Bacon's Rebellion

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Bacon’s Rebellion is Virginia’s leading politically non-aligned portal for news, opinions and analysis about state, regional and local public policy. Read more about us here.

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Bill & Ed’s Excellent Richmond Adventure

Posted on

February 3, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

by Jon Baliles

The end of 2025 in Richmond was a rough and painful one as the city lost two of our dearest friends, visionaries, change agents, and just down right kind-hearted people that collectively did more to inspire change and keep it on the front burner to make this city a better place.

I am talking about Bill Martin and Ed Slipek. Slipek passed away on December 15 after a brief illness, and Martin was struck in the crosswalk at Broad and 10th Street on December 27 and died the next day. It’s hard to put into words what those two men meant to this city because they were both such giants, and both were on a journey to make sure Richmond learned from its past to make sure we have a better future.

Eddie Slipek. Photo credit: Style Weekly

Both Bill and Ed were able to affect change in Richmond in ways that politicians and other leaders were not. They committed wholeheartedly to make the city better through ideas, insight, storytelling and their never-ending passion and desire to know more and share all of it. They were human time machines of Richmond history ready to transport anyone within earshot back to a specific neighborhood, year, or historical event and almost instantly convey what happened and what it meant in context of that time and where we are today.

They weren’t afraid of our history, they embraced it. Each worked constantly to share their knowledge and make sure we didn’t fall prey to the famous Santayana line, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” They wanted us to not only NOT forget the past, but also learn about all the things that many of us never knew before or things that weren’t talked about much or taught in classrooms.

They saw it as an adventure to use history and conversation to change people’s minds by learning more about the city around them. It wasn’t a personal journey; they welcomed anyone who wanted to come along with them and explore the history and the DNA of this city, even if it was a trip that, for many years, made some people uncomfortable or they didn’t want to join at first, or didn’t want to go on at all.
(more…)
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Posted on

February 3, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
SUBJECT: STATEMENT FROM CADET LEADERSHIP ON THE MEANING AND FUTURE OF THE
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

We write neither in anger nor in defiance, but in duty. We represent the Virginia Military Institute Corps of Cadets as leaders entrusted with responsibility for the Corps’ discipline, morale, and welfare. We live daily under the system now under review. Because of this, it is our duty and Honor to discuss what VМІ is, how it operates, and who it serves.

Public discussion of VMI has grown increasingly abstract. Reports and testimony now speak about the Institute, while those voices being cultivated within it remain largely unheard. This letter exists as the voice of those being forged by the system under review. What follows is not an institutional defense, but a moral account: testimony from cadet leaders who have embraced the system.

All who pass through VMI endure the same system of discipline, instruction, and hardship. That shared experience creates bonds, but it also creates obligations. Chief among these is the obligation to speak truthfully; testimony about institutional culture should reflect both context and criticism.

When failures are cited, has progress also been documented? When problems are named, are solutions being pursued also mentioned? Partial truths, however factually correct, create fundamental misimpressions about our institution.

We do not deny imperfection; we deny invisibility. Since 2020, VMI’s reforms have been real and lived. Where our experience ends, we rely on the testimony of those who have come before us. Improvement is ongoing, not achieved by dismantlement.
(more…)
VMI & the Task Force

Posted on

February 2, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

by Gordon C. Morse

Virginia Military Institute, defined in the broadest sense of its extended community, may wish to reconsider its collective commitment to being correct and thoughtful.

Meaning, under the circumstances, consider this to be a threat assessment.

VMI’s loyalists should not confuse a proposed legislative “study”—a proposed task force, in this instance—for being anything other than hostile to the school itself. The Democrats are coming. They yearn to lash out and there it sits—VMI—on the open plateau of Virginia’s culture wars, an optimal target of opportunity.

To put it another way, you’re as likely to get a sympathetic, balanced, sensible response out of the current General Assembly on the subject of this long‑venerated, state‑owned school—VMI—as you would out of the Trump administration on the subject of immigration.

The Democrats came before. On October 19, 2020, then‑Gov. Ralph Northam, along with other Democratic Party leaders (no Republicans), sent a letter to VMI board president John W. Boland and other members of the VMI Board of Visitors, saying, “We write to express our deep concerns about the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism at the Virginia Military Institute.”

The letter did not say, “We’re worried about a newspaper report.”

It did not say “could be” or “might be.”

The letter offered no doubt or room for discovery at all. It made declarations. It openly condemned VMI.
(more…)
Court Reverses Intent of 2020 Do-Not-Compete Reform

Posted on

February 2, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

by Chap Petersen

In the 2020 legislative session, the General Assembly – with a new Democratic majority – passed A LOT of bills regarding labor rights. One of the most important and least noticed was SB 840, which protected “low wage” workers, i.e. those making under the average state wage, from being subject to “covenants not to compete.”

