The Virginia Star

June 22, 2021

State Senator Bill Stanley Filing Lawsuit on Behalf of NASCAR Driver Hermie Sadler to Keep ‘Skill Games’ Open

On Monday, State Senator William "Bill" Stanley (R-Franklin) will file a lawsuit against Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Attorney General Mark Herring, and the Virginia Alcohol Beverage and Control Board on behalf of former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler. Sadler, an Emporia,...

June 22, 2021

Commentary: The Biden No-Go Zones

In American journalism, there are supposed to be some clear, nonnegotiable third-rails. One is zero tolerance for overtly racist language and comportment among our movers and shakers. Reporters, for example, for four years damned Donald Trump for his neutralizing summation...

June 22, 2021

Biden Admin Considering Ending the Public Heath Order Allowing Officials to Expel Migrants Next Month

The Biden administration is considering ending a Trump-era public health order that’s allowed border officials to rapidly expel most migrants from Mexico on July 21, Axios reported Sunday. The public health order, Title 42, was implemented in response to the...

June 22, 2021

Former Trump Campaign Advisor Boris Epshteyn Predicts States Will Decertify 2020 Election Results

Boris Epshteyn, attorney and former strategic advisor to the 2020 Trump Campaign, predicted that many states will decertify their election results for the November 2020 election. In an interview with Gina Loudon, Epshteyn said the series of audits that may...

June 22, 2021

New York City Drops Majority of Rioting and Looting Cases from 2020

Several borough District Attorneys in the city of New York have controversially decided to drop the majority of cases against rioters and looters who were arrested over the course of the last year, as reported by Breitbart. The report first came...

June 22, 2021

Majority of Liberal College Students Not Proud to Be American, Favor Socialism, North Dakota State University Survey Finds

Findings from a new North Dakota State University survey reveal that the majority of students identifying as liberal or liberal-leaning are not proud of America. In response to the question “Are you proud to be American?” 57 percent of liberal...

June 22, 2021

Trump: ‘I Never Admitted Defeat’

Mr. President, we've known each other over a decade. We've interviewed countless times. It's really is an honor to have you on the "Water Cooler" today. Thanks for being here.

June 22, 2021

Over 70 Companies Sign Progressive Groups’ Letter Supporting For The People Act

Over 70 companies signed on to a letter Monday in support of the For the People Act, a voting bill proposed by Democrats seeking to reform large parts of the electoral process. The letter called on the Senate to pass...

June 22, 2021

Wisconsin Student Charged with Misdemeanor for Residence Hall Fire in Hate-Crime Hoax

A former Viterbo University student has been charged with one misdemeanor count of negligent handling of burning materials after police say she set a fire inside her dorm in April for “attention purposes.” Victoria Unanka, if convicted, faces a maximum...

June 22, 2021

Some Majority-Black Chicago Schools Are Rejecting Calls to Remove Police from Campus

Public school officials in Chicago will let each campus decide if it will keep school resource officers for the fall. But at least some majority black schools have indicated they want the cops in the building, with one council being accused of...

June 22, 2021

Commentary: Counterfeit Civics and Educating for American Democracy

The National Association of Scholars opposes the proposal, “Educating for American Democracy.” The proposal has attracted some well-meaning supporters, but they are mistaken about what Educating for American Democracy—EAD—would bring into being. Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy is a “framework” that...

June 22, 2021

Virginia Emergency Ending Could Affect Masks, Remaining COVID-19 Regulations

Gov. Ralph Northam intends to let the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency expire June 30, which could affect mask wearing throughout the commonwealth and the remaining restrictions on businesses. Virginia law normally prohibits a person from covering one’s face with...

June 22, 2021

Fulton County Again Fails to Deliver Missing Absentee Ballot Transfer Forms to The Georgia Star News

Fulton County elections officials have failed to provide complete absentee ballot drop box transfer forms to The Georgia Star News that they provided to Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News last week. The Star News broke the news on Monday, June...

June 22, 2021

Commentary: Quashing H.R. 1 is Not Enough

Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has upset the plans of his party leaders to jam though hyper-partisan legislation and tip the electoral balance in favor of Democrats for all future elections. Manchin, a secretary of state before he was elected governor,...

June 22, 2021

Republicans and Democrats Field 196 Candidates for 100 House of Delegates Seats

There are 100 districts in the Virginia House of Delegates, and both Republicans and Democrats are running candidates in nearly all districts. According to unofficial data compiled by The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), Republicans have 99 candidates, and Democrats...

June 21, 2021

Some Virginia Colleges Will Continue to Prohibit Marijuana on Campus to Protect Federal Funds

Some Virginia universities intend to prohibit marijuana on campus grounds after it becomes legal for recreational use for adults age 21 and older in the state. Although the commonwealth will allow legal possession beginning in two weeks, the plant still...

