DAILY PRESS, May 21, 2015: It was all about growth for CakeAlicious owner Alice Cooke.
Alice Cooke was the first recipient of York County’s Home-Based Business initiative grant. Now she owns CakeAlicious in James City County. Photo by Daily Press
But expanding within the confines of her home kitchen proved to be difficult.
DAILY PRESS, July 6, 2015: Increased demand and an improving suburban housing market is bringing more rooftops to upper York County.
Whittaker’s Mill development in upper York County.
Developers with Yorktown-based Mid-Atlantic Commercial recently purchased 77.1 acres of land at Penniman Road and Route 199 near Water Country USA, where officials are planning a 220-unit residential development called Whittaker’s Mill.
“This is one of if not the prettiest pieces of property that I have ever worked on,” said Lamont Myers, Mid-Atlantic Commercial director of development. “I think this is going to be the most livable new community that’s been built in York County.”
DAILY PRESS, July 31, 2015: In 2008, Virginia’s 13 electoral votes went to a Democrat for the first time since the early 1960s and people began referring to the state as purple.
The Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University released a study that broke that purple electorate down into seven classifications, or “typologies.”
One of the findings will surprise no one: “There are more moderate voters in the state,” said Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center. “Virginia is a swing state, with about 40 percent of the electorate deciding elections.”
DAILY PRESS, Apr. 29, 2015: They have wide open spaces, access to major population and job centers — and in Hampton Roads, appear to be growing the fastest.
This home site in a new subdivision in James City County, located outside of Newport News and Hampton, is already slated for construction as suburban growth continues in Hampton Roads. Photo by Daily Press
Suburbs continue to be most popular with first- and second-time home buyers in the region, according to area real estate agents. With limited space and in some cases dwindling inventory in core cities like Newport News and Hampton, economists expect Peninsula suburbs to continue to blossom in 2015.
DAILY PRESS, Feb. 4, 2015: It was all about opportunity when Tae Bell decided to move her family from Charlotte, N.C., to the Peninsula nearly a year ago.
Tae Bell, 37, lives in a townhome community in York County where more than half of her income is dedicated to cover the rent. Photo By Daily Press
A single mother of three, Bell, 37, chose to relocate to York County because of its reputation for good schools and its proximity to Hampton and Newport News.
But finding an affordable place to live proved troublesome.
DAILY PRESS, Jan. 22, 2015: The battle between two economic juggernauts is about to begin — and Newport News, Hampton Roads and Virginia may be in danger of falling behind.
Jefferson Lab campus in Newport News, Virginia. Photo by Daily Press
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced earlier this week that he plans to add $65 million to the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s budget to help bring the U.S. Department of Energy’s new $618 million electron ion collider facility to the state’s Long Island, N.Y., research campus.
DAILY PRESS, April 5, 2015: Hampton Roads’ once half-empty warehouses are crammed to the ceiling these days – and that could mean a long-term economic windfall for the region.
A line graph indicating industrial market movement across the Peninsula. Graphic by Daily Press
But there are still two big groups to be convinced. First the importers, who began sending their goods to East Coast warehouses during the West Coast port slowdown. Then the bankers, who will want to see if that shift from west to east is permanent.
DAILY PRESS, April 10, 2015: Drive anywhere along the prime commercial corridors in Newport News, and you’re sure to find an existing, or new, shopping center.
Newport Marketplace, a large-scale shopping center in Newport News’ Patrick Henry retail district, is at risk of foreclosure. Photo by Daily Press
But looks can be deceiving.
DAILY PRESS, Dec. 7, 2015: Chesapeake-based Priority Auto Group is extending its auto empire to the Peninsula with the addition of four new dealerships here since July.
Chesapeake-based Priority Auto continues to expand its reach throughout Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. Photo by J. Elias O’Neal
“It’s a long-term strategy,” Priority President and CEO Dennis Ellmer said. “Anything that we can get in Hampton Roads on a franchise that we already own is something we are going to pursue.”
DAILY PRESS, Mar. 26, 2015: Ferguson Enterprises’ North American headquarters is located in Newport News, Virginia. The firm has been on an acquisitions spree since 2013 — helping it to mount record profits not seen since the Great Recession.
Click here to read my story on its latest revenue report.
J. Elias O'Neal 