also considered nabbing Ralph Northam, Virginia’s governor, according to court testimony Tuesday. Both Democratic governors were considered fair game because they supposedly had taken strong measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. At a hearing in Grand Rapids,…
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A Reasoned Approach to Neck Locks
by James A. Bacon Democrats may control both the state Senate and the House of Delegates, but it is increasingly apparent that there are significant differences between the two chambers. The House, to borrow Freudian symbolism, reflects the id of the Democratic Party, the subconscious urges welling up from the reptilian brain. The Senate functions…
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Yes, the General Assembly is Still in Special Session
by Dick Hall-Sizemore It is time to check in on the progress of the endless session of the General Assembly. It is apparent that it was a mistake for the House to meet virtually. If the Delegates had been required to stay in Richmond the whole time, rather than being able to “attend” committee meetings…
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Henrico was Right to Defund Special Prosecutor of Police
by James A. Bacon Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas has yanked supplementary funding for a police-misconduct prosecutor after reading the social media posts of the woman hired for the job, Misty Whitehead, a defense attorney. In an era in which police actions have come under heightened scrutiny, the new position would have been the first…
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Three Reasons to Take Down the “F— UVa” Sign
Aubrey M. Daniel III, an alumnus of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond law school, made his name as a young Judge Advocate General captain who successfully prosecuted the court-martial of Lt. William L. Calley Jr. for his role in the infamous My Lai Massacre. Daniel went on, after his military career,…
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Virginia’s Parole Board in the Shadows
by Kerry Dougherty Last spring we ran an accidental series of stories about the Virginia Parole Board, which was busy releasing some of the commonwealth’s most depraved criminals. At first we learned of one murderer being released from prison. A few days later we heard about another and another until we had six. Before we…
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Hitting a Cop With a Pretzel Will Still Be a Felony
By Dick Hall-Sizemore One of the pieces of the criminal justice reform package that caused some consternation on this blog has been killed in a House committee. SB 5032 (Surovell, D-Fairfax) would have amended the statute that makes assault of a public safety employee, including a law-enforcement officer, a felony, with a mandatory minimum sentence…