Category: Uncategorized
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The Day the Masks Came Off
by Chap Petersen March 1 is an anniversary I remember well. That was the day in 2022 that SB 739 took effect on an emergency basis, ending COVID19 restrictions in Virginia public schools — two years after they began. In a nutshell, it allowed children ages 5-18 to attend school without a mask over their face. Amazingly…
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A Homework Assignment – Nursing Facility Neglect and Abuse
by James C. Sherlock I read two comments on my local Nextdoor blog this morning. They reminded me that most people know nothing about nursing homes or about what to do if they or their loved ones are abused or neglected. I urge readers to post the following as a public service on Nextdoor and…
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Navigating Modern Language
Should a thing’s name tell you what the thing is? by Joe Fitzgerald Language is screwed. The purpose of language, communication, has been sacrificed on the altar of who-knows-what, in the interests of promoting your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine. My favorite current example is the Navigation Center at an unnamed city in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Public…
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Federal Workers: No Place to Hide
by Kerry Dougherty Do indignant federal workers who act as if it’s beneath their dignity to account for their work hours have any idea how petulant and entitled they seem to the rest of us? Apparently not. This woman is griping that she has two days to knock out five bullet points about what she…
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Team Youngkin Flexes Muscles at UVA Board Meeting
by James A. Bacon In a special meeting called Friday, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors made it crystal clear who was in charge of setting university policy — the board, not the president. It was the most forceful assertion of board authority since the board under Rector Helen Dragas ousted former president Teresa…
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Gaza Gala: This Sunday at UVa
by Kerry Dougherty Let’s speak plainly today, shall we? Charlottesville — and the once-great university there, UVa — is preparing to host a Palestinian-fest on Sunday. It’s being billed as a “charity banquet” sponsored by the radical Students For Justice in Palestine, or SJP. In case you’re unfamiliar with the SJP, the organization was founded…
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Tapping the Strategic Investment Fund to Assess Research Spending
This is the third part of a new three-part series exploring the influence of UVA President Ryan’s Strategic Investment Fund. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here. by James A. Bacon UVA has established the goal of boosting its status as a research university. Sponsored research now accounts for roughly $714 million…
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A Tired Ryan Contemplates a Difficult Future
by James A. Bacon When University of Virginia President Jim Ryan appeared in a WVIR-TV interview in late January, he seemed fatigued. His brow was deeply furrowed and his face, already lean from marathon training, wore an expression of perpetual worry. The last few months have been the most trying time in Ryan’s six-and-a-half-year tenure.…
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Take That, TurboTax
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Each year when I finish using TurboTax to prepare my tax returns, I file my federal tax return electronically. However, in order to file my state tax return electronically, I have to pay extra. I refuse on principle. I print off the completed state return, sign it, put it in an envelope,…
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Voting Rights for All!
(And by “All,” We Mean Cats, Dogs, Spotted Owls, Snail Darters….) by James A. Bacon There exists on the fringe of the environmental movement a proposition so crazy that some who first hear of it will think it a spoof: Nature has rights that should be granted legal standing in laws and representation in systems…