Richmond speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Apr. 10, 2026
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Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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I am writing today to endorse Sarah Newell for Lancaster County Public Defender.
As a past president of the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA), I have had the opportunity to work with Sarah for many years through her involvement with the NSBA and advocacy at the Nebraska Legislature. Sarah possesses the leadership skills and legal experience to lead the Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office.
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Lincoln took an important step toward saving lives when the City Council unanimously approved the Vision Zero Action Plan.
As an AARP Nebraska volunteer, I was proud to testify in support of Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths and cut serious injuries by 60% by 2045. This plan recognizes a simple but powerful truth: traffic fatalities are preventable, and safety should never depend on age, ability or where you live.
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I worked with Kristi Egger for 30 years before retiring from the Lancaster County Public Defender's Office. Kristi has spent her entire career as a public defender: first with Hall County, then as a deputy at Lancaster County, then as the elected public defender for Lancaster County. She has handled cases in all dockets within the office. As an experienced attorney in the office, she was often asked to step in and do whatever was necessary for the best interests of the office. Kristi willingly accepted every challenge. She also took time to mentor the less experienced attorneys in the office.
When Kristi decided to run for the elected public defender position, she gave notice in order to ease the transition of her caseload and avoid creating a divisive environment. Although it was difficult to leave the office where she had worked for 30 years, she knew it was best for the office.
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The House Republicans are responsible for the current partial government shutdown. The House GOP was sent a bill to fund TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA that passed the Senate unanimously. The House Democrats supported the bill. If Speaker Mike Johnson had simply called it for an up or down vote it would have passed easily. But he chose chaos. Because that's what Trump wants. Only Johnson can clean up this mess. There is no longer any debate about who owns this shutdown. The House Republicans are blocking funding. They own it and the chaos at the airports 1,000%.
Dennis Patrick Crawford, Lincoln
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If you are wondering why, when the state has a large budget deficit, that the Nebraska Legislature would vote to give wealthy corporations tax breaks they don't need, "follow the money" is what they always say.
LB1165, which passed the first round of voting this session, will give Union Pacific Corporation tax credits in an attempt to convince them not to leave their headquarters in Omaha, which apparently is up for discussion while the railroad attempts a merger with Norfolk Southern, based in Atlanta.
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Dave Kirby of Lincoln recently stated about TSA agents not being paid that "the answer is Democrats.” (March 29 Journal Star). “They don’t like the masks they wear. They don’t like the way these people are captured. Democrats are putting those who are in our country illegally ahead of our own safety …”
The last time I checked, LPD and Nebraska State Patrol don’t wear masks, nor do FBI, DEA or other federal agents during raids. Previously stated state and federal agencies get judicial warrants for their activities, as prescribed by the United States Constitution. Also, I don’t recall Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were following the law by legally protesting against illegal actions, being minded about “our own safety” when they were shot and killed.
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With all the legal haggling, eminent domain proceedings, and literally hundreds of other snaggles and impediments, the Perkins County Canal (which sadly will never enter that county) may be completed somewhere near 2032, that is, if it ever passes all the muster for approval. This is a full 10 years after the Nebraska Legislature appropriated $620 million of its cash reserves and federal coronavirus funds to finance the project which they say will benefit the entire state.
Am I correct to assume that the cost of this project will proliferate over this period of time, making it no longer acceptable to a state that is already having trouble balancing its budget?
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Mr. Joe Morrissey’s opinion piece in the RTD of March 31 cries out for negative criticism. He does explain the good reasons why good people should never support gerrymandering. Indeed, he is correct, except he never mentions that President Trump’s push for gerrymandering in Texas and elsewhere is the reason why a “Yes" vote is now urgent in Virginia.
President Trump is a grave threat to American democracy that has resulted in numerous “No Kings” rallies involving millions of people throughout our country. The Congress, as currently constituted, is not providing a critical check on his desire for ever-increased power. Mr. Trump knows that his power will likely be checked after the November midterm elections. Mr. Morrissey’s avoidance of the name Trump in his op-ed is disingenuous in the extreme.
