Virginia
Virginia sees 10,000th new business open under Youngkin's tenure, fulfilling top campaign pledge
EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will announce Thursday that his state has surpassed a business-creation milestone he made a campaign pledge to meet.
After he was declared the victor in November 2021 against Democratic former Gov. Terence McAuliffe, Youngkin, a Republican, pledged to foster 10,000 new start-up businesses during his term.
“On day one, we’re going to jumpstart our jobs and reinvigorate the economy so it lifts up all Virginians,” Youngkin said at the time, having repeatedly declared since that “Virginia is open for business.”
On Thursday, Youngkin said he achieved that goal in “record time.”
YOUNGKIN: EDUCATION IS THE ‘BEDROCK OF THE AMERICAN DREAM’
Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin holds a campaign event in Amherst, Virginia, Oct. 28, 2021. (Charles Creitz)
“Through our ‘Compete to Win’ strategy, we’ve reached this incredible milestone by driving innovation, fostering entrepreneurship, bolstering our talent pipeline, providing needed tax relief, and truly creating an environment where startups and businesses can thrive,” he said.
“Our efforts to bolster our business environment over the past two and a half years have earned Virginia the top state for business accolade. All startups should come to Virginia because we are fostering an environment of success.”
Youngkin will visit ZEBOX in Arlington later Thursday to commemorate the milestone. ZEBOX is a “startup accelerator” and “innovation hub,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
In response, Virginia Secretary of Commerce Caren Merrick said it is exciting to see so many innovators and entrepreneurs choose Virginia to launch their projects.
“I look forward to thousands more in the future,” Merrick said.
With Virginia being the rare state in which governors cannot be sequentially re-elected, that left the Falls Church businessman with only four years to meet the goal.
Youngkin said he is also proud to see CNBC name Virginia the top state for business in the country.
One recent ribbon-cutting took place not far from the governor’s office, as Youngkin joined Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham to open the Petersburg Pharma Campus, which houses several pharmaceutical manufacturers.
YOUNGKIN VETOES A SLEW OF VIRGINIA BILLS INCLUDING CONTRACEPTION ACCESS MEASURE
The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond was designed by Thomas Jefferson and its cornerstone was placed in 1785. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On the other side of the state, Firefly Aerospace chose Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Wallops Island facility near Accomac earlier this summer as the launchpad for its Alpha launch vehicle. Wallops Island is also home to an active NASA site.
As early as 2022, Youngkin’s name was being floated as a potential Republican presidential candidate, though the governor has repeatedly stressed his focus remains on Virginia rather than any national political aspirations.
“They elected me to lead change. They elected me to lead Virginia forward. And that’s what we’re doing,” Youngkin told Fox News at the time.
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Welcome to Virginia sign on I-95 North leaving North Carolina.
Until Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was ultimately selected by former President Trump, the political newcomer had also been floated as a potential vice presidential nominee.
Prior to venturing into politics, Youngkin himself had a successful career in the business sector, helming an executive position with the private equity firm Carlyle Group since 1995.
During his tenure there, he reportedly helped Carlyle lead a high-profile $12 billion revamp of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 1.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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