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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: construction

construction stories: 57 news summaries

41 - 57 of 57 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3

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Stanford Dig Combines Sleuthing, Classwork

Students look into why '06 quake toppled gym

Mar 20, 08 5:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stanford University has found a way to give archeology students valuable excavation experience without leaving campus, Bloomberg reports, and hopes to find out why an enormous gymnasium couldn't withstand the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The gym was intended as a signature building for the young school. "They thought if... More »

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Stanford • San Francisco • construction • Stanford University • earthquake • gym • 1906 San Francisco earthquake • Jane Stanford

 Housing Starts Down;
 Producer Prices Up 

Housing will hurt '08 growth

Mar 18, 08 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Housing starts fell yet again in February, and building permits hit a 16-year low, Bloomberg reports. The annual housing start rate fell to 1.065 million homes, a 0.6% drop from January, while permits sank 7.8%, indicating still bigger declines to come. “We don’t see it... More »

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inflation • Ben Bernanke • housing market • construction • core inflation • housing starts • building permit

 City Blew Off Crane Warning

Construction site had received 32 complaints, numerous violations

Mar 16, 08 10:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Twelve days before the crane accident that killed four, the city of New York largely ignored a warning that the crane wasn't braced properly, reports the New York Daily News. An inspector responding to a retired contractor's complaint that the upper 100 feet of the crane was unsecured determined on... More »

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New York City • construction • crane accident • crane • 51st Street • construction safety • Building Department

 Crane Crash
 Among Worst
 NY Accidents,
 Mayor Says 

Ground-level pics depict shocking scene

Mar 15, 08 7:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - A towering crane that ripped through two buildings and hit a third is one of the worst construction accidents in New York history, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today. "It is a tragic event," he said. "Our hearts go out to all the victims and their families."... More »

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New York • construction • Michael Bloomberg • accident • rescue • fatalities • David Paterson • crane accident • crane

Updated

 Crane Crash
  Kills 4 in
  Manhattan 

At least 4 people trapped; several buildings damaged

Mar 15, 08 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - A gigantic crane collapsed in Manhattan today, killing four and putting several others in critical condition as it smashed into nearby buildings, Newsday reports. The crane was about 19 stories tall and demolished at least one building entirely. Police have swarmed the area as emergency crews try to rescue people... More »

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New York City • Manhattan • construction • accident • disaster • crane accident • crane

US Sees Worst Decline
in Jobs Since 2003

Payrolls dropped by 63,000;
recession fears intensify

Mar 7, 08 7:58 AM CST
(Newser) - The US lost 63,000 jobs in February, the second straight month payrolls contracted and the worst drop since 2003, catching economists off guard and fanning fears of recession anew, Bloomberg reports. Economists hoped the economy would add 23,000 jobs after declining a modest 17,000 in January, when... More »

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Ben Bernanke • Federal Reserve • construction • recession • unemployment • factory • manufacturing • job market • job cuts • housing crisis • building • job

Construction Spending Tumbles

Spending falls at fastest rate since 1994

Mar 3, 08 10:23 AM CST
(Newser) - Construction spending fell at its fastest rate in 14 years in January, the Commerce Department announced today, shattering expectations with a 1.7% drop. Analysts had expected just a 0.7% decline, the Wall Street Journal reports. Residential spending was the big drag, falling 2.9%, but non-residential spending... More »

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construction • housing • recession • manufacturing • Department of Commerce • manufacturing index • ISM index • residential building • non-residential building • commerical loan standards

Dour Housing Market Slams Home Depot Q4 Results

Profits drop 27%, and the company says 2008 isn't looking very bright

Feb 26, 08 8:23 AM CST
(Newser) - Continuing US housing market woes, showing no signs of letting up, helped drag Home Depot’s fourth quarter profits down 27% over the same quarter last year, to $671 million from $925 million. The world’s largest home-improvement retailer also predicted fiscal-year earnings will drop 19% to 24%, more than... More »

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home improvement • housing market • construction • corporate earnings • Home Depot • Robert Nardelli • Lowe's • retail sales • housing crisis

