Brian Colligan

Hampton Roads

Opinion Editor at The Virginian-Pilot

Opinion Editor at Daily Press (Newport News, VA)

Opinions for @VirginianPilot & @Daily_Press. Prior: @reflectornews. Virginia Tech & East Carolina alum. Some exceptions may apply.

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Articles

Column: VA is improving, not cutting, service to veterans

1 week ago | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press say their mission is to “deliver the truth every day.” But that doesn’t always happen. A handful of reckless politicians and their media allies have spent the last two months trying to scare veterans into thinking the Trump administration is cutting their Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Editorial: Though disappointing, Virginia Beach right to cancel Something in the Water

2 months ago | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

Editorial: Though disappointing, Virginia Beach right to cancel Something in the Water
Column: York School Board must win back citizens’ confidence

Sep 18, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

Column: To prevent suicide, we have to change to a scientific approach
Column: Governor’s education agenda on the wrong side of history

Jul 15, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

Karina Elwood, a reporter for The Washington Post, wrote an article concerning Virginia’s education department proposal to select dozens of revisions to an elective course on African American history, striking some reference to white supremacy and systemic racism, among other changes (“Va. proposed changes to African American history course, documents show,” June 23).
Column: Supreme Court, with one dissent, rules gun rights are limited

Jun 24, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

Gun rights are not unlimited according to an 8-1 Supreme Court decision that draws back from the extreme Second Amendment decision the court made two years ago in the notorious Bruen case. The holding in the new case, United States v. Rahimi, is that the government may bar people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning guns.
Editorial: As Amazon’s HQ2 hiring slows, a sound deal protects state taxpayers

Apr 24, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

When the commonwealth enters into an agreement on a large-scale, multi-year economic development project, it’s essential any agreement be structured in a way that protects taxpayers. The nature of such initiatives means that plenty can change over time and Virginia shouldn’t be obligated to pay if things don’t pan out. The Amazon headquarters in Northern Virginia is one such example.
Column: To connect with students, teach love and respect

Apr 15, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

I have been a professional educator for more than 40 years, and I have had the privilege to work with students at all levels of our educational system, from teaching fourth and fifth graders in a three-room schoolhouse deep in the Virginia coalfields to hooding successful doctoral students at West Virginia University. Teaching the universal truth about the power of love is essential. Divisiveness and derision are the forces that keep all of us in a constant state of anxiety and defensiveness.
Column: Biden’s loud, angry, partisan State of the Union

Mar 17, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

President Joe Biden is angry. When he ran for office in 2020, Biden promised to restore normalcy and unity to America. In his State of the Union address on March 7, he gave a speech that was partisan, dishonest and, at times, incoherent. It wasn’t an update on America, nor was it hopeful, unifying or inspiring.
Column: Maintaining degree requirements threatens Virginia’s growth

Mar 16, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

Last spring, Gov. Glenn Youngkin for hiring in roles where skills and experience are better measured. And bipartisan legislation to codify that change to make it even more impactful was on a fast track to passage after it unanimously passed the House of Delegates. But on Feb. 27, in a partisan 10-5 vote, the 10 Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee stopped the legislation in its tracks.
Column: Cost reform would benefit pharmacies and consumers

Feb 28, 2024 | pilotonline.com | Brian Colligan

As a practicing pharmacist in Virginia and a member of the Virginia Pharmacists Association (VPhA), I would like to offer my take on the plight of Virginia pharmacies and pharmacists. In her Feb. 11 column (“Legislative proposals may save Virginia pharmacies”), VPhA Executive Director Jamie Fisher spoke of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), the middlemen who negotiate drug prices between insurance companies and drug manufacturers and set reimbursement rates for pharmacies.