Senate committee’s ‘no’ vote for Morrissey casino bill may mean ‘yes’ for Richmond
With two weeks to go in the 2023 General Assembly session, Richmond appears to be on track to retain the right to hold a second vote on hosting a casino in November. While it could all change, Richmond gained much needed help from a slim majority of the Senate Finance Committee. Last week, the committee voted 8-7 to kill Petersburg Democratic state Sen. Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey’s bill to add the Cockade City to the list of cities allowed to have a casino and authorize that city to host a referendum before Richmond made a second attempt to get voters to approve after a majority rejected a casino plan in 2021. If the majority holds in the Senate Finance Committee, the same fate would await an identical bill that Petersburg Repub- lican Delegate Kim Taylor successfully pushed through the House on Tuesday. Petersburg believed it had a good chance to win after sign- ing an agreement with The Cordish Companies of Baltimore to deliver a casino and related developments worth $1.4 bil- lion. Despite the setback, that city is still is likely to hold a November referendum seeking approval from its voters for the Cordish proposal. Richmond is not guaranteed to retain the right to hold a referendum. With Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin seeking to lift up Petersburg, the Free Press has been told that some of those who opposed Sen. Morrissey’s bill in the committee could use the Petersburg casino measure as a bargaining chip when the House and Senate conferees meet to finalize the budget. A year ago, after Sen. Morrissey’s bill appeared to be dead after losing 9-7 in the Finance Committee, budget language re- vived it. The legislature followed Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan’s
Biden in State of the Union: ‘Finish the job’
President Biden exhorted Congress on Tuesday night to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Love and loss
Local woman’s book seeks to help families, youngsters work through trauma
Amanda Lynch’s 10th book as a self-published author is one that she wishes she’d only imagined. But the book’s core is the 43-year-old Richmond author’s ongoing nightmare, a family trauma she thought was one almost too gutting to live through, let alone write about.
Personality: Ari Abad
Spotlight on co-founder of Woman Life Freedom RVA
When Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year old Kurdish woman from the city of Saqqez in the Kurdistan Province, died Sept. 16, 2022, in police custody after being arrested for not properly wearing her hijab, the story resonated with Ari Abad. Hijab’s are headpieces worn by some Muslim women.
Dr. Dean Climmon Williams remembered as a compassionate, caring physician
Dean Climmon Williams, known to his colleagues as “Dr. Dean,” passed away Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at his home in Richmond, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and care in Virginia’s medical community.
Myrna Pride’s happy her children are home
A ruling last Thursday by retired Judge Robert S. Brewbaker Jr. reunited Myrna Pride with the three children she shares with estranged husband, Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond.
City seeks to battle climate, continue using fossil fuel
When it comes to battling climate change, Richmond wants to reduce public and private emissions of greenhouse gases while still allowing its natural gas utility to keep pump- ing out fossil fuel to power homes and buildings.
Free community testing for COVID-19
The Richmond and Henrico County health districts are offering testing at the following locations:
Details for voting in Feb. 21 congressional election
Deadlines are approaching to vote early in the 4th Congres- sional District election to replace the late U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin.
Free tax services available
Need help with filing taxes? United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg once again is offering free tax preparation services in partnership with a variety of organizations and volunteers.
Jackson Baynard named chief of Division of Fire
Henrico County appointed Jackson P.F. Baynard to serve as chief of the Division of Fire, effective Jan. 28.
Just One Look
The Richmond Free Press congratulates the five brave couples who shared their recipes for finding and sustaining love and marriage in this year’s Valentine’s “Love Stories.”
Cash call
Unconditional cash assistance is having a moment. Even before the pandemic, there was growing recognition that our heavily work-conditioned safety net is inadequate.
Housing is a vaccine for poverty, by Mayor Levar Stoney
When I was growing up in Hampton Roads, we lived paycheck to paycheck. My father regularly stated we were just one missed paycheck, one missed rent payment from potentially losing our home.
AP course tests our racial politics, too, by Clarence Page
Sometimes people who want to show you how clever they are only end up exposing their own ignorance.
‘Why support legislation designed to obstruct a Richmond casino?’
I am strongly opposed to any legislation that has been crafted specifically to obstruct economic development in the city of Richmond. The fact that a state senator, who represents Richmond, would lead the charge to strategically cut Richmond out of an opportunity to build a casino, while feverishly promoting a casino in Petersburg, is unconscionable. Richmond was one of the five original cities selected by the legislature to build a casino. Curiously, the other four cities have all moved forward with building their casinos without opposition. It has not gone unnoticed that the proposed Richmond casino would be the only Black-owned casino in the state and that it plans to offer profit-sharing for its employees. The Richmond proposal indicates that ap- proximately 2,050 new jobs would be created by the casino. According to the state’s own research, a Richmond casino would generate almost $300 million in net gaming revenue, over $91 million in local tax revenue and over $33 million in state gaming tax. In fact, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission reported that a Richmond casino would be the highest earning facility in the state. The proposed Richmond casino will be an $800 million private investment, which will greatly enhance economic development in our capital city. It will undoubtedly create a long-lasting opportunity to positively impact the citizens of Richmond and the entire state. So the “million dollar question” is, “WHY” would anyone support legislation that was crafted with the single purpose to obstruct Richmond from realizing such a tremendous economic opportunity? BIRDIE HAIRSTON JAMISON Richmond
Is our gun-crazed society reflection of entertainment biz?
The prop gun killing on the “Rust” movie set by Alec Baldwin reminds me of other reckless gun-violence disasters on movie sets. Specifically, when the actor Jon-Erik Hexum died after shoot- ing himself in the head with a prop gun blank while pretending to play Russian roulette with a .44 Magnum on the set of the 1984 CBS television series “Cover Up.” As well as when actor Brandon Lee, 28, son of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee, died after being hit by a .44-caliber slug while filming a death scene for the 1993 movie “The Crow.”
Love Stories
The Free Press proudly presents its annual Valentine’s Day feature. It shares the Love Stories of five Richmond-area couples.
VUU defeats Elizabeth City 87-71 on live TV
Harding, Osborne score 17 points each
Tahj Harding looks good on camera.
The secret is out about Trinity’s football dominance
It all started about four years ago. First one standout football player enrolled at Trinity Episcopal School. Then another ... and another ...
