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Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney receives his COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center in March 2021. Photo courtesy city of Richmond
Mar 29, 2021

COVID roundup: 28% of Va. population vaccinated

As of Monday, March 29, 28.1% of Virginians have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 15% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated, according to the Virginia Department of Health. So far, 3.5 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide, and 2.3 million people have been vaccinated with at least one dose. The […]

Del. Luke Torian will lead the newly organized Virginia Minority Business Commission.
Mar 26, 2021

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, […]

Mar 26, 2021

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. new unemployment claims 60% lower than 1 year ago
Mar 25, 2021

Va. new unemployment claims 60% lower than 1 year ago

The number of initial unemployment claims filed during the week ending March 20 were 60% lower than they were this week a year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic‘s impact first began to be reflected in Virginia’s unemployment statistics. The  Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday that 17,560 people filed initial claims last week, an increase of […]

Va. to loosen COVID restrictions April 1
Mar 23, 2021

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
Mar 22, 2021

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 […]

A watershed moment
Mar 18, 2021

Dewberry selected to develop Va. coastal resilience plan

Updated March 19 Fairfax-based engineering and planning firm Dewberry has been awarded a $2.6 million contract by the state to develop Virginia’s first Coastal Resilience Master Plan, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday. Dewberry, joined by Louisiana-based The Water Institute of the Gulf and Virginia subcontractors GKY & Associates, Vision Planning and Consulting, and The Miles [&helli[...]

Virginia Lottery logo
Mar 17, 2021

Online games made up 21% of Va. Lottery income

The Virginia Lottery raked in $436 million from online lottery games between their July 1, 2020, launch and the end of February, making up 21.8% of the state lottery’s total $2 billion revenue during that period. According to a news release Wednesday, 163,000 players have won prizes playing the lottery online, including the Mega Millions, […]

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Mar 16, 2021

Danville, Eastern Shore first Va. localities to move into third vaccination phase

Danville and Eastern Shore health districts will be moving into phase 1c of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout this week, vaccinating a variety of workers from sectors including energy, higher education, finance, legal and housing and construction. Other regions are likely to follow soon, the Virginia Department of Health announced Tuesday. Others in group 1c include […]

Mar 15, 2021

Va. unemployment fell to 5.3% in January

Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.6% in December 2020 to 5.3% in January, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Monday. The state saw a gain of 14,100 nonfarm payroll jobs during January. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3% in January, falling to 6.2% in February. Nevertheless, Virginia’s January unemployment rate was still significantly higher than in […]

COVID roundup: Va. deaths surpass 10,000; 21% of population vaccinated
Mar 15, 2021

COVID roundup: Va. deaths surpass 10,000; 21% of population vaccinated

Virginia exceeded 10,000 coronavirus-related deaths as of March 15, one year and one day after the first COVID-19 death was recorded in the state. Also, 21% of the state’s population — 1.7 million people — have now received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to the Virginia Department of Health. And more […]

State COVID-19 cases continue to climb
Mar 12, 2021

Virginians ages 65+ have mostly gotten COVID shots

With more than 1.6 million Virginians having received COVID-19 vaccinations, the number of people age 65 and older seeking COVID-19 shots is beginning to slow down, Dr. Danny Avula said Friday. That has left more appointments open for younger people with health issues or who work in essential jobs. Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator, said […]

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