THE DIGEST: Upcoming ward meeting, prospective casino operators town hall and family fun.

Have an event or announcement you would like featured in THE DIGEST? It’s welcome! Please send an email to apitchon@gannett.com. Time sensitive announcements should be sent a week ahead of time.

Thursday: Petersburg Wards 6 and 7 meeting

Council Member Annette Smith-Lee and Council Member Arnold Westbrook will host a Ward 6 and 7 meeting on Thursday, April 11 at 6 p.m. at the Cool Spring Elementary School Library, located at 1450 Talley Avenue.

There will be updates from most departments presented at the ward meeting, as well as overall city updates. Issues raised at past ward meetings will also be discussed, and there will be time set aside for a Q&A with attendees. For more information, please email thill@petersburg-va.org or call 804-733-2323.

Casino operators take their plans to the people at town hall hosted by Senator Lashrecse Aird

Senator Lashrecse Aird will host a public town hall with prospective casino operators on Sunday, April 14 between 2 to 4 p.m. at the Petersburg Public Library.

The town hall will include presentations from each company that has submitted a proposal to develop a resort destination casino in the City of Petersburg, which include Bally’s, Cordish, River’s Casino, Warrenton Group and Penn Entertainment. Attendees will also be given time to ask questions and air any potential concerns during a Q&A with the prospective casino operators.

“In collaboration with the City’s leadership, this town hall continues to uphold the commitment that the selection of a potential casino operator be a transparent and publicly accessible process,” said Senator Lashrecse Aird in a press release ahead of the town hall. “As we move closer to the reality of bringing a referendum to the citizens of Petersburg, we are asking the voters of today to make an economic development decision that will affect the City for decades to come. People deserve to be as informed as possible and therefore it’s a personal priority of mine to ensure the vision of each operator is fully explored and that the public has confidence that their interests are represented.”

Colonial Heights Puzzle Puzzlooza Spring 2024

Join the Colonial Heights Department of Recreation and Parks for a day of family fun and friendly competition! Race to be the first team to complete a 500-piece puzzle at Puzzlooza this Friday, April 12. Participants competing in teams of up to four people will be given up to two hours to complete their puzzles.

Recommended for ages five and older, this family-friendly competition will take place between 6 to 8 p.m. in the community room of the Colonial Heights community center. Register here by April 11 to participate (please only register one person from your team). The cost of registration is $12 per team. All materials/puzzles will be provided.

Traffic Alerts for April 8 to April 12

NIGHTLY LANE CLOSURES ON INTERSTATES IN GOOCHLAND AND HENRICO FOR ONGOING PAVING PROJECT

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va.– Starting Tuesday, April 2, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be conducting long-term milling and paving operations on I-64 and I-95. Work is scheduled to take place overnight, Sunday through Thursday. The project is expected to be completed by mid-November 2024.

Motorists can expect single and double lane closures and occasional ramp closures on I-64 in Goochland from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. and on I-95 in Henrico from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. Motorists are urged to stay alert in work zones and should pay close attention to posted advisory speed limit signs. Stay up-to-date with paving locations and ramp closures by following @VaDOTRVA on X. 

Anyone with questions about the project can call VDOT’s customer service center at 800-FOR-ROAD (800-367-7623). For the latest real-time traffic information or road conditions, call 511 or visit http://www.511virginia.org.