State and National Government
[Yesterday] U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement ahead of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001: “Ahead of the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we remember the Americans we tragically lost in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and honor the many Virginians who have served and sacrificed so much since then in defense of our nation. These sacrifices are why I’m so committed to supporting our nation’s servicemembers, military families, and veterans. We owe it to them to help minimize the risk of a conflict erupting and ensure the United States will prevail decisively in any conflict we must fight.”
Roanoke Valley Delegate Chris Head is presenting an early case for Republican efforts to overturn a state emissions law next year, one requiring Virginia to follow California’s vehicle emissions standards. The law states Virginia must comply with the Golden State’s recently-adopted plan to ban the sale of new gasoline-vehicles by 2035. Speaking Wednesday on the House floor, Head said good intentions don’t necessarily translate to good results. He cited among other things, the cost of EVs and their replacement batteries, limited range between charges and the cost of those charges. Supporters say the law will offer Virginians relief from high gas prices while taking meaningful climate action. Republicans will seek to overturn it next winter, but it’s unclear whether the Democratic-controlled Senate will go along. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Ed Lynch- Hollins U. photo
A local political scientist who had a front row seat for a while in the Reagan White House doesn’t give the late Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev much credit for the demise of the Soviet Union, which took place on his watch. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
SALEM – The Troutville Rest Area located on southbound Interstate 81 near mile marker 158 in Botetourt County is expected reopen by the end of September. The rest area has been closed since May for work on a $4.9 million project to extend the ramps at the facility and was originally expected to reopen before Labor Day.
Supply chain issues delayed manufacture and delivery of the new lighting poles that must be installed before the facility can be reopened. The Virginia Department of Transportation’s contractor Branch Civil Inc. will need additional time to install the lighting, so reopening the facility has been postponed.
This afternoon, the U.S. Small Business Administration will be hosting a webinar for small business owners. WFIR’s Emma Thomas has more on what the virtual discussion will offer its viewers:
Click here to register for the SBA’s webinar
RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin [yesterday] announced that there are nearly 100,000 more Virginians employed today since the end of January. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) household survey data released today by the Virginia Employment Commission, Virginia added nearly 6,000 jobs in July, and the Commonwealth’s unemployment rate declined 0.1 percentage point to 2.7 percent from 3.4 percent in January. This rate continues to track below the national rate at 3.5 percent.
According to BLS household survey data, the number of employed residents rose by 5,865 to 4,238,134, with the labor force participation rate declined slightly to 63.8 from June’s revised 63.9 percent as the labor force in Virginia remains approximately 120,000 less than its pre-pandemic levels.
“With 100,000 jobs added since January, we are well ahead of pace to reach our goal of 400,000 jobs during my term. However, the slowdown in monthly job creation and the lower level of job participation have my full attention. We will continue the critical work to return more Virginians to the workforce and will double-down on policies that make Virginia attractive for job growth and business investment,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “We remain laser-focused on our mission to make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family.”