Cover Story
The best of times?
Year of pandemic and civil strife also saw transformative giving
The past year or so in America has often seemed a dark time, with headlines dominated by COVID-19, the tumult surrounding social justice issues and our deeply politically divided nation. Yet, it also has been a time of breathtaking generosity, as uber-wealthy philanthropists and well-heeled corporations have opened their wallets to fund groundbreaking initiatives, especially
Interview
Breaking down barriers
Virginia Beach teacher tapped as NFL’s first Black woman official
Published
Maia Chaka, a health and physical education teacher at Virginia Beach’s Renaissance Academy, will be the National Football League’s first Black female referee, the league announced in March. A 2006 Norfolk State University alumna, Chaka has been officiating football since 2007, a journey that took her from high school games to the NCAA’s Division I,
Opinion
Are big tech firms more like nations?
Published
Roughly two years ago, Facebook announced plans to lead a consortium of companies creating a new digital token currency called Libra. The partners were to include major payment processors Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Stripe, among others. However, strong opposition from financial regulators around the world led to its shelving. Fast-forward to 2021, as global acceptance
From This Issue
Rolling out the red carpet
Tourism destination branches into tech, offshore wind
Published
With high-speed subsea internet cables landing on Virginia Beach’s shores and massive wind turbines propelling off its coast, the state’s largest city is primed to welcome new businesses and industries generating high-end jobs. “Virginia Beach is going to be the epicenter of economic development on the East Coast,” says Mayor Bobby Dyer. “I am convinced
Innovative development planned along Silver Line
Published
Big plans are in place for a 103-acre plot on the Loudoun-Fairfax county line, property originally pitched by the two counties as a potential location for Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 East Coast headquarters. Rivana at Innovation Station, the first phase of the 4.4 million-square-foot Innovation Station mixed-use development project announced in March, is ideally positioned for
Advertisement
June For The Record
Published
Roanoke/ New River Valley In late April, Salem-based LewisGale Regional Health System broke ground for a new freestanding emergency room in Roanoke. Located on West Ruritan Road, the nearly 10,000-square-foot facility will be named LewisGale Medical Center Blue Hills ER and staffed with board-certified emergency room physicians and nurses. It is expected to open in
(Solar) powering the economy
Published
A 700-acre solar farm on a former surface mine outside of Hurley will be more than it appears, according to Adam Edelen. “Buchanan County and the entire region of Southwestern Virginia intends to benefit from the digital economy rather than be a victim of it,” says Edelen, CEO of Edelen Renewables. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, Edelen’s
Space race
NASA moon-Mars missions are boon for Virginia contractors
Published
With NASA on the verge of returning astronauts to the moon and one day to Mars, Virginia’s federal contractors also are taking a giant leap into space, fulfilling millions of dollars in NASA-related contracts over the next decade and possibly beyond. In a 2020 economic impact study commissioned by NASA, Virginia was ranked sixth in
Botetourt wind project hits resistance
Published
Apex Clean Energy Inc. continues working toward a day when wind turbines standing atop Botetourt County’s North Mountain might generate enough energy to power up to 21,000 homes each year. Dubbed Rocky Forge Wind, the proposed wind farm north of Eagle Rock would be Virginia’s first onshore wind project in operation. However, some residents have
Play ball!
Sports teams and tourism destinations expect summer rebound
Published
Minor League Baseball is back for 2021, after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 season. And there’s no question that this summer will look much different than a typical baseball season. But the Richmond Flying Squirrels are optimistic. The team kicked off its season May 4. All fans who had vouchers or credits for 2020
Help wanted
Hotels, restaurants confront post-pandemic staffing crisis
Published
Twenty years ago, John Zirkle was just starting out in the Virginia Beach hotel business as a houseman, stripping bed sheets and doing laundry. Fast-forward to today and he is general manager of the Doubletree by Hilton at Virginia Beach and president of the beach’s hotel association. Lately, though, Zirkle’s had to recall some of
Martinsville moves forward on reversion
Published
Exactly when it happens remains up in the air, but the city of Martinsville is set on downsizing to town status. It’s been about a year and a half since Martinsville City Council set in motion the complicated process of dropping the locality’s status as one of Virginia’s 38 independent cities and morphing it into
A dose of inspiration
Pandemic disrupts med schools, boosts applications
Published
Admissions officers call it “the Fauci effect.” Inspired by Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and the highly visible point person for the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic response, prospective students have been flooding medical schools with applications. But Dr. Richard V. Homan, president and provost of Eastern Virginia Medical School and dean
Advertisement
Trending
Sponsored Stories
Why is my Less Than Truckload (LTL) freight pricing going up and my service level going down?
Beyond Juneteenth – How Capital One is Commemorating and Implementing Change
How We Help Your Business Operate Better
Before the Breach: Get Serious About Cyber Resilience
Professionals are Discovering What it Means to Live Uniquely in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia
Riverside Logistics Celebrates 25th Anniversary!
Girls for a Change Empowers Black Youth for the Future Workforce
