“Build it Green” grows with new partnership
The Build It Green Program (BIG) that green/spaces started in 2018 is launching a class this fall as a partner in The Corps Network as an official Opportunity Youth Service Initiative (OYSI) site.
The new partnership means participants in the energy-efficient construction and service training program will receive a larger stipend to match the increased work hours, plus a new educational stipend at the end, allowing for a wider range of pathways for graduates to post-secondary training or certifications
The Chattanooga environmental group green|spaces started Build It Green to aid at-risk young adults connect with careers in construction and energy service related areas. Through funding provided by the Southeast Sustainability Communities Fund, the program was modeled after S.E.E.E.D., which is based in Knoxville.
Since then, green|spaces has graduated over 50 individuals who have gone into a variety of careers. Today, the program has expanded to a six-month or one-year workforce development program focused on not only job readiness, but also community organizing, outreach and leadership training.
“The program has quadrupled in overall time commitment – for students and for us – which means we can assist more limited income individuals through home weatherization but also provide hands to assist with improvement projects at other non-profits and around the community,” said program director Christian Shackelford. “It provides a living stipend and trains them for construction work, volunteer work for nonprofits, weatherization needs for homeowners, and other community work.”
Home starts increase 1.9% in September
U.S. home construction rose a solid 1.9% in September after having fallen in the previous month, as home building continues as one of the bright spots of the economy.
The increase last month pushed home construction to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.42 million homes and apartments after a 6.7% drop in August, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
Applications for building permits, a good barometer of future activity, rose an even stronger 5.2% to 1.55 million units.
After a plunge in the spring due to pandemic-related lockdowns, housing has staged a solid rebound as demand for homes with more space has grown and mortgage-rates have stayed at ultra-low levels.
Construction of single-family homes in September surged by 7.8%, offsetting a 14.7% drop in the smaller apartment sector. Single-family construction is now at its highest level since 2007.
Economists believe home building will continue to thrive in the months ahead.
“Strong demand, low inventory and a record level of homebuilder confidence continue to support new home construction,” wrote Nancy Vanden Houten of Oxford Economics.
Microsoft fights malware attacks
A week after Microsoft Corp. led a global attack against one of the world’s most prolific malware groups, the company says it’s winning an ongoing battle to temporarily destabilize the malicious botnet ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
When Microsoft and its coalition of partners attacked the infrastructure supporting the popular Trickbot malware, they identified 69 servers and routers hosting the botnet around the world. As of Oct. 18, they’d compromised 62 of them, according to a Microsoft statement. A botnet is a network of computers infected with malware.
In response, Microsoft observed Trickbot’s operators attempt to add 59 new servers to try to salvage their botnet. But those, too, were successfully infiltrated by Microsoft’s team within hours of adoption, according to the company.
In all, Microsoft officials said they’ve “taken down” 120 of those 128 systems.
“We fully expect that Trickbot’s operators will continue looking for ways to stay operational,” Microsoft said in a statement. What we’re seeing suggests Trickbot’s main focus has become setting up new infrastructure, rather than initiating fresh attacks.”
Atlanta airport gets touchless feedback
As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is testing new devices that allow travelers to give feedback on the cleanliness of the facility without having to use a touchscreen.
The technology is a potential upgrade to the more than 100 Avius touchscreen survey devices located throughout the Atlanta airport. Many of them are in restrooms to get feedback on when cleaning is needed.
The new devices read thumbs up and thumbs down hand gestures.
“Back four years ago, we decided to concentrate heavily on cleanliness of the airport, and here we are with COVID-19,” said airport customer experience director Steve Mayers.
“We know there’s a correlation between cleanliness and revenue,” Mayers said, since people are more likely to want to shop and eat in a clean environment.
Synovus Bank beats analysts expectations
Synovus Financial Corp., the parent company of one of Georgia’s biggest banks which also operates offices in Chattanooga, reported third-quarter net income of $91.6 million on Tuesday.
The bank, based in Columbus, Georgia, said it had earnings of 56 cents per share, down from 83 cents per share in the same period a year go. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 89 cents per share.
The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 48 cents per share.
The holding company for Synovus Bank posted revenue of $550 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $491.4 million, which also topped Street forecasts.
Synovus shares have decreased 39% since the beginning of the year. But after the third quarter results were announced early Tuesday, the company’s stock rose nearly 3.9%, or 92 cents per share, to close at $24.76 per share in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.