Month: October 2020

A hard lesson in democracy

October 31, 2020

By Ben Jealous (TE <http://triceedneywire.com/>Wire) – Republicans in the U.S. Senate just gave us some clarity about where their party wants to take this country. It’s not pretty, and it’s not popular, which is why they’ve put so much effort into taking over the federal courts. Republican senators refused for the last year of Barack […]

Va. ranks last in prompt handling of unemployment claims

October 30, 2020

By Ned Oliver (VM) – Virginia’s unemployment insurance program now ranks worst in the country when it comes to quickly processing claims that require staff review — a backlog that has risen to more than 90,000 cases, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. Applicants caught in the bureaucratic limbo have been left waiting as long […]

Judge halts Trump’s rule that prevented 700k from pandemic food stamps

October 29, 2020

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA) – If the 2020 election’s importance wasn’t apparent to those casting ballots, a federal judge’s recent decision might have underscored the urgency. In a decision that had far-reaching consequences during a deadly pandemic that’s cost more than 219,000 Americans their lives, the court ruled against President Donald Trump’s order to […]

Va. AG opposes Trump’s limits on international student visas

October 28, 2020

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring has joined coalition of 22 state attorneys general in opposing efforts by the Trump administration to severely restrict the amount of time international students are allowed to stay in the United States. Herring and his colleagues have submitted a comment letter opposing a proposed rule that would set fixed […]

Prisoners could be released early under new program

October 27, 2020

By Ned Oliver (VM) – State prison officials estimate that more than 14,000 inmates in Virginia could see their release dates moved up under legislation awaiting Gov. Ralph Northam’s signature. The bill, backed by General Assembly Democrats and unanimously opposed by GOP lawmakers, would let inmates cut their sentences by a third as long as […]

‘Threat to health care and civil rights’ Barrett confirmed

October 26, 2020

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA) – Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative judge with a stated opposition to the Affordable Care Act and many Civil Rights laws, was confirmed on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, as the next Supreme Court Justice. Only Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins defected, while Democrats boycotted the formal vote. “After refusing a […]

Push to open police records to public continues

October 22, 2020

“We are the victims, and we’re telling you that we want public access to investigative records…” – Bereaved family members

‘’One Person, No Vote’ author to speak at local virtual event

October 18, 2020

Carol Anderson, Ph.D., author of “One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy,” will speak on voting rights and voter suppression at a virtual event Oct. 21 hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University. “One Person, No Vote” explores the history of efforts to suppress African American voting participation and is VCU’s 2020 Common Book, […]

‘A lot at stake for communities of color’

October 15, 2020

Dels. Cia Price, D-Newport News, and Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, react after a proposed redistricting amendment proposal narrowly passed the House of Delegates in March. (Ned Oliver/VM) By Graham Moomaw When the Virginia House of Delegates was getting ready to pass its 2011 redistricting plan, Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, stood to say something she knew her […]

Landlords ask SCOVA to make evictions easier

October 12, 2020

By Ned Oliver (VM) – A group that represents landlords around the state is asking the Supreme Court of Virginia to make it easier for them to move eviction lawsuits through the court system. In a letter late last week to Chief Justice Don Lemons, the Virginia Apartment Management Association requested the court issue an […]

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