The Virginia Star

January 24, 2022

Supreme Court Will Consider Landmark Challenge to Harvard, University of North Carolina Affirmative Action Policies

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions, a decision that could eliminate a practice that in recent years primarily benefitted black and Hispanic applicants. The high court says it will hear challenges to...

January 24, 2022

Amid Legal Doubt over Youngkin Mask Opt-Out Order, Virginia Departments of Health and Education Emphasize Parents, Officials Share Responsibility for COVID-19 Mitigation

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Department of Education (VDOE) updated their guidelines to reflect Governor Glenn Youngkin's mask-mandate opt-out order. The new guidance downplays masks and says COVID-19 risk reduction is a shared responsibility between parents and officials....

January 24, 2022

Commentary: Trump Supporters Swarm Pennsylvania GOP Senate, Gubernatorial Debate

The event? The Lawrence County Republican Party of Pennsylvania holding not one but two debates last week. The first for candidates running for an open U.S. Senate seat, the second for GOP candidates for governor of Pennsylvania, the latter an...

January 24, 2022

Music SpotlIght: Noah Guthrie

Even though Noah Guthrie played Roderick on Season 6 of Glee in 2015, making music has always been his aspiration. As a very young child, the South Carolina native grew up going to recording studios with his dad and step-mom...

January 24, 2022

States See Revenue Surge from Income Tax, Federal Aid

Numerous states have seen their state revenue surge in 2021 fueled by a robust stock market, growing income, federal aid, and increased tax revenue, The Wall Street Journal reported. States’ revenue soared 24% between April and November from 2020 to...

January 24, 2022

Exclusive: Archbishop Reacts to ‘Catholics for Choice’ Projecting Pro-Abortion Messages Upon National Shrine as He Celebrated Pro-Life Mass

Baltimore’s archbishop, who Thursday celebrated Annual Pro-life Vigil Mass at Washington’s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, while Catholics for Choice projecting pro-abortion messages upon the church’s façade, gave his reaction to The Star News Network. “Well, the real...

January 24, 2022

Virginia Small Businesses Request Tax Relief, Lower Regulations

With Virginia’s 2022 legislative session underway, a small business association is asking lawmakers to consider tax relief, lower regulation and other policies to help the commonwealth’s business community. The National Federation of Independent Business announced its Small Business Recovery Plan,...

January 24, 2022

Commentary: The Coming Dethronement of Joe Biden

It’s not often that I agree with Joe Biden, but he said something in his nasty, brutish, and long press conference last week with which, if properly understood, I agree. Don’t get me wrong. The press conference as a whole was...

January 24, 2022

Orange Juice Prices Expected to Soar After Worst Harvest Since 1945

Orange juice prices are expected to soar in 2022 after inclement weather and citrus disease constrained the supply of oranges in the U.S. while demand surged during the pandemic, CNN Business reported. Frozen orange juice futures climbed over 50% during...

January 24, 2022

California Law Would Let Kids 12 and Older Be Vaccinated Without Parental Consent

California state senators have introduced a bill to allow children 12 and older to receive vaccinations against diseases like COVID-19 without parental consent. State Sens. Scott Wiener and Richard Pan on Thursday introduced SB 866, which clarifies eligible vaccines as...

January 24, 2022

Famous M&M Characters to be Redesigned as More ‘Inclusive’

On Thursday, the food company Mars Incorporated announced in a press release that it will soon be redesigning the iconic animated mascots of the candy M&M’s, as part of a “global commitment to creating a world where everyone feels they...

January 24, 2022

Farms Fail as Fertilizer Prices Soar

Soaring fertilizer prices across the globe have impacted farmers making it more expensive to produce food and forcing them to cut back on production, The Wall Street Journal reported. Diammonium phosphate, or DAP, a common component of fertilizer, cost $745...

January 24, 2022

Statue of Theodore Roosevelt Removed from New York Museum Will Be Placed in North Dakota

The iconic statue of U.S. President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt has been removed from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where it has stood for over 80 years. CNN reports that demands for the statue to be removed...

January 24, 2022

Commentary: Criminal ‘Catch and Release’ Is Plaguing Our Country

“Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” That song and those words used to open the show Cops along with scenes of the police chasing down and arresting the “bad boys.” Viewers...

January 24, 2022

Andrew Yang Predicts Biden May Not Win 2024 Democratic Nomination

Former Democratic presidential contender and failed New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang says he's unsure whether President Biden will be their party's nominee in 2024. In a post to his website this week, Yang wrote, "for a while" he...

