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(Solar) powering the economy
A 700-acre solar farm on a former surface mine outside of Hurley will be more than it appears, according to Adam Edelen. “Buchanan County and the entire region of Southwestern Virginia intends to benefit from the digital economy rather than be a victim of it,” says Edelen, CEO of Edelen Renewables. Based in Lexington, Kentu[...]
The best of times?
The past year or so in America has often seemed a dark time, with headlines dominated by COVID-19, the tumult surrounding social justice issues and our deeply politically divided nation. Yet, it also has been a time of breathtaking generosity, as uber-wealthy philanthropists and well-heeled corporations have opened their wallets[...]
Space race
With NASA on the verge of returning astronauts to the moon and one day to Mars, Virginia’s federal contractors also are taking a giant leap into space, fulfilling millions of dollars in NASA-related contracts over the next decade and possibly beyond. In a 2020 economic impact study commissioned by NASA, Virginia was ranked six[...]
Botetourt wind project hits resistance
Apex Clean Energy Inc. continues working toward a day when wind turbines standing atop Botetourt County’s North Mountain might generate enough energy to power up to 21,000 homes each year. Dubbed Rocky Forge Wind, the proposed wind farm north of Eagle Rock would be Virginia’s first onshore wind project in operation. However,[...]
Play ball!
Minor League Baseball is back for 2021, after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season. And there’s no question that this summer will look much different than a typical baseball season. But the Richmond Flying Squirrels are optimistic. The team kicked off its season May 4. All fans who had vouchers or credits for 2020[...]
Help wanted
Twenty years ago, John Zirkle was just starting out in the Virginia Beach hotel business as a houseman, stripping bed sheets and doing laundry. Fast-forward to today and he is general manager of the Doubletree by Hilton at Virginia Beach and president of the beach’s hotel association. Lately, though, Zirkle’s had to recall s[...]
Breaking down barriers
Maia Chaka, a health and physical education teacher at Virginia Beach’s Renaissance Academy, will be the National Football League’s first Black female referee, the league announced in March. A 2006 Norfolk State University alumna, Chaka has been officiating football since 2007, a journey that took her from high school games [...]
Martinsville moves forward on reversion
Exactly when it happens remains up in the air, but the city of Martinsville is set on downsizing to town status. It’s been about a year and a half since Martinsville City Council set in motion the complicated process of dropping the locality’s status as one of Virginia’s 38 independent cities and morphing it into […[...]
A dose of inspiration
Admissions officers call it “the Fauci effect.” Inspired by Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and the highly visible point person for the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic response, prospective students have been flooding medical schools with applications. But Dr. Richard V. Homan, president and prov[...]
Petersburg grows pharma manufacturing hub
A cluster of recent investments by pharmaceutical companies in Petersburg could set the city up to rebuild its manufacturing sector as a major player in U.S. efforts to create and secure a domestic supply chain for producing essential medicines at risk of shortages. The development centers around the AMPAC Fine Chemicals plant[...]
Are big tech firms more like nations?
Roughly two years ago, Facebook announced plans to lead a consortium of companies creating a new digital token currency called Libra. The partners were to include major payment processors Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Stripe, among others. However, strong opposition from financial regulators around the world led to its shelving. [...]
Summit Pointe continues growth
Chesapeake Mayor Rick West lives in the city’s Greenbrier section, so he frequently drives past Summit Pointe, the rapidly expanding mixed-use development centered around the corporate headquarters of Fortune 500 discount retailer Dollar Tree Inc. And West likes what he sees at Summit Pointe, which is aiming to be a new pedest[...]