June 21, 2021

Checks and Balances Project Attracts Criticism over Links to Public Relations Firm

Watchdog blog the Checks and Balances Project (CBP) is facing criticism over its links to the Tigercomm public relations firm. On November 9, 2020, the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) signed a contract with Tigercomm during a conflict with major...

June 21, 2021

Commentary: Big Tech Only Has Itself to Blame for Republican Rethinking of Antitrust

There are few, if any, political issues that now generate the breadth and intensity of bipartisan backlash as does the rise of Big Tech. During Donald Trump’s presidency, the major parties largely diverged on their specific grievances against the woke...

June 21, 2021

Lumber Futures Drop After Sustained Rise, Signaling Potential Price Drop for Consumers

Lumber futures plunged further this week, seeing a price drop that hit 20% in a sign that the lumber market may finally reverse course from its dizzying price spike that occurred over the last few months. The reversal was likely...

June 21, 2021

College President Derides ‘Critical Race Theory’ Criticisms, Lauds Its ‘Widely Acclaimed Scholarship,’ Asserts ‘Critical Race Theory Is the New Communism’

Dr. Elliot Stern, president of Saddleback College, a public community college in California, issued an open letter commemorating Juneteenth that also voiced support for Critical Race Theory. Amid thoughtful comments on the historical significance of Juneteenth and the importance of commemorating...

June 21, 2021

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Nestle, Cargill in Human Rights Lawsuit

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Nestle USA and Cargill could not be sued for alleged human rights abuses that occurred overseas. The plaintiffs, six Mali citizens enslaved as children on Ivory Coast cocoa farms supplying the food giants, sued Nestle and...

June 21, 2021

Idaho University Campus Ministry Students Encouraged to Take ‘Anti-Racist’ Classes

A Christian university's Student Government Association is recommending students take "helpful classes" related to "anti-racism." The Northwest Nazarene University Student Government Association sent out an email referring students to an anti-racism guide that promoted several social justice courses. This document,...

June 21, 2021

As Biden Seeks to Limit U.S. Oil Production, Reliance on Russian Imports Rises

Within months of President Joe Biden halting the Keystone Pipeline, pausing new oil and gas leases on federal lands, and imposing further restrictions on U.S. oil companies, U.S. oil imports from Russia set a new record in March. According to...

June 21, 2021

60 Catholic Democrats Accuse Bishops of Weaponizing Eucharist Against Biden

Catholic congressional Democrats are accusing U.S. Catholic bishops of weaponizing the Eucharist against President Joe Biden. Sixty Catholic Democrats issued a “Statement of Principles” Friday warning U.S. bishops against “the weaponization of the Eucharist.” Signers included Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,...

June 21, 2021

GOP Reps Hope to Discourage Pelosi from Imposing More Abusive Rules with Lawsuit over Metal Detector Fines

Two Republican lawmakers are suing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the fines they’ve been slapped with for violating her oppressive security screening rules. Following the riot at the Capitol on January 6, Pelosi had magnetometers installed outside the chamber, and...

June 21, 2021

Conservative Sues Twitter, California Officials, and Biden Campaign Consultants For Colluding to Deplatform Him

Conservative political commentator and attorney Rogan O’Handley is suing former California Secretary of State and now U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, current Calif. SoS Shirley Weber, Twitter, Team Biden campaign consultants SKDK, and others, for coordinating to deplatform him from Twitter after he...

June 21, 2021

Portland Police Department Says It Doesn’t Track Gang Activity as Gang Violence Rises

A spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau told the Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday that the department doesn’t track gang activity despite reports detailing an increase in gang violence in the city. Police officials estimate half of the 470 shootings...

June 21, 2021

Commentary: The Inevitable Fruits of Critical Race Theory

A black man went on a multistate shooting spree recently. The suspected gunman, Justin Tyran Williams, said he specifically targeted white men in his rampage that left five wounded. “Basically, explained throughout his life, specifically white males had taken from him, and...

June 21, 2021

IRS Denies Tax Exemption to Christian Group, Associates Bible with GOP

A top Internal Revenue Service official told a Christian group that “Bible teachings are typically affiliated” with the Republican Party as a rationale for denying its application for tax-exempt status. The Texas-based Christians Engaged filed an appeal on Wednesday to the IRS’...

June 21, 2021

Commentary: Only National Conservatism Can Unite the West and Contain China

“Europe will be your revenge,” are the purported words of West German Chancellor Conrad Adenauer to French Prime Minister Guy Mollet in 1956. The quip was related to America’s siding with Egypt and the USSR during the Suez Canal Crisis against Great...

