Verl Emrick (second from left) and Michael St. Germain (right) of the Conservation Management Institute measure the diameter of a tree at the Boden Creek Ecological Preserve in Belize with the help of two preserve field assistants. Permanent plots at the preserve are used to determine forest carbon stocks in order to calculate available carbon offsets.

The Conservation Management Institute in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment completed a carbon offset project at the Boden Creek Ecological Preserve in Belize. 
 
Here is a press release from Virginia Tech. Read more »

Dr. Bowman Business Person of the Year

Dr. Benjamin Bowman was named Business Person of the Year by the Radford Chamber of Commerce. Bowman has been with Tuck Chiropractic  for four years.

Here is a news release from Tuck Chiropractic.

Read more »

The U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology will invest $212,800 in Genedge Alliance, a statewide manufacturing support program based at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville.

Here’s more on the announcement from the offices of Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner:

Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner today announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will invest $212,800 in GENEDGE ALLIANCE, a statewide manufacturing support program based at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia.  Both Senators have consistently supported federal funding in Congress for the program, which supports industrial and manufacturing jobs by helping private businesses across the Commonwealth compete and succeed.

“I have been a big supporter of this concept, where high-quality advisors help small and mid-sized companies compete nationally,” said Senator Webb.  “The GENEDGE ALLIANCE manufacturing program is a strong example of a public-private partnership that will strengthen Virginia communities and invigorate local economies.” Read more »

The Better Business Bureau today issued a scam alert to warn businesses and consumers about an email that appears to be from a bbb.org address but in fact contains a dangerous attachment.

The bureau said it does not send complaints as attachments via email. In this case, the email appears to have come from a fake BBB employee claiming that the recipient needs to review the matter and advise the BBB of their position. From there the email directs the recipients to an outside link with malicious intent. “We are strongly advising to not open or click them,” the BBB said in a statement.

If you receive such an email, do not follow its instructions. Instead, forward it to phishing@council.bbb.org and then delete it. If you have clicked on the link, perform a virus scan immediately.

Virginia Tech has a new fraternity: FarmHouse. The group initially was designed to be a professional fraternity for agriculture students but now has opened to men of all majors.

Here’s more from the university:

FarmHouse has officially become Virginia Tech’s newest fraternity. The group received its charter Oct. 16, three years after forming as an interest group at the university.

Initially conceived as a professional fraternity for agriculture students, it is now a social fraternity open to men from all majors. The name FarmHouse, while reflecting the group’s origins, is also an acronym stating its core beliefs — faith, ambition, reverence, morality, honesty, obedience, unity, service, and excellence. Read more »

RGC Resources Inc., the parent of Roanoke Gas Co., posted its fourth quarter and year-end financials today. Reporter Sarah Bruyn Jones has the details here.

State and local officials this afternoon announced an expansion at Commonwealth Laminating & Coating. The company will be hiring 40 new employees over the next two to three years in a move assisted by state economic development grants. Read about it here.

AT&T is expanding its mobile broadband network in Lexington and Buena Vista. Here’s more from the company:

AT&T today announced the expansion of its mobile broadband network in Lexington and Buena Vista, extending access for advanced mobile services, devices and feature-rich audio and video content to students at the local universities as well as businesses and customers.  Areas of new mobile broadband coverage include the area of the I-64/I-81 split and along Route 60 from Buena Vista to West Lexington.

“Our network investments in Lexington and across Virginia are one way we’re able to provide an enhanced customer experience.” said J. Michael Schweder, President of AT&T Mid-Atlantic. “Our recently announced agreement to acquire T-Mobile USA also represents a major commitment to strengthen and expand our network. In fact, this deal, if approved, means that we’ll be able to expand the next generation of mobile broadband – 4G LTE – from our current plan of 80 percent of the U.S. population to more than 97 percent.”

“Demand for wireless bandwidth is growing rapidly, and we want to meet our customers’ needs,” said Erika K. Thompson-Kemp, Vice President and General Manager for AT&T in Virginia and West Virginia. “We want you to have an extraordinary experience whether you are sharing videos and photos with friends, watching a movie, checking the latest scores or keeping your business mobile on your AT&T device.”

Doctors Express, an urgent care center, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.

The clinic, which is opening at Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke, also will host a grand opening Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Doctors Express is a franchise chain of urgent care medical centers. It will offer on-site lab work, X-rays and a pharmacy.

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Jefferson College of Health Sciences are holding a career fair tonight for high school and college students.

The fair will include presentations on a variety of health care degrees, including associate degree programs in physical therapy, bachelor’s degree programs in health care management and master’s degree programs in occupational therapy and nursing.

The fair is 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, 2 Riverside Circle in Roanoke.