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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
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 [[...]
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 vacci[...]
Nexus Services CEO calls state AGs’ lawsuit ‘a form of retaliation’
Nexus Services Inc., the bonding company being sued by the states of Virginia, Massachusetts and New York, responded Friday with accusations of its own. In a statement, Nexus CEO and President Mike Donovan said that the state attorney generals’ allegations that the company financially preyed on immigrants held in federal detention are “offensive, 100% false […]
New jobless claims increased last week in Va.
Initial unemployment claims increased across the state last week, while continued claims dropped slightly, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending March 6, 13,736 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance, up from 12,155 the previous week. Meanwhile, 62,269 people filed continued claims, marking a 2.7% decrease from the previous week […]
Health Wagon receives COVID-19 vaccine doses after wait
A little more than a month after The Health Wagon’s director went on national television and said the Wise County-based free clinic system hadn’t received COVID-19 vaccine doses, it has now vaccinated 325 people in the past two weeks. In a news release Thursday, The Health Wagon President and CEO Teresa Tyson thanked[...]
Virginia ABC announces Pappy Van Winkle lotteries
On Wednesday, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority announced that several highly prized Pappy Van Winkle whiskey products will be entered into an online lottery in March and April. The 23-year-old bourbon whiskey costs $300 per bottle, but in the online marketplace, a bottle of 25-year-old Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon[...]
State reaches $39.3M settlement with defunct Keysville tobacco company
Twenty-three years after the landmark Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was reached, defunct Keysville tobacco company S&M Brands Inc. has settled with Virginia for nearly $40 million, the attorney general’s office announced Wednesday. S&M Brands, the makers of Bailey cigarettes and other products, closed in 2019. It was started in 1995 by father and son Mac […]
Large-scale vaccination clinics starting next week in Va.
Updated 7 p.m. The state will launch large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinics beginning next week in Petersburg, Portsmouth and Danville, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday. Curtis Brown, the state coordinator of emergency management, said he expects large clinic events will be held at 13 locations within the next three months, d[...]
COVID roundup: 1 year into pandemic, Va. makes headway with vaccinations
A year after the first COVID-19 cases in Virginia were recorded, the state is making significant headway in vaccinating residents. As of Monday, March 8, 1.49 million Virginians — or 17.5% of the state’s population — have received at least one shot. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-related deaths in Virginia was still hi[...]
Arlington intends to extend ground leases for Courthouse Plaza
Arlington County and developer JBG Smith have entered into a letter of intent to restructure three ground leases that JBG Smith holds on government-owned land for a multiplex movie theater at 2100/2200 Clarendon Boulevard and office space at 2300 Clarendon Boulevard. While the county owns the land, JBG Smith owns the buildings. The letter of […]
Norfolk’s MacArthur Center may meet the wrecking ball
Downtown Norfolk’s MacArthur Center, a 140-store mall that opened in 1999, may have a future date with a wrecking ball. According to a newsletter released March 2 by Norfolk’s economic development department, a complete teardown of the 1.1 million-square-foot structure is one of three possibilities envisioned for Mac[...]
