Mason Adams

Legislative Briefing

A summary of legislative actions taken during the 2020 General Assembly session

Published July 1, 2020 by Mason Adams

Virginia lawmakers considered an array of bills impacting businesses and the state economy. Here’s a look at some key actions taken during the 2020 session: Casinos Virginia lawmakers passed legislation opening the door for casinos but only in five localities: Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond. A study by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review…

A session to remember

2020 General Assembly saw protests and pandemic

Published June 30, 2020 by Mason Adams

In the six weeks between the Virginia General Assembly’s March 12 adjournment and its April 22 veto session, the world changed. The dramatic societal shifts brought on by the coronavirus pandemic were on display during the historic, surreal April meeting, in which the lawmakers gathered at unusual locations — the Senate at the Science Museum…

Crossing the line

Bristol seeks to strike new chord as a destination for casinos and tourism

Published March 29, 2020 by Mason Adams

A city famous for birthing country music and straddling the Virginia-Tennessee state line, Bristol, Virginia, has spent the last decade struggling to recover from the Great Recession and the coal industry’s steep decline. However, a new surge of economic life is reenergizing Bristol as it enters the 2020s. More visitors are flocking downtown. A new…

Shentel installs residential fiber optic across valley

Published January 31, 2020 by Mason Adams

A growing number of Shenandoah Valley communities are seeing more competition among broadband providers. Edinburg-based Shenandoah Telecommunications Co., or Shentel, founded more than a century ago by farmers seeking improved telecommunications services for their rural communities, is still focused on that mission, though these days it’s a little more high-tech than it was in the…

Projects vie for federal abandoned mine grant funds

Published December 30, 2019 by Mason Adams

Every year, Virginia receives $10 million from the federal government for projects to redevelop land that was home to abandoned coal mines. This fall, 18 different projects applied for funding — all seeking to become models for coalfield communities recovering from the industry’s slow collapse. The applications received by Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and…

A new vibe

Brewery announcements validate region’s changing image

Published July 29, 2016 by Mason Adams

An improvement in the Roanoke area’s economic metrics can be attributed to a shift in economic development strategy and a messaging campaign that’s transformed the community’s perception of itself.