Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, January 2. RIP Mario Cuomo, who delivered one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard on what it means to be a progressive, and how that differs (drastically) from the right wing’s warped “trickle-down,” “supply-side,” “social Darwinist” vision for America.

*Mario Cuomo, Former New York Governor, Governor’s Father and an Eloquent Liberal Beacon, Dies at 82

*Former New York governor defined liberalism for his era

*U.S. in the thick of battle against Islamic State

*Alibi For Congressman Who Spoke To White Supremacist Group Completely Falls Apart

*The GOP has a bad habit of appealing to avowed racists (Disgusting, but not surprising, as the Republicans happily incorporated the “Dixiecrats,” basically all of whom left the Democratic Party following President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s.)

*CO2 Causes Global Warming – But That’s Not the Worst Thing It Causes (Mankind needs to stop emitting CO2 from burning fossil fuels, ASAP!)

*Twin Peaks Planet (“Now for the bad news: Between these twin peaks – the ever-richer global elite and the rising Chinese middle class – lies what we might call the valley of despond: Incomes have grown slowly, if at all, for people around the 20th percentile of the world income distribution. Who are these people? Basically, the advanced-country working classes.”)

*4 Things That Were Supposed To Happen By 2015 Because Obama Was Reelected (“Gas was supposed to cost $5.45 per gallon.” Nope. “Unemployment was supposed to be stuck at over 8%.” Not even close. “The stock market was supposed to crash.” Really not even close. “The entire U.S. economy was supposed to collapse.” Really REALLY note even close. Great predictions, right wingnuts! LOL)

*Is Jim Webb for real? (“Liberals like him now, but wait until they hear what’s on his mind.” Not sure how many liberals like him, as he’s running at around 1% in polls of Democratic voters.)

*Maureen McDonnell reportedly sought money from NFL quarterback (“The ex-governor’s sister says in a letter that is part of the McDonnell court file that Virginia’s future first lady urged the quarterback ‘not to tell Bob’ about the request when it was made 25 years ago.”)

*Coming up next… (“In less than two weeks, the state’s lawmakers will convene for their annual legislative session. Expect to hear a lot about the budget, Medicaid expansion and ethics reform – and perhaps Joe Morrissey, too.”)

*Mental disability, not a crime (“The public needs protection from Reginald Latson, but not in the form of prison, where his mental and emotional state would get worse – if he survived.”)

*After bitter community pushback, Arlington County launches new planning process (“Mary H. Hynes (D) said she will appoint 20 residents to study and advise elected officials. She promised broad outreach countywide to ‘deeply engage as many people as are willing to be engaged with us.'”)

*Capitals’ goal with 12.9 seconds left gives them 2nd Winter Classic win (A great game that demonstrates two things: 1) hockey is better than football; 2) the Caps are infinitely better than the R**skins.)

*A chilly, wet weekend ahead, then temperatures plummet next week

Good grief!  While digging around to find out the value of the DPVA building in Richmond, I ran across this little gem in Style Weekly, published a year ago:

Driving Dwight

The expensive trips, mounting overtime and clean cars behind the mayor’s full-time security detail.

Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones is eating lunch at M Bistro and Wine Bar for the third day in a row. And like the days before, the black, tinted SUV that his full-time security detail uses to drive him across the city is idling in front of the restaurant in a fire lane.

When Jones exits the restaurant with his dining companion on this sunny day in August, the police officer reading in the vehicle hops out and opens the passenger door for the mayor’s guest before taking off.

Jones’ three-person, two-car security detail has been a recurring topic of discussion — usually around City Council’s budget season — since he took office in 2009. While council members were finalizing the fiscal year’s budget in May, the $400,000 expense narrowly avoided being reduced by 25 percent.

Some on Richmond city council have been raising questions about his honors security detail:

As City Council begins preparing for the next budget, it’s uncertain what role the detail will play in the debate. Some council members have made it clear that if Jones wants to keep a security team, the police department must do more to justify the expense.

“Does he need to take [the security detail] while he’s in a restaurant or in a bar eating and drinking, whatever, or smoking cigars or whatever,” City Councilwoman Reva Trammell asked earlier this summer. “Does he need those officers out there in a police car? That’s what people are asking me.”

But of course, when Jones was asked about these mounting costs being footed by taxpayers, Jones does what Jones does best, and punts the issue to someone else:

When asked about the detail, Jones has referred questions to the police chief that he appointed in February, Ray Tarasovic. The chief says the security is important and will continue.

The mission of the executive protection unit, which was established in 2005, is to “provide security and protection services to the mayor of the City of Richmond … and to protect against any harm or danger to the mayor in the facilitation of duties, travel and daily movement,” according to the unit’s manual.

