Author Archives: Robin Beres

RVA 5×5: Valet Parking

Posted on April 23, 2023 | 11 comments

by Jon Baliles

There was a lot of talk and coverage this week about the City of Richmond’s Planning Commission unanimously approving the removal of parking minimums citywide with the full City Council expected to take the matter up at its meeting Monday night.

The ordinance as written would allow developers to decide how much parking to include in new developments anywhere in the city — or if they need to include any parking at all to serve the development. For decades, the city-required developments to also provide a certain number of off-street parking spaces based on the size of development, the number of dwelling units, type of use, or total floor area.

The end goal is to allow developers to determine how much parking to provide in their developments and if they don’t have to provide expensive parking, they will then increase the supply of needed housing units. The city recently declared a “housing crisis,” and the need for more housing across the entire region is urgent. The proposal is one of the recommendations from the Richmond 300 master plan, which is in favor of less “auto-centric” zoning and more in favor of denser and more walkable mixed-use neighborhoods.
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Posted in Blogs and Blog Administration, Economic development, Housing, Infrastructure, Planning, Regulations and Government Oversight, Transportation

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VMI Disguises DEI Contract

Posted on April 21, 2023 | 82 comments

By Jake Spivey

In late fall 2021, Virginia Military Institute’s Board of Visitors and its newly installed superintendent were still reeling from the state investigator’s specious report condemning the Institute’s cultural climate. Resolving to quiet a mostly nameless and unidentifiable assortment of individuals criticizing VMI, the Board submitted through the state’s contracting website a request for proposals (RFP), for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultation and training services. The solicitation sought companies that could help VMI “intentionally strengthen its commitment and work around DEI to aid the Institute in achieving Inclusive Excellence Plan goals and objectives.” The to-be-hired firm would provide VMI’s leadership a way to “institute DEI activities” for VMI’s leadership, faculty, full-time staff, and the 1,600 member Corps of Cadets. The RFP outlined requirements and described services that, no doubt in the minds of VMI’s leadership, would correct deficiencies neither the Commonwealth nor the investigative team had factually identified or documented in the June 1, 2021 report.

Unfortunately, in its zeal to implement a contract for DEI consultation and training, VMI attempted to circumvent the Commonwealth’s procurement laws. A competing contractor, the Center for Applied Innovation, LLC (CAI), recognized a variety of inconsistencies regarding access to records as part of the proposal process. As alleged in court documents, VMI improperly awarded a “Notice of Intent” to award a contract to NewPoint Strategies, LLC (NewPoint). On March 18, 2022, CAI filed a formal protest in Rockbridge County Circuit Court alleging VMI had violated the state’s Virginia Public Procurement Act (VPPA). VMI denied it acted improperly, delivering a denial letter to the Court on March 28, 2022. It asked the Court to dismiss CAI’s lawsuit, claiming VMI was exempt from the state’s procurement laws. On July 14, 2022, Judge Christopher Russell listened to oral arguments from CAI’s attorneys and lawyers from the Office of the Attorney General, Christopher Bernhardt and Patrick O’Leary, who represented VMI. On August 3, 2022, in a surprise ruling, Judge Russell agreed with CAI and declined to dismiss the lawsuit. VMI appealed this decision, requesting the Court reconsider its original ruling. The Court did so, reversing its opinion. This action emboldened VMI to surreptitiously continue pursuit of a DEI-services contract with NewPoint.
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Posted in Courts and law, Culture wars, Education (higher ed), Leadership, Uncategorized, Virginia Law

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JMU Debate Team Opposes Debate

Posted on April 20, 2023 | 62 comments

by Kerry Dougherty

It’s been decades since I was in college so help me out here. Wouldn’t you expect a university debate team to support free speech and the airing of diverse ideas?

Yep, that’s what I thought too.

