Danville’s Industrial Development Authority bought old, empty buildings — sometimes at above-market prices — with the goal of selling them to developers. The strategy drew some criticism over the years, but local leaders believe it’s paid off in increased tax revenues and new vitality for previously depressed areas of the city.

Grace Mamon
Grace Mamon is a senior journalism and English student at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. She is the co-editor-in-chief of the university's independent student-run newspaper, the Ring-tum Phi, for the second year in a row. She worked as a reporting intern at the Roanoke Times during the summer of 2020 and at the Tampa Bay Business Journal during the summer of 2021.
Local branding of Appalachian League teams benefits ticket, merchandise sales
Seven of the 10 teams saw attendance increases in 2021. This year’s season begins Thursday.
UVA Wise becomes second school in U.S. to adopt strict student-athlete misconduct rule
Student-athletes disciplined for sexual misconduct will now be unable to play at UVA Wise.
One county in Virginia has no day care
Bath County is working to get one, but it’s not the only rural county that’s finding the lack of child care is an obstacle to economic development.
Why don’t we have more wind energy in Southwest Virginia? Or any?
Virginia has been left out of national wind energy trends, but that might change soon
Alleghany storytelling project preserves community history, tells pandemic tales
So far, the group has produced four books documenting life in and around the town.