Sweet Briar College names alumna 14th president
Sweet Briar College will keep Mary Pope Maybank Hutson as its president permanently after serving as interim president since July, the private women’s college announced Thursday. Hutson is the 14th president of Sweet Briar and the Amherst County school’s first alumna president. A 1983 graduate with a degree in intern[...]
Lego donates $1M to six Richmond-area nonprofits
Lego Group has distributed $1 million in grants across six Richmond region nonprofits, the Danish toymaker announced Thursday. The company, which broke ground in April on its $1 billion manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County, awarded the funding to organizations serving children and families as part of its commitment to h[...]
No dice: Casino referendum fails again
Richmond‘s do-over casino referendum failed at the ballot box Nov. 7 by a much larger margin than the city’s first casino referendum did in 2021, as roughly 61% of Richmond voters rejected the proposed $562 million Richmond Grand Resort & Casino. Leading up to the election, the casino’s corporate backers, U[...]
‘Smokeless’ Snoop Dogg ad is Martin Agency creation
Known as much for his love of weed as for his music, celebrity rapper Snoop Dogg posted Thursday on X that he was “giving up smoke,” an announcement that raised eyebrows among some fans, while others figured it must be a marketing ploy. To be blunt, it was the latter, and Richmond‘s The Martin Agency […]
Richmond to host 2026 national speech and debate tournament
The Richmond region will host a June 2026 national speech and debate tournament that’s expected to bring 10,000 students and visitors to the region. The National Speech & Debate Association, Richmond Region Tourism and the nonprofit Richmond Forum made the announcement Monday. “I know this will be one of the best tou[...]
Carpenter to acquire N.C. foam manufacturer
Richmond-based polyurethane foam manufacturer Carpenter has signed an agreement to acquire North Carolina-based NCFI Polyurethanes’ Consumer Products division, the company announced Wednesday. Carpenter declined to disclose financial terms of the transaction. The NCFI division has about 150 employees, who will join Carpent[...]
Spanberger declares run for Va. governor
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger on Monday declared she is running for Virginia governor and will not seek another term in Congress. The Democrat, who is in her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, released a video announcing her bid. Spanberger’s the first candidate to declare so far in the 2025 race, but in [&hel[...]
Richmond-area mainstay Saxon Shoes moves onto its next step
When Gary Weiner’s parents, Jack and Gloria, opened Saxon Shoes in Richmond in 1953, they mostly carried shoes for children with orthopedic needs. Now, 70 years later, the store has something for everyone and is about 10 times the size of the average shoe store and operates in Henrico County’s Short Pump area. It[...]
No dice: Richmond casino referendum fails by large margin
Richmond’s do-over casino referendum failed at the ballot box Tuesday by a much larger margin than the first casino referendum did in 2021, as about 61% of Richmond voters said no to the $562 million Richmond Grand Resort & Casino. It was not a good night for gambling interests in Virginia, as voters in Manassas [&hell[...]
Urban One chair, radio hosts slam casino foes on air
Updated Nov. 4 Richmond casino referendum rhetoric took an ugly turn this week, as an Urban One radio host in Richmond compared anti-casino campaigner Paul Goldman to biblical traitor Judas and negatively referenced his Jewish faith — drawing condemnation as antisemitic speech — while speaking on air Wednesday about the casi[...]
Former Lynchburg Chapstick factory sells for $1.9M
A 218,818-square-foot industrial property in Lynchburg where Chapstick was once manufactured has sold for $1.9 million, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer said. Valley Properties purchased the industrial/manufacturing building, located at 1000 Robins Road, from KDC/One as an investment. KDC/One, a global contract manufacturer o[...]
Glass manufacturing operation to create 659 jobs in Prince George
PGT Innovations, a Florida-based manufacturer and supplier of windows and doors, will invest $54.3 million to establish a glass manufacturing operation in the former Rolls-Royce facility in Prince George County’s Crosspointe Logistics Center, creating 659 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. Virginia competed with A[...]