January 24, 2022

Dartmouth Cancels Conservative Group’s Event after Alleged Antifa Threats

A conservative group at an Ivy League college was reportedly forced to take a planned event virtual after reported threats tied to a left-wing protest group, according to journalist Andy Ngo. The Dartmouth College chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA)...

January 24, 2022

‘If There Is Risk, There Must Be Choice’: Dr. Robert Malone Stirs Defeat Mandates Rally in DC

Protesters opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates marched on Washington, D.C. on Sunday, embarking on a mile-long march before convening at a rally outside the Lincoln Memorial. Organizers with Children's Health Defense predicted 20,000 people would attend the event, Defeat the...

January 24, 2022

University of North Dakota Scraps ‘Gender Inclusion’ Policy Proposal After Catholic Organization Warns Parents

Earlier this week, Campus Reform reported on the North Dakota Catholic Conference's (NDCC) concerns surrounding the University of North Dakota's (UND) 'Gender Inclusion' policy proposal. Today, UND President Andrew Armacost reportedly announced it would "cease its work" on the policy and "will not implement it," according...

January 24, 2022

Missouri AG Sues 36 School Districts with Mask Requirements, But Not His Own District

Missouri Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt completed on Friday a promise made earlier this week by filing lawsuits against 36 public school districts for requiring masks. “Mask mandates in schools are illegal, they simply don’t work, and they contribute to...

January 24, 2022

Commentary: Make Congress Great Again

House Democrats can subpoena President Trump or they can yield back the balance of their time to Speaker Trump. They can carry on about January 6, 2021, until the midterms on November 8, 2022, or they can hold out until...

January 24, 2022

Virginia Lawmaker Introduces ‘Pain-Capable’ Abortion Ban

Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) has introduced a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks in most circumstances, a threshold based on when the unborn are believed to feel pain. "We're actually making sure that it's understood that this is about...

January 23, 2022

‘Defeat the Mandate March’ in DC Joins Protests in over 180 Cities Worldwide to Rally for Freedom

Live feeds of the Defeat the Mandates rally in Washington DC are available here or here. On Sunday, demonstrators will gather in more than 180 cities around the globe—including several U.S. cities—to protest vaccine mandates and passports in the “Worldwide Rally For Freedom.”

January 23, 2022

CDC Report Finds Natural Immunity Worked Better Than Vaccine Against COVID’s Delta-Variant Wave

Anew CDC report states a prior case of COVID-19 protected people from infection better than vaccinations did during the delta wave last summer and fall. The findings were published Wednesday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and...

January 23, 2022

Commentary: The Plot to Sabotage Trump

This was the CNN headline as written by Jake Tapper: "Former Trump administration officials hold call to strategize against former boss’ efforts in 2022 and 2024" This was the headline from London’s Daily Mail: "More than 30 former Trump officials hold secret call aimed...

January 23, 2022

Republicans Push for Greater Access to COVID Therapeutics

Republicans are pushing for greater access to monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 after the federal government took over the distribution of such drugs last year. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, filed Senate Bill 3440 to prohibit the federal government from limiting state...

January 23, 2022

Colorado Elementary School Teachers Begin ‘Rainbow Fridays’ to Promote LGBT Content to Kids

Two teachers at an elementary school in Lakewood, Colorado have started what they call "Rainbow Fridays" to push LGBT content on children. According to Denver-based KMGH, Slater Elementary School Social Worker Davanta Greer and Physical Education teacher Karen Schroeder "dress...

January 23, 2022

Biden’s Fed Nominee Lisa Cook Criticized for Being Unqualified, Embellishing Resume

President Joe Biden’s latest high-profile Fed nominee is in danger of being struck down in the Senate because she is widely seen by her peers as a left-wing activist rather than a serious monetary economist, several economists told the Daily...

January 23, 2022

Commentary: Doctors Report Rare Cases of Swallowed Toothbrushes

Toothbrushing is a mindless activity that most of us have on autopilot, but in infinitesimally rare circumstances, it can result in a medical emergency. Late last week, Drs. Gary G. Ghahremani and Katherine M. Richman, both radiologists at the University...

January 23, 2022

Tony Podesta Has Now Earned $1 Million Lobbying Biden White House for Blacklisted Chinese Tech Giant

Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta has earned at least $1 million to lobby the White House on behalf of Huawei, a Chinese technology and telecommunications company blacklisted under the Trump administration. Podesta, brother of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman John...

January 23, 2022

Commentary: Truth Leaks Out

The quest for truth-in-COVID did pick up some steam in late spring 2021. Not about the vaccine, though. About the origins of the virus. From the first days of the epidemic, strong circumstantial evidence suggested Sars-CoV-2 had leaked from a...

