Richmond mandates vaccinations for city employees
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Wednesday that all city employees will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, becoming the first Virginia locality to mandate vaccination. Fairfax County has taken steps in recent weeks toward a vaccination mandate for its 12,000 employees, but the county executive must make the fina[...]
Virginians bet $235M on sports in June
Virginians bet $234.9 million on sports in June but nearly broke even, making $212.9 million during the fifth full month for legal sports wagers, according to data released Friday by the Virginia Lottery. Virginia sports betting wagers now total more than $1.3 billion since the state legalized sports betting in mid-January. In M[...]
The Powell Memo
The Powell Memorandum has been praised and vilified, denounced as a blueprint for business to seize control of American life, and embraced as a way to protect liberty and free enterprise. Whether because of its lasting influence or alarming prescience, the Powell Memorandum has become one of the most important single documents i[...]
Va. jobless claims saw slight decrease last week
Virginia’s initial and continued unemployment claims decreased last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending July 24, the state recorded 6,178 new jobless claims, down 126 from the previous week, while continued claims totaled 33,603, down 1,599 from the previous week. Compared[...]
Northam proposes $111M for undergrad financial aid
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that he wants to designate $111 million in federal aid to financial aid for undergraduate students: $100 million for public higher education institutions through the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia and $11 million for private institutions eligible for SCHEV’s Vi[...]
Northam proposes $936M for unemployment fund, VEC
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he wants to spend $935.6 million of $4.3 billion in federal aid on the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and upgrading the Virginia Employment Commission. The General Assembly will meet Aug. 2 for a special session to allocate the funding, which the state received [...]
Va. new jobless claims edged up last week
Virginia’s initial unemployment claims increased slightly last week while continued claims decreased again, as they have for several weeks, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending July 17, the state recorded 6,304 new jobless claims, up 352 from the previous week, while continued cl[...]
Virginia Lottery reports record $3.26B in annual revenue
The Virginia Lottery posted an all-time record $3.26 billion in annual sales and a record $765 million in profits for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the lottery’s board announced Wednesday. The lottery saw a 52% increase in revenue and a nearly 30% increase in profits over the prior fiscal year. The introduction of [&[...]
Virginia could receive $530M from $26B opioids settlement
Virginia is expected to receive about $530 million as part of a $26 billion settlement that the nation’s three primary drug distributors and pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson reached Wednesday with the states that would release the companies from legal liability in the opioid crisis. A majority of the roug[...]
Northam appoints members to newly created cannabis boards
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has appointed members to three newly created oversight boards for the legalization of recreational marijuana, his office announced today. On July 1, Virginia‘s adult-use cannabis legislation changes began going into effect. This year, the General Assembly legalized possession of up to one ounce [...]
Virginia to spend $700M on universal broadband by 2024
Ahead of the General Assembly’s August special session, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday he wants to spend $700 million of Virginia‘s federal relief funding on expanding broadband access to all of Virginia. Virginia received $4.3 billion in federal funds through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed in Ma[...]
Virginia unemployment rate improves to 4.3% in June
Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped again in June, landing at 4.3%, 0.2 points below May’s jobless rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. In June 2020, the unemployment rate was at 8.8%, 4.5% higher than June 2021. Virginia also continued to trend lower than the nation, which was at 5.9% unemployment last month, and the state had […]