Bacon's Rebellion

Tag: Jon Baliles

  • Was Richmond’s Gun BuyBack Program a Success?

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles By most accounts, the cityโ€™s gun buyback event on August 20th was a success. The city spent $67,500 in gift cards to 160 people who turned in 475 firearms, and then had to shut down even though there were more people in line. Organizers with the Robby Poblete Foundation said they are…

  • The Next Memorial or the Next Boondoggle?

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles The Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality organization is run by Ana Edwards and Phil Wilayto and has been publishing quarterly in Richmond since 2005. This summerโ€™s edition from last week is an eye-opener and sure to cause some needed and welcome discussion. The Defenders published two articles about what is and…

  • “Stop with the Drama”

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles Itโ€™s hard to try and figure out where to begin to explain the special School Board meeting held earlier this week in the wake of the news that Richmond Public Schoolsโ€™ SOL scores dropped dramatically. The state Department of Education released every districtโ€™s scores and in the wake of the pandemic, Richmond…

  • Ranked Choice Voting Coming to Virginia?

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles Now that state and congressional redistricting are done, the non-partisan group OneVirginia2021 that fought for years to bring sensible, fair redistricting to Virginia has rebranded its name and focus. Nonpartisan experts have generally given the resulting legislative congressional maps high marks for partisan fairness even though some unsuccessfully challenged the new maps…

  • Sorry Tarheels, Virginia Invented Barbecue

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles Yes, Virginia, it us true, we invented barbecue. Last week my podcast library downloaded the latest episode of Eat It, Virginia, a podcast hosted by Wise and Martin as they welcomed Deb Freeman, a local Richmond rockstar who hosts her own podcast called Setting the Table. Her new-ish series focuses on the…

  • Revive the Riverfront Plan from Its Coma

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles The James River is often (rightfully) cited as the regionโ€™s crown jewel. It is the one thing just about everyone can agree on, rally behind, enjoy in their free time, and show off to out-of-town friends. If you recall the Richmond Riverfront Plan that was developed by the City at considerable expense…

  • Talking Crime

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles Candace Burns of CBS6 sat down with Mayor Stoney this week to talk crime, gun violence, and alleged plots. It was an interesting discussion, and while a lot of it is political fluff and rhetoric, Stoney does deserve some credit for some straight talk. What we recognize is that 26% of the…

  • Water Leaks

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles This week, Jeremy Lazarus of theย  Richmond Free Press attended the City Councilโ€™s Governmental Operations Committee and found that โ€œmore than 6,300 homes and businesses in Richmond โ€” 10% of the customer base โ€” are facing disconnection of their utilities for nonpayment of water, sewer and gas bills.โ€ Yikes. That is essentially…

  • Where Does the Buck Stop?

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles The rise in crime across the region and especially the City is naturally a cause of concern. A rise in crimes against deputies and other inmates in the Richmond Jail is flat-out disturbing. The Free Press went to the City Council Public Safety Committee meeting โ€” that was attended only by Councilwoman…

  • The Rent Is Too Damn High

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    James A. Bacon
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    ๏ปฟ by Jon Baliles I think RVA needs to recruit retired New York City politician Jimmy McMillan to come to Richmond and run for office. He was the straight-talker who ran for Governor of New York under the Rent Is Too Damn High Party banner in 2010 and said more genuine truths in 35 seconds…

  • Strange Things Are Afoot

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles The story of the July 4th Dogwood Dell Mayoral and Police Chief press conference grows stranger with each day and subsequent stories. Noted philosophers Bill & Ted may have put it best when they said: โ€œStrange things are afoot at the Circle K.โ€ (Thatโ€™s a 7-11 for all you locals). The July…

  • Crime and Blame

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    James A. Bacon
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    by Jon Baliles One thing we already know, is that crime is out of control in the City. Jon Burkett at CBS is known as the Crime Insider and rightfully so given that is basically all he has covered in the region for two decades. He gave an interview on July 6 on WRVAโ€™s Morning…

  • Crime and (No) Punishment

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    James A. Bacon
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    Bacon’s Rebellion is pleased to begin cross-posting from RVA 5X5, the new Substack publication of Jon Baliles, who worked for the City of Richmond under Mayors Doug Wilder and Levar Stoney and been active in the civic and artistic communities for many years. by Jon Baliles Todayโ€™s edition (of RVA 5X) starts off similarly to…