U.Va. researcher: COVID-19 drug appears to not work well for diabetics
A University of Virginia physicist researching a drug that can save severely ill COVID-19 patients’ lives has discovered that it may not work well on diabetics, the U.Va. Health System announced this week. As a result, physicians may need to change the drug regimen for some of their sickest patients. Dexamethasone, a corti[...]
Va. initial jobless claims jumped nearly 25% last week
The number of initial jobless claims in Virginia rose by 24.75% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the week ending Oct. 17, 11,365 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, an increase of 2,255 from the previous week, according to the VEC. And the number of initial claims filed during the week ending […]
Northam signs bills on COVID-19, criminal justice
Gov. Ralph Northam signed 16 bills from the General Assembly’s fall special session into law on Wednesday, many of which were related to the COVID-19 pandemic and criminal justice reforms. Northam also proposed changes to five bills. “I am proud to sign new laws that strengthen our COVID-19 response efforts and make our [...]
Northam announces $65.8M to increase child care access
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and first lady of Virginia Pamela Northam announced $65.8 million in new funding on Wednesday to increase access to child care and support child care providers amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This new investment is supported by $58.3 million in Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars as well as a realloca[...]
Hotel industry recovery ‘a long way off’
Virginia hotel revenues continue at a steady decline 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. 11 through Oct. 17, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 50% and rooms sold declined by 31%, compared […]
Virginia extended individual tax filing deadline is Nov. 2
The six-month filing extension deadline for individual income taxes in Virginia is Monday, Nov. 2, Virginia Tax reminded taxpayers Wednesday. “Last year, more than 488,000 taxpayers took advantage of the automatic, six-month filing extension in Virginia, and the majority of those returns came in electronically,” Virginia Tax Commissioner Craig M. Burns said in a statement. […]
Va. saw jobs recovery drop in September
After recovering a total of 68,000 jobs in August, Virginia saw its labor force fall by 71,954, or 1.7%, in September, according to employment statistics released Tuesday by the Virginia Employment Commission. Between September 2019 and September 2020, the VEC estimates that Virginia has lost 207,100 jobs a 5.1% decrease. The commonwealth also saw a […]
Kings Dominion general manager to retire
Growing up on a tobacco farm outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, Tony Johnson learned the meaning of hard work early on. At a time when his local school system had a later start to the academic year to allow for the picking season, Johnson would get up at 4 a.m. to work the fields. “It […]
More Virginia colleges scrap traditional spring break
RICHMOND, Va. — A growing number of Virginia colleges are announcing that spring break will be canceled or modified in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg, announced plans Monday. The biggest change is that the university will not have a week-long spring break. It will instead[...]
Va. COVID-19 rate creeps up to 5%
The state’s COVID-19 positivity rate increased last week to 5%, up from 4.5% on Oct. 12. According to the Virginia Department of Health, the state recorded 7,258 new cases and 96 more coronavirus-related deaths over the past week. Virginia has 166,828 total COVID cases since the pandemic started, as well as 3,457 deaths, as of […]
Northam directs $73M to home health care worker hazard pay
Home health care workers who served elderly people or those suffering from disabilities during the early months of the pandemic will receive a one-time $1,500 hazard payment from the state government, Gov. Northam announced Thursday. Northam announced $73 million in federal CARES Act funding would be disbursed among an estimated 43,500 home health care workers […]
Va. saw initial jobless claims drop again last week
Virginia continued to see a small decline in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, and the number of continued claims filed during the week ending Oct. 10 was nearly two thirds lower than its May 16 peak. For the week ending Oct. 10, 9,110 Virginians filed initial […]