That means Jones is rarely without an officer nearby when he’s in public. In May, when Jones led about 100 bicyclists on a morning ride to City Hall to mark National Bike to Work Day, two officers on bicycles flanked him. The SUV trailed close behind.

The unit also accompanies Jones on trips outside of Richmond. When the mayor attended President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in Washington, D.C., three officers accompanied him, according to receipts and documentation obtained by Style through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The trip cost city taxpayers $13,000 in travel expenses and overtime, the records show. Jones’ travel receipts show that he personally paid for his lodging, but the three officers who traveled with him billed the police department for three nights and three rooms at the Embassy Suites, and accrued $5,000 in overtime hours. A second trip this year to Meeting Place, Pa., accrued $1,000 in travel expenses billed to the city.  

But of course, the police department wouldn’t release these records – Style Weekly, in stunning fashion did this:

The police department released the documents only after Style Weekly filed suit in Richmond Circuit Court after the department had failed to provide records requested within the time period required by Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Style sought documents of travel, meals and other expenses, as well as records relating to the maintenance of the two vehicles typically used by the detail. Shortly after the department was formally served with the lawsuit, the department complied with Style’s request and agreed to pay Style’s attorney fees.

Altogether, the city is set to pay at total of $288,000 in salaries and benefits to the lieutenant and two detectives attached to the detail. The amount will go up when the 2-percent raise City Council approved for city employees goes into effect. As of Oct. 11, the unit racked up an additional $60,000 in overtime, according to documents provided by the police department.

The officers earned the same salary in 2012, along with an additional $70,000 in overtime pay. That includes $7,000 in overtime hours the officers put in when they accompanied Jones on a five-night trip to Charlotte, N.C., for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Travel expenses for that trip cost the city an additional $6,000, according to the documents.

Clearly, the police department did everything they could not to produce the documents – but Style Weekly was having none of it and sued their asses, forcing them to turn over the records.

But of course, a lot of rank and file within the city police department are quite upset over the high costs of the mayor’s security detail:

Within the police department, some officers question the necessity of the detail as it’s structured. In the department, it’s unusual for a lieutenant to supervise only two employees, as is the case with the security detail, they say.

“In patrol, a lieutenant would oversee 20 people,” says one officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “When you work for a locality and they say there’s no money in the budget and you haven’t had a raise in five years, and you finally get a raise, but they can frivolously spend money on some things — it kind of makes you wonder.”

The officer says it’s demoralizing to see one unit funded so well when many other officers drive around in cars with faded decals and badly peeling paint. He said most officers are lucky if they can get authorized to take their patrol cars through a car wash once a month. By contrast, the two vehicles assigned to the mayor’s detail spent $450 on car washes in the first half of this year, according to an accounting of receipts provided by the department.

The officer says some security is justifiable, but notes that not a single armed guard protects City Hall. Instead, unarmed security guards sit in a booth that faces one of the building’s four street-facing entrances.  

What a farce – does a mayor of a small city like Richmond really need this much security?

Well, it will be interesting to see, once Hillary announces for president, when Jones starts running around the state campaigning for Hillary, if the City of Richmond taxpayers have to foot the bill for that as well.      

You can read the entire article here:

http://www.styleweekly.com/ric…

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I’m cross posting this from Scaling Green because I think it’s highly relevant to Virginia, where we’ve got several proposed natural gas pipelines, all of which would tap into “fracked” natural gas. Read the following and see if you’re comfortable with that. I know I’m not, nor was Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York State — and for good reason!

Over the years, we’ve talked a great deal about hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” on this blog. For instance, we’ve pointed out that  fracking contaminates water supplies, pollutes the air, uses huge amounts of (increasingly scarce) water, releases the potent greenhouse gas methane, contaminates the soil, destroys forests and wildlife habitats, and even triggers earthquakes. We’ve also pointed out the gap between the facts of fracking and the industry’s “don’t-worry-be-happy” propaganda, while noting the lack of oversight by federal and state authorities, and even cases where government outright did the fracking industry’s bidding — at the public’s expense.

That’s why we were encouraged recently to see New York State move to ban fracking, citing threats to public health and other concerns.  Media coverage of this decision varied in quality, with the Washington Post editorial page definitely falling into the “media fail” category (according to the Post’s flawed reasoning, New York state’s “outright ban is justified only by extreme caution”).  In fact, if the Washington Post editorial board had actually read the report by the New York State Department of Health (see A Public Health Review of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas Development), they might not have made that argument.

