By Paul O’Shea: Following recent passage in the state Senate of a bill to ban the death penalty for criminal defendants with severe mental illness, northern Virginia welcomes a leading proponent of a national movement against the death penalty on…
Category: Issues
New law lets Virginia localities sell green energy back to power companies
By Susan Laume: Local governments in northern Virginia and elsewhere in the Commonwealth can now generate up to 30 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy for sale back to the power grid, thanks to recently passed legislation sponsored by state Del.…
Springfield school board candidate debate focuses on testing and teacher shortage
By Susan Laume: Two candidates vying for Democratic Party endorsement for Springfield District school board member faced off on Thurs. Feb. 28 for an hour-long debate before an audience of about 70. Laura Jane Cohen and Robert Walter, both education…
Parker Messick: Development in Hunter Mill is excessive
Ed Note: We invite all Democrats running for office in northern Virginia to submit an individual statement, maximum 500 words. This one comes from Parker Messick, a candidate for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Hunter Mill District. The primary election…
A sampler of Black History Month special events in northern Virginia
As Black History Month 2019 in Fairfax County draws to a close, here is a small sample of the many speeches, celebrations, exhibitions and events that have made it specially memorable. At left, Dontae Bugg, Esq., soon to take office…
Fairfax County Democratic candidates reach out to Muslim Community
Muslims are believed to be under-represented among Fairfax County voters, but outreach efforts by Democratic Party candidates for local office aim to change that equation. The latest such effort took place Saturday, Feb. 16, at Dar al Hijrah Mosque in…
Mark Keam draws a road map through the disaster in Richmond
Ed Note: Normally The Blue View prints original content only but we are making an exception in the case of a constituent letter dealing with the current turmoil in Richmond posted on Facebook by Del. Mark Keam (D- 35) on…
A Jew defends Samirah against charges of anti-Semitism
Ed. Note: Virginia House candidate Ibraheem Samirah recently apologized after a website published 5-year old Facebook posts by him criticizing Israel. Samirah, whose family is from Palestine, is the Democratic party candidate for the 86th District, including parts of Fairfax…
Last ditch efforts to get ERA passed in current legislative session
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…
After second assault allegation, Fairfax urged to resign
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…
Democrats: America needs you to bring back the Investment State
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…
Passions run high on abortion and Northam at No.Va town halls
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…
Gov. Northam denies he’s in racist photo, refuses to resign
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…
Kathy Tran sets the record straight on her misunderstood abortion bill
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…