In 2015, a strain of avian influenza resulted in economic losses of more than a billion dollars and led to the death of 50 million chickens and turkeys in the upper Midwest. That same strain, H5N2, was detected in a wild duck in Montana-wild waterfowl are known carriers of avian influenza.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors held a Dec. 9 ribbon cutting to officially open newly widened Route 28 and realigned Vint Hill Road.

Governor Terry McAuliffe Jan. 10 introduced a legislative package for the 2017 General Assembly session which a press release said is aimed at "strengthening Virginia’s ethics reforms and expanding access at the polls."

Governor Terry McAuliffe has announced that All Traffic Solutions (ATS), that offers cloud-based traffic management solutions for law enforcement, transportation and smart cities will establish its corporate headquarters operation in Fairfax County. The new facility is located at Worldgate Centre in the Town of Herndon.

Since the storm’s arrival in Virginia, Virginia State Police troopers have responded to more than 660 traffic crashes and aided more than 900 disabled vehicles statewide (Time period: Midnight Saturday (Jan. 7) through 6 a.m. Sunday (Jan. 8)).

As snow from a storm impacting most of the state moves into northern Virginia, drivers are asked to avoid unnecessary travel through snow bands. About 1,350 pieces of equipment in northern Virginia will remain on duty through the day to treat roads for one to three inches of snow forecast for the region.

Virginia State Police have spent the overnight hours responding to multiple calls across the Commonwealth for disabled and crashed vehicles. Road conditions are treacherous and Virginians are advised to stay off the roads.

Governor McAuliffe today issued Executive Order 61, which will advance the cause of equality in Virginia by requiring all future state contractors with the Executive Branch to agree to a non-discrimination policy that includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This action builds on Executive Order Number 1 by extending the same protections offered to state employees to the employees of contractors that do business with the Commonwealth.