New incentives for green development may soon be on the way to Richmond; A new low-nicotine cigarette is being produced that could hit Virginia markets by the end of 2023; Eighteen people in Virginia have pleaded guilty to unemployment compensation fraud; and other local news stories.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is urging veterans and survivors to file for benefits under the PACT Act as an August deadline looms.

The long-time owner of the Swannanoa Palace on the Afton Mountain property has died; Acting Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said yesterday that job applications to the department increased 74 percent during the first six months of 2023, compared to the same period last year; State coffers ended fiscal year 2023 with about $3 billion dollars more than predicted based on early data.

The city of Richmond has chosen acting Chief of Police Rick Edwards as its new chief; A number of organizations and individuals have voiced opinions, following Tuesday’s release of guidelines around trans students in public schools from the Virginia Department of Education; Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have announced $44 million dollars for the state’s 10 airports.

The Virginia Department of Education has issued new model policies for transgender students; The Virginia Department of Education has paused a grant program that helped people of color obtain full teaching credentials; The Virginia NAACP expressed concern Tuesday over the Youngkin Administration’s approach to restoring the voting rights of people who have been convicted of a felony.

Attorneys representing the organization behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline are asking the U-S Supreme Court to review two orders to halt the project’s construction; A judge has thrown out most of a lawsuit filed to stop a Black cultural center from melting down a Robert E. Lee statue that once stood in a Charlottesville city park; An independent government agency announced changes late last week in criteria for choosing where a new FBI headquarters will be located.

Norfolk is moving forward on a massive, multi-billion-dollar project to protect the city from major storms.

Scott's Addition sees another new housing development and sees a long time bank depart; Lidl in Short Pump sets to scoot out; And a former bike shop owner changes gears to audio.

The city has provided money for the newly founded Richmond Outdoor and Prosperity Fund; During Virginia’s humid months, some folks might want to grab a refreshing local beer; The Hanover Tomato Festival kicks off today at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville.

Dominion Energy is set to sell its share of a Maryland natural gas plant to Berkshire Hathaway Energy for 3.3 billion dollars; The seven-member Hanover County School Board elected a new leadership Tuesday, following the recent departure of two long-time members; The Henrico Board of Supervisors approved a $12 million contract to build a new fire station Tuesday.

H-C-A Healthcare information was accessed by an unauthorized person or group; Governor Glenn Youngkin announced an ad campaign Tuesday aimed at encouraging Republicans to vote early in this November’s state legislative elections; Virginia announced a new grant program yesterday for small manufacturers looking to get involved in the offshore wind supply chain.

The Hanover County School Board will consider eliminating its Community Equity Advisory Board during a Tuesday meeting; One of the companies hoping to bring a casino to Richmond discussed delays in filing reports with the US Securities and Exchange Commission late last week; Lidl, a discount grocery chain, will close its short pump location due to a lack of revenue.

The Youngkin administration has pulled LGBTQ Plus youth resources from a state website after inquiries from right-wing media; A proposed laboratory school that would connect Virginia Commonwealth University and CodeRVA — a regional high school focused on computer science — will be recommended for approval to the State Board of Education; The Youngkin administration recently said that the sale of recreational marijuana will likely remain illegal during his time in office.

BizSense Beat: July 7, 2023: The Stuart Siegel lawsuit; A Richmond Manchester lot slated for mixed-use with a grocery story is now for sale; and Stoney Point gets a new coins and collectibles store.

Denver Riggleman—a one term Republican congressperson from Charlottesville – is working with Hunter Biden’s lawyers; A group of Hanover County residents wants to change how members of its school board are selected; The Supreme Court of Virginia ordered that a man be released from custody on Tuesday.

Hundreds of new laws came into effect at the beginning of the month; Utility rates for Richmond residents also increased on July 1st; Since April, members of Virginia’s General Assembly have had a list of state budget recommendations from Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Tiffany Gallop is a Pediatric Nurse in the Hampton Roads area. In 2013, she began working with children who have various disabilities.

A new development that will drastically change the Manchester skyline is a go; As it continues to pay for its costly exit from an ill-fated downtown development project, VCU Health has been given a go-ahead by the city to begin demolishing and clearing the project site, at an estimated cost of $5 million; Carytown Burgers & Fries, a mainstay in the Richmond restaurant scene since 1999, is up for grabs; and other local business stories.

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced new Board of Visitors appointments for 14 Virginia colleges and universities Wednesday; Lawyers representing the family of Irvo Otieno have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into the 29-year-old's death; The United States Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admission policies at two universities Thursday.

The Richmond Jazz and Music Festival will return to Maymont Park for the first time since 2019; Dominion Energy held an open house at Bellwood Elementary School to discuss its proposed natural gas plant in Chesterfield earlier this week; The first Black woman to be city council president announced her candidacy for Richmond mayor Tuesday.

City Council earlier this week approved an agreement that will allow VCU Health to demolish the Public Safety Building in downtown Richmond; Six Richmond organizations are receiving grants to fight inequities in health; The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority addressed its losses through embezzlement in a press release earlier this month... but some are suspicious of the authority’s claims.

Late last week, the Army Corps of Engineers approved permits that could enable the $6.6 billion dollar Mountain Valley Pipeline to be completed; The Chesapeake Bay Program says there could be record-low amounts of deadly algae in the Bay this year; Virginia is the latest state to require people who want to view online pornography to verify their age under a new law that goes into effect Saturday.

A unionization effort by Richmond city employees took a big step Thursday; Moderators of a Richmond-focused Reddit community say they’re not concerned about upcoming changes to the site; The Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority has been working to put in place a security force to address QUOTE “heightened crime” in some public housing neighborhoods.

Former governor Doug Wilder said he isn’t satisfied with the results that came back last week of a VCU-driven review into VCU Health’s ill-fated and costly downtown development deal; Buc-ee’s has purchased nearly 28 acres in New Kent County, where it’s planning its first store in state; and after nearly 60 years on Sesame Street, VPM will soon be on its way to downtown Richmond.

Late last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act; The city of Norfolk on Wednesday officially cut the ribbon on the Ohio Creek Watershed Project; The Henrico-based company Capital Square plans to redevelop two lots in Scott’s Addition.