By Roberta Kellam and Dr. Vivian Thomson: Ed. Note: The authors formerly served on state environmental regulatory boards. Their views are personal. Gov. Northam has failed the citizens of Virginia with his sudden decision to appoint two new members to the…
Unfinished business: It’s way past time for Virginia to ratify the ERA
By Karen Kirk: Winning the decades-long fight for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is in Virginia’s court, or actually its General Assembly. And the push is on to finally get it passed in 2019 in both Virginia’s Senate, where it…
Our police do not work behind scenes with ICE, says Fairfax Supervisor Board Chair
By Sharon Bulova: I read with shock and disappointment the Nov. 29 report by Ms. Diane Burkley Alejandro, Special Report: Local police may be helping ICE make Fairfax a national leader in immigrant detention. This report uses data to draw…
Money in politics emerging as top issue in Virginia 2019 elections
The heated topic of money in politics in Virginia drew a star-studded list of speakers and a large, boisterous audience to a forum on Nov. 28th at the Mason District Government Center. State legislators, candidates and activists took turns detailing…
Special Report: Local police may be helping ICE make Fairfax a national leader in immigrant detention
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: There is a family separation crisis right here in Fairfax County. The nation was rightfully shocked when 2,600 children were separated from migrant families crossing the border. Why then isn’t the Fairfax Board of Supervisors incensed…
Volunteer drivers give a voice to almost 100 voters in recent election
Nearly 100 voters who could not make their own way to the polls had their voices heard in the recent midterm elections thanks to volunteer drivers organized by Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC). The Ride to the Polls program gave…
State Veterans Affairs secretary headlines town hall in Springfield
By Susan Laume: Carlos Hopkins, secretary of Virginia Veterans and Defense Affairs, headlined a veterans town hall in Springfield on Monday, Nov. 12. About 45 veterans, family members and guests gathered at American Legion Post 176 in Springfield for the event,…
Springfield Dems celebrate a hot win with hot sauce
Members and guests of Springield District Democratic Committee (SDDC) celebrating victory in the recent elections with a chili cook-off on Nov. 9 at the Fairfax Railroad Museum. The district achieved a turn-out rate of over 71 percent of registered voters,…
Get on the bus for ERA ratification
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are sponsoring a 10-day bus tour across Virginia to urge legislators to make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to achieve ratification. The bus stopped in several locations in Fairfax County on Veterans’…
Fairfax Dems register 16, engage thousands at local festivals
By Todd Thurwachter: During October, FCDC’s Voter Registration and Education Committee (VR&EC) mounted a blitz to reach thousands of voters before the Oct. 15 registration deadline, registering at least 16 voters at local festivals and engaging thousands with voting materials,…
Fairfax Dems Mount Massive Latino Outreach
By Todd Thurwachter: Ahead of the Nov. 6 election, Democrats have made a sustained effort to register and educate Latino voters in Fairfax County – who now constitute 16% of the population, and are heading higher. The campaign has contacted…
Old technology is newest tool to energize voters
Reported by Janelle Hartman and Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: Postcards may be old technology, but they are being revived as an effective tool in the arsenal of Fairfax County Democrats to get a robust turnout at elections on November 6th. Numerous…
GMU students demand end to Koch influence over faculty and curriculum
By Brad Swanson: George Mason University (GMU) students delivered a 2,000-signature petition to the office of university President Angel Cabrera on Thursday demanding an end to influence by donors such as radical libertarian Charles Koch over academic appointments and course…
Tim Kaine in the chase for absentee voters
Sen. Tim Kaine, running for re-election in the Nov. 6 election, recently stopped by to help Democratic Party volunteers “chase” absentee voters by mail. For readers not familiar with the term: An application for an absentee ballot is a public…