5G rollout reaches Virginia. Outside of Crystal City and the Reagan National Airport, Hampton Roads is the first region in Virginia to enjoy 5G cellular access. Verizon has announced that its 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service is available in the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, downtown Norfolk, Newport News, Old Dominion University, Hampton, Chesapeake, and other high-traffic locations, reports Virginia Business. Said Governor Ralph Northam in a statement: “This technology will propel the industries that drive coastal Virginia — the military, advanced manufacturing, logistics, higher education, health care, tourism and more. We can’t wait to see new opportunities unfold for workers and innovators.” The service is available in 31 other cities.
Virginia unemployment still 2.6%. Virginia’s unemployment rate remained at 2.6% in November, even as the labor force expanded by 13,326, or 0.3%. Employment set a record of 4.4 million people, reports Virginia Business. While Virginia job creation has lagged the national pace, there is a bit of good news within the numbers: Job creation is market driven, not government-driven. Year over year, the private sector added 47,400 jobs while the public sector shed 7,300 jobs.
…But never fear, government is still creating some jobs. For example, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has hired a diversity and inclusion officer. The 450-person department, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch has “struggled” with diversity: only 9% of employees earlier this year were “people of color,” compared with the average at Virginia agencies of 36%. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Office of the State Inspector General is conducting an audit of diversity and inclusion practices within state natural Resources agencies, including the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Plus, more defense jobs coming. The $1.37 trillion spending bill passed by the U.S. Senate includes more than $13 billion for Virginia shipbuilding projects in Hampton Roads — two aircraft carriers, two Virginia-class submarines, start-up of the new Columbia Class submarine program, and the nuclear refueling of another carrier, according to WVEC.
Alternatives to prison for young offenders. The number of young people imprisoned in Virginia’s juvenile correctional center in Bon Air, outside Richmond, has dropped 62% during the five years since its launch, reports the Daily Press. When kids get into trouble, juvenile probation officers and courts are steering them to local detention centers closer to home or placing opioid addicts in programs to help them through detoxification and on the path to recovery. The percentage of young people re-arrested after leaving the juvenile justice system is down to 21% from 25% five years ago.
