On the cusp
Once again, Virginia is a significant factor in this year’s national electoral playing field, in which Democrats are jockeying to stay in power and Republicans are anticipated to make midterm gains. Three congressional districts in the commonwealth — all held by Democratic female incumbents — are considered vulnerable to the GOP by differing degrees. The competitive races […]
White House taps Va. HBCU presidents for advisory board
The presidents of Virginia State University and Norfolk State University are on the list of intended appointees to the President‘s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Biden administration announced on March 31. Virginia State University President Makola M. Abdullah, Norfolk State University President Javaune Adams-Gaston and Janeen Uzzell, CEO of the [&hell[...]
Peraton receives $254M State Department award
Herndon-based Peraton Inc. has been awarded a five-year, $254 million contract to support the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service’s cybersecurity operations. The federal contractor announced the award Thursday. Under the contract, Peraton will provide cyber support, including incident management, threat analysis and penetration testing. Peraton will also help the department [...]
ID.me to drop facial recognition requirement for government agencies
Amid concerns over privacy and data security, McLean-based tech company ID.me announced Tuesday it would drop the facial recognition requirement in its identity verification software, offering a new option to all government clients. Founded in 2010 as TroopSwap, ID.me works with 10 federal agencies, including Social Security and Veterans Affairs, and 30 states, in addition […]
Political Kool-Aid
Depending on who’s in charge in Dee Cee, plans alternate on what is best for the U.S. economy. The choices are seemingly reduced to tax cuts versus government spending, but things are rarely as they seem. More accurately, these choices are two different sides of the same dollar — or trillions of dollars to be […]
Biden will nominate SAIC senior VP as Army under secretary
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday his intent to nominate Gabe Camarillo, a senior vice president at Reston-based Fortune 500 federal contractor Science Applications International Corp., for under secretary of the U.S. Army. Camarillo is SAIC’s senior vice president of its army business unit and previously held other leadership positions within SAIC. He also has worked […]
VEDP, Martinsville receive $3.9M in federal grants
The city of Martinsville and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership have been awarded $3.9 million in federal CARES Act grants to boost economic development during the downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Thursday. Martinsville will receive a $3 million grant from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration to expand [&[...]
J&J vaccine put on pause in Va. due to safety concerns
Updated 6:30 p.m. April 13: Virginia health officials say the CDC has confirmed the Virginia woman’s death is connected to their call earlier Tuesday for a pause on use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Earlier: On Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health immediately put a pause on its use of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose […]
Va. restaurant, hospitality industry seeks $270M+ in relief funding
Hard hit by the pandemic, Virginia’s restaurant and hospitality industry is asking the General Assembly to dedicate more than $270 million from the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan dollars to assist hotels, restaurants and other hospitality-related industries. In a letter sent Tuesday to members of the state legislature’s money committees, the Virginia Restaurant, [&[...]
Va. community clinics receive $79M in federal funding
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Friday that 26 community clinics in Virginia will receive $79 million in funding through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan federal stimulus package. Warner also introduced legislation this week to support other community clinics — most run by health systems in the state’s rural areas — by […]
New Arlington-based tech contractor names chief financial officer
Two Six Technologies Inc., a new national security technology provider based in Arlington, announced Wednesday it has hired Bob Kwaja as chief financial officer. The company was formed in February after an affiliate of global investment firm The Carlyle Group acquired IST Research and Two Six Labs. Among Two Six Technologies’ clients are the Department […]
Northrop Grumman wins missile defense contract worth up to $3.9B
Falls Church-based Northrop Grumman Corp. and partner Raytheon Missiles & Defense were awarded a Missile Defense Agency contract worth up to $3.93 billion to perform work on the U.S. ballistic missile defense system, the agency announced Tuesday. Part of an award of $1.6 billion in contracts through fiscal year 2022 to Northrop Grumman and Bethesda, […]