Sign In
Free Newsletter
COVID-19 cluster spurs quick conversion of VCU Honors College into isolation unit
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Commonwealth University will convert three floors of a building that houses classrooms and workspaces into an isolation space for students who test positive for COVID-19, according to a university spokesperson. The number of positive cases on campus has more than tripled since the university began reporting its cases online Aug. 20. […]
More college students head into quarantine as COVID-19 cases rise
RICHMOND — As more universities open, they’re collecting and releasing COVID-19 data and grappling with contingency plans for those who contract the disease. As of Thursday evening, universities across Virginia were reporting that more than 550 students, staff and faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19 since schools reopened two weeks ago, according to the […]
Va. saw slight decrease in initial jobless claims last week
More than 11,000 Virginians filed initial jobless claims last week — a decrease of nearly 4,000 claims from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. The number of initial claims filed during the Aug. 22 filing week fell to near the average weekly volume in 2009, according to the VEC. However, 249,745 people […]
Virginia colleges reopen with COVID-19 data available
RICHMOND — Virginia college students returning to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been equipped with masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. Now, many also have coronavirus testing data available at their fingertips. Some Virginia universities have unveiled COVID-19 dashboards to track infections as students return to campus. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond released[...]
New COVID-19 cases continue to decline statewide; deaths are up
The Virginia Department of Health has reported 113,630 COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 24, an increase of 6,209 cases in the past week. The state also saw 86 more deaths from the coronavirus last week, bringing the total to 2,471. The number of new deaths is up from the previous week’s total of 58, but […]
Va. saw slight uptick in initial jobless claims last week
More than 15,000 Virginians filed initial jobless claims last week — an increase of more than 1,800 claims from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. “The increase in initial claims for unemployment benefits in Virginia reverses the trend of declining claims over the last two weeks,” Dominique Johnson, research associate with Old […]
Virginia Tech launches COVID-19 dashboard
Virginia Tech on Wednesday launched an online dashboard that the university will use to keep track of COVID-19 test results and the number of students in on-campus isolation spaces. “Our comprehensive plan to manage the additional cases expected as the Blacksburg campus is repopulated includes close collaboration with our campus experts and community partners,” Virginia […]
Va. hotel revenue inching upward
Hotel revenues in Virginia continued to incrementally improve last week, according to new data from STR Inc., a division of CoStar Group providing market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. During the week of Aug. 9 through Aug. 15, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 44% and rooms sold declined by 32%, compared to the […]
Montgomery County, Blacksburg, Christiansburg launch small business relief grants
Montgomery County and the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg on Wednesday launched a grant fund to support small business recovery in response to COVID-19. Eligible businesses can receive one-time grants of up to $27,500. The Small Business Recovery grant program is funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and funding […]
Facebook opens Black business grant program
Starting Wednesday, any majority Black-owned business in the U.S. with up to 50 employees can apply for a grant through Facebook Inc.’s Black Business Grant. In June, Facebook announced it had committed $100 million in grants this year to support U.S. Black-owned businesses, creators and nonprofits. The social media giant announced Wednesday that $40 million […]
U.S. hotel industry faces foreclosure wave
The U.S. hotel industry is facing an historic wave of foreclosures due to the pandemic, according to findings released Tuesday from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), but Virginia might be an exception — for now. “We are not seeing much in the way of foreclosures or defaults as of yet,” says Virginia Restaurant, […]
State files injunction motion against Hanover seafood restaurant
Updated, Aug. 19 The state health commissioner and the Virginia Board of Health have filed a motion for an injunction against a seafood restaurant in Hanover County that refuses to close in spite of multiple public health orders alleging it is in violation of the state’s COVID-19 rules. Calabash Seafood has been “serving customers food […]