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It is a rare thing when I agree with Joe Morrissey on anything (this may be a first). As an Independent voter for over 50 years, his extreme views and actions over those years have not resonated well with me. However, his op-ed in the RTD of March 31 is a keeper. The current Virginia “special” referendum to redraw congressional districts to favor Democrats 10-1 is patently un-Virginian and un-American, especially considering that Virginia voters passed a non-partisan referendum on re-drawing the districts just five years ago!
The argument that “Republicans in other States are doing this, so we must counter with this Democrat response” is ludicrous. If this “temporary measure” to “restore fairness” were to pass, Virginia would be no better than Texas. In fact, Virginia would be worse, since we know it is wrong. The whole argument for mid-term redistricting in Virginia is that it is wrong in Texas and other red states. As the old saying goes: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
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The Times-Dispatch article about the Virginia Virtual Academy left out every family who loves the school and families that decided VAVA was the right place for their student. I think it is really important that readers know there are lots of families like mine that picked VAVA because it is the right school for their students.
Our son is a first-year student and travel hockey player. VAVA’s flexible schedule allows him to participate in tournaments and practice that require extensive travel from our home in southwestern Virginia. This accommodation wouldn’t have been available at his previous public school. Because of VAVA, he can pursue his hockey goals and dreams while at the same time getting a top-notch education. We couldn’t be happier with VAVA and the opportunity it gives our son.
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Shame on Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — for holding hostage federal workers again, this time the TSA when we need them the most due to our security concerns. This action has also crippled airlines and their passengers. Also, many TSA agents have resigned as a result of having no paycheck for a long time.
Too bad Congress can't have its paychecks frozen. I hope some Congress members had to stand in long airport lines when they left for their two-week recess. Kudos to Delta Airlines for denying them priority boarding.
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To the editor: Thank you for presenting balanced information on the redistricting referendum. Voters now need to be aware of the gaslighting.
The Democrats claim that it is only “fair” that they have 10 seats in Congress, instead of the six they have now in a state that is only slightly majority blue. They want to "level the playing field” by denying residents of rural counties a voice in Congress. (If this passes, the voters in Goochland, Louisa, Powhatan and other rural counties will have their representative selected by urban residents of Arlington and Fairfax.) And they want to disenfranchise millions of Republican voters in order to “save democracy.”
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I agree with the Republican leaders when they describe partisan gerrymandering as being undemocratic and un-American. However, I find it hypocritical when they fail to mention that it was Donald Trump who called on states to redistrict mid-decade to give an advantage to their majority party.
It should be noted that Republicans already have an advantage in national politics. Sparsely populated states that tend to lean Republican have two votes in the senate, as do the states with heavily populated urban centers that lean Democrat. For example, Utah has a population around 3.3 million and is represented by two Republican senators. California has a population around 39.4 million and is represented by two Democrat senators. A vote in Utah carries more than 10 times the weight as a vote in California.
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Hello, my name is Margaux, and I am 10 years old. Recently, I heard a news story that was about the Iran war, and more specifically how a school was bombed. This action is unacceptable and killed over 100 innocent elementary school kids (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Think about what those lives could have been. Think about yourself and your school. Imagine that happening to you, and then no one caring about it. The country who bombed it, thinking it was a military base, not apologizing or showing remorse.
Our government is sworn to protect us, but our president, without approval from Congress, goes and bombs a whole school of children. Then, instead of at least apologizing, he blames it on someone else.
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I have recently seen former President Obama telling Virginians about having fair elections and having the people involved with selecting representatives, not politicians. Now, our “moderate” Governor has told us that we need fairness in our elections and has signed on to the April redistricting gerrymandering plan.
Do they think we Virginians are ignorant? We voted in 2020 to establish a non-partisan committee to establish voting districts. Supported by 66% of the voters to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians. Virginia party voting is basically split 50/50 year over year. We currently have six Democratic representatives and five Republican representatives. That 55/45 split seems to be a fair representation of how Virginia votes. And now we have a former President and a Governor who want politicians, from their party only, to decide again.
