Never Forget Jan. 6, 2021; Henrico Nurse Arrested; Speaker Scott Brunch; Something in the Water Delay; Cute RVA Hippo Named
➳ 2 days until the Virginia General Assembly convenes on Jan. 8, 2025
➳ 14 days until the Martin Luther King Holiday on Jan. 20, 2025
➳ 14 days until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025
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Never Forget the Jan. 6, 2021 Attack on the U.S. Capitol
On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump violently attacked the U.S. Capitol to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden. The mob was fueled with false information that the election had somehow been “stolen” from Trump. In Nov. 2020, Biden beat Trump by over 8 million votes. But Trump lied to his supporters and insisted the election was fraudulent. In 2016, Trump lied about “illegals” voting against him and causing him to lose the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by over 2 million votes.
Now that Trump has won over Vice President Harris the lying from Trump and his supporters about “election security” has suddenly stopped. The effort to re-write history is driven in part by misinformation in partisan media and weak journalism by non-partisan media. In 14 days, Trump will be back in The White House. Lying and misinformation is certain to return with him.
RELATED: Four Years Ago, Donald Trump’s Supporters Tried To Kill Me And Destroy Our Country by Harry Dunn
On Jan. 6, 2024, over a hundred and fifty law enforcement officers were injured protecting the U.S. Capitol from Trump’s supporters. Suddenly the Grand Old Party who talks so much about “back the blue” had nothing to say. Today the 2024 election will be certified and Trump and his supporters will pretend there is no hypocrisy in their sudden lack of concern over election “integrity.”
Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who was there on Jan. 6, 2021 wrote today that, “I am standing my ground today not because I want something for me, but because I want accountability. I want the people responsible for that day, including Donald Trump, to pay a price, just like we paid a price. I want us to never repeat a day like that. I will always be standing my ground to make sure our democracy exists. Now, I am asking you to stand with me so that nothing like this ever happens again.”
Henrico Nurse Arrested in Connection with Injuries to Babies at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
On January 3, Henrico Police announced that Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, 26, of Chesterfield County, Va., was charged with “malicious wounding” and “felony child abuse.” Strotman was a nurse at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond in the Neonatal intensive Care Unit.
The arrest of came after the police began investigating three babies who had “unexplained fractures” in the newborn care unit in late November and December 2024. Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor announced that an investigation of the matter is ongoing.
On social media, actor and comedian DL Hughley posted photos of Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman and asserted that the babies involved were all Black. That information has not been confirmed. The Jan. 3, 2025 release from Henrico Police is below.
Senator VanValkenberg on Rising Housing Costs
The cost of housing keeps going up. What is going on? State Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg write on the issue in the Richmond Times Dispatch
“In 2019, the average home in metro Richmond cost $273,000. This year, the average home cost $424,925. In 2021, the average down payment for a home in Richmond was $15,731; in 2024 it was $35,941. It’s not just homeowners. Since 2020, the average rent for a two-bedroom unit has gone from $1,082 to $1,448. Right now, a Richmonder needs to make $30 an hour to afford a typically priced one-bedroom unit.” READ ENTIRE
Speaker Don Scott’s Pre-Session Portsmouth Brunch
Pre-Session Brunch Event: With the Virginia General Assembly Session starting in two days many members are holding events to get petitions signed and announce what their plans are for the session. On Saturday, Jan. 4 Speaker Scott held a Jazz Brunch event in Portsmouth that over 500 people RSVP’d for.
Something in the Water Delay
WHRO: Organizers for the music festival missed a Dec. 31 deadline to open ticket sales and provide an artist lineup. Now the mayor said the city is at a “decision point” for College Beach Weekend plans in April. Another deadline passed for getting the 2025 Something in the Water festival ready and Virginia Beach’s city council will consider its response next week. According to a city spokesperson, festival organizers asked the city for an extension on their Dec. 31 deadline to open ticket sales and release the artist lineup for the April event. READ ENTIRE
Cute Richmond Hippo Has Been Named…
The cute Richmond hippo has been named… Poppy. Over 100,000 people from around the world participated in naming the baby hippo. The hippo was born at the Metro Richmond Zoo. More than half chose “Poppy.”
1- Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America Hardcover (1999)
2- Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching Paperback (2009)
3- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey (Oct. 2024)
4- Positive, Successful, Stylish Black People Coloring Book (2024)
5- When Mayor Doug Wilder Ruled Richmond: Strong-Arm Politics in Virginia's Capital City by Linwoood Norman (Aug. 2024)
6- Rumor, Repression, and Racial Politics: How the Harassment of Black Elected Officials Shaped Post-Civil Rights America (Since 1970: Histories of Contemporary America) by George Derek Musgrove
7- Son of Virginia, A Life in America's Political Arena (2015) by L. Douglas Wilder
8- The New Jim Crow (2010) by Michelle Alexander
9- Remaking Virginia Politics by Paul Goldman (Jan. 2022)
10- Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal About Rising Threats to American Democracy Hardcover (2024) by Timothy J. Heaphy
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