Security issues and a dwindling caseload prompted the decision to shutter the courthouse. But local officials are hoping to give the historic building a new life.
Susan Cameron
Susan Cameron is a reporter for Cardinal News. She has been a newspaper journalist in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee for nearly 40 years. She is based in Bristol. Reach her at susan@cardinalnews.org or 276-791-5928.
Posted inEconomy
Cannabis-related stores are popping up across Virginia amid confusion over the state’s marijuana laws
Experts say the stores, many of which gift or share marijuana, are proliferating because the Virginia General Assembly approved marijuana for personal use but failed to set up a retail market.
Posted inEconomy
$25M federal grant will deliver high-speed internet to Wise, Lee and Norton
More than 17,000 residents and more than 1,000 businesses will be served by the new network, federal officials said.
Posted inEconomy
Youngkin recommends approval of ARC grants totaling $7.3 million, including money for Barter Theatre renovations
The state theater hopes to replace seats, including the original Empire Theatre seats, as well as carpet and make improvements to two stages and dressing rooms.
Posted inPolitics
Recent mail delays in Chilhowie cause late bills for hundreds of residents
Some structural changes have improved delays, but officials are waiting to see if they will last. They’ve asked for help from U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who says mail problems aren’t unique to Southwest Virginia and is pressing for answers.
Posted inEconomy
As the Bristol Casino marks its first year, construction is on schedule for the 2024 opening of the permanent Hard Rock
The neighborhood around the casino has remained largely unchanged since its opening, but property prices have spiked, and city officials say they’ve seen lots of interest from hotels and restaurants.
Posted inPolitics
$23 million goes to Virginia localities in first round of Opioid Abatement Fund grants
Of that, $8.7 million will go to projects in Southwest and Southside. The state authority just finalized the first grants to go out since it received its first set of national settlement payments from manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids in 2022.
Posted inEconomy
Tennessee study of passenger rail potential will recommend the state consider a route to Bristol
Bristol officials hope that working with both Tennessee and Virginia will boost their efforts to bring passenger rail to and through Bristol.
Posted inPolitics
More than $8.7 million in grants recommended for Southwest, Southside projects to address opioid-use disorder
An Opioid Abatement Authority committee recommended a total of $23 million in grants to 76 cities and counties. The funds come from Virginia’s share of settlement payments from the manufacturers and distributors of opioids.
Posted inEconomy
Coal community leaders from 10 states visit Southwest Virginia to learn from energy projects
The visitors, all members of the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities initiative, were looking for ways to revitalize and diversify their own local economies.