Martinsville Bulletin (Virginia) - $21.5M in stimulus funds headed to region
A total of $21.5 million in stimulus funds will be used to expand broadband Internet infrastructure in Southside and Southwest Virginia, the area's lawmakers announced Monday.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb joined U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello and White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra on a conference call Monday to announce the two grants.
Together, the grants will add more than 575 miles of high-speed Internet infrastructure in the regions, according to a news release. The funds are designed to “bridge the technological divide,” boost economic growth and create jobs in rural areas, the release added.
Perriello said the grant will help kids in the area as well as give companies a competitive advantage. [2/9/10]
Providence Journal (Rhode Island) - Partnership to provide green-jobs training for R.I. workers
A $3.72-million federal stimulus grant awarded to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit organization focused on social and economic advancement, will help pay for green jobs training for about 1,600 Rhode Islanders.
The “Energy Training Partnership” was developed by Providence Plan, local building trade unions, private construction companies and state and city government. It is focused on improving entry-level work-force skills in the state's poorest urban communities.
The plan targets energy-efficient construction and retrofits and renewable electric power, two industries expected to get a boost in the coming years. [2/8/10]
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina) - Stimulus money to help fund 500 Meck jobs
Mecklenburg County hopes to help 500 low-income residents find temporary work using about $10 million from the federal stimulus package.
Vice Chair Harold Cogdell, who leads the [county commissioners] board's economic development committee, said the program 'will have a short-term almost immediate impact of putting people to work.' He said he hopes the effort will give people the chance to learn job skills and possibly lead to permanent employment. [2/9/10]
The Oregonian - Small stimulus energy grants make big difference
The worst recession in 70 years is turning into an energy-saving boon for tiny and remote rural schools in Oregon as well as the state's poorest people.
Federal economic stimulus money is paying for new energy-efficient lights and windows in schools that have not been modernized since they were built after World War II, and in houses and apartments where people struggle to pay their utility bills.
About 4,400 houses and apartments occupied by poor people will ultimately be fixed up, at a typical cost of $3,200, translating into 628 jobs under spending formulas, said Peggy McGuire, who runs the community resources division of the Oregon Department of Housing.
About 200 schools and other public buildings will benefit from stimulus projects, said Oregon Department of Energy spokeswoman Ann Grim. That works out to 87 jobs created, and 306 jobs retained, under spending formulas. [2/7/10]
The JHU Gazette (Maryland) - 108 jobs created by ARRA funding; all will be filled soon
One year ago this month, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a legislative initiative designed to stimulate domestic spending and create jobs by pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy. Millions of those dollars have landed at Johns Hopkins and are being put to use on groundbreaking research projects.
Since ARRA was enacted, the university has received more than 340 stimulus-funded research grants and supplements totaling more than $160.3 million from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
To date, the stimulus-related investigations by university scientists have resulted in the creation of 108 staff jobs, 81 of which have been filled and 27 of which are in the process of being filled. [2/8/10]
Other Headlines:
- Jacksonville Daily News (North Carolina) - Federal funding aids Emerald Isle projects
- KOB NBC-4 (New Mexico) - NM received $30M in stimulus funds for public transit
- Costa Times (California) - CSULB will receive $3.7M from federal stimulus grant
