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Short and … sweet?
A look ahead at the General Assembly’s 2021 session
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Even before the pandemic and ensuing recession took hold in Virginia, 2020 already had the makings for a novel year in the General Assembly. Having won majorities in both houses in the November 2019 elections, Democrats took back full control of the legislature for the first time in a generation. With Gov. Ralph Northam in
War and peace
2020 Virginia Business Person of the Year: Phebe Novakovic leads world’s third-largest defense contractor
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Like a lot of bosses in spring and summer 2020, Phebe Novakovic confronted challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. It threatened lives and economies. Managers weren’t sure when some customers would be able to pay their bills. Employees were anxious; clients were understandably skittish. With travel shutting down, in-person sales demonstrations were curtailed. But unlike most
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Viva Virginia
Voters in four cities will decide in November's election whether to allow casinos in the Old Dominion
Published
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
The big dig
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion incorporates new tunnel boring technology
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With construction beginning this fall to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), relief is on the way for travelers weary of sitting in traffic jams along one of south-eastern Virginia’s most congested corridors. The $3.8 billion expansion is the largest project in the history of the Virginia Department of Transportation and one of the largest
Is Trump good for business?
Will voters tell president ‘You’re fired’ or hire him for second term?
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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
Moving the needle
After summer protests, businesses wrestle with equity and inclusion
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A few years ago, Nadine Marsh-Carter and the staff of the small adoption agency she runs decided that to better represent the children they worked with, they needed board leadership that better reflected their clients. Founded 120 years ago, the Children’s Home Society of Virginia began with a focus on finding families to adopt “healthy
Virginia 500
The 2020 Power List
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Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Virginia 500 — The 2020 Power List. Read more about the power list and how we assembled the Virginia 500. Below you will find links to each of the 20 categories featuring the state’s top business leaders. Living Legends Agriculture Arts | Entertainment | Sports Economic Development Education
(Re)open season
Virginia companies seek paths to reopening amid pandemic
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RELATED STORY: Busch Gardens set to reopen Aug. 6. Reclining against the Williamsburg greenery, the 180-foot-tall steel serpent awaits anyone brave enough to test their mettle against it. Measuring 3,300 feet in length and boasting a top speed of 73 miles per hour, it shares the name of a Roman temple dedicated to the gods:
The front line
Health care workers confront fear, sorrow and coronavirus
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Before the pandemic, disaster meant something different to most people — even hospital workers. “It’s preparing for worst-case scenarios,” says Dr. Sandy Simons, an emergency room physician at Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital. “When you talk about disaster medicine, you train for a bomb going off.” A single traumatic event, in other words. Not a
Sorry, we’re CLOSED
Virginia hotels, attractions shut down during pandemic
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“April is the cruelest month,” T.S. Eliot wrote, but for the hospitality and tourism industries, the cruelty began in March. With conferences and conventions canceling reservations amid the pandemic, hotels and convention centers across the commonwealth have temporarily shut down operations, furloughing and laying off workers. By late March, Virginia lost more than 23,000 hotel