It is economically feasible to build casinos in both the City of Richmond and the City of Petersburg, according to a study from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). Legislators ordered the study amid lobbying to give Virginia’s last casino license to Petersburg after Richmond voters rejected a casino in 2021.
“Demand is sufficient in the Petersburg market to support a casino,” said bullets in a JLARC briefing presented Monday
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The recently-passed Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget includes language blocking the City of Richmond from holding another casino referendum until November 2023. Richmond officials have called for a 2022 referendum after voters rejected a casino in 2021, but Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond) is instead pushing for Petersburg to be granted a casino license, and on Thursday afternoon, Richmond officials and the casino developers suggested they were considering legal action.
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Former Delegate Lashrecse Aird announced her candidacy for the 2023 Democratic nomination in the new Senate District 13, setting up a primary battle with State Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond), who intends to move into the district and run for the seat. “In just one month, I’ve watched our Commonwealth torn apart due to hateful and divisive politics,” Aird said in an announcement video. “But the truth is, I know Virginians are more alike than different. Alike in wanting schools they can be proud to send their children to. Alike in wanting a livable wage and good-paying jobs so have their share and shot at a strong quality of life. And alike in wanting access to quality health care, especially at times like these when it’s needed the most.” As a delegate, Aird sponsored bills that became law, including a ban on no-knock search warrants that became law and a broad ban on law enforcement using facial recognition technology, although that ban was ended in the 2022 session. In her role on the House Appropriations Committee said she would prioritize the financial problems facing the city of Petersburg. She also co-authored an op-ed citing a need to lower energy costs as…
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A Richmond judge approved a second Richmond casino referendum, Mayor Levar Stoney announced Monday.
“Today is a good day in the City of Richmond because our residents have an opportunity to vote in November for 1500 good-paying jobs and tax relief with the One Casino + Resort referendum being back on the table thanks in part to the recent certification by the Virginia Lottery and the subsequent ruling by Richmond Circuit Court today,” Stoney said in a press release.
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The Richmond City Democratic Committee voted Thursday to censure Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond) over threats Morrissey made to Petersburg NAACP President Lafayette Jefferson.
RCDC member Jimmie Lee Jarvis made the motion to censure the senator. “I was very upset to read, and then hear, Sen. Morrissey’s appalling and repeated threats of violence against a constituent, Mr. Jefferson,” Jarvis said according to The Virginia Scope.
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The Richmond City Council voted eight to one to again pursue bringing an Urban One casino to the city, despite voters rejecting the casino in a November referendum. Pro-casino spending hit about $2 million, but local grassroots activism and $200,000 defeated the proposal. Shortly afterwards a survey about the casino proposal began circulating, and Councilmember Reva Trammell began collecting signatures for a petition to hold another referendum, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Trammell’s district includes the proposed site of the casino. Before the Monday evening vote, she said that misinformation and difficulty voting were part of the reason the referendum failed.
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