Va. GOP to hold May 8 “drive-in” convention, possibly in Lynchburg
After months of discussion and indecision, the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee elected Tuesday night to hold a May 8 “drive-in” convention — possibly around Liberty University in Lynchburg — to choose its 2021 statewide nominees for governor, attorney general and lieutenant governor. The state GOP committee conducted a three-hour, occasionally contentious public […][...]
MicroStrategy buys $1B+ in bitcoin
Tysons-based business software company MicroStrategy Inc. announced Wednesday that it has purchased $1.026 billion of additional bitcoin, its largest single bitcoin purchase since it began acquiring the cryptocurrency last August. With this latest transaction, MicroStrategy’s total bitcoin holdings are worth approximately [...]
CGI Inc. awarded $137M contract to overhaul Va. procurement system
Global IT company CGI Inc., which has its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax, announced Tuesday it has been awarded a $137.8 million contract by the Virginia Department of General Services (DGS) to support “transformational enhancements” to the state government’s eVA online procurement system. eVA provides a centralized, online purchasing hub for state and local agencies to […]
HRBT tunnel boring machine’s name will be ‘Mary’
Chosen from several entries submitted by Hampton Roads area middle school students, the massive underwater tunnel boring machine (TBM) that arrives later this year to dig new tunnels for the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project will be named Mary, in honor of Mary Winston Jackson, a NASA scientist depicted [...]
Textiles startup opening Buchanan County sewing factory
Local textiles manufacturing startup Maine Five is opening a sewing factory at Buchanan County’s Council Industrial Park building. Investing $350,000 in the 17,211-square-foot factory space, the company is immediately hiring 12 workers and has plans to employ to 100 total workers by 2026. Founded in 2020, Maine Five manufa[...]
UPDATED: Richmond now has six major casino proposals
Updated Feb. 26 The city of Richmond is now considering six casino proposals, the mayor’s office announced Friday. Monday afternoon was the city’s deadline for its request for proposals, and all six submitted were deemed eligible. Starting next month, Richmond will hold public meetings with opportunities for citizen [...]
COVID roundup: 300K vaccine doses arrive in Va.
Virginia received an influx of more than 300,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, in part due to the weather-delayed delivery of 106,000 Moderna doses that were expected last week. The state also is receiving a bump in doses directed to local health departments and districts, as well as twice as many doses arriving in retail [&[...]
HII lands $2.99B Navy contract
The U.S. Navy awarded Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division a $2.99 billion contract to refuel and overhaul USS John C. Stennis supercarrier, the Department of Defense announced Friday. Under the contract, Newport News Shipbuilding will perform work for the second half of th[...]
GMU establishes President’s Innovation Advisory Council
George Mason University President Gregory Washington on Monday announced he has formed an advisory roundtable of nearly 30 regional business executives and community leaders to focus on the university’s innovation initiative. The President’s Innovation Advisory Council will focus on issues such as GMU’s efforts to [...]
Virginia, other states sue Augusta County company Nexus Services
Updated 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22 Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring joined Massachusetts and New York in suing Virginia-based bonding company Nexus Services Inc., alleging in the suit that its Libre by Nexus subsidiary “preys on consumers held in federal detention centers by offering to pay for consumers’ immigration bonds to secure their release.” In exchange […]
Commercial real estate lease roundup
Central Virginia National Delivery Systems Inc. renewed its 78,232-square-foot lease at 4840 Eubank Road in Richmond. Rob Dirom and John Carpin of Colliers International represented the landlord. Belvac Production Machinery Inc. renewed its lease of 71,576 square feet of industrial space at 25 Millrace Drive in Lynchburg. Norman Moon of Thalhimer, along with Cushman & […]
Lawmakers advance bills to compensate first responders hit by COVID-19
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers have passed bills that allow certain first responders to file workers’ compensation benefits for being disabled from COVID-19, but still need to reach agreement on some differences. The measures would make COVID-19 an occupational disease for firefighters, emergency medical services per[...]