Economy

The project’s goal is to connect a small power plant on board a ship with facilities on land that need electricity when other sources of power are unavailable.

Electric co-ops that have been trying to lay broadband fiber have been met with resistance from railroads when they must cross train tracks, company executives and state lawmakers say.

Fermi Energy is developing an EV battery that wouldn’t rely on hard-to-source materials like cobalt and nickel. The company has won millions of dollars of grant money this year and is part of a new research effort that also includes Virginia Tech and General Motors.

The Roanoke-based health care nonprofit said it anticipates reporting another fiscal year with a negative operating margin as pandemic-related and inflationary factors weigh on its balance sheet. Despite that, executives say, its finances remain strong.

Local support in Henry County for improving the existing road represents a change. Previously there were calls for an entirely new bypass around Martinsville called the Southern Connector.

Smoke in Chimneys lost nearly half of its winter crop of trout last month due to low water levels. The Roanoke Valley culinary community has rallied around the Walker family to help sustain them through this devastating loss. 

The Roanoke research institute will hire 14 more researchers dedicated to cancer, neuro-engineering and computational neuroscience.

The former meat packing plant is being torn down and will be replaced by a 300-unit apartment complex.

A Bluefield, West Virginia-based application with Southwest Virginia representatives is seeking federal economic development investment to convert coal byproducts into products like batteries and building materials.