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Northam calls state of emergency to increase hospital staffing
With an all-time high number of Virginians hospitalized for COVID-19 on Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam issued a 30-day executive order Monday to expand the number of available hospital beds, increase staffing capacity at hospitals and nursing homes, and allow public health agencies greater flexibility. “It is painful to see the number of COVID cases rising,” […]
VDH funds $5 million for new COVID-19 testing centers
As COVID infection rates reach record numbers from the omicron variant, the Virginia Department of Health will open nine new COVID-19 community testing centers across the state to increase testing availability, Gov. Ralph Northam’s office announced Thursday. The centers will offer polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, considered the most reliable type of COVID-19 test. The […]
Va. new unemployment claims up 51%
Virginia’s new unemployment claims increased by almost 51% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending Jan. 1, Virginians filed 1,813 new claims, an increase of 609 from the previous week. Continued claims totaled 11,262, an increase of 6,358 claims from the week before. Compared to last year, initial claims […]
Looking back
In November 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam sat down for an interview with Virginia Business, looking back at his eventful four-year term. This is a transcript of the full interview, part of which was used in the January 2022 cover story, “A dramatic shift.” The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Virginia Business: What […]
A dramatic shift
Four years ago, no one would have guessed Gov. Ralph Northam would lead the most progressive Virginia administration in modern memory. A native of Onancock on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, as well as a pediatric neurologist and Army veteran, Virginia’s 73rd governor was eyed by some Democrats with suspicion after acknowledging he’d voted twice for President […]
Consumer Technology Association: “CES will and must go on”
The Arlington-based Consumer Technology Association (CTA) is moving forward with its CES consumer technology trade show in Las Vegas in January, despite cancelations from big exhibitors and the surge of COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant. Formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, CES typically draws thousands of exhibitors and more than 150,000 attendees. […]
Va. had fewer job openings in October
Virginia had 308,000 job openings in October, the largest drop in openings among U.S. states, as well as 108,000 quits, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data released Dec. 17. In September, Virginia had a record-setting 336,000 job openings, but in October, openings declined by 28,000, […]
Va. hotel revenues down 19% from Nov. 2019 levels
Virginia hotel revenues in November were 19% below November 2019 levels, according to data released Wednesday by STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. During the same period, hotel rooms sold decreased by 12% compared with 2019 levels. The average daily rate (ADR) paid for hotel rooms […]
Va. unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% in November
In November, Virginia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, 0.2 points below October’s rate, marking 18 straight months of declines, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. In November 2020, the jobless rate was 2.4 points higher than last month. The labor force increased by 2,706 to almost 4.26 million, and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 8,627 […]
Trucking on: How truckers are battling historic labor shortage
RICHMOND — From hand sanitizer and vaccines to groceries and toilet paper, truck drivers are trucking through the COVID-19 pandemic despite a historic labor shortage. Many industries moved workers home during the start of the pandemic, but truckers worked “to meet the needs of this country.” “The trucking industry has stepped up and delivered through […]
Va. new unemployment claims drop 47%
Virginia’s new unemployment claims dropped by 47% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, following a drop of 50% in the week ending Nov. 27. For the filing week ending Dec. 4, Virginians filed 3,450 initial claims, a decrease of 3,096 from the week before. Continued claims totaled 14,598, an increase of 681 from the […]
New Va. unemployment claims fall by 50%
The state’s new unemployment claims for the filing week ending Nov. 27 fell by about 50% from the previous week, while continued claims rose by more than 7,000 filings. The Virginia Employment Commission installed a new unemployment insurance system in November, and it missed two weeks of reports during that period. According to the VEC’s […]
