Friday, February 7, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1862, Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson filed seven charges of insubordination and dereliction of duty against his subordinate, Gen. William Loring, following a retreat from Romney to Winchester. Officials in Richmond dismissed the charges and instead transferred Loring to another command.

The Virginia Flyover has both good news and bad news on the employment front today. In Top Stories, we’ll cover layoffs in Danville. In Business, however, we’ll report the state’s low overall unemployment rate.

Our sponsor today is Mode Mobile who is pioneering a transformative approach to smartphone usage by turning everyday devices into income-generating assets.

Spending Freeze Shutters Health Clinics

Nearly half of Virginia’s 31 federally qualified health centers have lost access to federal funding, forcing many to close.

A spokesman for the Virginia Community Healthcare Association said many centers have been unable to access federal funding since Jan. 28, when the federal government issued a memo implementing a wide-ranging freeze on federal spending. That order is on hold, but many clinics still cannot access funds.

Three medical centers have shut down in the Richmond area. An email blamed “unforeseen federal restrictions under the new presidential administration.”

Talk of a funding freeze raised concerns in Harrisonburg, where a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration pays for student internships in under-resourced areas. Even with the federal program, “the proportion of clinical mental health counselors in this area is not sufficient to serve the population,” one expert warned.

Goodyear to Lay Off 850 in Danville

Goodyear announced it will lay off 850 employees at its manufacturing plant in Danville. The cuts are expected to be carried out by the end of the year.

The company said it has reached an agreement with the United Steelworkers union, which represents workers at the plant. Goodyear said the layoffs are needed “to reduce the Company’s production capacity and production cost per tire in the Americas.”

The company indicated that the Danville plant will now focus on aviation products, while non-aviation commercial tire production will be shifted to other plants.

Danville’s city manager, Ken Larking, noted that Goodyear has been a large regional employer for decades. “We will continue working with Goodyear and our economic development partners to navigate this transition and support those impacted during this challenging time,” he said.

Find Great Virginia Beer for Super Sunday

Central Virginia is at the heart of the state’s craft brewery revolution. As Paste magazine explained, a 2012 change in the law allowed for on-site tastings, and breweries quickly started springing up.

One of the first was Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, whose beers are also available in grocery stores. The magazine points to plenty of other options in the region.

Virginia has hundreds of craft breweries statewide, of course. Check out this list if you are in the market for an award-winning brew for this weekend.

If you have a favorite Virginia libation, let us know before the game on Sunday. Maybe we’ll try it out.

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➤ Richmond: Demonstrators gathered at the Capitol Square Bell Tower to protest the Trump administration’s policies. The rally was part of the national 50501 movement, which called for protests in all 50 state capitals on the same day. (More)

➤ Washington, D.C.: Gov. Glenn Youngkin said no one should be surprised by the actions that President Trump is taking. “I’m encouraged by how quickly they have moved,” Youngkin said before a White House signing ceremony for an executive order banning biological males from participating in women’s sports. (Details)

➤ Statewide: Winter returned to parts of the Commonwealth as a freezing rainstorm knocked out power to thousands. (More)

➤ Blacksburg: Scientists at Virginia Tech received $3 million from the EPA to study where antibiotic-resistant bacteria are coming from and to find ways to eliminate them. (Details)

➤ Statewide: Both houses approved legislation to create a regulated and taxed cannabis marketplace. “The lack of regulation or enforcement is dangerous for everyone involved,” Republican Del. Chris Obenshain said. Gov. Youngkin is expected to veto the measure. (More)

➤ Richmond: Central Virginia is booming, according to UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center. It estimates that more than 52,000 people have moved to Richmond since 2020. (More)

➤ Wondering what team to pull for in the Super Bowl? By one count, four Eagles players are from Virginia, but just one on the Chiefs. (The List)

➤ VT and UVA swimmers and divers are in action at their home pools this weekend as they host the Virginia Tech Invitational and the Cavalier Invitational meets. (Details)

➤ VCU visits Dayton tonight in Atlantic-10 conference men’s basketball. (Preview)

➤ UVA’s men’s basketball team will host Georgia Tech tomorrow, while the Hokies will visit Notre Dame. (Schedule)

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➤ The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.0% in December, much lower than the 4.1% national average. The state added 4,900 jobs in the same month, with a 66.0% labor force participation rate. (Details)

➤ Carnival will offer year-round cruises out of Norfolk beginning next week when the Carnival Sunshine departs. (More)

➤ Tract, a data center developer, plans to build as many as 11 data centers on 740 acres in Chesterfield County. (Details)

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➤ Shaboozey will be a part of Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Woodbridge native appears in an ad for Nerds Gummy Clusters, featuring a country rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” set to air during the telecast. (Details)

➤ North Wales, a 22-bedroom Warrenton mansion built in 1776, sold for $20 million last week. The property belonged to the estate of David Ford. The buyer’s name has not been released. (More)

➤ The Commonwealth has more than 570 markers on Civil War Trails, a six-state consortium of historic sites. A new marker at False Cape State Park is the first one in Virginia Beach. (Details)

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