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Shenandoah Valley

James Madison University opened the $66.5 million, 115,000-square-foot Hartman Hall in fall 2020. It’s named for JMU alum James Hartman and his family, who donated $3.7 million toward the new business school academic building. Photo by JMU Creative Media
Oct 21, 2022

JMU fundraising campaign brings in $251M

James Madison University’s second comprehensive fundraising campaign, Unleashed, raised more than $251 million, the Harrisonburg university announced Friday. The eight-year fundraising campaign, which exceeded its $200 million goal in March 2021, ended June 30. It began with an advanced gift phase in July 2014 before JMU annou[...]

Steve Powell is president of Dillwyn-based Buckingham Branch Railroad. Photo by Norm Shafer
Sep 29, 2022

Valley views attract scenic train tours

The views Steve Powell and his employees at Buckingham Branch Railroad see daily while riding the rails inspired him to launch the Virginia Scenic Railway. “There are a lot of people that love railroads, and we love sharing our railroad. It’s a unique way of seeing the Virginia scenery instead of riding on the interstate,”[...]

Sep 27, 2022

Virginia Realtors elect Winchester broker as prez

Virginia Realtors, the state’s largest trade association, has a new president and slate of officers for 2023. Katrina M. Smith, of the Blue Ridge Association of Realtors, will lead the group for the next year. She is the broker and owner of RE/MAX Synergy in Winchester and has been a Realtor since 2005. She led […]

Sep 26, 2022

Evermade Foods to expand Fauquier County operations

Warrenton-based Evermade Foods is investing $110,000 to expand its manufacturing operations and add 46 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. Evermade Foods is a co-manufacturer of prepared meals sold under private labels at grocery stores and through meal subscription services. The company has invested $1.7 million in buil[...]

Sep 20, 2022

Hotel revenues continue to outpace 2019, but only slightly

The commonwealth’s hotel industry is continuing its recovery, though the Northern Virginia market continues to be a drag on its performance, according to data from STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group Inc. that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. The latest data show rooms sold decreased by 4.6% in Virginia through August […]

Aug 29, 2022

Regional biz mentorship program jump-starts startups

Ruth Rau started her business as a hobby. Now, seven years later, her Winchester-based toy company — Mouse Loves Pig — is on track to generate revenue in six figures. The entrepreneur’s toys for babies and young children are sold in more than 250 stores in nine countries, and she’s partnered with a manufacturing company [...]

Aug 22, 2022

Mary Baldwin University president to retire

Mary Baldwin University President Pamela R. Fox will retire from the school in June 2023 after two decades, the university announced Monday. Fox announced her retirement during the school’s state of the university address. Her tenure, as the ninth president, is the longest in Mary Baldwin’s history since it became a [...]

Shenandoah University is renovating a World War II-era armory into a technology hub, seen here in a rendering. Rendering courtesy Shenandoah University
Jul 28, 2022

Shenandoah University creating tech hub

Shenandoah University is connecting the future to the past. It’s renovating an armory on its main campus in Winchester where National Guard soldiers once trained before D-Day, turning it into a Hub for Innovators, Veterans and Entrepreneurs — the HIVE. “This building will be a game changer for economic development in the N[...]

Jul 25, 2022

Lumos plans Hampton Roads fiber internet expansion

Lumos announced last week an $83 million ultra-high-speed fiber internet expansion that is expected to extend 100-gigabyte capacity over 760 miles in Hampton Roads, affecting as many as 85,000 residents and businesses across Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth by 2025. According to a news release, construction is expected [...]

Jun 28, 2022

FOR THE RECORD

Central Virginia  The state’s fiscal 2023-24 budget, approved June 1, contains funding that will benefit future redevelopment of the Central Virginia Training Center site in Madison Heights. Republican Sen. Steve Newman requested $25 million in state money to annul outstanding bonds associated with CVTC, a former state facility for people with intellectual disabilities that closed […]

The Ladies’ Bath House at The Omni Homestead Resort will again sport a domed roof, following renovations. Photo courtesy The Omni Homestead Resort
Jun 28, 2022

Bathhouses at Homestead to reopen soon

A painstaking restoration of the Warm Springs Pools will wrap up in time for The Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County to reopen one of America’s oldest spas by 2022’s end. Formerly called the Jefferson Pools, the spring-fed public baths have been closed since 2017. The resort had hoped to start work on the $3 […]

Jun 6, 2022

JMU hires first DEI VP

James Madison University has named Malika Carter its inaugural vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, the university announced Monday. Carter will start Aug. 25. “This appointment is a great honor,” Carter said in a statement. “JMU is well positioned to become, in the field of inclus[...]

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