Good morning, Leesburg.

The Chocolate Palette is set to open its new dessert shop in downtown Leesburg on Thursday, Sept.

17 at 212A Loudoun Street SE. The cafe will serve handcrafted European chocolates, æbleskivers and other sweets with set hours on Thursdays through Saturdays and Sundays.

Simply South, a vegetarian Indian restaurant, has signed on as the first tenant in the future expansion area at Loudoun Crossroads off Highway 50 in southern Loudoun County near Popeyes.

The building is still in planning so the restaurant will open later.

Fleen's Dessert Studio opened Sept.

12 in Ashburn in the former Bilstad's Beignets space and now offers local residents a unique range of gourmet desserts.

Microsoft will pay a record $2.5M after its Leesburg data center violated an emissions permit last year.

The penalty was agreed upon by the company to settle the violation with regulatory authorities.

A report from the National Association of Realtors finds little link between data centers and housing growth in Loudoun county — higher incomes and education appear to shape home markets more.