The VPM Daily Newscast contains all your Central Virginia news in just 5 to 10 minutes. Episodes are recorded the night before.
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Here’s a recap of the top stories on the morning of March 6, 2025:
Curious Commonwealth asks: Why is Virginia a Dillon Rule state?
Reported by VPM News’ Jahd Khalil
Last December, Andreas Addison — in the last days of his term on Richmond City Council — stood at the corner of Arthur Ashe Boulevard and Monument Avenue with VPM News reporter Jahd Khalil, watching cars run red lights every few minutes.
Addison wanted to demonstrate the real-life way Virginia law restricts local government. He explained that he had long wanted speed cameras installed at the intersection, but couldn’t get it done without explicit permission from the state General Assembly.
The obstacle: a legal principle called the Dillon Rule, which makes it hard or actually illegal for localities in certain states to do lots of things on their own.
As part of the VPM News series Curious Commonwealth, Jahd explored the history of the Dillon Rule and the ways that an 1868 Iowa Supreme Court ruling meant to prevent public corruption affects Virginians to this day.
Henrico’s GreenCity development stalls
Reported by VPM News’ Lyndon German
Development of Henrico County’s arena-anchored GreenCity project remains at a standstill due to alleged failures by the developers, according to documents obtained by VPM News.
County officials have worked to move the project forward, while prodding developers to secure funding to complete construction. However, behind the scenes, the development partners associated with the $2.3 billion deal have allegedly defaulted on payments and failed to provide satisfactory updates on the project.
In a letter addressed to Future Cities and Concord Eastridge Inc., County Manager John Vithoulkas described steps the county has made to bring the project to fruition and what he described as the developers’ lack of progress.
“[D]espite repeated assurance of imminent activity, GCP and GCDC have not obtained financing, submitted plans, or begun construction of any portion of the project,” Vithoulkas wrote to the group that makes up Green City Partners and Green City Development LLC. “As a result, GCP and GCGC are significantly behind the development schedule incorporated into the development.”
News you might have missed from around the commonwealth
- Richmond youth lag the state on vaccinations. School and health officials are pushing to reverse that. (The Richmonder)
- Appomattox elections board seeks to close precincts that serve Black voters (Virginia Mercury)
- Mindset, not legal malice: Judge drops embezzlement charge against Hopewell city treasurer (The Progress-Index)
- Trump administration makes hundreds of federal properties available for sale (The Washington Post)
*This outlet utilizes a paywall.
