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Caesars Virginia expansion promises a top-tier resort experience in Danville

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Caesars Virginia expansion promises a top-tier resort experience in Danville


When you’re driving through Danville, Caesars Virginia is sure to catch your eye, and by the end of the year, it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.

All of our wonderful restaurants, our bars, our pool, our spa,” said Chris Albrecht, Caesars Virginia General Manager. “This a true destination resort experience here in Danville.

The permanent casino will have more than 1,400 slot machines, about 80 table games, seven restaurants, and much more.

Albrecht said that construction for the permanent casino is going well. They have about 1,000 workers on site every day. A lot of progress has been made on the outside with getting the walls up. They expect the parking garage to be finished in the next few weeks. They also plan to focus on the inside and getting walls up for the restaurants, the hotel, and the convention space.

“The casino floor itself, you can actually walk on the inside, and you know where all of the different components are now going to be because you can see it all come together and taking shape and it’s really exciting,” Albrecht said.

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Temporary casino in Danville celebrates one-year-anniversary

The temporary casino has been sparking a lot of economic growth in the area since it opened last May and officials hope that trend continues when permanent casino is complete. In terms of revenue, Albrecht said he thinks the temporary casino has exceeded what the city has budgeted to receive from the casino.

That’s just indirect impact. There’s also the indirect impact of those customers and workers that are here utilizing local amenities,” Albrecht said. “They’re staying in those hotels, they’re staying and enjoying those restaurants here on top of that. So, it’s not just what we bring directly to the casino, but it’s that compounding effect, that multiplier effect.

When the casino is finished, Albrecht said that Caesars Virginia will give you an experience like no other.

“Hopefully we’re going to see people not just from what we’re seeing in the temporary facility, but they’ll come from much farther away taking cars, planes, trains, or whatever to come see just a truly special transformative operation here,” Albrecht said.

Danville City Council approves an updated $750 million agreement with Caesars Casino

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When the grand opening day comes, Albrecht hopes the community and staff will feel a sense of pride.

“That they’ve been a part of something that’s truly transformed into something special for the city of Danville and I think we’re going to deliver on that,” Albrecht said.

Caesars Virginia is looking to hire about 700 to 800 employees for the permanent casino. They are already working on planning hiring events in the city and surrounding areas.

There isn’t an official opening date yet. But officials say the casino is still on track to be completed late this year.



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Virginia

Bus driver in fatal Virginia crash had previous speeding charges

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Bus driver in fatal Virginia crash had previous speeding charges


A bus driver with a history of speeding accusations was indicted on additional charges Monday in a chain-reaction crash in Virginia that killed five people and injured dozens more.

Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, initially was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the crash early Friday morning on Interstate 95. On Monday, a grand jury indicted him on three additional charges of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, according to a statement from the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

Authorities said Dong was driving a motorcoach from New York to North Carolina when he struck a line of vehicles that had slowed down in a work zone. A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, on their way to a wedding were killed, as was a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Dong, who remained hospitalized Monday, previously was accused of speeding in Colonial Heights, Virginia, in November 2024 and in Annapolis, Maryland, in March, according to online court records. In the latter case, he is accused of driving a motorcoach 72 mph (116 kph) in a 50 mph (80 kph) zone.

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In the Virginia case, Dong was convicted of driving 73 mph (117 kph) in a 55 mph (89 kph) zone and paid $219 in fines and court costs. He also has a pending case in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where he was accused of trespassing in July.

The bus involved in Friday’s crash was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, a board member said.

Court documents related to the bus crash do not list an attorney for Dong. Neither the attorney representing him in the trespassing case nor the lawyer representing him in Maryland responded to emails seeking comment Monday.

Prosecutor Eric Olsen said Dong will be transported to jail upon his release from the hospital.

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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.





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Average gasoline prices in Virginia have fallen in the last week: GasBuddy

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Average gasoline prices in Virginia have fallen in the last week: GasBuddy


Average gasoline prices in Virginia have fallen 23.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.15/g on Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 4,081 stations in Virginia.

Prices in Virginia are 1 cent per gallon lower than a month ago and stand $1.21/g higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 15.5 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $5.437 per gallon, GasBuddy said.

SEE ALSO: Suspect in fatal shooting of Carroll County deputy captured in North Carolina

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Virginia was priced at $3.29/g on Sunday, while the most expensive was $5.59/g, a difference of $2.30/g. The lowest price in the state on Sunday was $3.29/g while the highest was $5.59/g, a difference of $2.30/g.

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The national average price of gasoline has fallen 19.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.26/g on Monday. The national average is down 17.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.18/g higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.



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Deadly crashes on Interstate 95 over 2 days prompt safety concerns along Virginia’s busy corridor

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Deadly crashes on Interstate 95 over 2 days prompt safety concerns along Virginia’s busy corridor


CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. — Two deadly crashes on I-95 in two days are drawing attention to safety concerns along one of Virginia’s busiest corridors.

Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen authorized felony warrants charging Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Friday’s deadly bus crash in Stafford County. Additional charges are pending.

Investigators say the bus was traveling at a high rate of speed when it slammed into traffic slowing for a work zone on I-95 south, triggering a chain reaction involving at least eight vehicles.

“According to local first responders, five occupants of passenger vehicles in the traffic queue were tragically killed. Numerous other occupants, including the bus driver, were injured and some seriously,” National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said.

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 Family killed in I-95 bus crash was headed to wedding in South Carolina, relatives say

Family killed in I-95 bus crash was headed to wedding in South Carolina, relatives say

Among those killed was a Massachusetts family of four who were traveling to a wedding in South Carolina. A fifth victim, also from Massachusetts, was killed.

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A total of 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three with critical injuries.

A woman who was on the bus described the scene in the aftermath of the crash.

“You have blood, people bleeding, people screaming, the bus smoking. A stranger came bust the window open and let us all out; I’m thankful for that,” passenger Judy said.

Dong remains hospitalized but is in custody after being served with the felony warrants. Prosecutors say more charges are possible. He will be held without bond, and his first court appearance will be scheduled once he is released from the hospital.

Then on Saturday, another deadly crash closed portions of I-95 in Caroline County.

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Christina and Joshua Baker

Christina Baker and her husband Joshua say they witnessed the crash unfold. They told us an SUV was speeding down the left shoulder of I-95 South before striking debris and losing control.

“It went down, and then it went up, and then just flew across the entire median across onto oncoming traffic going the opposite direction,” Christina Baker said. “I started screaming, saying, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.’”

Officials say one person died and two others were hospitalized. At this time, they have not released any more information about those involved.

The crash left the Bakers wanting to remind drivers to stay alert and think of others when behind the wheel.

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“People should just stay in the lanes, drive the speed limit right, and be responsible. Because I felt for a moment, I was obviously concerned for our safety as well,” Joshua Baker said.

While the cause of both crashes remains under investigation, Chapman says the NTSB is noticing many common factors when it comes to crashes on I-95, including traffic backups.

“We also want to look very closely here to issues potentially involving fatigue, driver performance, those sorts of things. And vehicle performance issues. That might include factors such as automatic braking, whether the vehicle was or was not equipped with what’s called AEB. Those are the sorts of things we want to look at here and we might be able to learn some lessons,” Chapman said.

This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.

IN-DEPTH COVERAGE: Fatal I-95 Charter Bus Crash

  • This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.





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