Businesses in southwestern Virginia duel in sign war By TONIA MOXLEY, The Roanoke TimesMay 1, 2021 GMT CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) — The last time war came to this small Southwest Virginia hamlet was April 5, 1865, when 4,000 Union troops under Gen. George B. Stoneman swept through the region intent on destroying the town’s railroad depot. Now a new battle is raging here and even spilling into neighboring communities. This one is being fought with words. On signs. And means to spread goodwill. “I was going 2do a bank joke,” KFC lobbed at its Peppers Ferry Road Neighbor, First Bank & Trust Co. But “I lost interest.”