NeatPinecone

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/44403520

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton Roads’ economy is strong and is poised for a fourth-straight year of growth, according to the 25th annual State of the Region report from Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, which was released Tuesday.

On average, the region is growing faster than at any time over the past 15 years, with 2023 wages higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, more people employed that ever before in the civilian workforce and inflation dropping from 9% in 2022 to less than 3% this summer. The report states that trend, along with falling interest rates, will continue into 2025.

“The region’s economic engine has picked up speed,” said Robert M. McNab, director of the Dragas Center and lead author of the report, presented at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

The report noted some less-than-ideal economic conditions, however, with residents leaving to seek better job opportunities, and negative consumer perception of the cost of housing, goods and groceries.

“We are poised for growth in 2025,” McNab said. “That is a seismic change in terms of how the economy is performing in Hampton Roads. It’s not a minor change. It’s moving up more than 150 points in terms of the rankings of Hampton Roads relative to other metro areas.”

It’s mostly good news, though, when it comes to the region’s ‘three pillars’ — defense, the Port of Virginia and the hospitality and tourism industry.

Defense spending locally topped $28 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach more than $30 billion by 2030.

But even as the Port of Virginia outperformed most other ports on the East Coast, according to the report, the amount of cargo moving through it wend down due to lower consumer and producer demand for imports. The port, though, has invested in improvements and is primed for future expansion, the report states.

“We were able to compete for cargo with all the other ports,” said Vinod Agarwal, economics professor and deputy director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. “Investment in the port is paying off and the port has become efficient.”

And while the hospitality and tourism industry outperformed markets in Virginia and the U.S., the report noted the increase in housing costs due to a 15-year construction deficit, with home prices in the region up 56% from 2015. It said many are housing-cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of wages on a mortgage or rent.

The report said, however, that localities could improve the housing market by making changes to regulations to make building them in Hampton Roads easier for developers. It said building any type of housing influences the overall market and puts the responsibility on cities and counties to make needed changes to fix the housing shortage.

The report also discussed public libraries, the aging populations and disability rates.

To view the complete report, see below:

https://www.wavy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/ODU-state-of-the-region-report-Oct.-2024.pdf

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton Roads’ economy is strong and is poised for a fourth-straight year of growth, according to the 25th annual State of the Region report from Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, which was released Tuesday.

On average, the region is growing faster than at any time over the past 15 years, with 2023 wages higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, more people employed that ever before in the civilian workforce and inflation dropping from 9% in 2022 to less than 3% this summer. The report states that trend, along with falling interest rates, will continue into 2025.

“The region’s economic engine has picked up speed,” said Robert M. McNab, director of the Dragas Center and lead author of the report, presented at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

The report noted some less-than-ideal economic conditions, however, with residents leaving to seek better job opportunities, and negative consumer perception of the cost of housing, goods and groceries.

“We are poised for growth in 2025,” McNab said. “That is a seismic change in terms of how the economy is performing in Hampton Roads. It’s not a minor change. It’s moving up more than 150 points in terms of the rankings of Hampton Roads relative to other metro areas.”

It’s mostly good news, though, when it comes to the region’s ‘three pillars’ — defense, the Port of Virginia and the hospitality and tourism industry.

Defense spending locally topped $28 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach more than $30 billion by 2030.

But even as the Port of Virginia outperformed most other ports on the East Coast, according to the report, the amount of cargo moving through it wend down due to lower consumer and producer demand for imports. The port, though, has invested in improvements and is primed for future expansion, the report states.

“We were able to compete for cargo with all the other ports,” said Vinod Agarwal, economics professor and deputy director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. “Investment in the port is paying off and the port has become efficient.”

And while the hospitality and tourism industry outperformed markets in Virginia and the U.S., the report noted the increase in housing costs due to a 15-year construction deficit, with home prices in the region up 56% from 2015. It said many are housing-cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of wages on a mortgage or rent.

