Kaine hears concerns as momentum in Halifax County creates new opportunities, challenges

"U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., returned to South Boston on Wednesday with a message that would have been difficult to imagine during some of the region’s tougher economic years: Halifax County’s biggest challenge may now be keeping pace with its own growth.

Kaine met with local business, education, healthcare and economic development leaders at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center for a roundtable focused on workforce development, housing, infrastructure, artificial intelligence and rural healthcare.

[...]

The conversation reflected a significant change in the region’s economic landscape. Kaine, who served as Virginia’s governor from 2006 to 2010 before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, said the questions facing Southside Virginia today are substantially different from those he heard during his time as governor.

'It’s a very, very different discussion today,' Kaine said. 'The level of investment in Southside has been very high. The employment opportunities are really growing. And then that creates separate challenges, like, can we attract enough workers? How do we have enough housing for the workforce?'"