Virginia

Virginia's multibillion-dollar plan to lure the Wizards and Capitals away from DC clears first hurdle in legislature

Published

3 months ago

February 10, 2024

Virginia's multibillion-dollar plan to lure the Wizards and Capitals away from DC clears first hurdle in legislature

Legislation underpinning a plan to relocate the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals across the Potomac River to northern Virginia easily cleared an early hurdle in the state legislature Friday.

Lawmakers on the Virginia House Appropriations Committee voted 17-3 to advance the measure, a top priority of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, to the floor of the House of Delegates. Though the bill passed overwhelmingly, several senior Democratic legislators took care to say that their support for the measure at this point was in the interest of keeping negotiations over the deal going.

“This process is going to take the rest of our session at a minimum to enact or not enact this legislation,” Democratic Del. Mark Sickles of Fairfax County, who supported the bill, said before the committee vote.

The legislation could result in a legacy-defining project for Youngkin, a former college basketball player. Virginia is the nation’s most populous state without a major pro-sports franchise, something government officials of both parties over the course of decades have sought to change.

Youngkin and entrepreneur Ted Leonsis, an ultrawealthy former AOL executive and the CEO of the teams’ parent company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, announced in December that they had reached an understanding on a deal to relocate the Capitals and Wizards.

The plan calls for the creation of a $2 billion development in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria that would include an arena, practice facility and corporate headquarters for Monumental, plus a separate performing arts venue, all just miles from Capital One Arena, where the teams currently play in Washington.

Monumental and the city of Alexandria would put in upfront money under the terms of the deal, but about $1.5 billion would be financed through bonds issued by a governmental entity this year’s legislation would create.

The bonds would be repaid through a mix of revenues from the project, including a ticket tax, parking fees, concession taxes, income taxes levied on athletes performing at the arena, and naming rights from the district, among other sources. Proponents say those sources will more than cover the debt. But about a third of the financing would be backed by the “moral obligation” of the city and state governments, meaning taxpayers could be on the hook if the project revenues don’t come through as expected.

Critics of the project, including some who spoke against the bill Friday, asked why any tax subsidy was appropriate.

“This is a bad deal for every taxpayer in Virginia. We are saddling our children and grandchildren with 40 years of debt payments to help a billionaire get wealthier and wealthier,” said Andrew Macdonald, a former Alexandria city council member and an organizer of the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard, which held a rally on Capitol Square a day earlier.

The committee advanced a substitute version of the legislation that was initially introduced by Democratic Del. Luke Torian. It included a newly added provision that would require legislators to sign off on the deal again next year in order for the legislation to go into effect, something critics of the project cheered.

Monica Dixon, president of external affairs and chief administrative officer for Monumental, said the company was “very pleased” with Friday’s developments.

“We’ll take a look at it, but don’t expect we’ll have any major concerns,” Dixon said of the revised bill, which is likely to see further revisions as it goes through the legislative process.

Democratic legislative leaders, who control the General Assembly, have generally signaled openness or even optimism about the passage of the arena legislation this year. But they have stopped short of a full-throated endorsement of the project, both citing concerns still to be worked out and making clear the proposal is a bargaining chip in broader discussions about their own priorities.

Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who chairs the Senate finance committee, has said she wants consideration of increased public school funding, toll relief for her Hampton Roads region and legalized recreational cannabis sales in conjunction with the arena deal.

A Senate committee had at one point been expected to take up that chamber’s version of the bill on Thursday. But the hearing was delayed, and by Friday afternoon it was unclear when the bill might be heard ahead of Tuesday’s “crossover” deadline by which non-budget bills need to clear their chamber of origin.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, the sponsor of that chamber’s bill, said in a text message that his caucus is still working to reach consensus about changes to the legislation as introduced.

Many critics of the project have focused on the transportation impacts in an already congested part of Virginia.

The state released a transportation plan last week to address Alexandria residents’ concerns about traffic. Officials say they will commit $200 million to transportation improvements in the corridor, which is already seeing expanded use with a new Amazon headquarters and a new Virginia Tech campus under construction.