June 21, 2021

Tweet by Georgia Public Broadcasting Writer Reveals More Chain of Custody Document Discrepancies in Fulton County Absentee Ballot Transfer Forms

A tweet by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) News writer Stephen Fowler on Saturday revealed more chain of custody document discrepancies in Fulton County's absentee ballot drop box transfer forms. The tweet included a partial image – the very top only --...

June 21, 2021

Developer Sues City of Norfolk in Casino Dispute

Cordish Companies is suing the City of Norfolk for $100 million, alleging in its complaint that in a 2013 agreement to develop the Waterside property, the city promised to support Cordish's effort to build a casino if casinos were legalized....

June 20, 2021

Advocates Say Millions of Dollars Needed to Help Virginia Tourism Recover

Virginia's economy is recovering, but Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) President Rita McClenny told legislators this week that a major infusion of $50 million is needed to help the struggling tourism sector. "The $27 billion tourism engine stalled out in 2020...

June 20, 2021

Commentary: As Great as a Mom May Be, Kids Still Need Their Dads

by Christopher Becker “Smokin’ Joe,” a biography of late heavyweight boxing champion and 3-time Muhammad Ali foil Joe Frazier, was recently reviewed by Gordon Marion in The Wall Street Journal. Among the notable details is the fact that five...

June 20, 2021

Judge Rules Christian Baker Jack Phillips Must Make ‘Gender Transition’ Cake

A Colorado baker and self-described cake artist who won a 2018 victory at the Supreme Court faced a related setback this week when a state court ruled in another case that the law requires him to make a cake to celebrate a...

June 20, 2021

Sticky Baseballs: The Physics of Major League Baseball’s Latest Scandal

Cheating in baseball is as old as the game itself, and pitchers’ modifying the ball’s surface is part of that long history. Adding to the lore of cheating is a new scandal involving pitchers who may be applying sticky substances...

June 20, 2021

Commentary: New Harvard Data (Accidentally) Reveal How Lockdowns Crushed the Working Class While Leaving Elites Unscathed

Founding father and the second president of the United States John Adams once said that “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts...

June 20, 2021

Ancient Giant Rhino Was One of the Largest Mammals to Walk the Earth

The remains of a 26.5-million-year-old giant, hornless rhino — one of the largest mammals ever to walk Earth — have been discovered in northwestern China, a new study finds. The newly identified species, Paraceratherium linxiaense — named after its discovery spot in the Linxia Basin in...

June 20, 2021

Commentary: What Greek Epics and Their Teachings on the Special Relationship Between Fathers and Sons

Father’s Day inspires mixed emotions for many of us. Looking at advertisements of happy families could recall difficult memories and broken relationships for some. But for others, the day could invite unbidden nostalgic thoughts of parents who have long since...

June 20, 2021

Portland Police Department’s Rapid Response Team Unanimously Resigns

On Wednesday, every single police officer on the city of Portland’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) submitted their resignations from the team, according to the Daily Caller. All 50 officers from the RRT will continue to serve as regular police officers, but...

June 20, 2021

Catholic Bishops Pass Measure to Draft Statement Prohibiting Some Politicians from Receiving Communion

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) overwhelmingly approved a measure to draft a statement laying out whether politicians who counter church teaching may be denied Communion during Mass. Nearly 170 out of the 229 total U.S. bishops, or roughly...

June 20, 2021

U.S. Government Allocates $3.2 Billion for COVID-19 Antiviral Pills

The Department of Health and Human Services will invest $3.2 billion to develop and manufacture COVID-19 antiviral medicines, it announced Thursday. The initiative, funded as part of the American Rescue Plan, is designed to accelerate research into antivirals as well as...

June 20, 2021

Commentary: Vegan Diets and If It Makes Kids Shorter and Weaker

Diets that exclude meat and fish (vegetarian) or all animal products including dairy and eggs (vegan) are becoming increasingly popular for health, environmental and ethical reasons. Past research in adults has linked vegetarian and vegan diets with a reduced risk of heart disease but...

June 20, 2021

First Democratic State Will End Its Unemployment Benefits

Louisiana will be the first Democratic-controlled state to roll back its $300 a week unemployment benefits enacted by federal programs. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the bill Wednesday that stops the weekly payments on July 31, but raises Louisiana’s maximum...

June 20, 2021

Black Young Adults Raised by Two Parents Are Way More Likely to Obtain College Degree, Study Finds

A study released Friday demonstrates a “clear connection” between incarceration for black young adults and family structures. Children of all races are much more likely to go to college and to avoid both poverty and prison if they are raised...