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Coronavirus 2020

Jun 11, 2021

State program would incentivize new workers with up to $1,000

To combat Virginia’s tight labor market, the state plans to invest $3 million in a program to provide new employees of qualifying small businesses with up to $1,000 to support their transition back into the workforce, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The Virginia Return to Earn grant program will match up to $500 from [...]

Jun 10, 2021

New, continued jobless claims maintain decline in Va.

Virginia’s unemployment claims, both initial and continued, fell again last week, continuing the positive trend of the last few weeks, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending June 5, 7,210 people filed new unemployment claims, a decrease of 880 claims since the previous week. Contin[...]

Jun 3, 2021

Va. unemployment claims continue to decline

Virginia’s number of new and continued unemployment claims dropped again last week, with 8,090 initial claims filed during the week ending May 29, a decrease of 1,753 claims from the previous week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Continued claims totaled 52,228 last week, down 1,935 claims from the pr[...]

May 27, 2021

Va. new jobless claims dip below 10,000

Virginia saw another decrease in initial unemployment claims last week, with 9,843 new claims in the filing week ending May 22, down 799 from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission’s Thursday report. Continued claims decreased by 6,250 last week, with 54,163 filed by May 22. This time a year ago[...]

May 21, 2021

Va. April unemployment rate at 4.7%, drops nearly half point

Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was at 4.7% in April, dropping 0.4 percentage points below March’s jobless rate. April’s statewide unemployment rate was 5.9 percentage points below April 2020’s rate of 10.6%, the first full month of pandemic-related job losses. Virginia contends to trend lower than the nation, however. The U.S. unemployment rate for April […][...]

May 20, 2021

Va. sees second week of slightly lower initial jobless claims

Virginia saw another week of little change in initial unemployment claims, with 10,642 new claims filed during the week ending May 15, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. This was a decrease of 628 claimants from the previous week. Continued claims last week rose by 2,569 from the previous week, reaching 60,413[...]

May 18, 2021

Northam orders VEC to hire 300 more claim processors

Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday ordered the Virginia Employment Commission to invest $20 million in upgrading its claims system and hire 300 more staffers to process complicated unemployment insurance claims, which have dogged the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a civil lawsuit. In an executive directive signed Tues[...]

Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn gaveled into order the April veto session of the Virginia House of Delegates, held on the State Capitol grounds due to the need for social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Photo AP Images/Bob Brown
May 17, 2021

Va. House of Delegates to meet in person at the state Capitol

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced Monday that the House, when it next convenes, will return in person to the Virginia State Capitol after a year of virtual and physically distanced voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Over the past year, Virginians have shown commitment and resolve to stop t[...]

May 14, 2021

Governor ends mask mandate for vaccinated people, effective midnight

Following federal recommendations, Gov. Ralph Northam lifted Virginia’s mask mandate Friday, effective at midnight, for all vaccinated Virginians. He also announced Friday afternoon that all distancing and capacity restrictions will be lifted May 28, two weeks sooner than planned. Masks will still be required at Virginia&#[...]

May 13, 2021

Coming attractions: 8 Regal theaters reopening in Va. this Friday

Just in time for the premiere of “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” Friday will mark the opening of eight Regal movie theaters across Virginia, part of a nationwide partial reopening of the cinema chain. Although some states have had multiple Regal multiplexes open since April, Virginia had only two open as of Thursday, in Springfield […]

May 13, 2021

Va. officials ‘reviewing’ new CDC mask guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance Thursday that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — meaning they received their final shots at least two weeks earlier — can stop wearing masks and maintaining social distance in most indoor and outdoor areas. So, what does that mean for Virginia[...]

May 13, 2021

Va. sees small decrease in new jobless claims

The fluctuating numbers of initial unemployment claims in Virginia took a break last week, with little change from the previous week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending May 8, 11,270 people submitted new jobless claims, a decrease of 961 claimants from the previous week, or 7.8%. In [...]

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