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VCU Health seeks to end $56 million payment to Richmond

By ERIC KOLENICH, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Virginia Commonwealth University Health is seeking to terminate a deal that pays the city of Richmond $56 million, VCU president Michael Rao said Wednesday. The health system agreed to give the city a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, as part of a failed redevelopment project at the Public Safety Building downtown. State lawmakers have called for VCU Health to end the payments, but Mayor Levar Stoney objected, saying the health system should pay what it contractually owes.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Justices’ $1 billion suit against Carter Bank transferred to Virginia court

By MATT BUSSE, Cardinal News

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered that a $1 billion federal lawsuit filed by West Virginia’s governor, his family and their companies against a Martinsville-based bank and its board be transferred from a court in West Virginia to Virginia. Gov. Jim Justice; his wife, Cathy; their son, Jay; and more than a dozen of their family companies filed the suit in November. They allege that Carter Bank & Trust and its directors have violated banking laws and prevented the Justices from working with other lenders so that the bank can continue collecting interest on the family’s loan portfolio.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Karmo: Governor’s drug affordability board veto serves cancer patients

By MAIMAH KARMO, published in Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

It’s been almost two decades since I heard the words “breast cancer” come out of my doctor’s mouth. I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly hard-to-treat type with low survival rates and limited treatment options. During my second round of chemotherapy, I vowed that if I survived, I would start an organization to advocate for women like me. Today, my organization, Tigerlily Foundation, does just that. We envision a future in which cancer is no longer a death sentence for so many, but rather a treatable condition. Recently, Virginia legislators sought to pass a law that would have stifled that dream — all while exacerbating health inequities. Thankfully, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed that bill with just hours to go before the deadline.

Karmo of Reston is a breast cancer survivor and is the founder and CEO of Tigerlily Foundation, a national women’s health and oncology organization.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Youngkin will head to Europe on third trade-mission trip

By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 7 articles a month)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is headed to Europe next week on his third international trade mission. He is scheduled to meet with President Alexander Stubb of Finland as well as with business executives, trade associations and officials there and in Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Zurich, Switzerland. … The aim is to further strengthen Virginia’s economic and cultural connections, which already include the 119 German firms operating here, 30 from Switzerland, 13 from Denmark, and eight from Finland.

VaNews April 25, 2024


As Amazon’s HQ2 hiring slows, a sound deal protects state taxpayers

Virginian-Pilot Editorial (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

When the commonwealth enters into an agreement on a large-scale, multi-year economic development project, it’s essential any agreement be structured in a way that protects taxpayers. The nature of such initiatives means that plenty can change over time and Virginia shouldn’t be obligated to pay if things don’t pan out. The Amazon headquarters in Northern Virginia is one such example. The online retailer has slowed hiring there amid an economic landscape roiled by the pandemic, and it’s a credit to lawmakers that the deal they struck didn’t commit the commonwealth to pay for empty offices if the company misses its job-creation targets.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Warner speaks during Crooked Road anniversary celebration

By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Now in its 20th year, The Crooked Road began as a dream for Todd Christensen and the late Joe Wilson, who met one wintry day in 2003 at the Carter Fold in Maces Springs. The fold was already established as a popular regional music attraction, started by the late Janette Carter in 1975 to promote the legacy of the Carter Family and the music of this region. ... Ultimately, the grassroots effort caught the attention of state lawmakers and then-Gov. Mark Warner, who signed legislation in 2004 dedicating the 333-mile route as Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Virginia sex offender registry displayed inaccurate data for months

By RYAN NADEAU, WRIC-TV

There are nearly 1,800 registered sex offenders who live, work or go to school in the City of Richmond — but it still isn’t the community with the most registered sex offenders per capita in Central Virginia, according to new data from Virginia State Police. Following a recent report stating that the City of Richmond has the highest rate of registered sex offenders per capita among over 430 total major cities surveyed, 8News investigated more local cities and counties to learn how many registered sex offenders are in the Richmond region and some surrounding localities. As the 8News team looked into this topic, multiple issues were discovered in how Virginia’s sex offender registry returns information to users.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Petersburg doubles down on Cordish as its casino operator

By GRAHAM MOOMAW, Virginia Mercury

After a closed meeting that lasted more than an hour and a half, the Petersburg City Council abruptly voted Wednesday to pick Baltimore-based Cordish Companies as the developer that will have a chance to build a casino in the economically struggling city. There was nothing on the council’s meeting agenda indicating such a monumental decision could be happening on Wednesday afternoon, and council members quickly left the mostly empty auditorium without explaining the move to the handful of reporters in attendance. Several members said “no comment” when approached.

VaNews April 25, 2024


$520 million in construction at Norfolk Naval Shipyard aims to meet needs of high-tech warships

By CAITLYN BURCHETT, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

More than half a billion dollars in construction is in the works at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth as the Navy modernizes the historic yard to repair current and future high-tech warships. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, with roots dating back to 1767, is about five years into a modernization process to better support the maintenance of Ford-class aircraft carriers and Ohio-, Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines. The modernization will allow the shipyard to get warships battle-ready at a quicker pace, Mark Edelson, program executive officer for industrial infrastructure, told the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance during a meeting last week.

VaNews April 25, 2024


Latest petition to reduce Omega Protein’s menhaden catch limit is rejected

By CHARLIE PAULLIN, Virginia Mercury

Another attempt to impose tighter regulations on the menhaden fishery in Virginia was defeated Tuesday and interested parties again called for the state to study the menhaden population. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 5-3 to deny a petition from the Chesapeake Legal Alliance that sought to limit the catch of Omega Protein, the lone menhaden reduction fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. Recreational fishing groups and other supporters of a cap have argued that overfishing menhaden, a tiny, yet nutrient rich fish, is causing the decline of the Bay’s striped bass population.

VaNews April 25, 2024