A Theater Closing, Property Tax Ordinances, Green Hydrogen, and KavaClub
Cheers RVA!
Today will be mostly sunny with a high of 85 and a low of 61 in the evening. The weekend ahead looks partly cloudy, with temperatures cooling down a bit on Sunday.
the pulp:
City Council’s meeting yesterday ended with no action on lowering the property tax rate, with the Stoney administration requesting a delay to study the issue, via the Richmonder.
The Virginia Repertory Theater has said without an infusion of $600k in the coming weeks it will have to close its doors for good. An online fundraiser has raised over $100k so far.
If you missed the mayoral forum in Scott’s Addition on Wednesday evening, view it here. Follow along with livetweets from RVA Dirt, concise summaries of each question and all five candidate’s responses.
Couple your mayoral forum viewing with an excellent write-up by South Richmond News on the history of Richmond’s mayoral elections.
Josh Jacobs from Bizsense reports on Danish manufacturer buying Chesterfield site to build a $400 million factory that will produce electolyzer cells to make “clean hydrogen” fuel. You may recall Cheers RVA reader Graham Sheridan writing about Topsoe and green hydrogen in a guest post in an early June edition of this newsletter.
the dive:
Cheyenne Pagan from channel 8 reports on KavaClub recently receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the Virginia Department of Health for hosting an event for a sober group.
The owner Fred Bryant said the restaurant had entered into a consent decree with the VDH earlier in the year to finally be allowed to sell Kava tea after a year-long battle with the state.
Kava is a plant of the pepper family native to Polynesia and other lands in the Pacific Islands, and the roots of the plant are used to make a drink with sedative, anesthetic, and euphoriant properties.
Per a statement from the VDH:
On March 26, 2024, KavaClub voluntarily entered into a consent decree with the Virginia Department of Health. As kava is a psychoactive and intoxicating substance, the terms of this consent decree included KavaClub’s agreement that they would not advertise or promote kava, “1) as an alternative to alcohol; 2) as a food or beverage for people trying to stay sober; or 3) as a food or beverage that will help any person stay sober.
The legal status of kava in the United States is complex, with varying regulations at the federal and state levels.
At the federal level, kava is not classified as a controlled substance, and it is legal in Virginia.
Bryant is determined to continue selling kava tea and inviting sober groups to congregate in a “non-alcohol-centric third place”.
He argues the main crux of the issue is the VDH classifying kava as a food additive, rather than a dietary supplement.
Bryant adds:
They should be ashamed of themselves, They’ve done a major disservice to the Commonwealth. They’ve done a major disservice to a lot of the citizens, as well, who are seeking non-alcohol-centric third places to socialize and gather.
Read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have an electrolyzing weekend RVA!
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