Friday, May 10, 2013
Democratic gubernatorial candidate laid out platform at George Mason's Arlington campus.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe said Thursday he would push to reform the state's Standards of Learning, or SOL, tests if he is elected in November. "The current, once-a-year, high-stakes, multiple-choice testing isn't working for students, parents or teachers," he told a crowd of more than 300 people at George Mason University's Arlington campus, to rousing applause. Under the current system, a fifth-grade teacher who raises a child from a first-grade reading level to a fourth-grade reading level is considered a failure, he said. Teachers who want to break up the test into smaller portions, or test at different levels based on student achievement should be encouraged, he said. McAuliffe also said he would establish a "…
Thursday, May 9, 2013
ABC News: About half as many Virginians vote in gubernatorial elections as in presidential years.
Anyone familiar with Terry McAuliffe knows he can tell a good story. The one he told Thursday in Arlington, at George Mason's campus as he was wrapping up a five-day tour of the state, was about this past November. It was Election Day. McAuliffe, at the request of the campaigns of Barack Obama and Tim Kaine, was asked to head to a polling station in Henrico County, where voters were still waiting in a long line as darkness fell. He said he went there and handed out coffee, hot chocolate and hand warmers. And everyone got to vote. And then he asked everyone in the room to mobilize for this year's election. [McAuliffe: Reform Virginia's Standards of Learning Tests] Turnout, often, is key. But now more than ever that isn't lost on Northern …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Seven candidates are vying for the spot. With such a large pool, a frontrunner is hard to pick.
Seven Republican candidates are gunning to be nominated for Lt. Governor at the Virginia Republican Convention on May 17 and 18, and who will win is anybody’s guess. The candidates will have to appeal to the majority of a few thousand Republican Party activists at the Richmond Convention Center. “When you’re talking about any contest involving seven candidates, it’s like a hockey faceoff – who knows who’s going to end up with the puck?” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at University of Mary Washington. “You’re not really going to know who the nominee will be until you’re actually inside the hall, and even then it may not be clear.” Whoever is nominated will run against the winner of the June 11 Democratic primary …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Virginia Republican Party will nominate its candidates during a convention in two weeks, and some experts have weighed in on the system.
When Virginia’s Republican Party made a last-minute decision to nominate candidates for the 2013 election in a convention instead of a primary, as originally planned, it prompted Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to withdraw his name from the race for governor. The move made the especially conservative Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s current attorney general, the GOP’s de facto nominee for governor. He's expected to be officially nominated during the Virginia Republican Convention on May 17 and 18 in Richmond. (See our guide to the convention right here.) See Also: Poll: Does the Virginia GOP Convention Represent True Democracy? Bolling said he dropped out of the race because he didn’t agree with the convention system, arguing that it made the nomination …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Republican Party in Virginia decided to have a primary in 2013, but later changed its mind.
Virginia’s Republican Party annual convention is set for May 17 and 18, and delegates from around the state will select nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. GOP officials have gone back and forth in recent years on whether to host a convention or conduct an open primary. In 2011, GOP officials had decided to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members of the Commonwealth's GOP central committee changed course in 2012 and switched to a closed convention. The switch to a convention saves local governments and the state money — primaries are paid for with state and local dollars, but convention costs come directly from the Virginia GOP’s funds. It was the announcement of plans for a 2013 convention that drove Lt. …
Friday, May 3, 2013
The GOP's state convention in Richmond is two weeks away. Here's what you need to know.
Virginia’s Republican Party will convene in Richmond on May 17 and 18 for its annual convention, where delegates from around the state will elect nominees for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. The Commonwealth’s GOP central committee voted 47-31 in June 2012 to switch the nomination system from an open primary to a closed convention of credentialed representatives. GOP officials had decided in 2011 to hold a primary in 2013, but a group of newly elected members on the committee reversed the decision that June, much to the dismay of some party members who think it makes the process too insular. In 2009, Gov. Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli were nominated during a convention process. Whereas …
Here are some family activities you can do to foster environmentalism. Sponsored by Sony.
Very few events are celebrated around the globe, but Earth Day is. This year, it’s come and gone. But we’re here to ask: What can we do to show our love of the earth on that day, and every day? On May 31st, Sony will release After Earth, an action-packed movie that takes place 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity to leave. It’s the kind of scenario that makes you want to donate to Greenpeace, recycle everything, and start biking every where, immediately. So, in honor of Earth Day, Patch has teamed up with Sony to present these ideas for making every day Earth Day. How can we make every day Earth Day? Begin with little things. Easy things. Obvious things. Things we take for granted each day, and use and/or abuse because of …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General also bashed Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinnelli Wednesday in Springfield.
Virginia state Sen. Mark Herring (D-33rd), one of two Democrats vying for the state Attorney General seat, accused two Republican contendors as being "Cuccinelli clones," and to expect an extreme conservative ideology should one of them get elected. "Del. Rob Bell (R-Charlottesville) and state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) — they would be Cuccinelli clones," Herring said Wednesday to about 40 members of the Greenspring Retirement Community Democratic Club in Springfield. "They think Ken Cuccinelli has done a great job. I think the only complaint they have with him is that he wasn't extreme enough." Greenspring is home to 1,800 registered voters, and since 89 percent of them voted in the last presidential election, the retirement …
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Virginia primary is June 11; the general election is Nov. 5.
Are you a registered voter in Virginia and available to work at least half of Election Day? Fairfax County has a job for you. The county’s Office of Elections is recruiting election officers for the June 11 primary election and/or for the Nov. 5 general election. Qualified residents with bilingual language and technology skills are especially needed. "We encourage all qualified residents to become elections officers, especially those with technology skills, diverse language abilities, young adults seeking civic experience and networking opportunities, and recently retired professionals interested in public service," General Registrar Cameron Quinn said in a prepared statement. Election officers are paid $100 for working all of Election …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
There will be a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and attorney general June 11. Absentee voting for Fairfax County residents begins April 26.
It's getting to be that time again—time to cast your ballot. On June 11, there will be a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Absentee voting for the primary begins Friday. There are several qualifying circumstances to vote absentee. This information has been provided by Fairfax County. Can I Vote Absentee? Registered voters who will be away from Fairfax County on Election Day, or, who are unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability, may vote by absentee ballot. See this webpage for details: Am I Eligible to Vote Absentee? To vote absentee, you may use the Fairfax County fillable online absentee ballot application form to enter your information on the screen, print, sign, return your ballot in …
amajorpain
6:25 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
... To the guy with the follow-up comment? Nailed it. Ding ding ding. You are correct sir. Somebody has to push back on these fools or else our illustrious, potentatic (look it up) gummet (use your imagination) will grow and grow and grow until we can't hold the fat slobs up any longer and we will all get crushed underneath the weight of jabba the gummet. (obtw, it would be nice if we could have … more ›