Economy

Businesses and local officials say the new source of natural gas creates an opportunity for economic growth and another energy option for some residents. Pipeline critics maintain they still have concerns about the controversial project.

The company will invest $16.6 million and create 52 new jobs in the Mecklenburg County town, the governor’s office said.

A pilot project for life sciences and biotechnology production comes in part from a $100,000 grant from GO Virginia.

The annual four-day event, which starts Tuesday, centers on learning and networking for technology professionals.

If the State Corporation Commission approves Appalachian’s request, the average residential customer’s monthly bill would rise by about $6.75, on top of approximately $50 in increases over the past two years.

The facility has been generating electricity since its dam was built at Claytor Lake in 1939.

Jeffrey Schwaner has been a storytelling coach and editor with Gannett’s Virginia papers for more than nine years.

The Cost of Poverty gathered dozens of Martinsville-area public servants, from police to social workers, and asked them to navigate the lived experiences of those they deal with every day. 

A second grant from Virginia Energy’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program will go to a business expansion in Clintwood.

The center, which will be run by Ballad Health, is part of the Regional Workforce and Childhood Development Hub.