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Bedford County School Board member’s assault and battery case dismissed
A Bedford County School Board member’s assault and battery case was dismissed on Monday. As previously reported, Matthew Holbrook was arrested in February of last year for assault charges after he said multiple tools and appliances were stolen from his property by a tenant he was renting a home to.
Patriot Front members admit to vandalizing Richmond’s Arthur Ashe mural in 2021
Two Patriot Front members admitted in federal court filings that they vandalized the Arthur Ashe mural in Richmond’s Battery Park in 2021. In the filings, Nathan Noyce and Thomas Dail admit and deny allegations made against them, others and Patriot Front — which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “a white nationalist hate group” — in a civil lawsuit from two anonymous Battery Park neighborhood residents. Neither has been arrested in connection to the Battery Park vandalism.
Va. casino gaming revenues total $60.1M in April
Virginia’s three casinos reported about $60.1 million in gaming revenues for April, according to Virginia Lottery data released last week. ... April’s casino gaming revenues were a 7.6% decrease from the $65.08 million reported in March. Virginia law assesses a graduated tax on a casino’s adjusted gaming revenue. For the month of April, taxes from casino AGRs totaled $10.8 million.
Va. Sen. Mark Warner meets with students, university staffs over FAFSA glitches
Monday afternoon U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia met with Northern Virginia students and both high school and college administrators to hear concerns over the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly shortened to FAFSA. Months behind schedule, the U.S. Department of Education rolled out what was supposed to be a new, shorter, easier process for filling out FAFSA around New Year’s. But in addition to being late, the rollout of the new application has been plagued by glitches and other difficulties that are blamed for a large drop in students both filling out and completing the form.
2024 elections in Virginia Beach will move forward under district system, judge rules
When voters in Virginia Beach go to cast their ballot this November, on the city level, they will vote for a mayor, an at-large school board member and a district council and school board member, if where they live happens to have race this year. Monday, a Circuit Court Judge denied a request that would have prevented that method of voting from being used, all as part of larger lawsuit seeking to undo the 10-1 ward system used in City Council and School Board elections since 2022.
Richmond registrar broke city code when signing nearly $1M in contracts, officials say
Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer violated Richmond procurement code on at least three occasions between September and February when he signed contracts with third-party vendors without seeking mandatory review and approval from other city officials, records obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch show. The revelations come on the heels of the suspension of Balmer’s city-issued purchasing card due to alleged misuse as well as claims of nepotistic hiring practices in the Richmond Office of Elections.
Virginia, venture capital firms in new economic development thrust
Virginia is launching a new multimillion-dollar economic development initiative that aims to use a federal grant with matching funds from venture capital firms to fund small businesses, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Monday. With the launch of its “Virginia Invests” program, the nonprofit Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp., which the General Assembly set up in 2020, will direct some $40 million of a $176 million grant it won from the U.S. Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative to seven venture capital funds.
‘We have to do something with Riverside’: Legislators, advocates want immediate improvements
Kevin Wyatt died earlier this year inside a cell at Riverside Regional Jail. The cause of death was an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl that his mother said came from within the walls of the Prince George County facility. “My son told me, ‘Mom, why do you have me locked up? There’s drugs in jail,’” Denise Gunn said. “’I get more drugs in jail and better drugs in jail than I can get on the street and at a cheaper price.’”
Dominion gets approval for battery pilots; Appalachian Power seeks bids for renewable projects
State regulators approved Dominion Energy’s long-term energy storage proposals last week, as Appalachian Power Company is seeking bids for a swath of renewable electricity sources, marking the advancement of renewable energy projects at Virginia’s two largest electric utilities. The approval for Dominion is seen as a critical next step in supplying electricity to the grid in the coming years, when renewable sources like solar and wind won’t be producing electricity, through storage technology that is more capable than the traditional technology more widely used today.
Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell to resign
Roanoke City Manager Bob Cowell announced his resignation Monday night at the end of a city council meeting. Without comment, the council unanimously accepted his resignation, effective June 7, and appointed Mayor Sherman Lea to serve as temporary interim manager. “We as a city council will do what we need to do to keep the city going,” Lea said after the meeting adjourned. Cowell has served as city manager since 2017. He declined questions on Monday night ...