Governor Northam and Education Secretary Atif Qarni speak with educators during a visit to Atlee High School in Mechanicsville for Teacher Appreciation Week on Thursday, May 6.
WEEK OF MAY 7, 2021
Governor Northam Announces Plans to Lift Distancing and Capacity Limits on June 15 If Health Metrics, Vaccinations Continue Trending in the Right Direction
TAKEAWAYS
  • “We plan to fully lift distancing and capacity limits on June 15 if cases keep trending downward and vaccinations keep going up—we will continue to evaluate our mask guidance,” said Governor Northam. “We are not at the finish line yet, and we still need to take the precautions we all know work. But we are approaching a time when we can think differently about how we interact, especially people who are vaccinated.”
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Governor Northam Announces Agreement to Expand Passenger Rail to Southwest Virginia, Service Will Return to the New River Valley for the First Time Since 1979
TAKEAWAYS

  • “Bringing passenger rail service back to the New River Valley will fuel tourism, drive economic growth, and create new opportunities for the region’s 180,000 residents and 40,000 college students,” said Governor Northam. “A key part of our Transforming Rail in Virginia program, the Western Rail Initiative will support critical infrastructure improvements necessary to modernize our transportation system and connect communities across the Commonwealth. This agreement is the result of collaboration among many partners, and we look forward to continuing this important work to enhance mobility in an equitable and environmentally sustainable way.”
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Governor Northam Signs Bills Creating Scholarship Program for Descendants of Enslaved Laborers, Expanding Workers’ Compensation for First Responders
TAKEAWAYS

  • “While we cannot erase Virginia’s past, our job is to reckon with it, acknowledge it, and work to address the long legacy of slavery in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Northam. “This program will require five universities to identify and memorialize all enslaved individuals who labored on former and current property of those institutions and provide a tangible benefit such as a college scholarship, or community-based economic development program for individuals or communities with a demonstrated historic connection to slavery, that will help break the cycle of poverty.”


  • “Our firefighters, EMS personnel, law enforcement officers, and correctional and regional jail officers have provided critical services for the public good throughout this pandemic—and it is no surprise that in doing these public jobs, many of them have gotten sick with the COVID-19 virus,” said Governor Northam. “I’m proud to celebrate legislation that presumes those employees were infected by COVID-19 on the job, and that they are eligible for workers’ compensation. We are making this retroactive to July 1 of last year.”
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Governor and First Lady Northam Celebrate Educators During Teacher Appreciation Week, Encourage Virginians to Participate in “Thank a Teacher” Campaign
TAKEAWAYS

  • “While this school year looks unlike any other, one thing remains the same—teachers are the driving force in equipping our children with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets necessary for success,” said Governor Northam. “I encourage Virginians across the Commonwealth to join us in recognizing all those who are investing their time and talent to ensure every student is served equitably and shaping the lives of our future leaders in more creative ways than ever before.”
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Governor Northam Announces Aditxt to Build Richmond Facility and Create Over 300 New Jobs, Expansion of AMPAC Fine Chemicals in Petersburg to Add 156 Jobs
TAKEAWAYS

  • “The Richmond region has emerged as a hub for cutting-edge biotech companies, and this thriving industry will be bolstered by the addition of Aditxt’s Immune Monitoring Center,” said Governor Northam. “The Virginia Bio+Tech Park is an ideal location for the company to continue its groundbreaking work to improve the health of our communities and help us better understand our own immune systems—something that has become extremely important over the past year.”


  • “AMPAC’s investment will further advance the pharmaceutical cluster that has emerged in Petersburg and solidify our Commonwealth as a significant player in domestic drug manufacturing,” said Governor Northam. “This critical partnership between Phlow Corporation, Medicines for All Institute, Civica Inc., and AMPAC will have a positive and far-reaching impact, ensuring greater access to high-quality, lifesaving medications while also creating much-needed jobs to support our economic recovery in Virginia.”
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In case you missed it...
Richmond Times-Dispatch

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The Virginian-Pilot

The Daily Progress

The Washington Post

The Virginian-Pilot

Richmond Times-Dispatch

Daily Press

The Virginian-Pilot

LocalDVM.com