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Forty applicants vying for Shenandoah medical marijuana license
Forty complete applications were received for conditional permits to operate as the state’s sole licensed pharmaceutical processor of medical cannabis for a region including the Shenandoah Valley, as well as the cities of Charlottesville and Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania and Stafford, according to the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority. Each company paid an $18,000 fee for the opportunity to be granted the lucrative medical marijuana license for the CCA’s health service area 1 (HSA 1), which has been tied up in litigation for years.
Youngkin holds event in Richmond on National Fentanyl Awareness Day
Preliminary data from the Virginia Department of Health shows more than 1,900 Virginians died from fentanyl overdoses in 2023. That’s why Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin held an event at City Stadium in Richmond on May 7, which is National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
Dominion: Nuclear plant upgrades on budget and schedule
Dominion Energy‘s push to extend the life of its two half-century old nuclear power stations is on target with its $1.2 billion phase 1 budget and schedule, although one critical step, replacing the giant heat exchangers around each reactor, has been more complicated than first thought. The aim is to extend the life of its Surry and North Anna power stations, in Surry County and Louisa counties respectively, for another three decades.
As new Roanoke recovery house opens, advocates say many more are needed
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has flooded the United States and driven a surge in deadly drug overdoses. It’s also ballooned the demand for treatment and recovery services. Roanoke marked National Fentanyl Awareness Day Tuesday by dedicating a new recovery house. Before organizers and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin cut the ribbon on the Four Truths Recovery house on Staunton Avenue they laid out the troubling facts—Roanoke has one of the highest fatal overdose rates in the state, according to the Virginia Department of Health. And a recent study found the region needs more than 900 recovery program beds.
Labor protections worth delay of Arlington Career Center construction, unions and lawmakers say
Arlington unions and state representatives are doubling down on calls for more labor protections in the construction of the new Arlington Career Center. A $132 million construction contract is up for consideration at an Arlington School Board meeting on Thursday. At least a year of delays would likely result if the School Board seeks a prevailing wage agreement for the project, guaranteeing that workers get paid wages comparable to market rates, Arlington Public Schools staff said at a meeting last month.
Lingering impacts of pandemic lead to higher tax rates in Northern Va.
Fairfax County lawmakers Tuesday approved a budget that raises the residential tax rate by 3 cents, a reflection of the lingering economic impacts of the pandemic and uncertainty over the Virginia state budget. Fairfax’s increase in the residential tax rate, to $1.125 per $100 of assessed value, means the annual tax bill for county homeowners will increase by an average of $450. … With remote work keeping office vacancies high, Northern Virginia localities have had to find ways to make up for the loss in commercial tax revenue while trying to maintain the quality of schools and other services.
In 8-1 vote, Danville City Council revises agreement with Caesars Virginia
In an 8-1 vote, Danville City Council on Tuesday evening approved changes to the agreement with Caesars Virginia that solidifies an investment nearly double what was originally planned in 2020, but dials back jobs and moves a planned stand-alone entertainment center into a multipurpose space. ... Danville City Manager Ken Larking said the changes to the agreement — in the works between casino leaders, city officials, attorneys and consultants — were mostly routine.
Youngkin calls on coaches to help warn about fentanyl
It might have seemed an unexpected place to talk about a deadly scourge – the Richmond Kickers’ home field to mark National Fentanyl Awareness Day – but for Gov. Glenn Youngkin it was a chance to reach out to a group he feels will make a difference: coaches. Those are the same kind of people that Youngkin, once a high school and college basketball player, said steered him right so many times as a teenager – when “I probably spent more time with coaches and teammates than with my parents,” he told a gathering of college, high school and other youth sports coaches at City Stadium.
Virginia Beach mayor wants a collective bargaining referendum on November ballot
Residents could influence a future decision on collective bargaining for city employees by casting a vote on Election Day. Mayor Bobby Dyer said Tuesday he wants an advisory referendum on collective bargaining on the November ballot. The outcome of such a referendum would be non-binding. The City Council denied collective bargaining of city employees in a 5-5 vote with one abstention April 30. Dyer was among those who voted against it.
Hemp market collapses, frustrating network of Southwest Virginia growers
Since its height in 2020, the “green rush” to grow hemp in Southwest Virginia has slowed to a standstill as falling prices eventually made harvesting pointless, but that hasn’t stopped local growers from seeking to stake their claim in what they hope will eventually be Virginia’s new legal cash crop: cannabis. With bipartisan efforts in the state legislature making to the governor’s desk, it looked possible that the 100-plus members of the farming and small business network Purely Appalachia might be growing and selling cannabis in Southwest Virginia very soon. But Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent veto of HB 698 and SB 448 means the group’s hopes will be stalled, at least until his term ends.