Virginia Tourism Corporation announced Sept. 9 that the Commonwealth's tourism revenues topped $23 billion in 2015, a 2.4 percent increase over 2014.

Juan Carlos Pinzón, Colombian Ambassador to the United States, invited Governor McAuliffe earlier this year to lead an agricultural trade and marketing mission to Colombia to grow the relationship between Virginia and Colombia and capitalize on the benefits of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in 2012.

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Aug. 16 that KO Distilling will expand its operations in the City of Manassas. The company will create six new jobs in the city and source 100 percent of its corn, wheat, and rye needs from Virginia agricultural producers.

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) recently redesigned the Virginia Farm Link website and database at http://www.vafarmlink.org to include additional features to better facilitate connections between farm owners and those interested in farming.

Uptown Alley entertainment and restaurant venue at Manassas Mall has announced it plans to open at 8300 Sudley Road, Manassas, Va, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 11 a.m.

Governor Terry McAuliffe has announced that Toray Plastics (America), Inc., a subsidiary of Toray Industries, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, will invest $45 million to expand its Front Royal facility in Warren County.

Prince William County Development Services has published two polices: A new Grinder Pump Tank Installation Third Party Inspection Program and an UPDATED Basement Handout.

The upcoming comedy “Permanent,” written and directed by a University of Virginia graduate and starring Patricia Arquette and Rainn Wilson, will shoot in Central Virginia in early August. Director Colette Burson was quoted as saying, “I feel like I can deliver a movie that looks way beyond my budget because all my Virginia locations are incredibly beautiful and authentic."