Economy

County offices will occupy the top floor of the downtown Floyd building, which is next to the county courthouse. The bank will lease the lower two floors until the construction of its new Main Street facility is complete.

If approved, the utility’s latest proposal would raise the average residential customer’s monthly bill by about $16 instead of $25 as outlined under an earlier plan. The request comes after other cost increases were already approved this year.

Conversion of Roanoke’s former rayon plant to Riverdale, a mixed-use neighborhood, has begun. Removing a million pounds of junk was the first major step for developer Ed Walker.

More than 17,000 residents and more than 1,000 businesses will be served by the new network, federal officials said.

Proposals led by the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium and the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance have some common goals but also some key differences. They’ll compete for federal dollars against proposals based around additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence and autonomous transportation, among other critical technologies.

The electric utility said it plans to replace aging equipment with a more reliable system to better serve five counties in Southside and Southwest Virginia. 

County residents packed the meeting auditorium in opposition to a 1,900-unit housing project. The board of supervisors approved rezoning for the project, 5-2.

City and Caesars officials say they’re pleased with how the first three months have gone, while small-business owners in the neighborhood say they’re looking forward to the opening of the permanent casino — and to a solution to ongoing traffic problems.

The regional consortium is at least the third Virginia project vying for potentially tens of millions of dollars in federal grants.

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.