In contrast to the Washington Post, we’ve taken some time to look at this thorough, rigorous report, and found it to be a powerful argument for why fracking is a serious risk — one we can and should do without.  Key points from this lengthy (176-page) study include:

• There’s a great deal of uncertainty surrounding High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF): “…the science surrounding HVHF activity is limited, only just beginning to emerge, and largely suggests only hypotheses about potential public health impacts that need further evaluation…However, the existing studies also raise substantial questions about whether the risks of HVHF activities are sufficiently understood so that they can be adequately managed…Review demonstrates that there are significant uncertainties about the kinds of adverse health outcomes that may be associated with HVHF, the likelihood of the occurrence of adverse health outcomes, and the effectiveness of some of the mitigation measures in reducing or preventing environmental impacts which could adversely affect public health.”

• Air Impacts of HVHF: “Studies provide evidence of uncontrolled methane leakage, emissions of other volatile organic chemicals, and particulate matter from well pads and natural-gas infrastructure. State authorities in both Texas and Pennsylvania have documented methane leakage from natural gas infrastructure by the use of infrared cameras. A recent West Virginia study also determined that heavy vehicle traffic and trucks idling at well pads were the likely sources of intermittently high dust and benzene concentrations, sometimes observed at distances of at least 625 feet from the center of the well pad…These emissions have the potential to contribute to community odor problems, respiratory health impacts such as asthma exacerbations, and longer-term climate change impacts from methane accumulation in the atmosphere “
• Water-quality impacts: “Studies have found evidence for underground migration of methane associated with faulty well construction…For example, a recent study identified groundwater contamination clusters that the authors determined were due to gas leakage from intermediate-depth strata through failures of annulus cement, faulty production casings, and underground gas well failure (Darrah, 2014). Shallow methanemigration has the potential to impact private drinking water wells, creating safety concerns due to explosions…Other studies suggest additional sources of potential water contamination, including surface spills and inadequate treatment and disposal of radioactive wastes…A recent review paper presented published data revealing evidence for stray gas contamination, surface water impacts, and the accumulation of radium isotopes in some disposal and spill sites…One recent study also suggests that chemical signals of brine from deep shale formations can potentially be detected in overlying groundwater aquifers…These contaminants have the potential to affect drinking water quality.”
• Seismic impacts: “Recent evidence from studies in Ohio and Oklahoma suggest that HVHF can contribute to the induction of earthquakes during fracturing…Although the potential public health consequence of these relatively mild earthquakes is unknown, this evidence raises new concerns about this potential HVHF impact.”
• Community impacts: There are numerous historical examples of the negative impact of rapid and concentrated increases in extractive resource development (e.g., energy, precious metals) resulting in indirect community impacts such as interference with quality-of-life (e.g., noise, odors), overburdened transportation and health infrastructure, and disproportionate increases in social problems, particularly in small isolated rural communities where local governments and infrastructure tend to be unprepared for rapid changes…Similar concerns have been raised in some communities where HVHF activity has increased rapidly.”
• Health impacts: “One peer-reviewed study and one university report have presented data indicating statistical associations between some birth outcomes (low birth weight and some congenital defects) and residential proximity of the mother to well pads during pregnancy…Proximity to higher-density HVHF well pad development was associated with increased incidence of congenital heart defects and neural-tube defects in one of the studies…Several published reports present data from surveys of health complaints among residents living near HVHF activities. Commonly reported symptoms include skin rash or irritation, nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, breathing difficulties or cough, nosebleeds, anxiety/stress, headache, dizziness, eye irritation, and throat irritation in people and farm animals within proximity to HVHF natural gas development.”
• Bottom line: “…the relationships between HVHF environmental impacts and public health are complex and not fully understood. Comprehensive, longterm studies, and in particular longitudinal studies, that could contribute to the understanding of those relationships are either not yet completed or have yet to be initiated…While a guarantee of absolute safety is not possible, an assessment of the risk to public health must be supported by adequate scientific information to determine with confidence that the overall risk is sufficiently low to justify proceeding with HVHF in New York. The current scientific information is insufficient. Furthermore, it is clear from the existing literature and experience that HVHF activity has resulted in environmental impacts that are potentially adverse to public health. Until the science provides sufficient information to determine the level of risk to public health from HVHF and whether the risks can be adequately managed, HVHF should not proceed in New York State.”

In sum, we know that natural gas fracking is harmful and dangerous in a variety of ways, we’re just not sure exactly how harmful it is. Meanwhile, we know that clean energy – solar, wind, energy efficiency, etc. – is safe and economical. Which is why the argument that we should stick with natural gas (as  “bridge fuel” or whatever), while shortchanging clean energy, makes no sense whatsoever.

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.”)