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As a Richmond resident, I’m watching the General Assembly’s ongoing budget and tax incentive debates with growing concern. While lawmakers are rightly focused on balancing fiscal priorities, we can’t lose sight of our long-term responsibility: protecting Virginians from pollution and climate change. Data centers, the state’s fastest-growing energy consumers, need to run on clean energy.
Right now, utilities like Dominion Energy continue to propose expensive new fossil fuel projects, such as the Chesterfield gas plant, to help power data centers. These gas plants threaten community health and lock Virginians into decades of dependence on dirty energy.
- Updated
As a long-term resident of Fulton Hill, I have recently become aware of the impact of the current effort to rezone the city on my neighborhood and that of other neighborhoods nearby.
The proposed plan lacks thoughtful analysis and well-thought-out impacts on the desirability to move into parts of the city that will be more difficult to live in if it is adopted.
- Updated
As communities across the country grapple with rising fuel costs, air pollution and the growing impacts of global warming, one solution is becoming increasingly clear; the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
Electric cars offer a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. By producing zero tailpipe emissions, they reduce air pollution and improve public health, especially in urban areas where smog and poor air quality disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
- Updated
The recent article on the Virginia Virtual Academy was unfair to the school and unfair to the many parents and families across the state of Virginia that continue to choose to enjoy the flexibility VAVA offers. It would have provided a more accurate representation if you would have spoken to more VAVA families. We love VAVA, and it has been a wonderful school for our family over the past 12 years. Parents and families from across the Commonwealth would’ve told you very different stories.
Our oldest started VAVA in the third grade and graduated with the highest honors in 2024 with both her high school diploma and an Associates degree from NVCC. She is excelling in her second year of college with an expected graduation date in advance of her peers. My youngest, a high school student, is excelling in VAVA. His test scores, including SOL and SAT, are in the top percentiles. He is dual enrolled at Northern Virginia Community College.
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I am writing today to endorse Sarah Newell for Lancaster County Public Defender.
As a past president of the Nebraska State Bar Association (NSBA), I have had the opportunity to work with Sarah for many years through her involvement with the NSBA and advocacy at the Nebraska Legislature. Sarah possesses the leadership skills and legal experience to lead the Lancaster County Public Defender’s Office.
Lincoln took an important step toward saving lives when the City Council unanimously approved the Vision Zero Action Plan.
As an AARP Nebraska volunteer, I was proud to testify in support of Vision Zero, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths and cut serious injuries by 60% by 2045. This plan recognizes a simple but powerful truth: traffic fatalities are preventable, and safety should never depend on age, ability or where you live.
I worked with Kristi Egger for 30 years before retiring from the Lancaster County Public Defender's Office. Kristi has spent her entire career as a public defender: first with Hall County, then as a deputy at Lancaster County, then as the elected public defender for Lancaster County. She has handled cases in all dockets within the office. As an experienced attorney in the office, she was often asked to step in and do whatever was necessary for the best interests of the office. Kristi willingly accepted every challenge. She also took time to mentor the less experienced attorneys in the office.
When Kristi decided to run for the elected public defender position, she gave notice in order to ease the transition of her caseload and avoid creating a divisive environment. Although it was difficult to leave the office where she had worked for 30 years, she knew it was best for the office.
The House Republicans are responsible for the current partial government shutdown. The House GOP was sent a bill to fund TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA that passed the Senate unanimously. The House Democrats supported the bill. If Speaker Mike Johnson had simply called it for an up or down vote it would have passed easily. But he chose chaos. Because that's what Trump wants. Only Johnson can clean up this mess. There is no longer any debate about who owns this shutdown. The House Republicans are blocking funding. They own it and the chaos at the airports 1,000%.
Dennis Patrick Crawford, Lincoln
If you are wondering why, when the state has a large budget deficit, that the Nebraska Legislature would vote to give wealthy corporations tax breaks they don't need, "follow the money" is what they always say.
