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Government

May 21, 2021

Va. April unemployment rate at 4.7%, drops nearly half point

Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was at 4.7% in April, dropping 0.4 percentage points below March’s jobless rate. April’s statewide unemployment rate was 5.9 percentage points below April 2020’s rate of 10.6%, the first full month of pandemic-related job losses. Virginia contends to trend lower than the nation, however. The U.S. unemployment rate for April […][...]

Suffolk City Manager Albert Moor
May 20, 2021

Suffolk names new city manager

Suffolk City Council unanimously agreed to hire Albert Moor as city manager during its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday. Council members appointed Moor to serve as interim city manager in September, following the resignation of Patrick Roberts, who held the post since 2015. Roberts had previously served as deputy city ma[...]

May 20, 2021

Va. sees second week of slightly lower initial jobless claims

Virginia saw another week of little change in initial unemployment claims, with 10,642 new claims filed during the week ending May 15, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. This was a decrease of 628 claimants from the previous week. Continued claims last week rose by 2,569 from the previous week, reaching 60,413[...]

May 18, 2021

Northam orders VEC to hire 300 more claim processors

Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday ordered the Virginia Employment Commission to invest $20 million in upgrading its claims system and hire 300 more staffers to process complicated unemployment insurance claims, which have dogged the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a civil lawsuit. In an executive directive signed Tues[...]

Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn gaveled into order the April veto session of the Virginia House of Delegates, held on the State Capitol grounds due to the need for social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo AP Images/Bob Brown
May 17, 2021

Va. House of Delegates to meet in person at the state Capitol

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced Monday that the House, when it next convenes, will return in person to the Virginia State Capitol after a year of virtual and physically distanced voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Over the past year, Virginians have shown commitment and resolve to stop t[...]

May 14, 2021

Governor ends mask mandate for vaccinated people, effective midnight

Following federal recommendations, Gov. Ralph Northam lifted Virginia’s mask mandate Friday, effective at midnight, for all vaccinated Virginians. He also announced Friday afternoon that all distancing and capacity restrictions will be lifted May 28, two weeks sooner than planned. Masks will still be required at Virginia&#[...]

May 13, 2021

Va. officials ‘reviewing’ new CDC mask guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance Thursday that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — meaning they received their final shots at least two weeks earlier — can stop wearing masks and maintaining social distance in most indoor and outdoor areas. So, what does that mean for Virginia[...]

May 13, 2021

Va. sees small decrease in new jobless claims

The fluctuating numbers of initial unemployment claims in Virginia took a break last week, with little change from the previous week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending May 8, 11,270 people submitted new jobless claims, a decrease of 961 claimants from the previous week, or 7.8%. In [...]

May 13, 2021

Federal judge throws out Chase lawsuit against state Senate

A federal judge tossed out state Sen. Amanda Chase’s civil rights lawsuit against the Virginia State Senate, in which she attempted to get her January censure removed from the public record. Judge Robert E. Payne of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia ruled Thursday that the legislative body and Sen[...]

May 13, 2021

Vaccination of adolescents age 12+ starting now in Virginia

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approval late Wednesday afternoon, Virginia public health authorities gave their OK to expanding Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shots to children ages 12 and older Wednesday night. In an update Thursday, state vaccination coordinator Dr. Danny Avula said that schools around th[...]

May 12, 2021

Va. General Fund revenue up 41.9% in April compared to 2020

Virginia’s General Fund revenue for April 2021 increased by 41.9% compared with April 2020, the largest increase in this century, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. Total revenue collections rose 12.8% through April on a fiscal year-to-date basis, which was well ahead of the 2.7% growth forecast.  “Virginia is posting the largest monthly revenue increase in […]

Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn gaveled into order the April veto session of the Virginia House of Delegates, held on the State Capitol grounds due to the need for social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo AP Images/Bob Brown
May 12, 2021

Northam, GA leaders pledge to invest $4.3B in federal funds in special session

Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday issued a statement with General Assembly leaders outlining their priorities for a $4.3 billion windfall from the most recent federal stimulus package passed in March. Among their plans during a special legislative session this summer will be to allocate money from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue[...]

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