The definition of “covenant not to compete” was broad:

“A covenant or agreement between an employer or employee that restrains, prohibits or otherwise restricts an individual’s ability, following the termination of the individual’s employment, to compete with his former employer.”

The purpose of the bill was to make sure that lower-level service workers were not tied down by onerous post-employment restrictions, but could start their own business or work for a competitor without fear. The only restriction was laid out in Section C of the bill, which preserved non-disclosure agreements relating to confidential information.

It was an excellent idea. (The sponsor btw was Bill DeSteph, R-VA Beach). I liked it so much I added a floor amendment that employees who successfully enforced the law would be entitled to attorney fees.

Three years later, I found myself representing a worker in a security firm making $50,000 a year. He judged (correctly) that he could do a better job on his own. He started a company and was immediately served with a 50-page, 10-count lawsuit by his former employer and its Big Law Firm, which sought to shut him down via a non-compete agreement.
(more…)
Fern Versus Abigail, Storm Crushes Governor’s Energy Promises

Posted on

February 2, 2026

by

Steve Haner

by Steve Haner

PJM solar output curve January 24, the cloudy day before snow and sleet hit.

Governor Abigail Spanberger’s major campaign pledges to lower electricity bills have already been crushed by the harsh reality of last week’s Winter Storm Fern. Virginians everywhere are about to see their highest energy bills ever, and the energy sources Spanberger wants us to adopt were all but useless during the crisis.

Day after day, if you checked the energy reports from regional grid operator PJM Interconnection, it was clear that coal, nuclear, natural gas and oil were providing 90 percent or more of electricity during the crushing cold spell. There were only a few hours when the existing wind and solar assets approached 10 percent of our supply, and never during the bitter cold nights.

That is not the whole story. The energy demand in Virginia includes a growing number of large data centers, many with backup generators installed behind their utility meters. Hundreds and perhaps thousands of their diesel generators have been running all week at the request of federal energy managers to protect PJM’s grid. Those gas- or diesel-powered electrons are not counted by PJM on that website.

The backup generators at those power-draining server facilities are a particular target of Democrats in the 2026 General Assembly and the anti-hydrocarbon activists and donors who are dictating their policy. The generators are often a focus when people in a locality try to prevent new plants. Inconveniently for them, a post-storm analysis from PJM may demonstrate they saved the day.

(more…)
Establishment Rising?

Posted on

February 2, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

Rockingham County turned around; Harrisonburg could.

by Joe Fitzgerald

The most significant thing about the most significant purely local political story of 2025 was not widely reported, possibly because there was no one to report it.

A School Board member in Rockingham County was defeated by a candidate he had defeated to win his seat four years ago.

Worth noting that Andrew Payton nearly winning a delegate seat was as significant as the School Board race in the county; however, linked to statewide races as it was, it was less local a story. Hence the phrase “purely local” above.

It’s a hair worth splitting to make a particular point. In 2025, Matt Cross had the support of the county’s Republican establishment in his win over Hilary Irons. In 2025, that support went to Irons and she won.
(more…)
Out-of-State Donors Push Nursing Home Campaign Contributions to New Heights

Posted on

February 1, 2026

by

sherlockj

by James C. Sherlock

“Organizing for Virginia Seniors” has jumped to number two on VPAP’s list of Top Political Donors in Virginia behind Dominion Energy.

The funding for “Organizing for Virginia Seniors” comes from New York and New Jersey nursing home chains, about which this author has been less than complimentary. And then there was the Colonial Heights scandal. They apparently feel the need to influence politicians.

So far, it has cost them $159,000 to reach Virginia’s key General Assembly members. They also gave $100,000 to Governor Spanberger’s Inaugural Committee and $25,000 to that of Attorney General Jones.

The donations in 2025 totaled $239,500 to Democrats and $44,500 to Republicans. Plus whatever they paid to a consultant to tell them how to spread the money. It was all cash. Organizing for Virginia Seniors has $172,000 on hand, so we can estimate they have budgeted $500,000 for political influence in Virginia this year.

That effort aligns with New Jersey-based Eastern Healthcare Group’s lead sponsorship of the lobby fest in Richmond a couple of days ago by the Virginia Health Care Association (VHCA), the nursing home industry’s suits.

Bottom line

It appears that, in this no-campaign-contribution-limits state, paying politicians and lobbyists is much cheaper than paying nurses and physicians to care for nursing home residents.

There is no law, however, requiring politicians to accept the money, no questions asked.

The author thinks he can speak for many when he says he hopes the nursing home barons do not get their money’s worth.
Dominion Wind Price Jumps to $11.5B, Trump Blamed

Posted on

February 1, 2026

by

Steve Haner

Dominion photo of installation ship Charybdis

Dominion Energy Virginia now expects its offshore wind facility, which has returned to full construction activity off the coast of Virginia Beach, will cost $11.5 billion. That is up about $365 million from the last report.