But you haven’t met the easily triggered members of James Madison University’s debate team. They’re leading the opposition to a scheduled appearance next week by conservative author and podcaster Liz Wheeler. The topic of her speech: The Ideology of Transgenderism.

Stunning.

These pearl-clutching lefties are so devoted to the trans movement that they want to dismiss and silence anyone who dares to question the notion that boys can become girls and girls can become boys.

Apparently a gaggle of so-called debaters have anointed themselves the arbiters of what is and what isn’t worthwhile speech at a state-supported university.

These are supposed to be lovers of debate. I guess they prefer to stick to esoteric, yawn-inducing topics such as presidential powers and the ethics of animal testing rather than actual issues that resonate outside their little debate club echo chamber. Continue reading →

62 Comments

Posted in Culture wars, Education (higher ed), Uncategorized

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Unaffordable Housing, Redux

Posted on April 19, 2023 | 10 comments

by Joe Fitzgerald

Proposed housing construction in the city of Harrisonburg could add about 1,200 students to the Harrisonburg City Public Schools, with housing already under construction in Rockingham County possibly adding 400 more.

A quarter of the 1,600 potential students could be absorbed by the opening of Rocktown High School, leaving the city to build however many new schools it takes to educate 1,200 elementary and middle school students.

This projection is based on my using other people’s multipliers on a compilation by the invaluable Scott Rogers on HarrisonburgHousingToday.com. The housing count is Scott Rogers’; the school estimates are mine.

The multipliers in question come from Harrisonburg City Public Schools (HCPS) and from Econsult Solutions Inc. (ESI). HCPS came up with its numbers based on who lives where in the city, and ESI does it for a living. They vary, somewhat. ESI thinks a townhouse will generate .52 students and the HCPS method forecasts .45 students.
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Posted in Central planning, Children and Families, Education (K-12), Housing, Land use & Development, Uncategorized

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Is the Commanders Stadium Coming to Loudoun?

Posted on April 18, 2023 | 12 comments

by Jeanine Martin

The deal for Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder to sell the team to Josh Harris hasn’t even been inked and yet speculation begins again that the team may move to eastern Loudoun County.

Supervisor Tony Buffington (R-Blue Ridge), is opposed to the stadium moving to Loudoun. He said today that he and his constituents do not want a stadium in Loudoun. However, Chairman of the Board Phyllis Randall is entertaining the idea.

From the LoudounTimes.com:

‘We look forward to welcoming the Washington Commanders to the Loudoun County Board Room to share their vision of a new stadium as part of a multi-use development in an urban setting,’ Matt Rogers, Randall’s chief of staff, wrote in a statement to the Times-Mirror April 15.

‘Loudoun and the Commanders have enjoyed a long business relationship that has proven financially beneficial to both parties. An expansion of their football operations in Loudoun County is an idea we’re eager to discuss, provided that Loudoun County taxpayers will not experience a single cent of tax increase to finance a stadium,’ Rogers said.

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Posted in Business and Economy, Economic development, Land use & Development, Planning, Uncategorized

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Snow Angel Philosophy

Posted on April 17, 2023 | 8 comments

by Joe Fitzgerald

Snow angels or philosophers? It seemed like an easy choice to me. A James Madison University admissions official read the letters from a male who wrote about how well he understood the great philosophers and a female, from Ohio if memory serves, who wanted to know if she’d be able to make snow angels in Virginia. Easy choice. Somebody who’s read philosophy in high school is going to be better equipped to learn at a post-secondary level.

The admissions official went with the snow angels. I don’t remember the adjectives she used but I remember thinking they didn’t have a lot to do with education.

Only a moment, and a long time ago. My kid turns 34 next week, so it’s been a while since I had a reason to attend an admissions event.

