$300 Million in GI Bill Money Went to Trade Schools That Barely Taught a Trade
A Washington Post investigation built on a records suit against the VA found for-profit trade schools billed over $300 million for courses that ran days, not months.
A Senate Bill Would Make CDC Count Why Construction Workers Kill Themselves
A Senate bill would fund a national CDC study of construction suicide risk coded by trade, union status and injury history. The industry rate is 43.2 per 100,000.
New York Inspected 180 Jobsites and Cleared Office Conversions
NYC’s Buildings Department closed phase one of its sweep after the 235 East 42nd Street column failure: 65 violations, 19 stop-work orders, no case against conversions.
Knife River Moved 13.7% More Rock and Made Less Money on It
Knife River’s Q2 aggregates volumes rose 13.7% and mix-adjusted pricing 8%, but EBITDA slipped and margin fell 200 basis points. Demand is real; the spread isn’t.
Lake Mead Fell to 1,040.5 Feet, the Lowest in 90 Years of Record
Lake Mead broke its all-time low on Aug. 6, below the 1,040.58 feet set in July 2022. That gauge sets the capital program for every water agency on the Lower Colorado.
Francisco Partners Is Buying the Software Behind 14,000 Ready-Mix Plants
Command Alkon changes private equity hands again: Francisco Partners takes a majority stake from Thoma Bravo with a mandate to scale AI and autonomous plant operations.
Texas Just Froze 49.8 Gigawatts of Data Center Interconnections
Gov. Abbott ordered ERCOT to audit its data center queue and pause new large-load interconnections. BNEF puts 49.8 GW, a fifth of the U.S. pipeline, at risk.
The Army Ran an AI Tool Against Live Bids on a $449 Million Contract
Filings unsealed July 31 show the Army ran a generative AI tool against live proposals on a $449M White Sands contract. A judge ordered the output into the record.
The Economy Lost 23,000 Jobs in July. Construction Added 22,000.
U.S. payrolls fell 23,000 in July, the first net loss since February, while construction added 22,000 jobs led by nonresidential specialty trade contractors.
A $3.3 Billion Construction Loan for One Building on Park Avenue
Citadel, Vornado and the Rudin family are nearing a $3.3B loan for 350 Park Avenue, likely the largest single-building construction loan in NYC history.
A Fall Through the Roof Killed a Wisconsin Worker, and It Wasn’t an Edge Hazard
A 44-year-old worker fell about 30 feet through a farm building roof in Grant County, Wisconsin and died at the scene. OSHA has opened an investigation.
New Jersey Put $1.48 Million Into Getting Women and Minorities Into the Trades
New Jersey awarded $1.48M to four organizations under NJBUILD, funding training that leads directly into registered apprenticeships and construction jobs.
OSB Is Losing Money on Every Panel. Siding Is Carrying Louisiana-Pacific.
Louisiana-Pacific’s OSB segment posted negative $21M EBITDA in Q2 and is guided to negative $120M for the year, while siding held a 26% margin on higher prices.
Michigan’s Supreme Court Sent a $500 Million Tunnel Back to the Start
Michigan’s Supreme Court vacated siting approval for the Line 5 tunnel, ruling regulators compared the project and its alternatives on inconsistent terms.
Fluor’s Energy Business Went From $15 Million to $88 Million in a Year
Fluor beat on revenue and earnings in Q2 as Energy Solutions segment profit jumped from $15M to $88M, on $6.1B of new awards and a $26.9B backlog.
Cadillac, Michigan Is Getting a $4.4 Million Energy Retrofit and Paying Nothing Up Front
Cadillac, Michigan approved a $4.4M solar, storage and microgrid retrofit across seven municipal buildings with no upfront cost, repaid out of energy savings.
Robots Are Driving Piles and Setting Panels on U.S. Solar Sites Now
Autonomous excavators, panel-placing robots and GNSS-guided pile drivers have moved from pilot to production on U.S. utility-scale solar builds with named EPCs.
Amtrak Wants Its $5 Billion Capital Program in a Company of Its Own
Amtrak’s board advanced a plan to move $5 billion a year in capital construction into a dedicated infrastructure business. A formal proposal lands in December.