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By ERIC KOLENICH,
Richmond Times-Dispatch
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The demolition of Richmond’s Public Safety Building, a valuable piece of city-owned downtown real estate, is scheduled to begin in one to two weeks, according to a spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University Health.
The removal of the building, long considered an eyesore, is the first step toward its redevelopment. VCU Health agreed to pay for demolition as part of its failed redevelopment plan. It hired Henrico County-based DPR Construction for $5 million, according to city records.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By DAVE RESS,
Richmond Times-Dispatch
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin still has concerns about legislation to legalize skill games — the slot machine-like devices that hundreds of convenience stores say keep them in business — but says he thinks an answer could come when the General Assembly meets next month to consider a new state budget.
His big concern is to make sure skill games are not set up too close to schools or churches, and he thinks the bill aligns with the state’s casino gaming law, which bars additional historical horse racing gambling devices within 35 miles of a casino host city.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By BETH JOJACK,
Virginia Business
Florida-based aerospace and defense contractor L3Harris Technologies announced on Thursday a $41.2 million expansion and modernization of its Aerojet Rocketdyne facility in Orange County, with plans to add 80 employees.
Over the next three years, L3Harris also plans to construct new facilities and buy new equipment for the facility, according to a statement from the company and another by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By NEAL AUGENSTEIN,
WTOP
A Loudoun County, Virginia, judge set a new trial date for fired school superintendent Scott Ziegler and made no reference to Ziegler’s attorneys claim that the judge erred in ordering a new trial after setting aside a previous misdemeanor conviction.
Thursday morning, Circuit Court Judge Douglas Fleming set Feb. 3, 2025, as the first of a possible five-day jury trial, six weeks after throwing out Ziegler’s conviction for the retaliatory firing of a teacher who reported that an elementary school student inappropriately touched her.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By MICKEY POWELL,
Winchester Star
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Acquiring safety improvements for the stretch of Va. 7 (Harry Byrd Highway) on Blue Ridge Mountain ultimately could be an issue of who has more political clout in Richmond. Is it Clarke County, a small agricultural community of roughly 15,000 residents? Or, is it Loudoun County, an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C., with a population of about 420,000? Clarke failed in its attempt, so county officials are letting Loudoun try.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By ELIZABETH BEYER,
News Leader
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Four reproductive health care bills were sent back to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his signature or veto following the Wednesday General Assembly reconvene session, when lawmakers met to consider the governor’s action on legislation passed during the regular 2024 session.
The legislative body sent four bills that the governor had amended back to his desk in their original form after rejecting the amendments, for his veto or signature. He has 30 days to act on the bills.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By NATHANIEL CLINE,
Virginia Mercury
Two Virginia school divisions are slated to launch a pilot program intended to help reduce youth involvement in gangs and violent behaviors with guns but it’s unclear if the initiative will be fully funded, as lawmakers go back to the drawing board to work up a new state spending plan.
On April 2, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation to create the Community Builders Pilot Program that will start with Roanoke and Petersburg City Public Schools students entering the eighth grade. Pupils in both districts face high rates of gun violence and cases of students bringing firearms to school.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By ANDIE VIGLIOTTI,
WDVM-TV
U.S. Senators for Virginia, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, introduced federal gun legislation Tuesday on the 17th anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting.
The bill’s provisions are modeled from Virginia’s statewide gun legislation passed in 2020 that a release from Kaine’s office called “commonsense gun violence prevention measures.”
VaNews April 19, 2024
By MATT BUSSE AND MARKUS SCHMIDT,
Cardinal News
A California-based manufacturer is looking at opening a lithium-ion battery plant in Lynchburg, backed by a $100 million federal award. State Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, confirmed that a state commission approved an additional economic incentive package for the company, Applied Materials, on Thursday. Peake, who is not a member of the commission, said it’s anticipated the company will add about 100 jobs to the city. “I’m happy any time we get a major employment investment in Lynchburg,” Peake said.
VaNews April 19, 2024
By JOSH JANNEY,
Virginian-Pilot
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A proposal to rename Fort Monroe has been resurrected by board of trustees members who are concerned the current name ignores centuries of the site’s history and could be stifling fundraising efforts.
The Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees considered the question of whether the site should be renamed Thursday morning as members met during a retreat. Some alternative suggestions floated for the 565-acre property and its affiliated organizations included “Old Point Comfort,” “Point Comfort,” and “Point Comfort at Fort Monroe.”
VaNews April 19, 2024