Check out this lawsuit, filed by a dozen Virginia voters in the U.S. District Court (Eastern District; Richmond Division). Key points:

*”Plaintiffs bring this action to challenge the constitutionality of Virginia House ofDelegates Districts 63, 69, 70, 71, 74, 75, 77, 80, 89, 90,92, and 95 (the “Challenged Districts”) as racial gerrymanders in violation ofthe Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

*”During the2010-2011 redistricting cycle, the Virginia General Assembly adopted a House of Delegates Redistricting Plan (the “2011 Plan”) pursuant towhich each ofthe Challenged Districts was purposefully drawn to have an African-American voting age population that met or exceeded a pre-determined 55% threshold. As a result, African American voters were illegally packed into the Challenged Districts, thereby diminishing their influence in the surrounding districts.”

*”The General Assembly adopted the 55% racial threshold without justification, including any determination that the threshold was reasonably necessary to avoid retrogression ineach ofthe Challenged Districts orotherwise comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

*”Drawn with race as their predominant purpose, without compelling justification or narrow tailoring, the Challenged Districts cannot pass constitutional muster.”

*”Plaintiffs seek a declaration that the Challenged Districts are invalid and an injunction prohibiting the Defendants from calling, holding, supervising, or taking any action with respect to House of Delegates elections based on the Challenged Districts as they currently stand.”

Note that this lawsuit is for the Virginia House of Delegates, and comes following the October 2014 federal court decision that “Virginia’s congressional maps unconstitutional because they concentrate African American voters into a single district at the expense of their influence elsewhere.”

Yet again, these lawsuits point to the need for reform in the way districts are drawn, such as by a neutral, nonpartisan redistricting commission. What are the chances of that happening through the political process? Not good, to put it mildly. We’ll see whether the judicial system turns out to be a more effective option.

P.S. What’s truly sad is that  most Dems (Del. Patrick Hope being one notable exception) voted for this monstrosity. WHY?

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, December 31. Happy New Year! Also, gotta love President Obama hitting his highest approval ratings in a long time, just as we head into 2015.

*Pope Francis splits with GOP (“Pope Francis is increasingly driving a wedge between conservatives and the Catholic Church.
” LOL)

*House Republicans move to contain fallout from Scalise, Grimm controversies (Yeah, if you define “contain fallout” as “backing someone who spoke to white supremacists!”)

*Grim AirAsia search for bodies hampered by storms

*At least 7.1M signed up for 2015 Obamacare plans so far (So much for Obamacare failing, dragging down the economy, or anything else Republicans predicted. Wrong as usual!)

*Republicans Try to Fix Damage Scalise’s 2002 Speech Could Do in 2016 (“The controversy erupted as Republicans were making a renewed effort to reach out to black voters. It threatened to cloud their agenda after capturing control of the Senate and adding to their House majority in last month’s election”)

*When New York City Police Walk Off the Job (“Data published by The New York Post suggest that police officers are taking their bitterness toward Mayor Bill de Blasio to a new level.”)

*Public hearings set on McAuliffe’s Va. budget proposals

*Jim Webb digging a deeper hole with defense of PAC spending (“What we’re being told here is that websites that cost $13,500 to build also somehow cost $90,000+ to manage. Taking a look at the sites, and their limited content, that’s a stretch”)

*The good, bad and ugly of 2014 (“From Bob McDonnell’s downfall to Pharrell Williams’ success, Virginia certainly saw highs and lows in 2014.”)

*Webb faces scrutiny over PAC payments to family membe

*Schapiro: All the McDonnells were in on the feed (“One of the more dramatic moments of the Bob and Maureen McDonnell corruption trial was the testimony of an FBI agent who was asked by a prosecutor to identify item-by-item the Rolex wristwatch, golf equipment, designer clothes, shoes and handbags that Jonnie Williams Sr. showered on the former first family.”)

*Brat appointed to House Budget Committee (“The only economist in Congress, Virginia Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th, has been appointed to the U.S. House Budget Committee.” Not good.)

*Democrat Murphy leads fundraising in Va. delegate race (We’ll see if money makes the difference in this one.)

*2014 deadliest in years for Virginia’s unregulated day cares (Wait, don’t Republicans always tell us that regulation is bad and deregulation is good? Hmmm.)

*Virginia insurance enrollment nears 165,000

*Gov. McAuliffe expected to deliver ‘good news’ at Canon facility in Newport News

*Joe Morrissey starts campaign on stronger footing than opponents

*34th District candidates share their histories, policy positions (Parisot apparently has no policy positions which deviate from his party’s standard line. A cookie-cutter right winger, it would appear.)

*Cathcart: Free market will doom natural gas

*Bright, breezy and chilly to close out 2014 and ring in the New Year