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Va. finalizes $3.7B rail expansion agreement
Virginia will have more train service in the next decade, as Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday the formalization of a $3.7 billion rail expansion package in Virginia, the tenets of which were announced in late 2019. The state signed agreements with Amtrak, CSX and Virginia Railway Express at a ceremony Tuesday. According to the governor’s […]
Tuition-free program for eligible community college students becomes law
Legislation creating a tuition-free community college program in Virginia became law Monday, as Gov. Ralph Northam held a bill signing ceremony at Northern Virginia Community College for the “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” program, one of his signature initiatives. Known as G3, the program provides funding for tuition, fees and books and other […]
Pittsylvania truck sales company plans $5.2M expansion
Chatham-based J&J Truck Sales Inc. will build a 45,000-square-foot facility off U.S. Highway 29 in Pittsylvania County, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. The $5.2 million project, adjacent to the company’s existing operation, is expected to create 27 jobs and increase its ability to repair, refurbish and fabricate automotive-based equipment. Virginia beat South Carolina for the [&hell[...]
Northam seeks to include part-time workers in state IRA fund
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has proposed a change to a bill to allow part-time employees to participate in a newly created state-administered retirement fund for workers without 401(k) access, the governor’s office announced Friday. Northam also has signed legislation expanding an existing broadband pilot program to increase internet access in underserved areas of the state, […]
Va. wedding venue loses suit against governor
On Friday, a federal judge ruled against Franklin County wedding venue Belle Garden Estate and its owner Charles Russell, who sued Gov. Ralph Northam in an attempt to expand the number of people who could attend a wedding under the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. Under current executive orders, businesses can host only 25 people outdoors if […]
Va. unemployment dropped slightly in Feb., continuing slow decline
Virginia’s unemployment rate continued to edge lower in February, dropping from 5.3% in January to 5.2% last month, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. However, the state saw a decrease of 3,700 nonfarm payroll jobs and a decline in employed people during February. The nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.2% in February, and the state’s […]
Va. to loosen COVID restrictions April 1
Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday he is “slowly and safely” lifting some COVID-19 restrictions statewide beginning April 1, including raising limits of gatherings to 30% capacity at entertainment venues. In most cases, outdoor gatherings will be limited to 100 people and indoor gatherings at 50 people, the governor said. Wedding venues, which have been under […]
COVID roundup: Nearly 25% of Virginians vaccinated; fewer restrictions expected April 1
Nearly a quarter of Virginia’s population has now been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s update Monday, March 22, and counties in the Eastern Shore, Southern Virginia and northern Shenandoah Valley have expanded vaccination to include people in group 1c. So far, 3.1 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide as […]
Va. extends income tax deadline to May 17
Virginia will also extend its income tax filing and payment deadline to May 17, following the lead by the Internal Revenue Service, which announced a similar delay this week. Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement Friday that the state tax deadline will move from May 1 to May 17, affecting only individual income taxes […]
Northam signs alcohol, ‘games of skill’ bills into law
Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Friday that he has signed several bills into law, including ones that allow for the delivery and take-out of alcoholic beverages and the ban of so-called “games of skill.” House Bill 1879, sponsored by Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax, and Senate Bill 1299, sponsored by state Sen. John Bell, D-Ashburn, codify […]
Va. allocates $20M for broadband infrastructure projects
Seventeen localities statewide are receiving $20.1 million in grants to improve broadband internet infrastructure, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. The funding will support 11 projects that will connect 13,400 customers, the governor’s office said in a news release. The localities — primarily in rural areas — are receiving funding through the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative ([...]
The pandemic — one year later
One year ago this week, Virginians started bumping elbows instead of shaking hands. We raced about trying to find toilet paper and hand sanitizer and began washing our hands obsessively as a virus we’d only heard about in the news suddenly appeared in Virginia and would quickly transform daily life as we knew it. Virginia’s […]
