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Va. new jobless claims dip below 10,000
Virginia saw another decrease in initial unemployment claims last week, with 9,843 new claims in the filing week ending May 22, down 799 from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission’s Thursday report. Continued claims decreased by 6,250 last week, with 54,163 filed by May 22. This time a year ago, during the […]
Va. Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne to join Sentara
Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne will join Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare as the health system’s senior vice president and chief of staff, effective July 1. Layne’s responsibilities will include overseeing Sentara’s legislative affairs and corporate social responsibility teams, as well as the Sentara Foundation and the Sentara College of Health Sciences. He will repor[...]
Va. GOP prepares for nomination convention on Saturday
On Saturday, roughly 54,000 Virginia Republican convention delegates will have the opportunity to choose their party’s 2021 nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Unlike the typical “firehouse convention,” currently prohibited due to COVID-19 precautions, the state GOP has opted for an “unassembled convention” with 39 voting locations open Sa[...]
Va. sees 67% drop in weekly jobless claims
The state’s number of initial unemployment claims continues to fluctuate wildly, with only 12,231 Virginians submitting new jobless claims for the week ending May 1, a drop of 25,125 claims from the previous week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the April 26-May 1 filing week, the state saw a 67.2% decline in new […]
Northam: Many restrictions likely to be lifted June 15
Virginia will relax most COVID-19 mitigation measures by June 15 if vaccination numbers continue to increase and spread of the virus continues to decrease, Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday, but lifting the face mask mandate will likely take longer. “We will continue to evaluate our mask guidance,” the governor added, but social distancing requirements and […]
Northam partly rolls back Va. mask mandate
Virginians will still need to wear masks indoors and at large, crowded events outside, but Gov. Ralph Northam amended his executive order Thursday to allow fully vaccinated people — meaning those who received their final COVID-19 vaccine dose at least two weeks earlier — to remove their masks outdoors in small gatherings, following new Centers […]
Va. new jobless claims up 171%
For the April 19-24 filing week, 37,356 Virginians submitted initial unemployment claims, a 171.6% increase from the previous week, but a 48.4% decrease from this time a year ago, when jobless claims were near a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Employment Commission reports that last week’s number of initial claims has reverted to […]
Fortnite video game CEO makes Va.’s largest land conservation gift
North Carolina billionaire and Epic Games Inc. CEO Tim Sweeney has donated 7,300 acres of privately-owned land in Halifax County to the state — the largest single private land conservation gift in Virginia history, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. Cary, North Carolina-based Epic is the company behind the massively popular video game franchise Fortnite, which […]
Northam: State to loosen more restrictions May 15
Beginning May 15, the state will loosen more restrictions, including allowing larger social gatherings and expanded audiences for entertainment venues and sporting events, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced in a video message released Thursday. Restaurants will also be allowed to resume serving alcohol after midnight. Northam’s amendments to his pandemic executive orders, which take effe[...]
Bar seating reopened statewide, governor declares
For the first time in more than a year, Virginians are now allowed to sit at bars for service as long as they stay at least six feet apart. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam amended Executive Order 72 on Wednesday without an announcement, making the following policy change for restaurants, breweries, distilleries, wineries and tasting rooms: […]
McAuliffe has significant lead among Dems in latest poll
In a poll released Thursday, 47% of Virginia Democratic voters surveyed are backing former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s primary bid for his party’s gubernatorial nomination, according to data from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Leadership. Two months ago, McAuliffe had 26% of the vote in another Wason Center poll. With six weeks until […]
Va. unemployment stayed steady in March
Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained above 5% in March, dropping just 0.1 percentage points below February’s jobless rate. March’s 5.1% unemployment rate was 2.5 percentage points above March 2020’s rate. Virginia contends to trend lower than the nation, however. The U.S. unemployment rate for March was 6%. “Virginia’s unemployment rate is stead[...]
