The struggle for Virginia to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment is not over, although the chances for victory in the current legislative session are slight. According to VAratifyERA, an activist group, there are three paths to getting the ERA ratification to the floor of the legislature before the end of the session on Feb. 23. Pro-ERA groups are sponsoring a…
By Karen Kirk: After a second accusation of sexual assault against Virginia Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was made on Friday, many Virginia and national public officials were calling for his resignation. Meredith Watson, who was a student at Duke University at the same time as Fairfax, has accused him of rape in the spring of 2000. Earlier this week,…
By William Berkson. Ronald Reagan’s small-government crusade led directly to our current era of slow growth and massive income inequality. But his vision still dominates the political landscape. Why? History shows that sustained, equitable growth only happens during periods of strong government investment in both the commercial and social welfare spheres—what I call the “Investment State”. Its opposite is the…
By Susan Laume Police were a visible presence Saturday at two town halls in Fairfax County on Saturday, including one that had been cancelled but nevertheless attracted hundreds of demonstrators. The unusual police presence highlighted the emotional nature of two issues state legislators are dealing with currently – a racist photo connected to Gov. Ralph Northam, and partisan vilification of…
By Karen Kirk: Despite multiple calls for his resignation, Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam refused to resign on Saturday after he first acknowledged then denied being in a yearbook photo that surfaced Friday showing one person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe. “I believe that I am not either of the people in the photo,” Northam…
Updated 4:10 pm to remove reference to town hall, which has been cancelled Virginia Del. Kathy Tran (D-42) has apologized to constituents for misspeaking, while reaffirming her opposition to infanticide and clarifying that a bill she sponsored would not extend the time period for legal abortion in Virginia. Tran kicked up a firestorm last week in answering yes when asked…
Although the weather was cold, the reception was warm as 10 state lawmakers met with a delegation of 50+ Committee members, part of Fairfax County Democratic Committee, in Richmond on Jan. 17. The 50+ members discussed key issues for seniors with legislators, including mobile voting in long term care facilities, creation of an elder care abuse registry, and ensuring staffing…
The dream of Virginia becoming the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment this year died Friday, when the Virginia House Privileges and Elections Committee refused to hear the resolution, which states that Americans can’t be denied civil and legal rights on the basis of sex. On Tuesday, all four Republican members of Subcommittee No. 1 of the House Privileges and…
By Brad Swanson: You should not look too closely into the making of laws or sausages, runs the saying attributed (incorrectly) to Germany’s “Iron Chancellor”, Otto von Bismarck. But what would he have thought about the convoluted process of making Democratic Party candidates for Fairfax County elected offices? Overall, there will be more than 50 offices on Fairfax County ballots…
By Karen Keys-Gamarra The author is an at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board and is running for re-election in November. Actions speak louder than words. That’s true in Fairfax County, where we boast diversity that is reflected in our schools, businesses and communities. This county has the 10th largest public school system in the nation and its students experience…
The dream of Virginia becoming the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment was put on hold Tuesday by a Republican-controlled House subcommittee. All four Republican members of Subcommittee No. 1 of the House Privileges and Elections Committee voted against the legislation while the two Democrats voted to advance the ERA bills. Virginia would have been the final state needed…
There were fewer marchers and even fewer pussy hats at the 3rd annual Women’s March in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Jan. 19, than in past years, but the spirit and message of those who showed up was strong. Organizers estimated that about 10,000 people marched down Pennsylvania Avenue and attended the rally at Freedom Plaza, one of the events taking…
By Susan Laume: After two bills which would have removed some of the medically unnecessary impediments to women’s abortion care were defeated by the Virginia Senate Health and Education Committee on Thursday, Jan. 17, Virginia’s leaders reaffirmed their support for women to make their own reproductive decisions. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, and Attorney General Mark Herring…
By Susan Laume: Since the Diversion First program began three years ago in Fairfax County offering an alternative to jail for those experiencing a mental health crisis and facing a first arrest, detentions have dropped by nearly 20% in the Adult Detention Center population, according to Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid. “Diversion First remains a top priority and one of our biggest…