Job growth remains strong for 4th month
WASHINGTON – U.S. employers added 217,000 jobs in May, a substantial gain for a fourth straight month, fueling hopes the economy will accelerate after a grim start to the year.
Monthly job growth has averaged 234,000 for the past three months, up sharply from 150,000 in the previous three. The unemployment rate, which is derived from a separate survey, remained 6.3 percent in May. That’s the lowest rate in more than five years.
Pay growth remains subpar, though. Average wages have grown roughly 2 percent a year since the recession ended, well below the long-run average annual growth rate of about 3.5 percent.
Navy base stabbing suspect arrested
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Navy says law enforcement officials have arrested the man suspected of stabbing a fellow sailor near a naval hospital, ending an hours-long manhunt.
Capt. Michael “Jake” Johansson, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, says Petty Officer 3rd Class Wilbur Harwell was arrested on Friday in nearby Virginia Beach.
Earlier in the day, the Navy placed Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Portsmouth Annex, on a lockdown after the stabbing. The lockdown was lifted after Harwell’s arrest. The Navy says the victim is in critical condition.
Delaware official says bridge won’t collapse
DOVER, Del. – Delaware’s top transportation official said Friday he would have preferred his agency moved more quickly to inspect a major highway bridge that was closed because supporting columns are tilting.
Transportation secretary Shailen Bhatt told The Associated Press, however, that the Interstate 495 bridge in Wilmington was not in danger of imminent collapse.
An engineer working on an unrelated project near the bridge first reported problems with the bridge May 29. Bhatt said senior managers in his agency became aware the next day and ordered an inspection Monday. The bridge was closed immediately.
Associated Press