The plan seeks to have half of arena patrons arrive by transit, bike or walking and relies heavily on a newly built, $370 million Potomac Yard Metro station. But plan data shows that the station, as currently configured, would be overwhelmed at peak hours on game nights with “extreme crowding” lasting for 60 to 90 minutes.

The plan estimates that improvements to the station and increased service could reduce crowding to 30 to 45 minutes.

____

Barakat reported from Falls Church, Virginia.

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Virginia

West Virginia Evens Series with Emphatic 13-0 Win

Published

6 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Press Room

West Virginia Evens Series with Emphatic 13-0 Win

Granville, WV – The West Virgina Mountaineers (30-19, 16-10) crushed the Kansas State Wildcats (29-20, 13-13) Saturday night 13-0 to even the series at one.

West Virginia starting pitcher Derek Clark collected his sixth win of the season. The senior tossed seven scoreless innings and tied for a season-high 10 strikeouts.

He didn’t pitch great in Cincinnati and gave up some hits and he was pretty driven that he was going to prove to everybody that’s not him last weekend, and he had a great week of work,” said West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey. “He was really, really good.”

West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey glares at home plate umpire Matt Neader in the middle of the second inning. /

Kansas State redshirt sophomore starting pitcher Jackson Wentworth came into weekend ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 82 strikeouts. He had four strikeouts in 2.3 innings of work, then the Mountaineers started to find success.

West Virginia produced a three-run third inning and did the damage with two outs on the board. With the bases loaded, Sam White ripped the first pitch up the middle for a pair of RBIs and placed runners at the corners. White stole second base and on the throw, junior JJ Wetherholt broke for the plate and slid safely home for the 3-0 WVU lead.

Wetherholt added a run in the sixth with a solo home run over the batter’s eye in centerfield.

West Virginia junior JJ Wetherholt watches his solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. /

“We wanted him (Wentworth) to throw a lot of pitches because he’s just a converted starter and he hasn’t gotten deep into games much, so we wanted every guy to see four or five pitches their first time through, and we did that. We didn’t swing at many pitches below the zone and eventually it started coming up. When a pitcher realizes you’re not going to chase his stuff below the zone, then he has to throw strikes, and when he did, we worked ourselves into some pretty good hitter counts.

West Virginia broke the game open in the seventh, and again, the Mountaineers did the damage with two outs. With the bases loaded, Wetherholt hit a hard ground ball up the middle and it ricocheted off the glove of junior shortstop Kaelen Culpepper for an RBI single. Freshman Michael Perazza also scored on the play on a low throw from Culpepper at the plate. Then, White drilled the 2-2 pitch and placed it on top of the facilities building in right field for a three-run home run to cap off a five-run seventh.

The Mountaineers continued their offensive output in the eighth. Sophomore Skylar King recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice and Logan Sauve followed with a deep line drive down the left field line and over the wall for a three-run blast and a 13-0 lead.

West Virginia sophomore Sam White tracks down a fly ball in foul territory for the final out in the top of the sixth inning. / Christopher Hall

Freshman Joseph Fredericks took the mound in the eighth and Luke Lyman went 1-2-3 in the ninth to keep the Wildcats off the board in the final two innings as the Mountaineers coast to the 13-0 decision.

The Mountaineers and the Wildcats will square off for a series deciding game three Sunday afternoon. The first pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. EST.

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Virginia

Virginia Women’s Tennis Downs Vanderbilt 4-1 to Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals

Published

13 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Virginia Women’s Tennis Downs Vanderbilt 4-1 to Advance to NCAA Quarterfinals

The University of Virginia will be represented with two teams at the quarterfinals of the 2024 NCAA Tennis Championships next week. One day after the Cavalier men booked their ticket to Stillwater with a 4-1 win over South Carolina, the No. 5 seed Virginia women’s tennis team joined them by taking down Vanderbilt 4-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Virginia Tennis Facility at Boar’s Head in Charlottesville.

The Cavaliers got off to a strong start in doubles play, with Sara Ziodato and Meggie Navarro cruising past Anessa Lee and Amy Stevens 6-1 and Natasha Subhash and Hibah Shaikh earning a tough 7-5 win over Bridget Stammel and Valeria Ray to claim the doubles point. The other doubles match was knotted at six games apiece when the point was decided.

