Here are a few Virginia and national news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 28. Rest in peace, Pete Seeger.
*Troubador, activist Pete Seeger dies (“Mr. Seeger, 94, was one of the nation’s most enduring and best-loved folk singers and a voice known to generations of listeners”)
*Dire signs from a warming world (“President Obama, who understands the science, should use his executive powers as best he can, not just to reduce carbon emissions but also to prepare the country for confronting the environmental, political and military hazards of a warmer world.”)
*Democrats hope Obama’s address will begin push toward populist agenda
*Obama to lay out go-it-alone approach in big speech (No choice; Republicans simply won’t work constructively together, even on things that they used to support.)
*Obama to hike wage for federal contract workers
*America’s mass numbness (“After yet another mass shooting, the U.S. is still no closer to better gun control.”)
*McAuliffe will not appoint special prosecutor on Va. gay marriage ban (“Republicans wanted him to get someone to defend the law after Attorney General Herring refused.”)
*Va. to drop McDonnell inquiry without charges (Which just goes to show you how pathetically weak our ethics laws are in Virginia. Strengthen. Them. Now!)
*Va. House members say no to Medicaid expansion (Just pure nastiness and spite against poor people for no good reason – Republicans, in other words.)
*Va. biz leaders, legislators take aim at EPA (Of course, we should be doing the exact opposite – pushing for as rapid a transition off of coal and to clean energy as is humanly possible .)
*Democrat wins Virginia Senate recount, boosting McAuliffe (“Lynwood W. Lewis Jr.’s slim lead holds in the race important to the balance of power of Richmond”)
*J. Warner backs M. Warner in Va. Senate race
*Bills that could push up bills for Dominion Power customers in Virginia advance (“The underground power-line legislation has passed the state House with 95 of 100 delegates in support; a bill on the expensing of the nuclear and wind projects is in committee.”)
*With Gillespie in, Lind drops out of Senate race
*Democratic delegate joins list of hopefuls to fill Jim Moran’s seat (Announced or presumed Democratic candidates for this seat now include: Del. Patrick Hope, former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer, Sen. Adam Ebbin, Del. Mark Sickles, Del. Charniele Herring, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, Del. Alfonso Lopez and Bruce Shuttleworth.)
*Senate committee passes, rejects bills dealing with guns
*Lawmaker challenges Mark Herring’s decision on same-sex marriage (“Sideshow Bob!”)
*Democratic governors in VA also took expensive gifts under lax state law (So let’s strengthen the law!)
*Kaine, Warner sign on to Cantor pediatric research bill (I’m all for funding expanded pediatric medical research, but can someone explain why we would eliminate taxpayer funding of presidential campaigns?)
*Unnecessary help on school prayer
*Cline decides against bid for U.S. Senate
*Support Herring (“Although we have an ally in Herring, opposition is still fierce and unrelenting in many states including our own. The fight for marriage equality will be arduous and continue long after people assume it has been resolved completely.”)
*Herring right to attack Virginia gay marriage ban
*Electrocution is wrong direction (“A choice between two methods for a barbaric death isn’t much choice at all. Yet Virginia’s House of Delegates wants to ensure that the commonwealth continues state-sanctioned killing, known as the death penalty, by mandating use of the electric chair if drugs used for lethal injections are not available.”)
*6 to 12 inches of snow forecast for South Hampton Roads cities
*Bitter cold today, snow chance tonight (“Today is another super-cold day as a frigid air mass continues its southeastward glide”)
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