Tuesday, September 1WATCHFUL EYE

Business

BBB Alerts Virginia Consumers About Alleged Richmond-Based Biz
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Biz & Life, Business, News

BBB Alerts Virginia Consumers About Alleged Richmond-Based Biz

Virginia consumers are advised to exercise caution if considering purchases from Ridgewell Retail, a company that reportedly offers products to reduce electric and gas bills. Over the past 30 days, BBB reports receiving over 1,100 inquiries about Ridgewell Retail and three customer reviews, each alleging similar experiences. Consumers claim Ridgewell Retail advertises products on social media that promise to help customers save money on utility bills. Then, during checkout, additional products are offered at discounted prices, and although the offer is declined, customers allege they were still charged for products they didn’t authorize. Here are two of those comments from the BBB site: BBB findings The BBB conducted a review and reported that Ridgewell Retail's bus...
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Northampton Standing in Opposition to Offshore Mining Lease
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Business, News

Northampton Standing in Opposition to Offshore Mining Lease

The Northampton County Board of Supervisors has officially opposed a proposed commercial lease that could open the door to subsea mining offshore of Virginia. The vote comes as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) considers an unsolicited request from Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration. The company submitted the proposal in November 2025, asking the federal government to hold a commercial lease sale for hard minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore the Commonwealth. BOEM said it reviewed the request, including the proposed lease area, the targeted minerals—primarily heavy mineral sands and phosphorites—and the available environmental and resource data. The agency has now taken what it calls a "first step that could potentially lead to a lease sale" by publish...
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Innovative Defense Technologies Adding 210 Jobs in Arlington
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Business

Innovative Defense Technologies Adding 210 Jobs in Arlington

Innovative Defense Technologies announced plans to invest $19 million to expand its headquarters in Arlington and create 210 new jobs, expanding its footprint in Ballston. IDT is a federal contractor that works with the Department of Defense to develop software and testing systems involving autonomous systems, mission software, and automated technologies. Charge All Your Devices at Once: 5-in-1 Fast Charging Station w/ Wireless Charging In the May 22 announcement, the company said it plans to hire for positions in engineering, software development, systems integration, program management, cybersecurity, and operational mission support. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. The ex...
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Dominion Energy Bills Set to Increase in 2026
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Business, News, Trending

Dominion Energy Bills Set to Increase in 2026

The bad news: Dominion Energy customers will see higher bills starting in 2026. The good news: The day is coming when they’ll be protected from shouldering as much of the costs tied to massive electricity users like data centers. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) conducted its biennial review of Dominion Energy, an effort required to ensure rates reflect reasonable costs and returns. The review is supposed to balance the utility’s need to recover expenses with protections for everyday ratepayers. Sense Energy Monitor | Track Electricity Usage in Real Time & Save Rate Increases Customers will see their bills increase over the next two years, but not by as much as Dominion wanted. Dominion was seeking increases of $822 million in 2026 and $345 million in 2027. Th...
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Relief for Blue Ridge Bank: Consent Order Terminated
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Business

Relief for Blue Ridge Bank: Consent Order Terminated

A nearly two-year chapter of heightened regulatory oversight has come to a close for Blue Ridge Bank, which announced it has been released from the consent order imposed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The consent order stemmed from claims of ongoing deficiencies in Blue Ridge’s Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance (BSA/AML). Specifically, the OCC called out alleged systemic internal control breakdowns, weak independent testing, and insufficient BSA staffing. Ongoing Non-Compliance In 2022, regulators raised red flags about these issues and Blue Ridge entered an agreement to correct the problems. By 2024, the OCC said the bank failed to follow through, and the bank was accused of engaging in unsafe or unsound practices, including those r...
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Burgess, VA store gets paid for selling historic Mega Millions ticket
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Business, Popular, Trending

Burgess, VA store gets paid for selling historic Mega Millions ticket

On July 22, Virginia Lottery presented a check to a store in Northumberland County, VA for selling a historic $348 million winning Mega Millions ticket. Now, the question is: where's the winner? The clock is ticking to claim the prize. Here's what Virginia Lottery will do if no one comes forward... Follow the Watchful Eye on X, Facebook, Instagram, Rumble & YouTube to keep up with what's happening in Virginia
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Virginia Loses ‘Top State for Business’ Crown, Federal Jobs Losses a Key Factor
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Business

Virginia Loses ‘Top State for Business’ Crown, Federal Jobs Losses a Key Factor

Governor Glenn Youngkin has lost one of his favorite bragging rights—Virginia ranking as the Top State for Business. CNBC has produced the rankings since 2007. Virginia topped every state in the nation in 2024 and has been in the top 3 for the last three years. Charge All Your Devices at Once: 5-in-1 Fast Charging Station w/ Wireless Charging Not only has Youngkin repeatedly pointed to Virginia's #1 ranking over the past year, but he's had the news tacked to the top of his website since last summer. And it's still there. "Over time, no state has performed better than Virginia," which has claimed the #1 spot six times, CNBC acknowledged. "But in 2025, with economic anxiety rising, Virginia's economic situation is just shaky enough to take it down a few pegs." This year, Virgi...
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Youngkin: Federal jobs cuts need to happen, Virginia has plenty of ‘good jobs’ available
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Business, News

Youngkin: Federal jobs cuts need to happen, Virginia has plenty of ‘good jobs’ available

Governor Glenn Youngkin continues to show support for the Trump administration’s federal job cuts while also remaining optimistic about the Virginia’s financial position and outlook. Federal cuts needed Explaining his position on CNBC, the governor said the reality is that running $37.5 trillion in debt and adding $2 trillion a year “is not just unsustainable. But I think it’s to the detriment of the future of the country.” “So, this has to happen. We need to rein in spending and establish fiscal reality back into the federal government,” he stated. Muted impact Virginia is estimated to have 144,000 federal workers. But Youngkin pointed out that first-time unemployment claims have remained steady, and the state hasn’t really seen the impact of the federal job cuts yet. “...
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Target opening distribution center in New Kent
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Business, News

Target opening distribution center in New Kent

Target is set to start construction on a distribution center in New Kent at the end of the month, according to an announcement from the County. The 1.4 million sq. ft. facility will be located just off I-64’s Exit 211 at Forge Logistics in the southwest quadrant of the New Kent City Center. Target will build on property it purchased earlier this month. Coinciding with that acquisition, earlier in March, Target also rolled out strategic plans to drive more than $154 billion in sales growth by 2030. Part of that strategy includes investing in the supply chain network to reach more consumers and get products to them faster. “Updates and expansions across the company's supply chain network will move inventory with more speed, accuracy and efficiency,” the company stated. The distri...
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Comments accepted: Proposed VA to PA transmission line & substation
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Business, News, Trending

Comments accepted: Proposed VA to PA transmission line & substation

Maryland Department of Natural Resources will host an informational meeting on March 13 to gather public feedback on the Mid Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL), a transmission line that’s slated to stretch from Frederick County, VA to Greene County, PA. According to NextEra Energy, the transmission company responsible for the project, MARL is part of broader effort to strengthen the backbone of the region’s energy grid. The proposed transmission line is expected to stretch about 105 miles and includes adding a new 500/138-kV substation in Frederick County, VA. But the exact route hasn’t been chosen yet, the company says. That’s why Maryland DNR is hosting the meeting. There’s a possibility that the line could run through western MD, the department said. And Maryland wants to understand ...
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