Politics

Bipartisan Team Seeks Compensation for Victims of Forced Sterilization

Effort would give $50,000 to survivors; estimated cost would be $73 million.

Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy.

Coming for the Guns: Confiscating Firearms During Mental Health Evaluations

Alexandria delegate wants to expand police powers to confiscate guns of the detained.

Imagine the scenario: Sheriff’s deputies arrive at a home to issue a temporary detention order against an individual.

Economic Uncertainty Casts Shadow Here

Frey gives details in State of Sully talk.

Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) gave his State of Sully address last week, talking mainly about Fairfax County’s economy and transportation issues.

GOP Women Discuss Property Rights, Elections

Martha Boneta, Virginia farmer and property rights advocate, spoke to the Republican Women of Clifton (RWC) watched by Congressman Artur Davis, who also talked to the group, RWC President Alice Butler-Short and best-selling author of Agenda 21, Environmental Piracy, Dr. Ileana Johnson.

Keep Gas Tax; Cut Meals Tax; Add ‘Sausage’

Proposed changes to governor’s transportation funding plan receive local support.

After a week in which news from Richmond was dominated by partisan skirmishes, Northern Virginia Del. Dave Albo (R-41) joined with other lawmakers to refocus the legislature on the state’s transportation funding crisis, presenting an alternative to a controversial plan proposed by Governor Robert McDonnell (R).

Del. Bulova and Sen. Petersen Host Fairfax Town Hall Meeting

On Saturday, Feb. 2, Del. David Bulova (D-37) is holding a Town Hall meeting with Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the council chamber of Fairfax City Hall, 10455 Armstrong Street. They will provide an overview of issues that are currently before the General Assembly. All constituents are invited to share their ideas and thoughts on issues that are important to the community.

Letter: A Very Proud American

As a young person who voted in the presidential election for the very first time, I feel privileged knowing that despite of all the problem[s] in this country I still have the right to voice my opinion through my vote.

Nazi Commonwealth

Bipartisan team seeks compensation for victims of forced sterilization.

Nobody knows how many people are survivors of Virginia’s forced sterilization program, which targeted people with mental illness, mental retardation or epilepsy. But a bipartisan effort now under consideration in Richmond would hand each and every one of them a $50,000 check from the people of Virginia. According to one calculation, that could mean as much as $73 million.

Four Northern Virginia Senators Targeted

Redistricting effort puts Fairfax County seats in the spotlight.

Four Northern Virginia state Senators are targets of a Republican-led effort to draw new districts — Sen. George Barker (D-39), Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37), Sen. Toddy Puller (D-36) and Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). Democrats say the redistricting effort is a cynical attempt to take advantage of the absence of Sen. Henry Marsh (D-16), a prominent civil rights veteran, who was in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration on Monday. But state Sen. John Watkins (R-10) of Powhatan defended the effort as a way to create a sixth majority black Senate district in Southside. It passed the Senate on a 20-to-19 vote.

Obama’s Agenda

Herndon-Reston citizens on second term priorities for President Obama.

A man walks into a bar… actually a female journalist walked first into O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant on Elden Street in Herndon and then into the bar at Il Fornaio Authentic Italian Restaurant and Bakery on Market Street in Reston Town Center, and posed the same question to several patrons of each establishment: “What do you see as the priorities for President Barack Obama’s second term in office?”

Building at Williamsburg Middle Site

New elementary school to address crowding.

The Arlington County School Board and County Board met Thursday, Jan. 17, for a work session about the construction a new elementary school at the site of Williamsburg Middle School.

Northern Virginia Democrats Finally Get Traction on Voting Rights for Nonviolent Felons

But House Democrats stand in the way of bipartisan effort.

The plight of the nonviolent felon has been a losing cause in Northern Virginia for decades. Year after year, Democrats introduce a bill that would restore voting rights for nonviolent felons. And year after year, the effort fizzles in Richmond.

Smart Growth Versus Affordable Housing at Potomac Yard

Clash between opposing visions raises questions about parking on Jefferson Davis Highway.

What happens when the principles of smart growth collide with transit planning?

In Session

The hidden camera footage is shaky and brief. But state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30) and Del. Patrick Hope (D-47) believe it will change the momentum of the gun debate.

Economic Development Topic of Chamber Meeting

The future of economic growth in Fairfax County will be found in the new field of personalized medicine, along with the current growth sectors of IT, and financial services according to Dr. Gerald Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority speaking to the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce.

The Connection