The Richmond Federal Reserve’s quarterly magazine about the Fifth District economy, Region Focus, came out this week with an article about the surge of baseball stadiums being built or proposed in the region. The article, “Ballpark Boom,” mentions the Highwoods Properties proposal to build a stadium in Shockoe Bottom. It also brings up points on both… Read more »
Al Harris
Hotel bookings in the pits for race weekend
Hotels across the metro region have dropped rates to lure NASCAR fans to Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway. But even at lower prices, hotel managers expect to have plenty of empty rooms. “Quite honestly, I think the economy has really impacted people’s decision to come to the race this year,” said Fritz Schwartz,… Read more »
VDOT cutting 230 jobs, 90 in Richmond
The Virginia Department of Transportation announced that it will lay off 230 employees throughout the commonwealth. The cuts go into effect June 6. Spokesman Jeffrey Caldwell said that 63 of the cuts are at the central office and that 27 cuts are in the Richmond district for a total of 90 positions in the area…. Read more »
Martin Agency layoffs 60 days later
None of the 24 employees laid off from Martin have taken advantage of the program, according to the Agency Spy which concludes that they must still be on the job hunt.
Chesterfield looks to cut development fees
Development in Chesterfield County is set to become less expensive, if the Board of Supervisors follows a recent recommendation by the planning department to cut fees. The Chesterfield Planning Commission voted unanimously last week to lower fees on residential, office, commercial and industrial conditional-use applications by more than 20 percent. The fees were raised in… Read more »
LandAmerica jet goes to auction
After flying high on the mortgage boom, LandAmerica took a nosedive when the title company filed for bankruptcy last year. With the company grounded, it apparently no longer has a need for the corporate jet, a 1999 Hawker Beechcraft 400A. The jet, owned by LandAmerica subsidiary Beech Fly LLC, will be auctioned by Martin Air… Read more »
Braves’ new turf under scrutiny
The Gwinnett Braves, formerly known as the Richmond Braves, have played their first game at their new digs in the suburbs of Georgia. While the team may be happy with their new home, an editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests that taxpayers may have gotten the short end of the baseball bat. According to the… Read more »
Ellwood Thomson’s D.C. expansion put on hold
Natural grocery store Ellwood Thompson’s announced Friday that plans to open a store in Washington have been put on hold indefinitely.
Monday Q&A: Looking for work is a full-time job
When Collins Denny held the first meeting of the Virginia Career Network in November, two people showed up. Now the group has more than 1,000 members registered between Meetup.com and Linkedin.com. The Virginia Career Network, founded by Denny, a manager at the local information technology firm Leading Edge Systems, and Deborah Gallant of Convergent Technology… Read more »
VCU reveals plans for grocery store site
The empty grocery store and parking lot at Grace and Harrison streets could soon be converted into classrooms and library storage for VCU, according to the school’s facility manager.