I think of that when I hear references to JMU’s selling points. The school has a rock wall, claims the best food service among Virginia’s colleges, and is the best-looking campus. (Ron Carrier said he loved mulch so much he’d roll around in it if he could; the last time I saw him he was spreading mulch in a public area, apparently because he could.) Continue reading →

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Posted in Culture wars, Education (higher ed), Education (K-12), Leadership

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Increasing Teacher Vacancy Rates

Posted on April 17, 2023 | 16 comments

by Matt Hurt

The teacher vacancy rate in the Commonwealth has become such a problem that the Virginia Department of Education created a database to track this problem. The Staffing and Vacancy Report found on the Education Workforce Data & Reports page of the VDOE website displays unfilled Virginia educator positions at the state, region, division, and school levels as of October of each year.

This data was first published in 2021 and reported that approximately 3% percent of Virginia’s teaching positions were vacant at that time. Historically, few hires are made after the beginning of the school year, as all willing and eligible potential teachers have already been hired by that point. Anecdotally, I am aware of and have heard many more instances of teachers leaving throughout the year, whereas in the past most would wait until summer to leave the profession.

When one compares the October 2021 teacher vacancy rates to the 2022 Standards of Learning (SOL) pass rates at the division level, that seemingly insignificant teacher vacancy rate statistically accounted for 26% of the variability in division SOL pass rates that year. In October 2022, the teacher vacancy rate across Virginia increased 26% percent to almost a 4% teacher vacancy rate. Given this increase, it is reasonable to believe that this problem will more significantly and negatively impact student outcomes this year than last.
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Posted in Children and Families, Discipline and Disorder, Education (K-12), Teacher Education, Uncategorized

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Youngkin Pumping The Presidential Brakes

Posted on April 17, 2023 | 31 comments

by Kerry Dougherty

Looks like Gov. Glenn Youngkin may have some natural immunity to the presidential virus that seems to infect most Virginia governors.

At one time or another it seems almost every Virginia governor has his head turned by the seductive intoxication of presidential or vice presidential ambition.

Anyone else remember L. Douglas Wilder? He was elected governor in 1989 and his term ran from 1990 to 1994. By 1992, he was running for president as a Democrat, although Wilder dropped out before the primaries got underway.

In 2010, Gov. Bob McDonnell was selected to give the GOP rebuttal to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, a sign that he was being groomed by the national party for higher office, perhaps vice president in 2012. In fact, when Sen. Mitt Romney came to Norfolk that year to announce his choice for veep, many assumed it was going to be the popular Virginia governor from Virginia Beach.

Instead, it was a head fake. Romney chose the USS Wisconsin as a backdrop to make his surprise announcement of Rep. Paul Ryan, from the Badger State’s 1st congressional district.

At various times during their 4-year terms former Governors George Allen, Jim Gilmore, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine also were mentioned as top contenders for their party’s presidential ticket. In fact, Kaine ran with Hillary Clinton in 2016. Mike Pence filleted him in the single vice presidential debate, however. Kaine was virtually invisible for the rest of the campaign.

There have been signs for weeks that, although he clearly flirted with the notion of running for president, Youngkin was pulling back. For instance, in the past couple of months several of his top political consultants, Jeff Roe and Kristin Davison, departed to join a DeSantis super-PAC.

Well, once The New York Times weighs in, it must be official. Youngkin is tapping the “brakes” as The Times wrote this weekend in a piece headlined “Youngkin Gives 2024 Presidential Run the Cold Shoulder.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Abortion, Feminism, Women's Rights, Elections, Leadership

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Sens. Warner, Kaine Visit Roanoke To Tout New Bridge But City Council In The Dark About Scope of Project

Posted on April 15, 2023 | 5 comments

by Scott Dreyer

On a picture-perfect April 12 with a backdrop of the sparkling Roanoke River and dogwoods and redbuds in bloom, Virginia’s Senator Mark Warner (D) and Senator Tim Kaine (D) visited the Roanoke Greenway at Roanoke City’s Smith Park.

