I stopped for gas the other day, it’s $4.19 a gallon. You swipe your card, you move on. That’s just the baseline price of existing now in Richmond. Inside, I grabbed a couple things without thinking. A two-pack of Reese’s and an iced tea. The kind of purchase made a...
This piece is one in a series of opinion pieces by Jon Baliles about the proposed Richmond Grand Resort and Casino. You can read his other pieces HERE. The Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial Board and reporters sat down this week with the casino opponents who said the casino advocates “are using what amounts to sleight of hand to woo voters”...
There has been a lot of boasting from the casino advocates about their partnership with Kentucky-based Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI). The rebranded Richmond Grand casino developer Urban One is a radio and TV conglomerate that has said they are partnering with CDI because of their huge capitalization and experience with casinos. But let’s take a...
RVA 5×5 Deep Dive’s by Jon Balilies are in-depth looks at topics of import in our city and our region to provide a better understanding of the sometimes complex issues we all face and what possible solutions and/or discussions are needed to address them. They say the past is prologue and that if you don’t learn from history, you are...
Oh no! The RTD has caught wind of what is really happening in the city, now everyone knows what’s up. City Hall been caught with their pants down, but let’s be real, it’s not the fault of our city’s green entrepreneurs. It’s the head-scratcher of a legal framework, or rather lack thereof, that’s brought us to this bonanza in...
I have been obligated to write this article since 1985. In that regard, the article mentions Senator Tim Kaine, Congresswoman Jen McClellan, State Senator Louise Lucas, Mayor Stoney, City Council President Mike Jones, Alfred Liggins and others by name. This is pure chance. I didn’t know any of them in 1985. Back then, I doubt any of them gave...
Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner should not be leading the Virginia Democratic Party establishment in trying to block Alexsis Rodgers and Delegate Dawn Adams. The two Democratic lawmakers are openly backing Delegate Lamont Bagby in this Sunday’s firehouse primary. This Democratic Party nomination process will chose the party’s nominee in the...
Over the past hundred years, the US army’s improper use and disposal of toxic chemicals have taken a significant environmental toll with long-lasting consequences for unsuspecting service members and civilians. Primarily due to a lack of awareness regarding long-term risks at the time, countless troops, dependents, and neighboring...
Fall calls for late nights and warm blankets, lost in the small glare of the light from my phone. Tired of endlessly swiping right on the same balding white guy named Jeff holding a spotted bass he is entirely too proud of. Tinder? Never. I’m far higher brow than that. Every classy broad knows Bumble is the way to go these days. That way I can...
Year after year, coal train derailments, sewage pipeline leaks, pesticide runoff, and other toxic substances continue to poison the James River. In a summer that’s seen multiple toxic train derailments and a two-week ban on swimming due to multiple sewage pipe breaks, climate activist Aaron Linas asks, when will we start treating our...
