WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

Virginia Beach's Hotel Tax Hike Undecided

Play associated audio
A hotel facing the ocean in Virginia Beach.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandora_6666/2944292362/
A hotel facing the ocean in Virginia Beach.

A proposed hotel tax hike in Virginia Beach is up in the air, and so is a decision to build a sports stadium, which is what those extra tax dollars might fund.

The tax increase is included in a draft report that is expected to be presented to the City Council Tuesday. With it, hotel tax would be increased by 1 percentage point to 14 percent.

That could help lessen the financial burden of building an 18,000-seat arena near the oceanfront. Though lawmakers are hoping for a return on their investment that the stadium would attract an NBA or NHL team to town.

Sports and entertainment company Comcast-Spectacor has agreed to pay $35 million toward the arena's construction costs.

NPR

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.
NPR

How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine

Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.
NPR

With White House Bogged Down By Scandal, GOP Looks For Boost

As criticism of the Obama administration over a string of scandals grows, conservatives see an opportunity to gain momentum for 2014 races. Host Neal Conan and Political Junkie Ken Rudin talk with political science professor Jack Pitney about the GOP and the re-emergence of the Tea Party. Plus: the week in politics from Anthony Weiner's New York mayoral candidacy to the Senate immigration bill.
NPR

Apple CEO Defends Tax Practices At Senate Hearing

Apple CEO Tim Cook faced tough questions on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. He defended a tax strategy that allows Apple to avoid taxes on tens of billions of dollars of profits. Cook also called on the Congress to lower the U.S. corporate tax rate.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.