Hotel revenues stay low as pandemic enters eighth month
Moving into the eighth month of the pandemic, Virginia hotel revenues continue to 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. 25 through Oct. 31, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 45% […]
GO Virginia funds $9M in workforce development, economic recovery grants
The Growth and Opportunity for Virginia (GO Virginia) state economic development initiative has allocated grants totaling more than $9 million for workforce development and assisting communities with economic recovery, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. A $7.8 million allocation will support 11 regional projects and two statewide projects aimed at workforce development initiatives. Another allocation […][...]
COVID-19 on rise in Va., as nation sees cases surge
Virginia recorded an increase of 9,143 COVID-19 cases and 77 deaths last week, according to Virginia Department of Health statistics reported Monday, Nov. 2. The state’s positivity rate climbed from 5% to 5.8%. Virginia’s case numbers are relatively low compared to other states, which have seen positivity rates zoom far above 10% in recent weeks. […]
Northam introduces $30M workforce training program
For those whose employment has been impacted by the pandemic, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that he is directing $30 million in federal CARES Act funding to workforce training programs in high-demand fields. The Re-Employing Virginians (REV) initiative will provide scholarships for people to enroll in a workforce or community college program in the health […]
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. 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 […]
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,[...]
A whole new ball game in Va. Beach
Attention, athletic leagues: The $68 million, 285,000-square-foot Virginia Beach Sports Center is open for business. “We’re ready to get this party started,” says Nancy Helman, the city’s director of sports marketing, who celebrated the facility’s Oct. 1 debut with Mayor Bobby Dyer and other city officials. The caverno[...]
Labor market continues recovery in mid-October
Despite ongoing pandemic struggles, the labor market continued to improve during the week ending Oct. 17, but at a slower pace than at the start of the recovery, according to Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University economists. Early October saw 68.4% of working age adults employed, a more than 8% increase c[...]
Virginia COVID-19 rate remains steady at 5%
Virginia recorded an increase of 7,447 COVID-19 cases and 124 deaths last week, according to Virginia Department of Health statistics reported Monday, Oct. 26. The state’s positivity rate remained at 5% for the second week. As the nation sees surges in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the South, West and Midwest, the numbers in […]
Home sales continue to surge in September
Virginia continues to see home sales surge, with a 35% increase during September, according to Virginia Realtors. Sales were up by a staggering 80% in Eastern Virginia when compared to last year. Northern Virginia saw a 37% increase, and Central Virginia saw a 24% jump. Although home sales historically slow following the summer season, the […]
Northam directs $22M to future COVID vaccine program
While COVID-19 vaccines have yet to be approved in the United States, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that the state government has earmarked $22 million in federal CARES Act to establish a statewide program to distribute vaccines once they’re ready. The commonwealth submitted its draft vaccination plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]