Elaine Chervinsky scored the first singles point for Virginia, beating Holly Staff 6-1, 6-2 on court 5. Natasha Subhash added a 6-3, 6-2 win over Valeria Ray on court 3 to make it 3-0 in favor of the Cavaliers. Vanderbilt’s lone point of the day came on the top court, where Celia-Bella Mohr outlasted Hibah Shaikh 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to get the Commodores on the board.

After dropping the first set, Melodie Collard bounced back and ultimately clinched the victory for Virginia with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Amy Stevens on court 6.

Virginia went a perfect 15-0 at home this season and has won 22-straight matches at Boar’s Head in Charlottesville. Saturday’s win was UVA’s 25th of the season, breaking the single-season program wins record.

“I’m just really proud of the entire team. I’m so happy for them and happy we could get this win today for our three seniors,” said UVA head coach Sara O’Leary. “They’ve meant so much to the program and it’s really bittersweet knowing that this is the last time they’ll play on these courts. But for them to finish with that match and this situation, I’m just really proud of them and really happy for them. We’re really excited for this opportunity and to get to keep playing. We’ll use this time today and tomorrow to really recover and then get back to work.”

The win advances Virginia to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in program history and second time in the last three years. UVA will face No. 13 seed Texas A&M, who handed the No. 4 seed North Carolina Tar Heels their first home loss in six years.

Virginia and Texas A&M will battle for a spot in the NCAA semifinals on Friday, May 17th at Oklahoma State’s Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

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Virginia

Winner winner: Virginia man goes out for chicken, wins $500,000

Published

20 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Press Room

Winner winner: Virginia man goes out for chicken, wins $500,000

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Winner, winner, chicken dinner – literally.

A Virginia man recently went to the grocery store to pick up some chicken – and came back half a million dollars richer.

Russell Gomes, of South Boston, Virginia, went to the Food Lion grocery store recently to buy chicken, he told the Virginia Lottery’s website.

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South Boston is located in southern Virginia, about 20 miles north of the North Carolina border.

While he was shopping, he decided to buy a scratch-off ticket – specifically, the Virginia Lottery’s “Magnificent 7s” scratcher.

A trip to the grocery store paid off big time for Russell Gomes of South Boston, Virginina – he won $500,000 in a scratch-off game. (iStock / iStock)

Gomes, a tractor-trailer driver, went to scratch off his ticket in the store’s parking lot – and got the surprise of a lifetime.

“I really didn’t believe it!” he told Lottery officials when he redeemed his winning ticket on May 3. “It feels great!

VIRGINIA WOMAN WINS LOTTERY JACKPOT WITH FIRST-EVER TICKET PURCHASE

Gomes told the Virginia Lottery that he plans on using his winnings to pay off a vacation that he had already scheduled.

Magnificent 7s, the game Gomes played, has prizes ranging from $20 to $500,000, said the Virginia Lottery.

Gomes told the Virginia Lottery that he will be using his winnings to go on vacation. (iStock / iStock)

There are two additional $500,000 top prizes that have not been claimed, they said.

The Virginia Lottery was established in 1987, after Virginians voted in favor of creating a state-operated lottery.

The first tickets were sold the following year, said the Virginia Lottery’s website.

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Since 1999, the Virginia Lottery’s profits have supported K-12 public education in the commonwealth, said its website.

In 2023, this amounted to more than $867 million that went to public education in the state.

The Virginia Lottery’s profits support schools in the commonwealth. ( Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

This was about 10% of the commonwealth’s budget for K-12 schools, said the Virginia Lottery’s website.

These funds are distributed throughout Virginia’s counties.

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Gomes lives in Halifax County, noted the Virginia Lottery’s website, which received “more than $4.4 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year.”

During the 2023 fiscal year, the Virginia Lottery had sales of $4.6 billion.

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Of those sales, more than $3.5 billion was distributed to lottery winners and the retailers who sold the winning tickets, said the lottery’s website.

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