It really wasn’t that long ago that Bacon’s Rebellion was aghast that the price had reached $8 billion. Oh, those halcyon days of old (2019).

The utility blames the policies of President Trump for the jump. Some of the additional costs are due to the interruption of construction work by a December 22 stop order from the Department of the Interior, and the rest are due to the price increases caused by tariffs on the imported components.

“If the current tariffs were to remain in effect through early 2027, the expected project costs for offshore wind and onshore electrical interconnection equipment could increase by an additional approximately $215 million for a total possible tariff exposure of $795 million to the project. Through the end of December 2025, the project had incurred actual tariff costs of $295 million,” Dominion told the State Corporation Commission in its January 30 report.

Completion of the 176-turbine installation is now projected for February 2027, but some power may start to flow soon. That assumes no more interference from the Trump Administration, which may not be finished with efforts to overturn the Biden Administration-issued permits.

Under the cost-split agreement the utility made with the SCC to get its approvals, most of the cost overruns will be absorbed by the utility and the private investor fund that shares ownership of the facility. Only about $72 million is added to the construction bill to be collected from customers over the coming decades. — SDH
Upholding the Rule of Law Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Posted on

February 1, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

by J. Kennerly Davis

All Virginians, regardless of their political affiliations, should welcome the decision issued this week by Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley to block and void the Democrats’ brazen attempt to defy the clear requirements of the Virginia Constitution and unlawfully redraw the Commonwealth’s congressional districts to their disproportionate advantage. We all win when the courts uphold the rule of law.

The redrawing of legislative districts always has the potential to unleash partisan overreach and lead to a one-party dominance that saps the vitality of representative government. This danger can be avoided, or at least lessened, if the redistricting process is structured to ensure the bipartisan participation needed to protect the fundamental interest that all citizens have in genuinely competitive elections.

In 2020, Virginians voted overwhelmingly to do just that. By a roughly two-to-one margin, we approved an amendment to the Virginia Constitution (Article II, Sections 6 and 6-A) that established a bipartisan 16-member Virginia Redistricting Commission to update the map of congressional districts in 2021 and every ten years thereafter upon completion of each decennial U.S. census.
(more…)
Jeanine’s Memes

Posted on

February 1, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

See more memes at The Bull Elephant.
Followup: Canadian Owner of Hanover Warehouse Pulls Out of ICE Deal

Posted on

January 31, 2026

by

Dick Hall-Sizemore

by Dick Hall-Sizemore

Warehouse in Hanover sought by ICE for processing center

Jim Pattison Developments, the Vancouver-based owner of the warehouse in Hanover County which the Dept. of Homeland Security was proposing to purchase and renovate into an ICE processing center, has pulled out of the deal, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The company issued a brief statement, “The transaction to sell our industrial building in Ashland, Virginia, will not be proceeding.”

There had been reports that one of the Canadian political parties was calling for a boycott of a supermarket chain owned by the same company.
Political Activism Over ICE Creeps into Virginia’s Public Schools

Posted on

January 31, 2026

by

James A. Bacon

The anti-ICE crowd is taking the fight against federal immigration enforcement to a school near you.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CGjx4eFsB/

by Shelly Norden

Political activism attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is increasingly showing up inside Virginia’s public schools, raising questions about where education ends and national political campaigning begins.

In recent days, union-aligned posts have encouraged educators to oppose ICE through protests, national “days of action,” and activist trainings. Social media shared by the Virginia Education Association (VEA) shows educators holding “ICE Out of Schools” signs, wearing blue as a show of anti-ICE solidarity, and taking part in these activities during what appears to be the regular school day and inside school buildings.

In one post, VEA shared photos of educators with the caption, “We stand with our brothers and sisters in Minnesota and across the country in opposing ICE presence in our schools! Did you wear blue in solidarity with Education Minnesota today? Share your photo in the comments! #ICEOutSchools.”

Several of the images appear to be taken inside classrooms, hallways, and other school spaces, suggesting organized political messaging taking place in publicly funded facilities.

Other posts show how coordinated the campaign has become. VEA promoted an event titled “Eyes on ICE: Document and Record,” described as a “Know Your Rights” training hosted by MoveOn and the NEA. The graphic encouraged participants to “get the tools you need to exercise your rights as federal agents terrorize our communities,” and urged members to join a national call to action. Another post encouraged supporters to “shine a light for Minnesota” by lighting candles on street corners in solidarity with anti-ICE efforts.