January 23, 2022

States Across the Country Could See Marijuana on the Ballot in 2022

Ballotpedia is tracking 20 citizen-initiated measures in nine states related to marijuana that could appear before voters in 2022. As of 2022, recreational marijuana is legal in 18 states and Washington, D.C., and medical marijuana is legal in 36 states...

January 23, 2022

Callista Gingrich Commentary: Protecting America’s First Freedom

On January 15, during a Sabbath service at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, four worshipers were taken hostage by Malik Faisal Akram. Thankfully, all four hostages were freed, but that does not erase the evil and hate...

January 23, 2022

IRS Will Soon Require Face-Scans to Access Certain Online Tax Features

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will soon require taxpayers to submit a scan of their face in order to access certain features and tax records. The change, first reported on by Krebs on Security, will force users to sign into the IRS...

January 23, 2022

Amazon and Facebook Spent More Money Than Ever Lobbying in 2021

Amazon and Facebook parent company Meta spent more money in 2021 lobbying lawmakers and officials than any year before, according to lobbying disclosure filings. Amazon spent $20.3 million on lobbying while Meta spent $20.1 million in 2021, according to a...

January 23, 2022

Jobless Claims Soar Past Economists’ Projections

The number of Americans who filed new unemployment claims increased to 286,000 in the week ending Jan. 15, as the labor market continues to recover after surging COVID-19 cases. The Labor Department figure shows a 55,000 claim increase compared to the week ending Jan....

January 23, 2022

Virginia Withdraws from Lawsuit over Mississippi Abortion Law

Virginia's new Attorney General has withdrawn the state from a landmark lawsuit that could determine the legality of abortion nationwide. "Following the change in Administration on January 15, 2022, the Attorney General has reconsidered Virginia’s position in this case," Attorney...

January 22, 2022

John Fredericks NFL Picks Divisional Weekend: Home Sweet Home

NASHVILLE, Tennessee --The NFL Playoffs are here and DraftKings Sports-Book--an official betting partner of the NFL--is kicking things off with a huge offer! Counting down to Super Bowl 56, new customers can get 56-1 odds on any Divisional weekend team...

January 22, 2022

Prince William School Board Chairman Defends Ignoring Father’s Concern About Sex Abuse During Meeting

The Prince William County School Board (PWCSB) member is defending himself against claims that he ignored the concern of a father who said at a Thursday school board meeting that his daughter had been sexually assaulted in one of the...

January 22, 2022

Gopher State’s ‘The Bible in a Year’ Host Father Mike Headlines 49th March for Life

The Minnesota priest, who hosts the No. 1 podcast in the country “The Bible in a Year,” headlined the 49th March for Life rally Friday joined by tens of thousands of abortion opponents gathered at Washington’s National Mall, along...

January 22, 2022

After Senate Committee Kills Sen. Chase’s Ivermectin Bill, Capitol Police Direct Upset Supporters to Leave

Virginia Capitol Police directed upset members of the public out of a Senate Education and Health Committee meeting after the committee killed Senator Amanda Chase's bill aimed at protecting medical providers who prescribe ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. "This bill...

January 22, 2022

Commentary: The Pathetic and Political Sedition Case Against the Oath Keepers

Facing intensifying criticism from Democratic lawmakers, journalists, and even some federal judges for not seeking harsher punishment against January 6 protesters, Attorney General Merrick Garland finally produced charges to appease his detractors. Last week, more than a year after the...

January 22, 2022

Texas Abortion Law Still in Effect as Supreme Court Sends It Back to State Court

The Texas Heartbeat Act, which bans most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy, is still in effect after the Supreme Court rejected a request to remand the law. The justices sent the case back to a state court for...

January 22, 2022

Commentary: $800 Billion Stimulus Program Failed Terribly and Mostly Benefited the Wealthy, MIT Economist Finds

The federal government has spent an astounding $42,000 per federal taxpayer on so-called “stimulus” efforts since the pandemic began. Where did all that money go? Well, as it turns out, one of the biggest stimulus programs, the Paycheck Protection Program, failed miserably....

January 22, 2022

Judge Denies Missouri AG Request to Stop St. Louis County Mask Requirement

A Circuit Court Judge on Wednesday denied Missouri Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s request for a temporary restraining order to stop a mask requirement approved by the St. Louis County Council on Jan. 5. Democrat Rita Heard Days, chair of...

January 22, 2022

Pelosi Lays Out Dems’ Agenda After Failures on Build Back Better, Voting Bills

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Democrats would shift their focus to passing a government funding bill and legislation aimed at boosting competitiveness with China after their Build Back Better and voting bills stalled in the Senate. Top appropriations members...