LB1165, which passed the first round of voting this session, will give Union Pacific Corporation tax credits in an attempt to convince them not to leave their headquarters in Omaha, which apparently is up for discussion while the railroad attempts a merger with Norfolk Southern, based in Atlanta.
Dave Kirby of Lincoln recently stated about TSA agents not being paid that "the answer is Democrats.” (March 29 Journal Star). “They don’t like the masks they wear. They don’t like the way these people are captured. Democrats are putting those who are in our country illegally ahead of our own safety …”
The last time I checked, LPD and Nebraska State Patrol don’t wear masks, nor do FBI, DEA or other federal agents during raids. Previously stated state and federal agencies get judicial warrants for their activities, as prescribed by the United States Constitution. Also, I don’t recall Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were following the law by legally protesting against illegal actions, being minded about “our own safety” when they were shot and killed.
With all the legal haggling, eminent domain proceedings, and literally hundreds of other snaggles and impediments, the Perkins County Canal (which sadly will never enter that county) may be completed somewhere near 2032, that is, if it ever passes all the muster for approval. This is a full 10 years after the Nebraska Legislature appropriated $620 million of its cash reserves and federal coronavirus funds to finance the project which they say will benefit the entire state.
Am I correct to assume that the cost of this project will proliferate over this period of time, making it no longer acceptable to a state that is already having trouble balancing its budget?
Mr. Joe Morrissey’s opinion piece in the RTD of March 31 cries out for negative criticism. He does explain the good reasons why good people should never support gerrymandering. Indeed, he is correct, except he never mentions that President Trump’s push for gerrymandering in Texas and elsewhere is the reason why a “Yes" vote is now urgent in Virginia.
President Trump is a grave threat to American democracy that has resulted in numerous “No Kings” rallies involving millions of people throughout our country. The Congress, as currently constituted, is not providing a critical check on his desire for ever-increased power. Mr. Trump knows that his power will likely be checked after the November midterm elections. Mr. Morrissey’s avoidance of the name Trump in his op-ed is disingenuous in the extreme.
It is a rare thing when I agree with Joe Morrissey on anything (this may be a first). As an Independent voter for over 50 years, his extreme views and actions over those years have not resonated well with me. However, his op-ed in the RTD of March 31 is a keeper. The current Virginia “special” referendum to redraw congressional districts to favor Democrats 10-1 is patently un-Virginian and un-American, especially considering that Virginia voters passed a non-partisan referendum on re-drawing the districts just five years ago!
The argument that “Republicans in other States are doing this, so we must counter with this Democrat response” is ludicrous. If this “temporary measure” to “restore fairness” were to pass, Virginia would be no better than Texas. In fact, Virginia would be worse, since we know it is wrong. The whole argument for mid-term redistricting in Virginia is that it is wrong in Texas and other red states. As the old saying goes: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
The Times-Dispatch article about the Virginia Virtual Academy left out every family who loves the school and families that decided VAVA was the right place for their student. I think it is really important that readers know there are lots of families like mine that picked VAVA because it is the right school for their students.
Our son is a first-year student and travel hockey player. VAVA’s flexible schedule allows him to participate in tournaments and practice that require extensive travel from our home in southwestern Virginia. This accommodation wouldn’t have been available at his previous public school. Because of VAVA, he can pursue his hockey goals and dreams while at the same time getting a top-notch education. We couldn’t be happier with VAVA and the opportunity it gives our son.
Shame on Congress — both Democrats and Republicans — for holding hostage federal workers again, this time the TSA when we need them the most due to our security concerns. This action has also crippled airlines and their passengers. Also, many TSA agents have resigned as a result of having no paycheck for a long time.
Too bad Congress can't have its paychecks frozen. I hope some Congress members had to stand in long airport lines when they left for their two-week recess. Kudos to Delta Airlines for denying them priority boarding.
To the editor: Thank you for presenting balanced information on the redistricting referendum. Voters now need to be aware of the gaslighting.
