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Recent Articles from Mason Adams
Virginia’s latest constitution turns 50
The latest Virginia Constitution went into effect 50 years ago this month, but in today’s world of polarized politics, it feels like it might as well have been 1787. Virginia’s first constitution was passed in 1776, the year the United States declared independence. The state’s present constitution is the seventh incarnation of the commonwealth’s governing […]
Heavy hitters
Just as Zoom conferences and cloud computing have transformed our pandemic-era work lives, so too is technology changing the nature of influence. That evolution is perhaps best evidenced by the addition of Reston-based MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor to Virginia Business’ 2021 list of the 50 most influential Virginians. Saylor may not spend his time huddled […]
Can Southwest Virginia win the data center game?
Like many other parts of the commonwealth, Southwest Virginia is making a play to attract data centers, offering cheap land, available workers and a natural cooling system. Data centers aren’t huge employers but do offer high wages and significant tax revenue — which other regions in Virginia have taken full advantage of, particularly Loudoun County in […]
Viva Virginia
Danville once stood tall as a driver of Virginia’s economy, an epicenter both for textile production at Dan River Mills and for tobacco when it was still the commonwealth’s golden leaf. Both industries came crashing down in the 2000s. A rising tide of public sentiment led to tobacco’s decline, and the federal quota system that […]
Election 2021: Who’s running for governor?
January 2021 update: See our updated gubernatorial race guide here Several candidates have already jumped into the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race, and several more likely entrants are waiting to declare their candidacies until the 2020 election concludes. Virginia’s constitution limits governors to nonconsecutive four-year terms, so incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam can’t run for reelecti[...]
Is Trump good for business?
President Donald Trump entered the White House in 2017 with no political experience but a lifetime spent in business. Nearly four years later, with the incumbent Republican president up for reelection against Democrat Joe Biden, a former vice president who has been in politics for 50 years, Virginia voters are asking themselves: Is Donald Trump […]
A look at November’s ballots
Besides considering candidates for president, U.S. Senate and 11 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 3, Virginians will also vote on two ballot measures to amend the state constitution. And four cities will hold local referendums to legalize gambling at proposed casinos within their boundaries. The statewide ballot measures include a proposal […]
Legislative Briefing
Virginia lawmakers considered an array of bills impacting businesses and the state economy. Here’s a look at some key actions taken during the 2020 session: Casinos Virginia lawmakers passed legislation opening the door for casinos but only in five localities: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond. A study by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review […]
A session to remember
In the six weeks between the Virginia General Assembly‘s March 12 adjournment and its April 22 veto session, the world changed. The dramatic societal shifts brought on by the coronavirus pandemic were on display during the historic, surreal April meeting, in which the lawmakers gathered at unusual locations — the Senate at the Science Museum […]
Crossing the line
A city famous for birthing country music and straddling the Virginia-Tennessee state line, Bristol, Virginia, has spent the last decade struggling to recover from the Great Recession and the coal industry’s steep decline. However, a new surge of economic life is reenergizing Bristol as it enters the 2020s. More visitors are flocking downtown. A new […]