The occasion was for the two senators to present a cardboard poster representing a check to Roanoke City for $2.5 million for the replacement of the low water bridge on the popular Greenway just a few yards downstream from Smith Park. The senators stated the funds came from the roughly $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

An email invitation from the City to reporters claimed the new, higher bridge will not only allow kayakers to travel under the bridge unimpeded (at low water levels) but also help the endangered Roanoke logperch swim up and downstream more easily.
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Posted in Economic development, Efficiency in Government, Government Finance, Planning, Taxes, Uncategorized

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School Bullying and Victimization Data: Just the Facts

Posted on April 14, 2023 | 15 comments

by Dr. Kathleen Smith

Earlier this week on Bacon’s Rebellion, James Bacon posted “The Fruit of School Disciplinary ‘Reform.’” Regarding the matter of bullying, I am adding a few additional statistics from the Youth and Juvenile Justice System 2022 National Report from the National Center for Juvenile Justice.

The abstract embedded in the report includes the following:

The report draws on reliable data and relevant research to provide a comprehensive and insightful view of youth victims and offending by youth, and what happens to them when they enter the juvenile justice system.

It offers empirically based answers to frequently asked questions about the nature of youth victimization and offending, and the justice system’s response.
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Posted in Children and Families, Discipline and Disorder, Education (K-12), Public safety & health, Uncategorized

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As Newspapers Struggle, Local News is Harder to Find in Virginia

Posted on April 14, 2023 | 7 comments


by Christopher Connell

It is, unfortunately, old news.

Virginia’s newspapers, the single biggest source of local news, face unprecedented challenges, with their readers, revenues, and staffs steadily dwindling.

It’s a paradox because news writ large now seems to be available everywhere, all the time, on phones in our pockets and purses.

People still hear about bickering in Congress, mysterious Chinese balloons overhead, and blizzards burying Buffalo. What they learn less about is what’s going on in their own backyards, towns, schools, counties, and state capitals.

Some 2,500 U.S. newspapers have closed since 2005, some over-reliant on advertising-dependent business models that cratered with the rise of the Internet, many simply killed by their market areas’ struggling economies. Most were print weeklies, where most people got their local news. Continue reading →

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Posted in Culture wars, Government Transparency, Media, Uncategorized

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Richmond FBI Office Used Undercover Agents to Spy on Traditional Catholics

Posted on April 13, 2023 | 77 comments

by Robin Beres

The United States has not always been a bastion of religious freedom. When Virginia became an English colony in 1607, the English considered religious differences just as treasonous as political differences. Sure, Elizabeth I had reinstalled the Church of England following Queen Mary’s tumultuous reign, but the possibility of another Catholic on the throne remained a threat for decades.

As a result, English rulers decreed the Church of England to be the only official church in Virginia. For nearly two hundred years, there was no religious freedom in the colony. Even other Protestant denominations, such as Presbyterians and Baptists, were persecuted.

It wasn’t until 1786 that the Virginia General Assembly enacted Bill No. 82, “A Bill for establishing religious freedom.” Written by Thomas Jefferson and guided through the Virginia legislature by James Madison, the bill, eventually known as the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, was strongly backed by leaders of other religious factions.

The bill stipulated that no government had the legitimate authority to establish or compel anyone to hold certain religious beliefs. Jefferson firmly believed that if this newly-born nation was to survive, all men must be given the freedom to determine their own beliefs.

The bill was the first attempt to get religion out of government and government out of religion. Eventually the act became the basis of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment declaration that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” The bill also confirmed Virginia as the birthplace of America’s religious freedom.

Little wonder then why many Virginians were stunned and concerned to learn of a January memo issued by an analyst with the Richmond FBI’s field office. The memo seemed to determine there were white supremacists masquerading as Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass. The author of the “analysis” seems to have even created a name for this newly-discovered group: “Radical-Traditionalist Catholics” or RTCs. Continue reading →

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Posted in Civil Rights, Individual Liberties, Crime, Corrections and Law Enforcement, Culture wars, Federal issues, General Assembly, Virginia history

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Five Questions: An Interview with Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears

Posted on April 11, 2023 | 108 comments

by Shaun Kenney

Last week, The Republican Standard had the opportunity to follow Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears as she toured the Richmond Slave Trail — which included not only the site of the notorious Lumpkins Slave Jail but also the site where Gabriel Prosser was executed and presumably buried in 1800.

