Region’s unemployment rate expected to drop to 6.1% by 2013 Q4

IHS Global Insight (Pic | heg.baumpub.com)

A new study compiled by IHS Global Insight sheds new light on unemployment rates around the country. For Hampton Roads, the report expects unemployment to drop to from 6.8% (current) to 6.5% in 2012, and 6.1% in 2013. The crystal ball also says we will return to peak employment levels (2007 Q3) in third quarter 2015.

A quick search also led me to the Conference of Mayors’ full report, which can be found here. If you’d like data specific to our region, I suggest reading my synopsis below.

It’s important to put these numbers in context. At 6.8% unemployment, our region has the 10^th lowest unemployment of any metro in the country. The report also shows that our region’s GMP–Gross Metropolitan Product–grew steadily through the recession, from $76.4 billion in 2007 to $82.4 billion in 2010. If Hampton Roads were a country, we’d be bigger than Croatia (but smaller than Slovakia). On the total list of 363 metros nationwide, we rank 63^rd for growth at a rate of 5.4%.

Everything is fine, nothing to smell here

If you sometimes go outside, as I do, you may have noticed a particular smell in the air. The odor reminds you of the scratch-and-sniff Smokey the Bear book your parents read to you when you were young. What is it, you ask? Is it something, or nothing, or something in between something and nothing? Or is it a very large children’s book, being read somewhere close by? Yes. That is correct.

Over 1,000 acres burn in North Carolina’s Alligator River Nature Preserve. This morning, northeastern North Carolina’s code orange –“Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”–has been elevated to red, “straight up unhealthy.” Luckily, as monitored by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, such smoke completely dissipates at the state line. What you smell–or should I say, not smell?– is not anything for Virginians to be concerned about. Acknowledging concerns might be useful for residents, but it wouldn’t be good for tourism.

A “Y” for Park Place

The Hampton Roads Community Foundation has given out 1.9 million this year, with nearly $1 million going toward college scholarships.

On an especially bright note, the SHR YMCA–that’s an SLA–was awarded half a million dollars to build a new facility in Park Place. YMCA plans the project, at a total cost of more than $10 million, for the corner of the intersection of Granby and Church Streets. You know the spot: it’s where your out-of-town friends always miss the turn and wind up getting panicked as they pass through a certain stretch of Church Street. Imagine: one day soon, when giving directions to out-of-area visitors on how to get to downtown Norfolk, you can simply say, “Take the Granby exit, and turn right at the Y.”

“From Here, Go Anywhere” – a winning strategy for TCC

Under the leadership of Deborah DiCroce, TCC’s longstanding transfer program has thrived since 2003. Enrollemnt in TCC’s program has grown by about half over the past decade, with over 14,000 students signed up in 2010.

Deborah DiCroce (Pic | insidebiz.com)

“Idea Home” goes up in Norfolk’s East Beach

Interior work is underway at Coastal Living magazine’s newest “idea home” in Norfolk’s East Beach, the only community to be selected twice for this series of projects.

Coastal Living’s press release refers to the home’s style as “New Urbanism,” though looking at a picture I fail to see how this could be the case. Despite the potential misuse of an en vogue term, the beach house looks to be pretty baller. I look forward to checking it out once complete later this summer.

ODU: off-campus crime

The Pilot’s Patrick Wilson and Sarah Hutchins did a nice job with this more in-depth look at recent crime around ODU’s campus and what can realistically be done about it.

Beach police shovel poop

A new composting system at the Mounted Patrol unit in Pungo makes good use of waste while improving local water quality.