Obama Debuts $210B Jobs Plan

Democrat proposes $150B for environmental, $60B for infrastructure jobs

Feb 13, 08 5:20 PM CST
(Newser) - Democrat Barack Obama today laid out a $210 billion plan to create 2 million environmental and construction jobs over 10 years. “This agenda is paid for,” the Illinois senator said at a General Motors plant in Wisconsin, adding that the money would come from ending the Iraq war,... More »

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climate change • Barack Obama • General Motors • Detroit • construction • Iraq war

Recession Fears Mount as Jobs Drop Unexpectedly

January payroll contraction another red flag

Feb 1, 08 9:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Nonfarm payrolls declined 17,000 in January, the first monthly loss of US jobs since August 2003. The surprising loss—in manufacturing, construction, financials, and government—seems to vindicate aggressive action by the Fed, the Wall Street Journal reports. The number, which had been expected to climb by 75,000... More »

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Federal Reserve • construction • unemployment • manufacturing • payrolls

Big Dig's Big Mess Nets Big Settlement

Authorities to receive $458M for bungled Boston project

Jan 23, 08 6:34 PM CST
(Newser) - Contractors on the botched Boston construction project dubbed the Big Dig will pay state and federal authorities $458 million for its “gross failures.” But Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff will avoid criminal charges for a fatal 2006 ceiling collapse and won’t be banned from future government contracts, the Boston Herald... More »

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Boston • construction • contractors • Massachusetts • Big Dig • Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff • Deval Patrick

Housing Starts Nosedive to Lowest Level Since 1991

Can you even remember the last time a housing report wasn't worse-than-expected?

Jan 17, 08 9:15 AM CST
(Newser) - Housing starts plunged 14% in December, demolishing median analyst estimates, which foresaw a mere 5% dip. November’s numbers were also revised down, reports the Wall Street Journal, from the 3.7% drop originally reported to 7.9%. When the dust settled, construction was at its lowest point since 1991,... More »

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construction • housing • housing starts • housing crisis • new construction • building permit

Boston's $14.8B 'Big Dig' All Dug

Costliest highway project in US history finally complete

Dec 26, 07 3:00 AM CST
(Newser) - The most complicated and expensive highway project in American history is finally complete, AP reports. After 16 years of excavating and building, the ambitious "Big Dig" tunnel project under Boston will be turned over to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority January 1. The final price tag was $14.8 billion—... More »

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Boston • construction • Big Dig • highways • excavation

CA Fires Won't Harm Economy in Long Term

Rebuilding will give
a boost to sagging
home building sector

Oct 24, 07 12:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - California’s runaway wildfires are not likely to do longterm damage to the state’s economy, the Los Angeles Times reports—in fact the disaster could be a boon to some sectors. One of those is construction: In the first nine months of the year, construction jobs were down 3%... More »

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California • construction • insurance • recession • wildfires • US economy • home builders

Straw
Goes
Green

Eco-friendly building material branches out beyond fairy tales

Aug 20, 07 11:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - The newest surprise climate-saving tool is straw walls, and the Big Bad Wolf may have underestimated the First Little Pig’s shelter, the Washington Post reports. Instead of drywall or insulation, contractors stack the farm waste around buildings’ skeletons and then coat it with plaster. The eco-friendly result looks like... More »

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climate change • global warming • green building • environmentalism • construction • farms • ecology • straw

Jobless Rate Rises While
GDP Rebounds

Economic growth balances looming
threat of inflation

Aug 3, 07 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - The unemployment rate increased slightly in the second quarter, but the GDP recovered after a lackluster first quarter, providing Wall Street with a mixed report card of the nation’s economy as the Fed meets to determine interest rates. Unemployment ticked up 0.1% to 4.6%, hastened by losses... More »

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inflation • Wall Street • economic growth • Federal Reserve • construction • unemployment • consumer spending • US economy • GDP • manufacturing • interest rate

Gang Members Join New Brotherhood: Unions

Construction trades step up recruitment

May 21, 07 7:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - As construction booms, LA's building-trade unions are stepping up recruitment in the inner city, where many new hires are former gang members. The LA Times explores a trend that's turning traditionally white, fraternal outfits like the pipefitters, sheet-metal workers and even Teamsters into majority minority—and, in some cases, majority... More »

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unions • gangs • Crips • construction • Los Angeles

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