Winsome Earle-Sears brought a narrative rooted in the role of hope in human liberation, whether it was in her own tradition from Jamaica to the hopelessness that seems to infect so much of our political discourse today. TRS was able to sit down with the Lieutenant Governor in order to explore her thoughts on this topic and many others.

We just toured Lumpkin’s Slave Jail site. Clearly this is a place with a lot of hurt and anguish, but a little bit of courage and heroism. Where do you think that resilience — that hope — comes from given the experiences of the past?

People look at me and think that I have courage, but I don’t. I have no special store of courage more than the next guy, but I have counted the cost and what I say and do comes with consequences.
There are times when people believe that I am not willing to take that stand, but God comes along and tells me to pick up my cross. Many people attribute that to me being a Marine, but it is really not: it is attributable to my Christian Faith.
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Posted in Abortion, Feminism, Women's Rights, Business and Economy, Children and Families, Civil Rights, Individual Liberties, Culture wars, Democracy and Western Civilization, Demographics, Education (K-12), Elections, Immigration, Political Influence, Politics, Race and Race Relations, Uncategorized

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Gun Owner Whose Son Shot His Teacher Will Get Her Day In Court

Posted on April 11, 2023 | 69 comments

by Kerry Dougherty

Four words came to mind when news broke yesterday that a Newport News grand jury had indicted the mother of a 6-year-old school shooter: what took so long?

It’s been 13 weeks since a FIRST GRADER brought a handgun to school in his backpack and used it to shoot his teacher in front of his classmates.

It’s been 94 days since the 6-year-old sociopath got his hands on his mother’s gun and took it to school.

During the ensuing three months, prosecutors repeatedly said they weren’t sure the owner of the gun would be charged for the near-murder.

That effectively meant no one would be held criminally responsible for the shooting. It’s widely accepted that a 6-year-old cannot be charged with a crime.

Finally, on April 10, a grand jury indicted the gun owner — the mother of the shooter — and charged her with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor count of recklessly storing a firearm so a child could gain access to it.
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Posted in Children and Families, Courts and law, Crime, Corrections and Law Enforcement, Discipline and Disorder, Education (Early Childhood), Gun rights

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The More Things Remain the Same

Posted on April 10, 2023 | 10 comments

by Joe Fitzgerald

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. The Hopewell chemical plant where Kepone was born and raised has been cited 66 times over the past eight years for releasing toxic chemicals into the air and into the James River.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch tells the story better than I do. What makes this latest stream of toxins so poignant is the release this week of the book Poison Powder: The Kepone Disaster in Virginia and its Legacy, by University of Akron history professor Gregory Wilson. (From the University of Georgia Press, or from Amazon.)

Wilson’s work is an excellent history that brings alive what so many of us remember from back then. People we knew, including my brother Tom, worked and suffered at the Kepone plant in Hopewell in the mid-1970s. The James River, the cradle of American settlement, was closed to fishing. People who couldn’t spell “ppm” could tell you how many parts per million of Kepone were in their blood.

Tom died last summer, age 67, of what some medical sites call a rare type of kidney tumor that had also attached itself to his stomach and bowel and maybe a couple of organs I’ve forgotten. Kepone? Nobody will ever know for sure. But Wilson’s book makes sure everybody who wants to will know what happened in Hopewell almost 50 years ago.
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Posted in Business and Economy, Consumer Protection, Environment, Ethics, Health Care, Manufacturing, Public safety & health, Science & Technology, Uncategorized, Water-waste water

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