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China no longer ‘viable’ for Smithfield Foods exports due to tariffs, executives say
President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with China has made the country a nonviable export market for Smithfield Foods, CEO Shane Smith and other executives said during an April 29 conference call with shareholders to discuss the company’s first quarter financials. . . . Smith said exports to China account for roughly 3% of Foods’ sales, which totaled $14.1 billion as of Dec. 29, 2024, according to the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. “With China no longer essentially being available we’ve really had to pivot our business,” Smith told shareholders.
Armed Forces Brewing Co. didn’t tap state grants offered for Norfolk relocation
When Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that a military-themed brewery was coming to Norfolk’s Railroad District in July 2023, the state offered the company more than $300,000 in grants and tax breaks. But Armed Forces Brewing Co., which closed its Norfolk taproom and production facility in March, never completed the grant process or received those funds, according to state agencies. And it’s unclear whether the brewery, which is facing debt and a lawsuit threat, used the tax breaks either. . . . When the brewery left earlier this year, CEO Alan Beal blamed what he called the “local woke mob” for undermining efforts to successfully do business in Hampton Roads.
Danish manufacturer Topsoe files formal plans for $400M plant in Chesterfield
While it navigates an uncertain outlook for federal clean-energy financial incentives, Danish company Topsoe continues to take incremental steps toward building a nine-figure manufacturing facility in Chesterfield. The company last week submitted formal site plans with the county for a $400 million plant that would make electrolyzer cells for “clean hydrogen” fuel. Documents show a 300,000-square-foot, two-story facility to be built on a 43-acre site at Meadowville Technology Park.
Calls made for Northumberland School administrators to be put on leave
As Northumberland pushes for a Virginia State Police investigation of the school system, the Board of Supervisors and School Board agreed that the School Board needs to consider placing the superintendent, Dr. Holly Wargo, and the finance director, Tara Booth, on administrative leave.
Pushback in Petersburg City Council after planning commission asks for pay
“This is a don't shoot the messenger item,” City Manager John "March" Altman cautioned city council Tuesday evening. He did so before Planning and Community Development Director Naomi Siodmok began her presentation on the Planning Commission’s request to be paid for the work they do for the city — a contentious item that caused some debate during the city council meeting’s public comment period.
Fairfax County teachers’ union blames supervisors after budget crushes labor agreement
Fairfax County teachers’ elation at securing a collective bargaining agreement, the first of its kind in nearly 50 years for the district, has proven short-lived. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to adopt a budget for fiscal year 2026 that transfers $2.93 billion to Fairfax County Public Schools — up $119 million from the current fiscal year, but well short of the $248 million increase that Superintendent Michelle Reid requested primarily to cover employee pay raises promised by the union contract.
Manassas leaders voice concerns over data center tenant not subject to business property taxes
City leaders in Manassas are expressing bewilderment after learning a tenant inside a new data center won’t have to pay business personal property taxes, drastically shrinking the revenue the city expected from the property. The tenant inside the Brickyard data center at 9905 Godwin Drive, operated by Digital Realty Trust, filed tax paperwork on April 14 identifying itself as a bank, Commissioner of the Revenue Tim Demeria told City Council April 30.
Yancey: A myth busted: Our kids aren’t leaving for Charlotte and Atlanta. Not as many as we think, anyway.
For all the time I’ve lived in the Roanoke Valley, which is now more than four decades, I’ve heard a constant lament: We lose people to Charlotte and Atlanta. Our young adults leave for there. Our mid-career adults leave for there. From time to time, our major employers have left for there. The latter is certainly true: The railroad that turned a salt lick into a boomtown is now in Atlanta, by way of Norfolk. The former, though, is not, at least not in appreciable numbers.
Petersburg sent out 500 incorrect real-estate tax bills
A mistake made in processing Petersburg’s fourth-quarter real-estate tax bills made 500 of them incorrect and is prompting a do-over for the affected property owners. ... The error happened because Petersburg’s customer care and collection department used the wrong data instead of the updated report sent to them by the assessor and commissioner of the revenue. These bills were sent to both current property owners and ones who sold their property in fiscal year 2024.
Abigail Spanberger says she won’t sign bill to fully repeal Virginia’s right-to-work law
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, says if elected, she won’t sign a bill repealing Virginia’s right-to-work law. Virginia’s right-to-work law says, “No employer shall require any person, as a condition of employment or continuation of employment, to pay any dues, fees or other charges of any kind to any labor union or labor organization.” In 2021, Spanberger, who was then a member of Congress, co-sponsored the PRO Act, which the AFL-CIO said “would override state right-to-work laws.