- Perdue Farms Inc. will open a $25 million distribution center in April in Prince George County. The 150,000-square-foot facility is expected to bring 170 jobs.

- Small business now has an advocate: In January 1999 Longwood College opened the Crater Small Business Development Center in Petersburg.

- The Greensville Memorial Hospital will be replaced with a new facility by September 2002. The new facility is expected to cost $43 million, according to hospital CEO Gene Faile. The new hospital will be bigger, with 100 new physicians and other staff.

- The district has six state Enterprise Zones, and Emporia applied for the designation in January. The zones offer grants, tax credits and other incentives to businesses that set up shop within their boundaries.

- Dinwiddie County is investing more than $500,000 in the first of a three-phase renovation of a former elementary school. Once completed, the building will include a new library, recreation offices, a conference room and exercise rooms.

- The Greensville County public school system recently completed a $6 million, three-stage renovation and expansion program that restructured the age levels at school sites to include a "middle school" concept.

- Chesterfield County invested more than $10 million to upgrade water and sewer service to Meadowville to accommodate the high-tech and biotech industries.

- The Virginia Department of Transportation is completing the $22 million redesign and construction of the Walthall Interchange on Interstate 95 in Chesterfield County.