VMI votes to remove Stonewall Jackson statue
On Thursday Virginia Military Institute’s Board of Visitors voted unanimously to remove the statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson amid a state probe into reports of a culture of racism at the state-supported university. According to a statement from Bill Wyatt, VMI spokesman, the board “took bold and unanimous act[...]
Initial jobless claims on the rise again
The number of initial jobless claims in Virginia rose by 8.7% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the week ending Oct. 24, 12,352 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, an increase of 987 from the previous week — rising to its highest level since mid-August, according to the VEC. Continued claims dropped […]
Va. Beach defense contractor wins $229.4M Navy contract
The U.S. Navy awarded Virginia Beach-based QED Systems Inc. a potential three-year, $229.4 million contract to help the branch develop specifications and implement an availability strategy for multiple naval ship classes, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday. QED Systems will perform support work referred to as “third party planning services” for the Navy’s guided-missile […][...]
The big dig commences
Crews broke ground Thursday on the $3.8 billion Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) expansion — the largest project in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s history and one of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam joined state and local leaders in a groundbreaking ceremony [...]
Falwell sues Liberty University, claiming defamation
Jerry Falwell Jr. filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Lynchburg against Liberty University, claiming his former employer made defamatory statements about him. He also alleges in the lawsuit that his former business partner, Giancarlo Granda, who had a highly publicized affair with Falwell’s wife, has conspired against Falwell wit[...]
Va., Md., N.C. governors sign offshore wind collaboration
The governors of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina on Thursday announced a three-state collaboration to advance offshore wind projects — the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources. SMART-POWER will work to promote the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions as a hub for[...]
Va. hotel revenues stay at steady decline
As the pandemic surges on, Virginia hotel revenues remain at a steady decline when compared to last year, according to data from STR Inc., a CoStar Group division that provides weekly market data on the U.S. hospitality industry. For the week of Oct. 18 through Oct. 24, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 50% and […]
Volkswagen Group of America deepens its Fairfax roots
Automobile manufacturing giant Volkswagen Group of America Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG) announced Tuesday it has chosen to keep its headquarters in Fairfax County — signing a 20-year lease agreement in Reston Town Center. Volkswagen’s North American headquarters has been located in Fairfax County [...]
Dominion launches electric school bus program
Earlier this week, Richmond-based Dominion Energy Inc. and Evington-based bus dealer Sonny Merryman Inc. rolled out the first Jouley electric school buses as part of the Dominion Energy Electric School Bus Program. “Once again, Virginia is leading the way in promoting electric vehicle technology and improving our environ[...]
New Port of Virginia chief named
Stephen Edwards, a Los Angeles-based CEO with more than two decades of maritime industry experience, will be the Virginia Port Authority’s new CEO and executive director, the authority’s Board of Commissioners announced Wednesday. Edwards, who will start his new post Jan. 19, replaces retiring CEO and Executive Direc[...]
Biden holds 12-point advantage with Va. voters
With less than a week until the election, Democratic presidential challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead incumbent President Donald Trump by 12 points in Virginia, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. “Biden’s lead continues to illustrate Virginia’s solid shift left […]
SW Va. sees COVID increase; governor urges caution
Although Virginia’s overall COVID-19 infection rate is much lower than other states that are currently experiencing spikes, the number of new cases in Southwest Virginia has been steadily increasing over the past two weeks, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday in a COVID-19 update. According to health directors in the region,[...]