No new restrictions, but Northam urges COVID-19 caution
Gov. Ralph Northam warned Virginians about growing numbers of COVID-19 cases, especially in Southwest Virginia, which has seen higher rates for more than a month, in part because the region’s neighboring states also have seen spikes. At his Wednesday news conference, Northam stopped short of enforcing new restrictions, but[...]
Va. COVID-19 cases, deaths continue to rise
COVID-19 rates continued to climb last week in Virginia, with an increase of 16,797 cases since Nov. 23, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Nov. 30 dashboard update. The state also reported 120 virus-related deaths in the past week, raising the total number of fatalities over 4,000. As of Monday, the state has recorded […]
‘It’s not N95 or bust’
With the protective face mask market growing to meet the demand of both the general public and first responders, it’s a challenge for consumers to choose the most effective mask to purchase to stay safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Linsey Marr, the Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia[...]
Labor market continued slow recovery in early November
The labor market continued its slow recovery during the week of Nov. 8, according to Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University economists. Early November saw 69.9% of working age adults employed, which is still far below the 73.8% employment rate from February right before the pandemic, according to the Real-Time Population Survey conducted by […]
Virginia sees significant uptick in COVID-19 cases, deaths
As the coronavirus spreads dramatically across the nation, Virginia recorded 16,401 new COVID-19 cases and 136 deaths last week, a significant increase in both statistics compared with recent weeks. The previous week brought 11,160 new cases and 93 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Due to increased testing, though, the seven-day positivity […]
Virginia Natural Gas donates $500K to Hampton University
Virginia Beach-based Virginia Natural Gas and its parent company, Southern Co., announced Thursday that the companies are donating $500,000 to Hampton University to support information technology infrastructure upgrades in light of new remote learning needs brought on by the pandemic. The funds, which are part of the Southern Co. Foundation’s $50 million HBCU (historically Black […]
David Baldacci donates $100K to Smith Mountain Lake meals program
Bestselling author David Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, have donated $100,000 to The Landing Love Project, a nonprofit initiative to expand meal delivery services to at-risk families and seniors in the Smith Mountain Lake region. The Landing Love Project was established in March 2020 by March Bruno and Tiffany Silva, owners [...]
Loudoun County launches outdoor seating grants
While COVID-19 cases run high and outside temperatures run low, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has allocated $250,000 in federal CARES Act funding to offset costs for outdoor dining, including seating, tents, heating systems and heating fuel, Loudoun Economic Development announced Thursday. The Loudoun Is Ready Outdoor [...]
Judge cancels Fairfax County gun show due to COVID risk
A large gun show scheduled this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center that could have drawn an estimated crowd of 25,000 people will not take place, a Fairfax County circuit court judge ruled Thursday morning. The Nation’s Gun Show was scheduled for Nov. 20-22, and the gun show’s promoter, Showmasters Inc., along with a firearm […]
More than 70% of U.S. hotels may not survive pandemic
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the U.S. and travel restrictions are reinstated, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) projects that 71% of hotels won’t survive another six months without federal assistance, according to recent survey results. In Virginia alone, Virginia hotel revenues continued last week to stay well below pre-pandemic levels compared […]
Northam: ‘Staying home is an act of love’
Gov. Ralph Northam said that news about mobile morgues in other states with COVID-19 spikes prompted him to enact new mitigation measures on Friday across the state. “What really affected me was seeing mobile morgues outside hospitals because there was no place to put the dead,” the governor said at his news conferen[...]
Washington Football Team closes Ashburn sports training complex
The Washington Football Team announced Tuesday it would close its Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn after finding out that a player had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday night. The team has closed the sports complex where the team trains in Ashburn and has moved all meetings online scheduled for this week, accordin[...]