Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.
The number of unemployment claims in Alexandria climbed dramatically in the second half of March, as thousands of city residents lost their jobs over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Alexandria Workforce Development Center is reporting that there were 33 unemployment claims on March 14. That number rose to 797 jobless claims a week later on March 21, and then more than doubled to 1,683 claims a week after that on March 28.
