The 20-year plan will rely heavily on community voices, and the Plan Danville space on North Union Street is a place where residents can come to share their thoughts.
Economy
Covering the economic issues facing Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Startup gets ticket punched
Acquisition is a mark of success for “rising star” graduates of Roanoke business accelerator.
Former Fieldale High School in Henry County is being turned into housing
Developers Jim Cherney and John Garland are converting four properties in Martinsville and Henry County into housing.
As infection numbers decline and at-home testing expands, Carilion shutters drive-through COVID test centers
Over the course of the pandemic, two drive-through sites in Roanoke and Montgomery counties processed 340,000 tests, Carilion said.
Start-Up Slam presenters share business ideas to address community problems — and maybe nab a cash prize
From food to exercise to helping underserved populations, Danville residents pitched business ideas that they were passionate about. Two winners split $300 in prize money.
How do state officials attract big companies like Ford? Here’s how it usually happens in Virginia.
Last month, Gov. Glenn Youngkin withdrew Virginia from consideration for a Ford Motor Co. battery plant over concerns about Ford’s ties to a Chinese company. The plant could’ve created 2,500 jobs in Virginia, had it located here. This decision, which sparked backlash from some and support from others, prompted questions about the process of recruiting […]
House budget proposal would create program to pay tech workers $10,000 to move to New River-Roanoke-Lynchburg area
A proposed Virginia talent attraction program modeled after incentive programs in other communities, particularly Tulsa, Oklahoma, aims to bring tech workers to Southwest Virginia and improve net in-migration.
Danville to host poetry slam-style event for aspiring entrepreneurs
The River District Association is hosting its third Start-Up Slam, where people can share their business ideas in an informal, low-stakes environment.
The owners of two historic Roanoke cemeteries want to give the properties to the city — but the city doesn’t want them
No heirs are interested in running Fair View Cemetery or Cedar Lawn Memorial Park, and efforts to find other buyers have been unsuccessful. But Roanoke officials say the city shouldn’t be in the business of owning cemeteries.
Confusion swirls about when Patrick County’s hospital, scheduled to open early 2023, will really launch
Patrick County’s only hospital closed in 2017 and was scheduled to reopen under new ownership in early 2023. But the project has been delayed, and county officials offer different predictions about a realistic opening date.

