Economy

A GO Virginia-funded biotech collaboration is bringing almost $5 million to the Roanoke-Blacksburg region, to commercialize biotech research and medical device development.

The Iowa-based company owns newspapers in Bristol, Culpeper, Charlottesville, Danville, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Roanoke, Richmond and Waynesboro.

Mark Christie, who was named this month as chairman of FERC, grew up in coal country and spent 17 years on the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

The new rate is the result of a compromise reached between the utility and SCC staff.

The fiber-optic company, based in Roanoke, has not filed an accurate financial statement in more than a year, leading to a suspension from the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The Martinsville-based bank’s CEO said the company remains strong despite the impact of the overdue loans, which have been paid down from about $300 million to about $250 million.

President Donald Trump on Monday halted federal funding for Green New Deal projects, including those supporting electric vehicles. Spokespeople for two companies awaiting such funding say they’re unsure whether or how their specific projects will be impacted.

The casino also reported $3.71 million in tax revenues for December, which includes $1.23 million to be shared among Bristol and 13 other localities in Southwest Virginia.

The region had been under consideration for the state’s first small modular nuclear reactor, or SMR.