The Democrats claim that it is only “fair” that they have 10 seats in Congress, instead of the six they have now in a state that is only slightly majority blue. They want to "level the playing field” by denying residents of rural counties a voice in Congress. (If this passes, the voters in Goochland, Louisa, Powhatan and other rural counties will have their representative selected by urban residents of Arlington and Fairfax.) And they want to disenfranchise millions of Republican voters in order to “save democracy.”
I agree with the Republican leaders when they describe partisan gerrymandering as being undemocratic and un-American. However, I find it hypocritical when they fail to mention that it was Donald Trump who called on states to redistrict mid-decade to give an advantage to their majority party.
It should be noted that Republicans already have an advantage in national politics. Sparsely populated states that tend to lean Republican have two votes in the senate, as do the states with heavily populated urban centers that lean Democrat. For example, Utah has a population around 3.3 million and is represented by two Republican senators. California has a population around 39.4 million and is represented by two Democrat senators. A vote in Utah carries more than 10 times the weight as a vote in California.
Hello, my name is Margaux, and I am 10 years old. Recently, I heard a news story that was about the Iran war, and more specifically how a school was bombed. This action is unacceptable and killed over 100 innocent elementary school kids (Richmond Times-Dispatch). Think about what those lives could have been. Think about yourself and your school. Imagine that happening to you, and then no one caring about it. The country who bombed it, thinking it was a military base, not apologizing or showing remorse.
Our government is sworn to protect us, but our president, without approval from Congress, goes and bombs a whole school of children. Then, instead of at least apologizing, he blames it on someone else.
I have recently seen former President Obama telling Virginians about having fair elections and having the people involved with selecting representatives, not politicians. Now, our “moderate” Governor has told us that we need fairness in our elections and has signed on to the April redistricting gerrymandering plan.
Do they think we Virginians are ignorant? We voted in 2020 to establish a non-partisan committee to establish voting districts. Supported by 66% of the voters to take redistricting out of the hands of politicians. Virginia party voting is basically split 50/50 year over year. We currently have six Democratic representatives and five Republican representatives. That 55/45 split seems to be a fair representation of how Virginia votes. And now we have a former President and a Governor who want politicians, from their party only, to decide again.
As a Richmond resident, I’m watching the General Assembly’s ongoing budget and tax incentive debates with growing concern. While lawmakers are rightly focused on balancing fiscal priorities, we can’t lose sight of our long-term responsibility: protecting Virginians from pollution and climate change. Data centers, the state’s fastest-growing energy consumers, need to run on clean energy.
Right now, utilities like Dominion Energy continue to propose expensive new fossil fuel projects, such as the Chesterfield gas plant, to help power data centers. These gas plants threaten community health and lock Virginians into decades of dependence on dirty energy.
As a long-term resident of Fulton Hill, I have recently become aware of the impact of the current effort to rezone the city on my neighborhood and that of other neighborhoods nearby.
The proposed plan lacks thoughtful analysis and well-thought-out impacts on the desirability to move into parts of the city that will be more difficult to live in if it is adopted.
As communities across the country grapple with rising fuel costs, air pollution and the growing impacts of global warming, one solution is becoming increasingly clear; the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
Electric cars offer a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. By producing zero tailpipe emissions, they reduce air pollution and improve public health, especially in urban areas where smog and poor air quality disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
The recent article on the Virginia Virtual Academy was unfair to the school and unfair to the many parents and families across the state of Virginia that continue to choose to enjoy the flexibility VAVA offers. It would have provided a more accurate representation if you would have spoken to more VAVA families. We love VAVA, and it has been a wonderful school for our family over the past 12 years. Parents and families from across the Commonwealth would’ve told you very different stories.
Our oldest started VAVA in the third grade and graduated with the highest honors in 2024 with both her high school diploma and an Associates degree from NVCC. She is excelling in her second year of college with an expected graduation date in advance of her peers. My youngest, a high school student, is excelling in VAVA. His test scores, including SOL and SAT, are in the top percentiles. He is dual enrolled at Northern Virginia Community College.
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