December 2023 Issue

Virginia Scenic Railway Adds Dome Car for Spectacular Valley Views The popular Virginia Scenic Railway just upped its game with a vintage dome car offering breathtaking 360° views of the Shenandoah Valley. The “Shenandoah”—built in 1948 as the “Silver Palace” for the California Zephyr—now gives passengers an unmatched vantage point on three-hour excursions from Staunton. […]

Nikki Bettis stood on the jagged summit outcrop of Shenandoah National Park’s 4,011-foot Stony Man, awed by westward panoramic views. Her heart swelled with emotion as she turned to watch her 13 kids shoulder their loaded backpacks and fall into a clamorous single-file line heading back to the Appalachian Trail (AT).  “We were in an […]

Chesterfield is making history as the future site of the world’s first grid-scale commercial nuclear fusion* power plant, with a goal of delivering power in the early 2030s.  Commonwealth Fusion System (CFS), a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will independently finance, build, own, and operate the facility at the James River Industrial Park. […]