Breaking rank
What a difference a year makes. On July 13, 2021, against a backdrop of ships blasting their horns and spraying water in celebration at the Port of Virginia’s Norfolk International Terminals, Gov. Ralph Northam sat for a harborside interview with CNBC, which had just named Virginia the nation’s best state for business for an unprecedented […]
Thermo Fisher Scientific to add 500 jobs in RVA region
Massachusetts-based scientific equipment and software supply company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will invest $97 million to expand its laboratory operations into three new locations in the Greater Richmond area, a project expected to create more than 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. “Thermo Fisher’s expanding footprint and creation of more than 500 new jobs […]
Recycling joint venture to create 210 jobs in Chesapeake
Two sustainable development companies — New Jersey-based Kamine Development Corp. and Minnesota-based Nicollet Industries LLC — will invest $267 million to establish a joint venture paperboard recycling and production facility in Chesapeake, a project expected to create 210 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The 335,000-square-foot Celadon Development Corp. facility will be at the Che[...]
Calif. aerospace company proposes Accomack County facility
Accomack County is a finalist for a proposed Rocket Lab USA Inc. facility, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. If the county is selected, Long Beach, California-based aerospace company Rocket Lab would develop a facility to support part production, assembly, integration and test operations to support the launch of its Neutron launch vehicle from the NASA […]
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 […]
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 […]
Your 2022 guide to Virginia politics
General Assembly preview: The great divide Will split legislature lead to gridlock or compromise? Interview: The outsider Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin talks 2022 priorities Politics: A dramatic shift Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam‘s tenure was progressive, eventful Interview: Looking Back Q&A with exiting Virginia Gov. Ralph Nort[...]
Northam proposes $150M for site readiness
When Mazda Toyota was looking to build a plant that would have brought 4,000 jobs and 1.6 billion in investment, Virginia was ruled out. Why? Because Virginia didn’t have a competitive project-ready site available. Huntsville, Alabama, landed the deal instead. Since 2016, Virginia has lost out on 42,000 direct jobs and over $75 billion in capital […]