Circuit City Gets Approval For Executive Bonuses, Summoned To Testify Before Congress

As Circuit City continues to liquidate its retail stores, a small number of employees remain on board with the company’s corporate headquarters to wind down operations. The company was granted approval by a bankruptcy judge on Wednesday for $4 million in retention bonuses for 150 senior level executives and managers. Circuit City argued the bonus money was needed in order to retain the individuals, who would likely otherwise leave for positions elsewhere. Read more

Compromise Reached In West Broad Village Utility Connection Fee Dispute

Florida-based Unicorp National Developments, currently developing West Broad Village, have reached a compromise with the County of Henrico over a $3.5 million bill it received for utility connections earlier this month. At issue was the classification of the buildings in the development. Fees for connecting public utilities, such as water lines, are assessed based on the building’s use. Unicorp filed their buildings as “Other” on the County’s classification forms, and projected their costs to come in at around $589,000. Read more

Three Teens To Be Charged In Connection With Nuckols Farm Barn Fire

Henrico Fire officials are reporting that three teenagers are being charged in connection with a fire that at the historic Nuckols Farm off Gayton Road that we first reported on last night. While official charges are still pending, Henrico Fire personnel have concluded their investigation after interviewing numerous neighbors and witnesses. The blaze broke out in a barn on the property at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday night. Read more

Short Pump Fitness Options: Snap Fitness Provides Local Alternative

The effects of the economy and the current employment climate in Richmond just cannot be escaped in Short Pump.  Just in the last month, I know of at least 5 people in the area who have lost their jobs. Read more

Fire Destroys Barn At Historic 18th Century Nuckols Farm

A barn at the historic 18th century Nuckols Farm in Short Pump burnt to the ground Tuesday evening. The building, adjacent to the Gayton Station and Graham Meadows subdivisions off Gayton Road, caught fire just before 6:00 p.m. When we arrived around 6:10 p.m. the structure was fully involved. Smoke from the blaze could be seen for several miles. The barn sat next to the recently renovated Nuckols Farmhouse, which dates back to 1750. The barn itself was built sometime in the early 1800s according to the Henrico County Historical Society’s website. Read more

West Broad Village Delay Possible

A financial dispute between the developer of West Broad Village and Henrico County is threatening to delay the completion of the project. At issue is the cost of connecting water and sewer service to the project’s 14 buildings. Officials from Unicorp, the developer of the 115-acre project at the I-64/West Broad Street interchange in Short Pump, believed the connections would cost $589,000 and budgeted that amount into their initial financing plans. But when they received a bill from the county for the connections, it totaled more than $3.5 million – a difference that shocked them. Read more

Circuit City Opens Corporate Headquarters For Liquidation

Let the rummaging begin. Blu-Ray players, promotional displays, Hawaiian shirts and wireless routers were among the hundreds of items on display in a downstairs conference room at Circuit City’s former headquarters in Short Pump. A liquidation employee said the brand-new goods were pulled from one closet. Read more

More Trouble For Eric Cantor: Aerosmith Issues Cease & Desist Over YouTube Video

Only about a week after apologizing for a profanity-filled online video, Short Pump resident and 7th District Congressman Eric Cantor has received a cease and desist letter from rock band Aerosmith for using the band’s 1970s song “Back In The Saddle.” The video, posted on YouTube and entitled “The House GOP Is Back,” used the song to reference the party’s opposition to the economic stimulus package. According to people familiar with the situation, Stage Three Music, which holds rights to the song, did not approve the song’s use in the video and Aerosmith’s own Steven Tyler wanted the song removed. Read more

S&K Finds Buyer For Short Pump Headquarters

Short Pump-based S&K Famous Brands men’s clothier has found a buyer for their corporate headquarters on West Broad Street at Interstate 64. TGM Realty Investors, a subsidiary of local company Thalhimer Commercial Real Estate, purchased the corporate offices, attached 110,000 square foot warehouse, and adjacent S&K retail store for $5.6 million. The property’s assessed value is $7.6 million. Read more

Congressman Eric Cantor’s Office Apologizes For Inappropriate Email

An aide to Virginia 7th District Congressman and Short Pump resident Eric Cantor is apologizing after a profanity-laced video was sent out. Aide Brad Dayspring emailed a profanity-laced YouTube video in which a voice actor dubbed over an American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) commercial from the 1970s. The video was sent to a reporter with Politico.com seeking reaction to an AFSCME television ad in which Cantor is attacked for his opposition to the proposed stimulus package. Read more

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