Va. tourism had record 2019, but 2020 won’t follow suit
The 2020 coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis is spelling an end to Virginia’s decade-long streak of record-breaking tourism revenues. Although Virginia’s tourism industry had another record year in 2019, posting $27 billion in spending, the commonwealth’s tourism revenue for 2020 is expected to decrease by[...]
Va. hotel revenues continue to suffer
Virginia hotels continue to see significant revenue declines compared to pre-pandemic times, 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. 4 through Oct. 10, hotel revenues in Virginia were down 46% and rooms sold were down 29% compared […]
Delegate plans to reintroduce quarantine pay bill next session
RICHMOND, Va. — Del. Elizabeth Guzmán, D-Woodbridge, said she is no stranger to the struggles of low-paying jobs. Guzmán said she immigrated to the United States from Peru as a single mother and worked multiple minimum wage jobs just to be able to pay rent and care for her daughter. Guzmán has a mission to […]
VCU study: Labor market continues slow recovery
The labor market continued to recover during the week ending Oct. 3, but at a slower pace than the start of the recovery, according to a report released Tuesday from economists at Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University. “The latest results show that, since April, employment has recovered two-thirds of the way back to […]
VCU study: COVID-19 accounted for 67% of March-Aug. U.S. deaths
For every two deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S., a third American dies as a result of the pandemic, according to a study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study shows that deaths between March 1 and Aug. 1 increased by 20% when compared […]
Va. continues COVID-19 case decline
Virginia saw an increase of 7,013 COVID-19 cases last week, as well as 85 deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Oct. 12 update. The state’s positivity rate, 4.5%, decreased by 0.3% since Oct. 5. The state has reported 159,570 total cases and 3,361 fatalities since the pandemic began. Only one health district statewide […]
Va. hotels continue slow recovery
Virginia hotel revenues remained below pre-pandemic levels last week, 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 Sept. 27 through Oct. 3, hotel revenues in Virginia decreased by 43% and rooms sold declined by 27%, compared to the same […]
Va. makes $12M extra CARES funding available for rent, mortgage relief
An additional $12 million in federal CARES Act funding will be directed to Virginia’s Rent and Mortgage Relief Program (RMRP) due to high demand for financial assistance with mortgages and rent payments. First launched in June with $50 million in federal CARES Act funding, the program provides financial assistance through a one-time payment with the […]
Va. to expand networking program to new regions
During the next two years Virginia will invest $1.7 million to expand the Network2Work workforce development initiative, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday. The commonwealth will partner with the Virginia Community College System to pilot the Network2Work model in the Shenandoah Valley, Hampton Roads and greater Richmond regions. Network2Work was established by Piedmont Virginia Community College […][...]
Richmond extends deadline for small business, nonprofit relief program
The city of Richmond has extended the deadline for its Richmond Recovers Grant Program, giving small businesses and nonprofits until Oct. 19 to apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s office announced Tuesday. The city allocated $3 million of its federal CARES Act funding to the program, which has $1.68 […]
State’s COVID-19 rate stays steady at 4.8%
Virginia recorded 5,964 new COVID-19 cases and 104 virus-related deaths last week, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Oct. 5 update. The state’s positivity rate stayed steady at 4.8%, up just 0.1% from last week. The state has 152,557 total cases and 3,276 fatalities as of Oct. 5. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases […]
Va. jobless claims drop slightly last week
Virginia saw a small decrease in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, but the number of initial claims filed from mid-March through the Sept. 26 filing week totaled 1.167 million, or 28.4% of pre-pandemic payroll employment. For the week ending Sept. 26, 9,377 Virg[...]