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At a private donor retreat, Trump team says Virginia and Minnesota are in play
Top officials for former President Donald Trump’s campaign believe they can flip Democratic strongholds Minnesota and Virginia into his column in November, they told donors behind closed doors at a Republican National Committee retreat Saturday. Brandishing internal surveys, pollster Tony Fabrizio and senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita delivered a set of presentations that focused on finances, messaging and the political map, according to two people who were present at the Four Seasons resort [in Palm Beach, Florida].
Documents show Petersburg financial advisers wanted more vetting about Bally’s future, Rivers’ hotel
The investment firm that has advised Petersburg for many years informally recommended The Cordish Companies as the city’s casino sponsor in part because of wariness about the financial status of one top bidder and another top bidder’s reluctance to include a hotel in its proposal, according to a review by The Progress-Index of the questions the firm submitted to the city. Davenport & Co. had chosen Cordish and co-developer Bruce Smith Enterprise, Bally's Corporation and Rush Street Gaming as the top three candidates for Petersburg's casino business. Davenport noted, though, that the recommendation for Cordish was "informal" based on the proposals Davenport reviewed and its previous business dealings with Cordish officials.
After decades on the sidelines, North Danville is in line for revitalization
Across the Dan River from Danville’s River District, a largely revitalized part of the city, is North Danville, a business district with a rich history that lost investments and attention after the tobacco and textile industries left town. This part of Danville is the city’s next target for revitalization. But an unorthodox approach is needed to make sure this work is done correctly, said Lashawn Farmer, director of design and expansion for the River District Association. The crux of this approach is community engagement and input, said Farmer.
Higher costs, fewer jobs likely at Danville casino
It looks like numerous changes will be made to Danville’s agreement with Caesars Virginia, including an increase in the casino project’s cost to $750 million and language allowing the company to hire fewer workers than initially promised. The changes also propose elimination of a promised separate entertainment venue. Instead, the venue would occupy a 40,000-square-foot conference center included in the project. The Danville City Council will consider whether to approve the revisions, along with several others, during its Tuesday meeting.
‘Everything’s on fire’: Inside the nation’s failure to safeguard toxic pipelines
The inspectors warned for months that the construction crew was burying the pipeline on unstable ground. In at least a dozen reports, they described soupy soil, landslides and failed efforts to contain runoff. But the crew kept working as the problems mounted. The Revolution ethane pipeline had to get built. In September 2018, just below a neighborhood outside Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, the muddy hillside gave way. The landslide severed the pipe, and the dense gas inside erupted into a roaring inferno. The blaze incinerated a house. The family inside escaped with just the clothes they were wearing and one of their dogs. Their other pets, a dog and several cats, died in the fire. Karen Gdula, who lives nearby on Ivy Lane, raced through the neighborhood shouting, “It’s the pipeline. Everything’s on fire. Get out now!”
Early voting begins for Virginia’s June congressional primaries
Virginia’s 45-day early voting window began Friday for the June 18 primaries that will set the stage for the state’s U.S. Senate race as well as a handful of competitive races for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans are choosing a nominee to challenge U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. in a statewide contest this fall, and at least one party is holding a primary in six of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Virginia law expands shared solar into coal country
After languishing since 2022, a revamped measure to launch a shared solar program in Southwest Virginia found daylight this year. The General Assembly gave the go-ahead to a pair of measures (SB 255, HB 108) directing utility regulators to set up Appalachian Power’s inaugural 50 megawatt program by Jan. 1. Despite the modest size laid out in the new law, Charlie Coggeshall, Mid-Atlantic regional director with the Coalition for Community Solar Access, is content with the breakthrough into a part of the state historically dependent on the coal industry.
Yancey: Protesters want Virginia Tech to divest from Israel. Why divestment is easier said than done.
The pro-Palestinian protesters at Virginia Tech want the school to divest of any investments tied to Israel. This will not happen. Even if Virginia Tech wanted to do this, divestment from Israel is easier said than done. Let’s look further at each of these. The reason Virginia Tech will not divest from Israel is simple: politics. Technically, a public school’s investment funds are managed by a nonprofit foundation — in this case, the Virginia Tech Foundation, which is governed by its board. However, we all know that these foundations are closely tied to the universities they support. The foundation’s board includes the Tech president and the rector of the board of visitors, the gubernatorial-appointed board that governs the school. The board also includes three other top Tech officials. As a practical matter, the foundation is not going to do something the school doesn’t want.
Police forcefully clear encampment at UVa., detain protesters
Over 50 police officers, including state troopers in riot gear, cleared the pro-Palestinian encampment near the University chapel Saturday afternoon and detained at least 25 protesters. The removal of the encampment marked the end of a days-long protest that called on the University to disclose its investment portfolio and divest from institutions benefiting from Israeli occupation in Palestine, among other demands.
Prosecutor seeks to drop charges against five deputies in Irvo Otieno death
The Virginia prosecutor investigating the death of Irvo Otieno is seeking to withdraw charges against five law enforcement officers who were indicted on murder counts last year, curtailing the scope of what was once a sprawling case to just three defendants. Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man whose family said he was in mental distress when he arrived at Central State Hospital for treatment, died there of asphyxia as Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and hospital workers restrained him for 11 minutes, according to surveillance video and the medical examiner. Authorities in Virginia’s Dinwiddie County initially charged 10 people in Otieno’s death.