More than 3 million Arizonans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, another milestone as the state increases its protection against the coronavirus, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) announced today. “Millions now have the full benefit of these safe, highly effective, free, and widely available vaccines,” Governor Doug Ducey said. “I encourage every … [More]
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More Than 3 Million Arizonans Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Arizona Department of Health Services
Ducey Issues Executive Order to Prohibit COVID-19 Mandates at Arizona Public Universities
State of Arizona Office of the Governor
Governor Doug Ducey today issued an Executive Order protecting access to Arizona’s public universities and community colleges for all students. Under the Executive Order, students cannot be mandated to take the COVID-19 vaccine or submit COVID-19 vaccination documents. Students also cannot be mandated to be tested or wear masks in order to participate in learning. The … [More]
SBA Announces Funding Competition to Organizations Providing Federal Procurement Training to Veteran Entrepreneurs
U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that non-profit organizations and private sector firms are now eligible to compete for funding of up to $500,000 to deliver federal procurement training to veteran and service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs. The application period begins today through July 12, 2021. Up to two awardees will use the $500,000 in total funding … [More]
Nationwide Homeowner Equity Gains Hit $1.9 Trillion in Q1 2021, Says Report
CoreLogic
CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released the Homeowner Equity Report for the first quarter of 2021. The report shows U.S. homeowners with mortgages (which account for roughly 62% of all properties) have seen their equity increase by 19.6% year over year, representing a collective equity gain of over $1.9 … [More]
U.S. Jobless Claims Drop to Third Consecutive Pandemic Low
U.S. Department of Labor
In the week ending June 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 376,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 385,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The 4-week moving average was 402,500, a decrease of 25,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 428,000. This is … [More]
Consumer Prices Jump 5% in May, Fastest Inflation since 2008
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in May on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.8 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 5.0 percent before seasonal adjustment; this was the largest 12-month increase since a 5.4-percent increase for the … [More]
Strong Improvement for U.S. Mortgage Delinquency Rates in March, Says Report
CoreLogic
CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released its monthly Loan Performance Insights Report for March 2021. For the month of March, 4.9% of all mortgages in the U.S. were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure), representing a 1.3-percentage point increase in … [More]
WEBINAR – June 10: Briefing on Covid-19 Economic Programs and How to Be a Vaccine Leader in Your Community
U.S. Small Business Administration
Join the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Public Private Strategies Institute for a webinar on Thursday, June 10 at 2:00 p.m. EDT featuring SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House COVID-19 Vaccinations Coordinator to discuss the importance of vaccinations, provide updates on COVID-19 economic aid programs, such as the Economic … [More]
Small Business Optimism Pauses in May as Labor Shortage Slows Growth
NFIB
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index fell 0.2 points in May to 99.6. May saw a slight pause in the recovery of small business optimism after steadily increasing each month in 2021. As reported in NFIB’s monthly jobs report, a record-high 48% of owners reported unfilled job openings. “The labor shortage is holding back growth for small businesses across the … [More]
Arizona Reaches 6 Million Mark for COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered
Arizona Department of Health Services
Arizona has administered more than 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine since December, with nearly 3.4 million individuals having received at least one dose and 2.9 million now fully vaccinated, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) announced today. “Arizona has reached another major milestone with our six millionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine administered,” said … [More]
U.S. Employers Added 559K Jobs in May, Unemployment Rate Fell to 5.8%
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 559,000 in May, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage point to 5.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, in public and private education, and in health care and social assistance. This news release presents statistics from two monthly … [More]
Devereux Arizona Offers LGBTQ, Gender-Expansive Integrated Care
Devereux Arizona
Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Arizona recently began providing LGBTQ and gender-expansive affirming integrated care to better meet the needs of youth enrolled in the organization’s outpatient program in Phoenix. Devereux Arizona has been added to Mercy Care’s Maricopa County Direct Support and Specialty Provider Directory as a specialty provider of outpatient … [More]
Nearly Half of Small Businesses Unable to Fill Job Openings
NFIB
A record-high 48% of small business owners in May reported unfilled job openings (seasonally adjusted), according to NFIB’s monthly jobs report. May is the fourth consecutive month of record-high readings for unfilled job openings and is 26 points higher than the 48-year historical reading of 22%. “Small business owners are struggling at record levels trying to get … [More]
U.S. Jobless Claims Continue to Fall, Lowest since Beginning of Pandemic
U.S. Department of Labor
In the week ending May 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claimswas 385,000, a decrease of 20,000 from the previous week's revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 406,000 to 405,000. The 4-week moving average was 428,000, a decrease of 30,500 … [More]
Closure of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Announced
U.S. Small Business Administration
Today, U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the closure of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to new loan guaranty applications, which has provided over $798 billion in economic relief to small businesses and nonprofits across the nation, keeping employees employed and helping businesses come back stronger than ever. "The Paycheck … [More]
Phoenix Tops the Nation in Population Growth for the Fifth Year in a Row
by Eric Jay Toll
Say “hi” to 25,194 new neighbors. They pushed Phoenix way out in front making this the fifth year in a row that the city is America’s fastest-growing. The 25,194 new Phoenix residents this year is slightly below the 10-year average of 25,912, however, Phoenix continues to take the largest share of Maricopa County’s population growth, with nearly four in 10 new county … [More]
$550,000 from AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund to Support Mental Health Organizations
State of Arizona Office of the Governor
Governor Doug Ducey announced $550,000 from the AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund has been allocated to 13 organizations in Arizona that offer mental health support services for adults and children. As vaccinations increase across the country and more activities return to normal, experts warn that people may continue to suffer negative mental health effects as a result of the … [More]
U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to 406k, New Pandemic Low
U.S. Department of Labor
In the week ending May 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 406,000, a decrease of 38,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 444,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000. The 4-week moving average was 458,750, a decrease of 46,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 504,750. This is … [More]
