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Sept. 17 Newsletter: Horse business

Weather: Rainy, high of 65.

On this date in 1908, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge dies at a Virginia demonstration of the airplane while riding as Orville Wright's passenger. He is the first ever aviation fatality.

Today's newsletter sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University: As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.

After years in a stable under an overpass, Richmond’s police horses could get a new home

Richmond’s mounted unit is one of the oldest in the country, dating back to about 1894. Once composed of more than a dozen horses, there are now three.

As budgets have become strained and the role of the mounted unit has moved almost exclusively toward community engagement, critics have argued it makes more financial sense to get rid of the squad.

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But one rider said people who otherwise want little to do with police will approach an officer on a horse, which can help break down barriers.

Now a group is working on a plan to bring the horse stables back into the city, where they were for years before conditions deteriorated. Read more here.

Over Henrico's objections, Colonial Downs receives approval to open gaming facility

The facility, scheduled to open Sept. 29 on Staples Mill Road, is called “Roseshire,” and is being positioned as an upscale version of the Rosie’s facilities that exist on Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond and at Colonial Downs in New Kent County.

It will have 175 historical horse racing machines, which look and operate like slot machines but are tied into the state’s pari-mutuel wagering system and are powered by the results of past horse races, making them legal as off-track wagering.

Henrico officials vowed to pursue all options to stop the facility’s opening. Read more here.

Now’s not the time to cut Richmond’s property taxes, Avula says

At least three City Council members are backing a tax relief proposal that would cut around $160 off the yearly tax bill for a typical home valued at $400,000. But Mayor Danny Avula said Tuesday that he can’t support a plan that would cost the city $16.8 million at a time of pressing needs.

When there’s strong growth in assessments, Virginia law requires city officials to consider rolling back the tax rate to shield residents from what’s effectively a subtle tax increase. That debate starts today. Read more here.

Also today in The Richmonder:

Goochland lands $5 billion pharmaceutical plant, its fourth Fortune 500 company: Eli Lilly and Company will manufacture medicinal drugs that treat illnesses such as cancer and autoimmune diseases.

RTD cuts metro reporters in latest round of newspaper layoffs: The layoffs could affect at least 5 reporters, including several who focus on covering Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties.

City planners want more feedback on rezoning maps from Southside residents: More than 2,000 comments have been submitted, but 38 neighborhoods in Southside, particularly around the Broad Rock and Midlothian areas, have garnered no feedback at all.

Electrical company ABB will expand production in Henrico: ABB announced it will produce medium voltage uninterruptible power supply systems at the plant. Those were previously only being manufactured in New Zealand.

Today's sponsor:

VCU liver institute brings world-class research directly to patients with advanced care 

Linking research to patient care, the VCU Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health creates innovative ways to tackle liver disease in Virginia and beyond.

About a third of people in the United States have some form of liver disease making it the ninth leading cause of death in the U.S. That’s why the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health at Virginia Commonwealth University was set up nearly four years ago – to find new ways to prevent, treat or reverse liver disease. Read more.

In other news

The editor's desk

We have only a very small number of tickets left for Friday's 25 in '25 celebration of Richmond's unsung heroes. You can buy tickets, or browse the silent auction, here.

Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org

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