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Danville has added 112 rental homes and 16 for-sale homes since 2023, with 233 more units under construction. But the region’s housing need has grown faster than its supply. A 2025 update found pent-up demand for nearly 4,000 rental units and 1,300 homes for purchase in the city. Thousands of jobs expected at Berry Hill — including about 2,000 promised by Microporous and 2,500 proposed by data center developer Stack Infrastructure — are adding urgency. Officials say nearly 1,000 units are needed for the Microporous project alone. The upper half of the Creeper Trail is scheduled to reopen March 31, nearly two years after Hurricane Helene washed away parts of the popular route. But rebuilding bridges and trestles is only one part of the recovery. Flooding, fallen trees and construction have created openings for invasive plants, including kudzu and Japanese knotweed, to spread along Whitetop Laurel Creek. Area ranger Ed Wright says the ecological restoration could take up to a decade — with knotweed alone posing a five- to 10-year battle. Virginia’s power transformer industry is expanding as electricity demand grows. Hitachi Energy is investing $457 million in its South Boston factory, adding more than 800 jobs and building a new plant expected to be completed in late 2028. Lynchburg-based Delta Star is also expanding, with plans to add more than 400 jobs. Data centers are part of the demand, alongside population growth, new power generation, electrified manufacturing and an aging grid in need of upgrades. Manufacturers are racing to increase production amid growing backlogs and reliance on foreign supply chains. Del. Sam Rasoul has added a new credential to his years in the Virginia House of Delegates: licensed lawyer. The Roanoke Democrat quietly began law school in 2022, completing a part-time, year-round hybrid program through the University of Dayton while continuing his legislative and consulting work. He graduated in May, took the bar exam in July and learned Friday that he had passed. Rasoul says he hopes to focus his legal practice on civil rights and criminal defense, though he has made no immediate career moves. Opponents have argued that Ballot Question 1 would invalidate existing state law regarding access to abortion care. Law experts say that it would take a court decision to overturn state statute.

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