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Expunging the Record
Democrats are divided on how to clear charges and convictions.
House Democrats and Senate Democrats are deadlocked over how people accused of minor crimes should be able to clear their records, a clash that has stalled action for now on one of the most important criminal-justice reform efforts on the agenda for Democrats now that they have seized control of the General Assembly.
Absurd Leverage
Lawmakers to reconsider mandatory minimum for assaulting law enforcement
Earlier this year, lawmakers rejected a bill that would have ditched the mandatory minimum sentence for assaulting a law-enforcement officer. Now the General Assembly is about to consider the issue again.
Killing the Death Penalty
Lawmakers consider bill to abolish capital punishment in Virginia
Virginia has executed people longer than any other state, a tradition that stretches back into colonial days when Captain George Kendall was executed for treason. Over the years, the commonwealth has executed more than 1,300 people. Now, Virginia may be about to join 22 other states that have abolished the death penalty.
In 86th District: Fighting the System or Ineffective?
Republican Linda Schulz challenges incumbent Del. Jennifer Boysko.
86th district
Difficult Choices for Schools
New superintendent says School Board needs to brace for $100 million worth of cuts.
Should class sizes be increased? Should school employees be laid off? Should students have to pay to take Advanced Placement and International Baccalauresate tests? These are some of the difficult choices before members of the Fairfax County School Board for fiscal year 2015. This week, Superintendent Karen Garza laid out about 50 potential spending items that could be on the chopping block. School officials need to close a $140 million shortfall. That means even if the Board of Supervisors and the General Assembly kick in more money, School Board members are going to need to make significant cuts. "I think it's still yet to be determined what that number is, although we know it's going to be extraordinarily high," Garza told School Board members during a work session Monday. "I think it's going to be at least $100 million." Garza, who joined the school system over the summer, was quick to point out that she was not making any recommendations. She described the list as "menu items" that School Board members could order to balance the books.
Loan Sharks in the Water
Lawmakers crack down on predatory lending, although reform won’t happen for eight months.
The LoanMax on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria is open for business during the pandemic, and colorful signs in the windows announce in English and Spanish that the car-title lender remains open during a stay-at-home order — offering loans at 200 percent annual interest during a time when unemployment claims in Alexandria are skyrocketing. Those kinds of interest rates will be illegal under the Fairness in Lending Act, which Gov. Ralph Northam signed last week after lawmakers signed off on some last-minute changes. But the ban on such high-interest lending won’t take effect until New Years Day 2021, which means high-interest lenders have eight months to engage in an unprecedented lending spree during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Seeing Double
Alexandria delegate is one of four House members whose name will be on the ballot twice.
The ballot for the Democratic primary in June might cause you to do a double take. Del. Mark Levine (D-45) will be on the ballot twice, once running for reelection against primary challenger Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and then again against seven other candidates for lieutenant governor. Levine and three other House members will be doing double duty, asking voters to reject their primary opponents for seats they would vacate if they win stateside office.
Urban Renewal on the Waterfront
City Council poised to adopt controversial plan to increase density and allow hotels.
In the game of Monopoly, players that have four houses on each property in a color group can buy a hotel from the bank and plunk the red plastic piece down and start raking in cash.
Candidates Agree on Amendment for Voting Rights, Disagree on Executive Order
Restoration of civil rights on the agenda for next governor.
Should nonviolent felons have their right to vote automatically restored? What exactly is a nonviolent felony? What kind of process can be considered automatic?
Establishment Wins Democratic Primary
State senators beat out first-time candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Two first-time candidates had a hard time beating back the establishment this week, as two state senators won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and attorney general Tuesday night.
Full Disclosure? Forms Plagued By Lack of Information, Absence of Oversight
Fairfax County goes so far as to redact disclosure documents.
Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell is in hot water for taking gifts without disclosing them, and legislators are talking about increasing disclosure requirements for family members. But here in Northern Virginia, personal financial disclosure forms are often incomplete and inconsistent.
Empire Strikes Back: Establishment Beats Tea Party at Republican Convention
Party insider Ed Gillespie seizes nomination at convention in Roanoke.
When conservative preacher E.W. Jackson took the stage at the Roanoke Civic Center to introduce Tea Party favorite Shak Hill at the Republican convention last weekend, hundreds of conservatives from across Virginia took to their feet. They waved placards.
Hiding at the Top of the Ticket
Race for Senate features two-term incumbent versus first-time candidate.
When Mark Warner ran for governor in 2001, opponents knocked him for wanting to be governor without having ever run for office before.
Myth-busting the Vote
A look at how the election will really happen in Alexandria
For most Alexandria voters expected to cast a ballot this year, Election Day has already come and gone. The unprecedented spike in early voting comes at a time when the city is battling a deadly pandemic and a whirlwind of misinformation. Here are a few myths about the election this year and why they are wrong.
Fully Baked
Alexandria senator leads effort to legalize marijuana in Virginia.
The so-called "war on drugs" was a failure, locking up generations of Black men and tearing Black families apart. Now lawmakers in Richmond are finally coming around to realizing the damage that the prohibition against marijuana caused in minority communities. Last year members of the General Assembly approved legislation decriminalizing marijuana. This year, they may be on the verge of legalizing recreational use of marijuana — ending the failed war on drugs and adopting new equity measures to address some of the damage it caused.
Fighting the System or Ineffective Leadership?
Republican Linda Schulz challenges incumbent Del. Jennifer Boysko.
Democratic incumbent Del. Jennifer Boysko (D-86) is a leading voice of the resistance to Republican leadership. But is she getting anything done in Richmond? Her Republican challenger doesn't think so.
'Fauci Should Be Jailed'
Republican candidate for Congress in the 8th calls for incarceration of medical advisor.
The Republican candidate for Congress in the 8th Congressional District is calling for President Biden's chief medical advisor to be "jailed," a comment she made during a candidates forum hosted by the Alexandria Republican City Committee earlier this month.
Democrats Seize Control of Northern Virginia
Region once had its own brand of Republicanism; now that seems almost extinct.
The loss of two-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (D-10) means Republicans are down to one lone elected official in Northern Virginia, Del. Tim Hugo (R-40). The blue wave that started last year unseating Republicans like Del. Jim LeMunyon (R-67) and Del. Bob Marshall (R-13) continued this year, when state Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D-10) was able to flip a seat that had been in Republican hands since a young military lawyer named Frank Wolf beat incumbent Democrat Joe Fisher back in 1980.
Following the Money
Special-interest groups seek power and influence.
A look at campaign-finance documents from the 2019 election cycle reveals an intricate web of special-interest money, everything from Dominion and Verizon to casino developers and car-title lenders. Members of the Alexandria delegation took money from lobbyists and associations who have pending business during the upcoming two-month General Assembly session, when lawmakers will be forbidden from taking campaign cash.
Tougher Tests Cause Alexandria Scores to Plunge
School officials say more rigorous standards are to blame.
Test scores are down across Alexandria. But school officials say that doesn't necessarily mean students are doing worse. It means that the tests have gotten harder.