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In one week, Va. unemployment has doubled
A record-breaking 112,497 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. That’s an increase of 66,220 claimants since last week, when 46,277 people filed for benefits. In the last two weeks, more Virginians have filed for unemployment than in the entire previous year. Nearly 159,000 Virginians filed claims in […]
Thursday coronavirus update: More than 1,700 in Va. have virus
7:30 p.m. April 2 update: A woman in her 60s has died in the Portsmouth Health District, its first COVID-19 fatality. She had underlying health issues, according to local authorities. Her death, in addition to others reported after 5 p.m. Wednesday, will be included on the statewide update Friday at 9 a.m. 1 p.m. April 2 [&hell[...]
Gannett taking steps to preserve liquidity
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, is negotiating with its vendors, creditors and pension regulators in order to preserve the company’s liquidity, according to a statement from the company released Wednesday. Gannett, which owns USA Today, has seen swift drops in advertising due to the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. It […]
Genworth Financial acquisition delayed again
The long-delayed $2.7 billion acquisition of Henrico County-based Genworth Financial Inc. by China Oceanwide Holdings Group Co. Ltd. has been postponed again. The Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Insurance reapproved the merger and the companies agreed to a 14th waiver and agreement to each party’s right to terminate the proposed agreement. The latest waiver […]
Gun group asks Northam to lift indoor gun range restrictions
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia gun owners are calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to remove indoor gun ranges from the list of nonessential businesses closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, this comes as background checks for firearm purchases saw double digit growth from February to March. The Second Amendment advocacy group[...]
Va. ER physician spearheads intubation PPE production
Virginia College of Emergency Physicians President Dr. Scott Hickey turned to the owners of contracting companies in Powhatan — Michael Potter of Village Building Co. Inc. and David Dowdy of Interior 2000 — to produce boxes designed to protect emergency health care workers while they intubate patients with COVID-19. Designed[...]
Va. coronavirus cases to surge between late April and late May, Northam says
Virginia is making preparations to establish temporary overflow medical facilities, with the expectation that coronavirus cases in the commonwealth will surge between late April and late May, Gov. Ralph Northam said during a news briefing Wednesday. “For now, we are at the beginning of this virus, and that is why it is s[...]
Sheetz to offer free meals to children starting April 2
Pennsylvania-based Sheetz Inc. gas stations and convenience stores will start providing free lunches for children in need at 21 locations in Virginia on Thursday, April 2. The program is set to last for two weeks, but the company says it will evaluate community need and will extend the program if need persists. Sheetz is running[...]
Kroger to hire more than 800 in Virginia during COVID-19 crisis
Kroger Mid-Atlantic, which owns grocery stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, has more than 1,500 immediate openings — 825 of which are in Virginia, Kroger corporate affairs manager Allison McGee says. The mid-Atlantic division has already hired more than 500 people — including people from the rest[...]
Va. coronavirus cases nearing 1,500
9:30 p.m. April 1 update: A man in his 80s has died from COVID-19 in a travel-related case, Chesapeake Health Department reported Wednesday night. This is the first death in this district, which covers the city of Chesapeake. The man had underlying health issues and died from respiratory failure, according to the news release. [...]
City of Richmond reports first two COVID-19 deaths
Two men in their 70s who were hospitalized have died from COVID-19, the Richmond City Health District reported Tuesday evening. They are the first virus fatalities in the city. Both had underlying chronic health conditions, according to a news release from Mayor Levar Stoney’s office, and had recently worked in New Jersey. “The Richmond City […]
Arlington tech company names COO
Arlington-based tech company Excella Consulting Inc. announced Tuesday it has named Sandy Gillespie as its chief operating officer. Gillespie was most recently COO and executive vice president for Reston-based NCI Information Systems Inc. since April 2018. In her new role at Excella, she will oversee client delivery and growth s[...]
