Community colleges accomplish much on shoestring budgets
A flat tire can mean different things to different people. Maybe it’s a postponed appointment and a call to AAA. Or maybe you have to get a ride to work from your spouse. But for some folks, a flat tire can start a snowball effect. “For so many, that flat tire, that’s the end, right? It […]
Coming to town
People who attended the annual Virginia Fire Rescue Conference in February could buy the latest rescue equipment, tools, turnout gear, radios, oxygen tanks — even a 30,000-pound pumper fire truck. “If you’ve got your checkbook … you can drive that truck home,” says Christian Eudailey, executive director of the Virginia[...]
FOR THE RECORD NOVEMBER 2024
CENTRAL VIRGINIA Altria Group and Virginia Commonwealth University are discussing the possibility of the university buying the 450,000-square-foot Altria Center for Research and Technology in downtown Richmond, the two parties acknowledged in October. The East Leigh Street building is assessed at $275 million. If the deal comes to fruition, Altria plans to build a new […]
Amazon, Dominion agree to explore nuclear development
With power consumption by data centers and AI projected to more than quadruple in Virginia in the next 15 years, Amazon.com and Dominion Energy Virginia have entered into an agreement to explore potential development of small modular nuclear reactors at North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, the two companies announced durin[...]
Harrisonburg coworking hub slated to open in December
UPDATED NOV. 1 James Madison University in Harrisonburg has long wanted to be more involved with innovation and entrepreneurship in the Shenandoah Valley region. So, when a co-founder of the Staunton Innovation Hub coworking space announced plans in 2022 to renovate the historic Wetsel Seed building into the Harrisonburg Innovat[...]
What’s behind Hampton Roads’ outmigration?
Young people have been leaving Hampton Roads in recent years, and area leaders say learning why is the first step toward fixing the problem. A June survey conducted by the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable and Richmond-based Fahrenheit Advisors found that 25% of 511 residents surveyed said they [...]
Raleigh-to-Richmond rail project gains steam
Preliminary construction is underway for the Richmond-to-Raleigh passenger rail project, an estimated 162-mile route along the defunct CSX Transportation S-Line corridor that will speed up travel between the capitals of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., and the Northeast U.S. “We have basically funded w[...]
VCEDA seed grants sow small business growth
Adam Patterson knew if his fashion design company was going to thrive in his hometown of Big Stone Gap, he needed capital — and a new sewing machine. “Mine was so old, it sewed crooked stitches,” says Patterson, founder of Jones-Hurst Designs. Patterson received a $10,000 grant in September from a Virginia Coalfield Econom[...]
Defense tech startups close major funding rounds
Venture capital firms are betting big on two Northern Virginia-based defense contracting startups that are promising high-tech solutions to military challenges. In August, McLean-based Defcon AI announced it had raised $44 million in seed funding led by San Francisco investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners. The same month, Par[...]
Roanoke City Council approves zoning changes — again
A residential zoning do-over in the Star City is done. At least for now. On Sept. 16, Roanoke City Council voted 6-1 to adopt zoning amendments that will allow greater housing density and eliminate single-family-only housing City Council adopted similar zoning amendments in March, but several city homeowners, including Republica[...]
Energy storage projects slated for Greensville, Pittsylvania
Two energy storage projects proposed for Southern Virginia would help augment the area’s power capacity, diversify the region’s tax base and boost the regional economy, industry representatives say. Dominion Energy Virginia wants to build a liquified natural gas storage facility on more than 20 acres that the Richmond-based [...]
Construction begins on Carilion Taubman Cancer Center
Of the donors, health professionals and area leaders who turned out for Wednesday’s groundbreaking for the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center, Orion Moses, age 9, commanded the most attention. Doctors diagnosed Moses, who lives in Elliston, with leukemia at age 5. After enduring three and a half years of chemotherapy, he is now [...]