The report said, however, that localities could improve the housing market by making changes to regulations to make building them in Hampton Roads easier for developers. It said building any type of housing influences the overall market and puts the responsibility on cities and counties to make needed changes to fix the housing shortage.

The report also discussed public libraries, the aging populations and disability rates.

To view the complete report, see below:

https://www.wavy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/ODU-state-of-the-region-report-Oct.-2024.pdf

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18340043

A Virginia man has been charged with making death threats against Vice President Kamala Harris and appeared in federal court on Monday.

According to court records, Frank Lucio Carillo made several threats against Harris, President Joe Biden, FBI Director Christopher Wray, several Arizona officials, and others on the right-wing social media platform Gettr.

In response to a subpoena, the FBI found 4,359 posts from Carillo “targeting various public officials,” including Harris.

In several posts, Carillo allegedly threatened to cut out Harris’ eyes and described various ways he wanted to kill the vice president, court records say.

A study has revealed that young people who responded say the cost of living, lack of career opportunities and housing availability are the key factors influencing a decision to leave the Hampton Roads area. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)

cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/19177796

https://www.thepwhl.com/en/professional-womens-hockey-league-pwhl-announces-schedule-for-the-inaugural-pwhl-finals

https://mastodon.world/@thepwhlofficial@sportsbots.xyz/112459749516848524

PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S HOCKEY LEAGUE (PWHL) ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR THE INAUGURAL PWHL FINALS

PWHL Finals presented by Scotiabank to feature Boston and Minnesota beginning May 19

NEW YORK AND TORONTO (May 17, 2024) – The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Finals are set with PWHL Boston and PWHL Minnesota Chasing the Championship in a best-of-five semifinal series for the Walter Cup. Game 1 of the series will be played on Sunday, May 19, at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET. The PWHL Finals are presented by Scotiabank.

Minnesota advanced to the PWHL Finals with a 4-1 victory against Toronto on Friday night for their third straight win to secure the semifinal series 3-2. Boston eliminated Montréal on Tuesday night following a 3-2 overtime victory to sweep their semifinal series 3-0.

Boston and Minnesota both finished with 8-4-3-9 records and 35 points, with Boston earning the advantage in the standings with three overtime victories compared to Minnesota’s two.

PWHL Finals Schedule:

Boston (3) vs Minnesota (4)

Sunday May 19 Game 1: Minnesota at Boston (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell) at 5:00 p.m. ET

Tuesday May 21 Game 2: Minnesota at Boston (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell) at 7:00 p.m. ET

Friday May 24 Game 3: Boston at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center) at 7:00 p.m. ET

Sunday May 26* Game 4: Boston at Minnesota (Xcel Energy Center) at 6:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday May 29* Game 5: Minnesota at Boston (Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell) at 7:00 pm. ET

*If necessary

Tickets for Boston home games are available online via the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell website. Fans can sign up online for PWHL Boston’s e-newsletter to receive future updates. Tickets for Minnesota home games in the PWHL Finals will go on sale on Saturday, May 18, at 4:00 p.m. CT via Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up online for PWHL Minnesota’s e-newsletter to receive updates.

TSN and RDS are the exclusive home of the PWHL Finals with every game on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN app, with French-language coverage on RDS. Regionally, games will continue to be available on NESN, and select games on Bally Sports North and MSG Networks. All games will be streamed live on the Women’s Sports Network and the league’s YouTube channel.

Visit thepwhl.com to purchase tickets and merchandise, and subscribe to the PWHL e-newsletter to receive the latest league updates. Follow the league on all social media platforms @thepwhlofficial plus all six team accounts @pwhl_boston, @pwhl_minnesota, @pwhl_montreal, @pwhl_newyork, @pwhl_ottawa, and @pwhl_toronto.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach City Council heard from dozens on Tuesday night as they consider whether or not to approve collective bargaining for the city’s public workers.

