Around the Local

Demand for licensed electricians is rising sharply as AI infrastructure and data center construction expand, with younger workers increasingly drawn to the trades for stable, well-paying careers.
Construction unions including the IBEW are celebrating approval of a major AI manufacturing facility in Independence, Missouri, calling it a generational win for union jobs in the region.
A union electrician is entering the congressional race on Staten Island, aiming to mobilize the borough's labor base in a bid for federal office.
The PA House Energy Committee advanced two bills along party lines requiring large data centers to report annual energy and water usage and establishing a model local zoning framework municipalities can adopt to guide where and how such facilities are built.
Gov. Shapiro is courting major tech investments including Amazon and Microsoft as dozens of data centers are planned statewide, but experts warn the grid was not designed for customers to come online at this scale, raising questions about power supply, water demand, and local land use planning.