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3 ways COVID reshuffled our financial lives

The U.S. economy ground to a halt in March 2020 as state after state issued lockdown orders and shut down businesses to blunt the spread of the coronavirus. A year later, mask-wearing is commonplace, the phrase “social distancing” is now in the dictionary, elbow bumps have replaced fist bumps and hugs are still on pause. The tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our financial lives in ways big and small, too. The big: Many businesses are still temporarily closed, while countless others have closed permanently or are on the brink of doing so, and millions of people are ...

UPMC, new small business partnerships look to help strengthen diversity

PITTSBURGH — As part of its commitment to supporting economic development in Pennsylvania, the 16 statewide Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) announced a new, no-cost webinar to strengthening companies owned by minorities, women, disabled, veterans and other diverse groups. The UPMC Supplier Diversity & Inclusion department has partnered with Pennsylvania SBDC’s to educate interested business owners on contractual opportunities. The webinar is open to all industries, for suppliers of goods and services. The no-cost ...

US jobless claims tick up to 745,000 as layoffs remain high

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits edged higher last week to 745,000, a sign that many employers continue to cut jobs despite a drop in confirmed viral infections and evidence that the overall economy is improving. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims rose by 9,000 from the previous week. Though the pace of layoffs has eased since the year began, they remain high by historical standards. Before the virus flattened the U.S. economy a year ago, applications for unemployment aid had never topped 700,000 in any ...

Paul Digirolamo joins LDG as director of construction inspection

Larson Design Group recently welcomed Paul DiGirolamo, as its new director of construction inspection. Based in the Pittsburgh office, DiGirolamo brings the experience and skill of more than 30 years of working in the fields of construction, geotechnical, site planning, and structural engineering to his role with LDG. In his career, DiGirolamo has overseen the construction inspection of thousands of public and private projects alike. He served as special inspector for the city of Pittsburgh on numerous projects for landmarks such as the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the ...

States pass their own virus aid, not waiting on Washington

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Not waiting for more federal help, states have been approving their own coronavirus aid packages, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help residents and business owners devastated by the pandemic's economic fallout. Maryland and California recently moved ...