Category: Charity, Philanthropy, Nonprofits
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A Vindictive Bill that Invites Retaliation
by James A. Bacon I can’t decide which is more appalling. The fact that Delegate Alex Askew, D-Virginia Beach, would introduce a bill to revoke tax-exempt status for several Confederate heritage groups, or the fact that the measure won the support of 12 Democratic legislators to pass through the House Finance Committee. Both chambers of…
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Check-Out Charities
by Kerry Dougherty “Wow,” she said. “Thirty dollars exactly. I can’t ask you to round up.” One day last week, on what felt like my 57th visit to my local supermarket, the cashier grinned as she rang up my order. Well she could ask. But my answer would be the same as always: No. Frankly,…
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Sentara’s Opportunity to Improve Hospital-to-Nursing Facility Patient Transitions
by James C. Sherlock Sentara Healthcare in October announced an important initiative to improve the quality and availability of primary care. It will double number of advanced practice providers (APPs) in its primary care facilities. APP refers to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, or certified nurse midwives. In order…
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Giving Thanks for What Makes America Great
by Chris Braunlich Alexis de Tocqueville never met Nancy Slater White, but he would have liked her. Tocqueville, of course, is the observational author whose 1835 book, Democracy in America, is considered by many to be a seminal work in defining what made America and the American character unique among nations. White was a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania…
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Stealing From the Poor
by Kerry Dougherty There’s a special place in Hell for those who steal from the poor. That’s what happened this week when thieves broke into a Habitat for Humanity van and stole $5,000 worth of tools. Ironically, this hit the news on October 1. Former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday. Carter, the second worst president…
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A ‘Joy Bomb’ Going Off In Your Heart
by John Baliles The READ Center provides classroom instruction, one-to-one tutoring, and community programs to adults who want to improve their reading, writing, basic math and digital skills. Jake Burns at CBS6 reported last week about the 40th Anniversary of one of our region’s most important non-profits — the READ Center, which has been helping improve adult…
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Atlantic Park Part 10: Virginia Small Business Financing Authority
by James C. Sherlock On September 13, 2022, a regular meeting was held of the board of the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority (VSBFA). That board has sweeping responsibilities only one of which is the bond program. From its 501(c)3 Tax-Exempt Bond Program. On the agenda of that meeting was authorization of bonds for North Carolina’s…
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Atlantic Park Part 9: P3 Foundation and the Virginia Beach Development Authority
by James C. Sherlock Virginia Beach’s Atlantic Park entertainment district is under construction on three city blocks of public land. It is a public-private partnership with a $300 million commitment of Virginia Beach cash and property not counting bond interest. An investigation has turned up two major story lines, the first in the actions of…
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Atlantic Park Part 8: Surf Park Muni Bonds Add to Project Risk
By James C. Sherlock The surf park jumps right out at you. It is meant to. It will be the first surf pool in the mid-Atlantic region. The other components of Virginia Beach’s Atlantic Park will depend upon it to create buzz and draw visitors. A developer group led by Venture Realty Group initially planned…
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Atlantic Park Part 7: The Quest for Surf Park Financing
Commentary by James C. Sherlock A last-minute search for surf park financing delayed project construction for a year. Neither bankers nor the City of Virginia Beach wanted any part of it. The developer missed a funding deadline. The city forgave it, but the pressure was on. So, with city backing: The journey was so complex…
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Atlantic Park Part 5: Economic Risks
by James C. Sherlock In Bloomberg, author Allison Nicole Smith commented on the Atlantic Park bonds. She wrote: Muni deals funding tourist attractions have a checkered past. The list of defaulted bonds is a long one, including a water park in Edinburg, Texas, and an iron and steel manufacturing-themed park in Bessemer, Alabama. Like the development…
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Advocates for the Energy Poor Want to Make Them Poorer
By Steve Haner A national industry group that advocates for home energy efficiency contractors has produced another report on how energy costs squeeze the poor the hardest, with Richmond one of its examples. The data was then used as an excuse to call for (you guessed it) the return of an energy carbon tax which…
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Atlantic Park Part 4: Seven Years of Negotiations
by James C. Sherlock Atlantic Park should prove a first-rate attraction when it opens next May. The design is attractive, quality should be good, and the surf park will be unique in the mid-Atlantic, at least for a while. But it has taken what seems like forever to get the deal done, and taxpayers got…
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Atlantic Park Part 3: The Deal of the Century
By James C. Sherlock Updated September 18, 2024 at 10:07 AM and 3:27 PM Atlantic Park is due to open on nearly 13 acres of city land near the Virginia Beach oceanfront in May of 2025. The new entertainment district is the largest public-private partnership project in the history of the Commonwealth’s biggest city. It…
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Atlantic Park Part 1: Prologue
Updated September 18 at 10 AM and 3:16 PM By James C. Sherlock Atlantic Park is under construction as a massive new entertainment district near the oceanfront in Virginia Beach’s resort area. The centerpiece, a surf park, will be surrounded a 3,500-seat concert hall, shops, restaurants, offices, and apartments. If it succeeds, Atlantic Park will…