State opens COVID-19 vaccinations for Virginians 65 and older
Updated Jan. 18: A vaccine dose shortfall in the federal stockpile will likely lower the weekly number of doses Virginia receives, but state officials say they will continue with expansion of group 1b. Earlier: As part of a federal push to speed up the pace of vaccinations, Gov. Ralph Northam said Thursday that the state [&hel[...]
Metro plans station closings during inauguration week
Metro will close 13 stations starting Friday, Jan. 15 and continuing through Thursday, Jan. 21, the days around the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced Wednesday. Eleven stations — including Arlington Cemetery — will be closed on Friday, and Metro Center and Gallery Place stations will be closed […]
Va. General Fund revenue increased 15.1% in December 2020
Virginia’s General Fund revenue for December 2020 increased 15.1% compared with December 2019, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday. Total revenue collections rose 7.8% through December on a fiscal year-to-date basis, which was well ahead of the 1.2% growth forecast. The increase was driven by growth in payroll withholding, corporate income tax, sales and use taxes, […]
State sees one COVID death every 39 minutes
Every 39 minutes, a person died from COVID-19 in Virginia last week, according to reports from the state health department Monday. The state’s COVID-19 numbers continued to climb, with 35,850 new cases over the past week and 261 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Jan. 11 update. The current seven-day positivity rate is […]
COVID-19 vaccinations for Va. essential workers start Monday
On Monday, 11 Virginia health districts will begin COVID-19 vaccinations of “frontline essential workers,” including police, teachers and grocery store workers, the Virginia Department of Health announced Friday afternoon. Some regions will continue vaccinations of priority group 1a, which includes frontline health care providers and employees and residents of long-term care facilities. But the following […][...]
General Assembly will see limited in-person gatherings, higher security for 2021 Lobby Day
A federal judge said Friday that a dispute over the scheduled closing of the Pocahontas Building, the temporary offices for delegates and state senators during the General Assembly session, has been settled. In December, Virginia state Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, sued Senate Rules Committee Chair Sen. Mamie E. Locke, D-[...]
Del. Torian elected chair of Virginia Minority Business Commission
Del. Luke Torian has been elected chair of the newly organized Virginia Minority Business Commission at its inaugural meeting on Thursday. The commission was created by the 2020-2022 biennial state budget to promote growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses in Virginia and evaluate best practices to expand minority[...]
Liberty University sues state over tuition assistance cut for online students
Liberty University, the large, private nonprofit Christian school in Lynchburg, has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ralph Northam and the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), alleging that amendments to the 2020 state budget “wrongly exclude Virginia students who access higher education through [...]
Sen. Amanda Chase ‘will absolutely not resign’
UPDATED 4:40 P.M., JAN. 8 Virginia Senate Democrats called Friday for the resignation of Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase, who spoke at the pro-Trump demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday that turned violent and led to a breach of the U.S. Capitol, but Chase says she “absolutely” will not leave her office. Facebo[...]
Va. National Guard to be deployed in D.C. through at least Jan. 20
The Virginia National Guard and Virginia State Police troopers will be deployed in Washington, D.C., at least through Jan. 20, inauguration day for President-elect Joe Biden, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday afternoon. In a tweet, Northam said, “I’m extending Virginia’s National Guard deployment at least t[...]
Northam sets accelerated goals for vaccinations
In his first COVID-19 news conference of the year, Gov. Ralph Northam said the state is aiming to administer 25,000 COVID vaccine shots per day to Virginians, up from the current 14,000 shots per day. He hopes to get to 50,000 daily vaccinations as soon as possible, although the state is waiting for more doses […]
500K Virginians enrolled in Medicaid since 2019 expansion
The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) has announced that more than 500,000 Virginians have enrolled in health coverage since expanded Medicaid eligibility rules took effect in January 2019. Virginia was the only state in nation to experience a reduction in its uninsured rate between 2018 and 2019, the first year of the expanded […]