The request, submitted by Virginia Beach’s local fire and EMS union in February, would allow unions to negotiate on behalf of city employees for things such as better pay and improved working conditions.

“When you collaborate with the people who do the work, it means a more efficient city and better services for residents,” said Max Gonano, president of the union.

It comes after a Virginia law went into effect in 2021 that allows for public sector bargaining. So far, Portsmouth is the only local government in Hampton Roads to approve collective bargaining. Norfolk declined to do so back in November.

Many longtime city workers spoke in favor of adopting collective bargaining at the public comment session on Tuesday, including former Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera and former Virginia Beach Fire Chief Steve Cover.

“From public safety to public works and utilities, parks and recreation and mental health services, more than 30 departments keep our city operating 24 hours a day. There’s an opportunity before you to show our employees they really do matter,” Cover said.

Eric Ellerbe, who’s worked in the city’s maintenance for more than a decade, said many city workers are leaving after just a few years on the job.

“They get their CDLs and they got somewhere else that’s paying more. It’s always the same conversation every time … if we do collective bargaining, I believe the city will save hundreds of thousands of dollars or more per year on turnover costs,” Ellerbe said.

“I’ve dealt with the struggle through the city going on 36 years,” added Terry Green with the Virginia Beach City Workers Union, who’s been advocating for city workers for several years now.

Meanwhile Virginia Beach Police Benevolent Association Local 34 President Brian Luciano emphasized that employees won’t be required to join a union if collective bargaining is approved. They also still won’t be able to go on strike, per Virginia law.

“I know that this issue is strongly partisan. It should not be a partisan issue,” said Luciano, who acknowledged his personal politics “don’t usually align with the side of the aisle” that typically supports collective bargaining efforts. “Giving police officers and workers a stronger voice with their employer equates to support, real support.”

There were also several speakers critical of collective bargaining, mostly pointing to the associated cost increases.

“Where’s the money coming from? Likely the result will be an increase in the property taxes that are assessed in order to raise the revenue, in order to meet the bill that’s due,” said Michael Callan, a city resident and school board member.

“What problem are we trying to solve here?” asked Andy Baan, who ran for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District seat as a Republican in 2022. “We heard earlier if you don’t take of your people they won’t take care of you. And that’s exactly right. So when you put a job offer in front of someone they can decide for themselves whether or not they’re being taken care of.”

City leaders have said it’ll cost around $1 million per year at a minimum to implement collective bargaining, as they continue to work to finalize the city’s fiscal year 2025 budget.

Mayor Bobby Dyer has set the vote on the issue for April 30.

NORFOLK, Va. — The struggle for affordable housing is one many can relate to. After the death of her husband, Jennifer Branham went looking for a new place to live.

“Not only did they want a deposit, a security deposit, they wanted a $250 administration fee. I wasn't gonna get that back. What was that for? To pay staff to process paperwork. A lot of these families can't pay that.” Branham said.

Sunday's symposium was hosted by Virginia Organizing. The grassroots movement met at the New Macedonia Christian Church in Norfolk Sunday. Local activists and speakers from the faith community spoke about the current state of affordable housing in Hampton Roads.

“Let us stand with those who are homeless and facing eviction.” Dr. Anthony Fudd, one of the speakers at the symposium said.

"The top evicting cities in the US is Charleston, South Carolina. 2 is Richmond, Virginia. 3 is Hampton, Virginia, 4 is Newport News, Virginia. 5 is Jackson, Mississippi.” Monet Johnson said.

Virginia Organizing hopes for an increase in tenants' rights through legislation. That legislation is sitting on Gov. Youngkin's desk.

Branham believes these laws will better help all Virginians who are struggling to find housing and stay in it when they get there.

“Give people the opportunity to make it right. I mean we all struggle, I mean there are people who make it paycheck to paycheck but because someone is maybe 30 days behind you take them to court and want to put them out, that’s not right. " Branham said.

Organizers here say this won’t be the only time they plan to meet like this. They are going to continue to address the housing crisis.