Not everyone within the union welcomed the approach. Some members questioned why union resources were being used for political activism at all. “What a waste of time,” one member wrote. “Why not send out a survey to us paying members to find out our opinions on the topic.”
(more…)
Bacon Meme of the Week

Posted on

January 31, 2026

by

James A. Bacon
A Chance to Lower Electric Bills the General Assembly is Ignoring

Posted on

January 31, 2026

by

Steve Haner

by Steve Haner

Ignore what they say. Watch what they do. The Virginia General Assembly could cut the bills of Dominion Energy customers a bit, but instead will give the company another ten years to take your money and spend it on someone else (after skimming off its healthy profit).

A ten-year program using money from all ratepayers (business customers included) to bury the tap lines of a few of the utility’s (residential only) customers is about to get another ten years to run, through 2038. This happens with an intentionally opaque enactment clause at the end of companion bills House Bill 1393 and Senate Bill 253.

The most recent phase of the “strategic undergrounding program” (SUP), phase eight, cost $318 million and worked out to just under $800,000 for every mile of buried lines and just under $11,000 for each customer served. “Served” includes both the home that got the new lines and any homes down the line which benefit if that one connection fails less often.

Without question the 155,000 houses upgraded or downstream from upgrades have shown a dramatic reduction in outages since. But a cost versus benefit analysis on whether this is a good use of more than $3.4 billion for the other 2.6 million customers is lacking, and the State Corporation Commission staff highlights that void in its comments on the pending phase nine proposal.

Ten more years of this will easily cost ratepayers another $3 billion plus. It is reasonable to assume the utility in the first phases of projects targeted 4,000 miles of homes with the worst reliability records. The lowest hanging fruit is done.

(more…)
Who Owns Virginia Mercury?

Posted on

January 31, 2026

by

sherlockj

by James C. Sherlock

The author just read a news article by the prolific Markus Schmidt in the Virginian-Pilot. It was a reprint of an article Mr. Schmidt wrote for his employer, the Virginia Mercury. His full-throated support of Virginia Democrats is his right. Examples abound:

Virginia AG Jones joins 21 attorneys general condemning DOJ pressure on Minnesota.
Jan 29, 2026, 11:31 AM
Coalition warns Trump administration demands for resident data and policy changes threaten state sovereignty.

’Not the right location:’ Hanover supervisors, residents oppose DHS ICE facility
January 29, 2026, 5:28 AM
Hundreds pack meeting room as board cites land-use conflicts and lack of consultation over detention proposal.

Democrats push restrictions on federal immigration enforcement in Virginia
January 28, 2026, 12:52 pm
Package of bills would limit cooperation, protect sensitive locations and new Democratic control of state government.

Mr. Schmidt would consider it his obligation to write such articles. It is the Virginia Mercury’s and the Virginian-Pilot’s right to publish them.

But readers should know the sources of the news that arrives on their stoops. We’ll look.

(more…)

Now Available

Book cover of 'Dust Mites: A Second American Revolution' by James A. Bacon, featuring astronauts planting a flag with a blue and white emblem on a lunar landscape, with Earth visible in the background. — For sale on Amazon.com

The year: 2075. The American colonies on the Moon are getting restless under Washington’s tyrannical rule….

This second edition of “Dust Mites” has a snazzy new cover, includes helpful lunar maps, and is 5,000 words tighter than the original. The sequel, “Trogs,” is scheduled for publication this summer.

About

Bacon’s Rebellion is Virginia’s leading politically non-aligned portal for news, opinions and analysis about state, regional and local public policy. Read more about us here.

Fund the Rebellion

Shake up the status quo! Your contributions will be used to pay for faster download speeds and grow readership. Make a one-time donation by credit card or contribute a small sum monthly.

Can’t wait until tomorrow

For your Bacon’s Rebellion fix?

Enter your email address to receive immediate notifications of new posts by email.

Search Bacon’s Rebellion

The Jefferson Council

Protecting Thomas Jefferson’s Legacy at the University of Virginia

Forgot Your Password?

Shoot me an email and I’ll generate a new password for you.

Bacon's Rebellion

Bill & Ed’s Excellent Richmond Adventure

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

VMI & the Task Force

Court Reverses Intent of 2020 Do-Not-Compete Reform

Fern Versus Abigail, Storm Crushes Governor’s Energy Promises

Establishment Rising?

Out-of-State Donors Push Nursing Home Campaign Contributions to New Heights

Dominion Wind Price Jumps to $11.5B, Trump Blamed

Upholding the Rule of Law Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Jeanine’s Memes

Followup: Canadian Owner of Hanover Warehouse Pulls Out of ICE Deal

Political Activism Over ICE Creeps into Virginia’s Public Schools

Bacon Meme of the Week

A Chance to Lower Electric Bills the General Assembly is Ignoring

Who Owns Virginia Mercury?

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