Today's Opinions

Former Gov. Bob McDonnell raised the bar for restoring voting rights to nonviolent felons who served their sentences, far outpacing his predecessors’ efforts.
By the time he left office, the Republican had streamlined one of the most cumbersome state systems in the U.S. and given 8,137 people the ability to vote, serve on a jury, work as a notary public and run for public office.
His successor, Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, has maintained that momentum in his first three months in office, restoring rights to 838 people as of last week.

Editor’s note: Christopher Brooke, who covered Carroll County at The Gazette for the past 17 years, has moved on to become editor for our sister newspaper, The Henry County Local, in Kentucky. We appreciate all he’s done here, and know he will do a great job in his new position. We wish Chris and his wife, Elizabeth Seagraves Brooke — a former Grayson County reporter for The Gazette — all the best.

If I’ve seemed distracted for about the last year, there’s a reason for that.

Elections are coming up on May 6, and voters will get another chance to shape the face of their local government.
What happens at the polls could drastically change what the Twin Counties look like over the next four years.
For some, local elections aren’t as important as the congressional or presidential elections. Some only pay attention to the state or national races, believing that they are the only ones that matter.