Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines for Thursday, January 1, 2015. I can’t believe it, and I know it’s totally crazy, but I’ve now been blogging about Virginia politics for 10 years, since I started the blog “Raising Kaine” on January 1, 2005. And yeah, I’m officially getting old! LOL
*Russia’s treatment of a leading dissident makes plain its worry
*The Palestinians’ Desperation Move (“Political actions by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority this week are likely to make it even harder to create a viable Palestinian state.”)
*Maryland Governor Will Commute All Remaining Death Sentences To Life Without Parole
*Exposing the charter school lie: Michelle Rhee, Louis C.K. and the year phony education reform revealed its true colors (“Charter schools promised new education innovations. Instead, they produced scam after new scam”)
*Jim Webb’s Defense Of His PAC Doesn’t Add Up (“In addition to the money paid to Webb’s family, the records show the committee only used about 20% of the money it spent to support its stated mission of contributing to political candidates and groups. The PAC spent over four times as much as it took in after receiving nearly $1 million in donations.”)
*Virginia Politics: A Shad Plank lookahead to 2015 (“The House looks, at first glance, a little more interesting. I count 10 Republicans representing districts that voted the Obama-McAuliffe-Warner line, including Newport News Del. David Yancey. But voters who go to the polls in Virginia’s odd-year state elections don’t always look like those who are motivated by big statewide races.”)
*A wish list for 2015: Learn from mistakes
*Rhetoric sharpens in debate over McDonnell sentence (His sentence should be based purely on the legal merits, guidelines, etc. not the fact that he’s famous, was governor, etc. And his sentence most certainly should NOT be based on anything his throw-mama-under-the-bus family has to say!)
*McDonnells face possible prison terms
*Prosecutors: McDonnell Is Not Sorry And Should Be Shown No Mercy
*Detweiler: The secret perils of fracking (“…the fracking industry has taken a position similar to that of the tobacco industry for decades – deny, deny, deny.”)
*Flu reaches widespread levels in Southwest Virginia
*2015 off to a great start: Sunny skies and mild temperatures (“But don’t get too comfortable. We’ve got a wet weekend ahead.”)
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