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‘Political theater’ is how state senator classifies Petersburg’s claim of casino-bullying
Sen. Lashresce Aird is firing back at the city’s claims it was coerced by her or her staff into picking Bally’s Corporation as Petersburg’s casino vendor, calling it “merely political theater” and highlighting that Petersburg’s council will not do anything “in the best interest of the people they represent.” ... “These attempts to blame the General Assembly and portray themselves as coerced into anything by me or otherwise is merely political theater and a distraction from this council’s true intentions to move forward with no process, no public engagement, and proceed in the least transparent way imaginable,” Aird said in a statement sent to The Progress-Index.
As Danville Casino marks 1 year, full resort expected to draw ‘different type of visitor’
Exactly one year ago Wednesday, Danville’s temporary casino opened, inching the city closer toward becoming a tourism destination. Housed in a giant tent-like structure — although once inside it’s hard to believe it’s a makeshift building — lines of eager patrons with money in hand awaited the doors to officially open at 10 a.m. May 15, 2023. With the full resort expected to be in operation by the end of the year, the shift will move from a day-trip style visit to more of a vacation getaway. “This is a different type of visitor that we truly haven’t seen as much of in this community,” Lisa Meriwether, tourism manager with Visit SoSi, told the Register & Bee in an interview Monday.
622-acre data center project greenlit by Henrico Board of Supervisors
The Henrico County Board of Supervisors has approved a request for over 600 acres of land in the eastern part of the county to be used for the development of data centers. In a scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 14, the board voted unanimously to allow a total of just over 622 acres of land be used for manufacturing and production by developer Hourigan. Specifically, the request describes both data center and “advanced manufacturing” facilities.
Body-worn cameras for Virginia State Police dropped from new budget
An effort to purchase body-worn cameras for the Virginia State Police died during this year’s prolonged budget talks, which concluded on Monday. That means the state police, Virginia’s largest law enforcement agency with over 1,800 officers, will remain without the devices at least until next session. The effort was initiated this session by State Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg.
Va. ABC ousts CIO responsible for modernizing systems
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority has lost its fourth executive officer in nearly 10 months in the latest sign of instability within the authority’s leadership. Paul Williams is out as ABC’s Chief Information Officer after serving in the role since 2016. Williams told the Virginia Mercury he was “separated from employment at ABC” by CEO Dave Farino with no notice May 8 without severance or compensation for his time at the authority. Williams said the reason Farino gave is he, “doesn’t want me on his executive team; doesn’t trust me to be his leader of a section of the ABC business.”
Loudoun Groups Oppose School Safety Panel’s Recommendations, Call for New Panel
After the release of 11 recommendations from a Blue Ribbon Panel that looked into safety and security in Loudoun County Public Schools, several groups in the county are calling on school leaders to reject the panel’s findings and reconvene a new review group with more diverse community voices. ... The panel was charged with assessing safety processes and protocols in schools and came up with 11 recommendations to enhance security. ... The statement pointed to a heavy law enforcement presence on the panel ...
Montgomery County board raises concerns about MVP
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors is joining a growing chorus of concerns about the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s request to begin operations by June 1. Construction is continuing along the slopes of Poor Mountain, according to board Chairwoman Mary Biggs, and questions remain about whether the company has completed all of the required safety testing and repairs to the pipe.
Virginia approves $26.5M for Bristol landfill remediation
Bristol Va.‘s challenging task of environmental remediation at its former landfill got a huge economic boost Monday with the inclusion of $26.5 million in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s final approved fiscal 2025 budget. The state funding greatly eases the potential burden on city taxpayers as Bristol continues extensive efforts to prevent further release of noxious gases that prompted community outcry in 2020 and led to the landfill’s closure in September 2022.
Appalachian Power makes another move toward renewable energy
Appalachian Power Co. is in the market for three wind, solar and battery energy systems as it takes another step toward establishing an all-renewable power portfolio. The company’s request for proposals from energy companies is the latest in a series of planned acquisitions to comply with the Clean Economy Act, a state law that requires Appalachian to deliver totally carbon-free power to its Virginia customers by 2050.
Richmond finalizes labor deals with unions for police, firefighters and other city employees
The Richmond City Council approved collective bargaining agreements between the city and unions representing police, firefighters, emergency workers and other city employees. The city’s three-year labor deals with the unions — the Richmond Coalition of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 995 and the Service Employees International Union, Virginia 512 – take effect on July 1 through June 30, 2027.