By Brandon Thurner: Isn’t it amazing how our past is often prologue, and in very unexpected ways? I never thought that being laid off a few times during the Great Recession a decade and more ago would have the advantage…
Category: Social Issues
Pandemic worsens affordable housing shortage in Fairfax County
By Bob Leggett: The pandemic has worsened the affordable housing shortage in Fairfax County, and highlighted the overall needs of the many in our prosperous region who already were on the margins. More than 70,000 people were living in poverty…
Many students struggling without school structure
By Olivia Henry: Pandemics are hard for anyone to deal with, let alone students who relied on school for their support system. For students already struggling with mental illness or in emotionally abusive households, this pandemic has intensified an already stressful…
“Know Your Enemy” — now, more than ever, a helpful recommendation
Ed. Note: Podcasts are enjoying a surge in popularity during the enforced downtime of the pandemic. Write us with your favorites to share the enjoyment! By Abby Fox: I’ve found one of the best ways of beating the COVID-19 blues…
Coronavirus strikes Hispanics in Fairfax at six times the rate of whites
By Julie Galdo: Hispanics are six times more likely to get sick from coronavirus in Fairfax County than non-Hispanic whites, according to data from the Fairfax County Health Department. It has been widely reported that COVID-19 is having a disproportionate…
Connolly pandemic update: Trump acts like crisis is reality TV
By Rep. Gerry Connolly: First and foremost, I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. I wanted to give you a quick update on what I’ve been working on during the coronavirus pandemic and of…
Local musicians band together to link tutors and families
By Brad Swanson: When two local musicians met online to empathize about the pandemic’s effects on the music scene, they didn’t stop there. They found they both had a desire to help others, and created a non-profit online platform where…
Paid sick time will have to wait in Virginia
By Marcus R. Motta: Virginia Democrats put their stamp on Virginia law in a whirlwind session of the General Assembly last winter, but they could not come to agreement on a Paid Sick Time (PST) bill even though the COVID-19…
Chap Petersen was wrong — we shouldn’t hold elections in a pandemic
By Jay Swanson: I like Sen. Chap Petersen (D- 34) a lot. One of the first votes I ever cast when I turned 18 was for him. But he made the wrong decision when he sided with the Republicans to…
How to help in Fairfax County during the coronovirus crisis
By Grace Aspinall: Americans historically step up to help one another in times of public emergency.and Fairfax County is no exception. For those who want to help during the coronavirus pandemic, the county has set up several websites to coordinate…
Trump and coronavirus in memes and his own words
By Karen Kirk: Donald Trump has finally met a foe that he can’t seem to spin. In fact, coronavirus Covid-19 has him spinning in circles, spewing out contradictions and politicking while tens of thousands of Americans die. In a new…
Is America on the verge of a class war?
Book review by Brandon Thurner: Political scientist Michael Lind warns of a new class war in America — between well-educated elites and a multiracial working class — in a new book that has garnered much attention, Lind paints an alarming…
Fairfax budget doesn’t budge, thanks to coronavirus
By Bob Leggett: In light of the pandemic, Fairfax County staff propose holding the budget for the upcoming fiscal year essentially flat, and keeping the real estate tax rate unchanged. The latest budget proposal from County Executive Bryan Hill calls…
Trafficking deeply rooted in No. VA, but education and new laws aid in fight
Last in a three-part series on human trafficking in our region. Click here to read Part I and here to read Part II By Wallicia Gill: Every high school in Fairfax County had at least one case of human trafficking…