Contractors Bid Hot and Heavy for 'Shovel-Ready' Jobs

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.

Conservatives react to Andrew Sullivan's article

(NEWSER) - Andrew Sullivan's unflinching defense of President Obama in Newsweek is irking conservative bloggers today. No wonder, considering the headline: "Why Are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" Taking on the right, Sullivan calls Obamacare a "moderate," fiscally responsible program, and says "a depression was averted" with Obama's $787-billion stimulus package. Engaging the left, he lists successes such as the Iraq pullout and advances in gay rights. Obama "practices a show-don’t-tell, long-game" that takes time to mature, Sullivan writes. "What matters to him is what he can get done, not what he can immediately take credit for." More»

Billions needed to keep water flowing

(NEWSER) - Water and sewer systems, among the most basic things needed to keep civilized society going, are in danger of falling apart across America. Around a quarter of drinking water already leaks from pipes before it reaches the faucet, and without urgent repairs to the vast majority of water systems—many of which should have been replaced decades ago—experts warn that water bills will skyrocket, water services in many regions will be routinely disrupted, and contamination caused by sewage bacteria will soar. More»

$7.2B, 12.5-mile endeavor would be Europe's largest infrastructure project

(NEWSER) - Denmark is preparing for the largest infrastructure project in Europe: a 12.5-mile tunnel to Germany under the Baltic Sea. But the $7.2 billion project, which would be among the world's longest immersed tunnels, has sparked tensions with Germans who are dubious about its usefulness, Der Spiegel reports. With a cost-benefit ratio of 1:1.25, "The World Bank would say that this is a marginal project," says a German engineer. "It was clear right from the start that the interests of the construction industry are behind this." More»