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Winter frolic at Liberty snowballs into controversy
It’s no Falwell-sized scandal, but interim Liberty University President Jerry Prevo issued an apology Tuesday for a snowball fight that got out of hand on Sunday morning. “This past Sunday morning as I opened the curtains and looked outside, I saw a Liberty University campus covered in deep snow. Having lived in Alaska for the […]
Gannett to refinance $1.05B in debt
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., announced Monday it will refinance $1.05 billion in debt to lower its interest rates and extend maturity on outstanding debt. Gannett, which has struggled financially during the pandemic, in November 2020 announced it had refinanced approximately $500 million in debt to more quickly repay […]
Va. hotel revenues fell 42% in December 2020
Virginia hotel revenues for December 2020 were on trend for a year that saw the hospitality industry suffer from the pandemic. Compared with December 2019, hotel revenues statewide declined by 42% during December 2020, according to data released Monday from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality […]
COVID roundup: Va. to receive more weekly vaccine doses immediately
Virginia expects to receive about 18,000 more weekly COVID-19 vaccine doses starting immediately, as the federal government’s pledge to increase distribution by about 16% kicks in Monday. That will raise the commonwealth’s vaccine supply from 118,000 doses to 128,000 doses per week, said Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator. Meanwhile, the number of virus-related [&he[...]
VDH will begin texting people who test positive for COVID-19
Starting Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health will begin sending a text to anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 if their mobile phone number is registered in the state’s system. The texts will automatically be sent to anyone with a positive lab test who has a valid mobile number, providing faster notification of results and […]
Bills advance to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine distribution
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia House and Senate have unanimously advanced separate bills to facilitate administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. House Bill 2333, introduced by Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond, intends to strengthen the state’s vaccine distribution efforts and also bolster data collection. The measure removes barriers on health care providers’ eligibility to administer v[...]
State will accelerate COVID vaccinations, Northam pledges
Amid recent criticism from local officials and Virginia residents over the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout so far, Gov. Ralph Northam acknowledged citizen frustration and said the state is accelerating its efforts “to get more shots in more arms more quickly” and will also be “significantly expanding transparency.” “I understand your frustration,” Northam[...]
COVID-19 workplace safety, health rules become permanent Wednesday
Permanent COVID-19 workplace safety and health rules take effect Wednesday in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam announced, including standards that require all public-facing employees to wear masks as well as requiring businesses to provide ready access to hand sanitizer and regular common workspace cleaning. The rules range from appropriate personal protective equipment to sanitation, social distancin[...]
Freedom Bank, NVTC to seed $50K revolving loan fund for minority entrepreneurs
The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) and Fairfax-based Freedom Bank of Virginia announced Tuesday a $50,000 revolving loan fund for Northern Virginia entrepreneurs of color who have been affected by the pandemic. NVTC and Freedom Bank of Virginia will seed the NOVA Technology Loan Fund, a gap financing program to be administered by the Springfield-based […]
Local officials slam Northam administration’s COVID vaccine rollout
With Virginia lagging behind other states in getting residents vaccinated for COVID-19, officials in Hampton Roads, Fairfax County and Chesterfield County have gone straight to the governor with complaints and concerns about the process, which Chesterfield supervisors categorized as “totally defective” and Hampton Roads officials deemed “inconsistent,” saying it’s &#[...]
First case of U.K. COVID variant detected in Virginia
Updated 3:25 p.m., Jan. 25: The Virginia Department of Health announced Monday afternoon that Virginia has recorded its first case of a variant strain of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom late last year. It’s known as the B.1.1.7 variant, and so far, the United States has recorded nearly 200 cases of this mutation […]
$125M pharma manufacturing plant coming to Petersburg
Utah-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Civica Inc. plans to invest $124.5 million to establish its North American manufacturing headquarters operation in Petersburg, creating 186 jobs and manufacturing injectable medicines for the treatment of COVID-19, the governor’s office announced Thursday. A nonprofit generic drug company, Civica was established in 2018 by a group of U.S. health systems[...]
