A bill can pass both chambers of the General Assembly, receive a governor’s signature and still never touch the transaction it was designed to regulate — not because the public changed its mind, but because litigation strategy in a handful of rural courtrooms accomplished what opponents could not accomplish at the ballot box or in Richmond.
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Stanley: ‘Shall not be infringed’ still means something in Virginia
The United States Supreme Court has told us exactly how laws like these must be tested. Under the Heller and Bruen cases, the government may not ban arms in common use by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, and it bears the burden of proving that any restriction is consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
Posted inOpinion
The future of Virginia Tech football (and the whole ACC) is being decided in Congress
When the U.S. Senate returns next month from its August recess, senators are set to vote on a consequential piece of legislation that, if passed, would see the federal government establish some far-reaching rules for college sports.
Posted inOpinion
Appalachian author: Was it the Chinese dragon that got booed in Galax?
They booed the governor at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, and the internet called them ignorant. Before you blame the mountaineers’ manners, look at what Washington traded away in October 2000.
Posted inOpinion
New poll shows Spanberger approval rating has rebounded. Is it right?
Previous polls were taken in the immediate aftermath of redistricting and the budget dispute. Is it possible that those have now faded from view?
Posted inOpinion
Virginia is developing a piecemeal data center moratorium. The potential impacts are complicated.
Here are seven things that might flow from even a partial moratorium on data center development in Virginia.
Posted inOpinion
Kennedy: Building the lunar economy at Virginia Tech
Whether ECLIPSE ultimately protects robotic explorers crossing the lunar south pole or inspires new energy-saving systems here on Earth, its selection sends an important message: some of tomorrow’s lunar economy is already being imagined in Blacksburg.
Posted inOpinion
An enslaved man in Roanoke County was once given 10 years to raise the money to buy his freedom — or risk seeing his family sold at auction
An exhibit currently at the Harrison Museum of African American Culture in Roanoke explores how in the antebellum era, freedom from slavery often came with strings attached.
Posted inOpinion
Energy group: Solar is a piece of the puzzle, not a silver bullet — and that’s okay
No serious energy expert argues that solar should replace every other source of electricity. The question isn’t whether solar can do everything. The question is whether solar plays an important role in meeting Virginia’s growing energy needs.
Posted inOpinion
On a square-foot basis, cannabis growhouses use more power than data centers. Why isn’t their electricity use being taxed?
In legalizing retail sales of cannabis, Virginia has set the stage for the equivalent of up to 148 data centers, if Virginians consume weed at the same rate as those in Washington state. If we match Michigan’s pot consumption, we’re looking at the equivalent of 78 data centers.
