Setting aside the crazy campaign and surprising results of Tuesday’s elections to get back to business, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced October’s employment gains on Nov. 4 (and the results were surprising there too). Employers created 161,000 new jobs in October. BLS also revised its estimates for September and August upward, to 191,000 and 176,000 respectively. The gains were in financial services and the losses in manufacturing.

In local project news, Lane Construction was the winner of the $117.8 million I-70 section that bid to PennDOT last week. Independence Excavation was low at $90.5 million on the Southern Beltway sec. 55A1 that bid Nov. 9. Reynolds Construction Mgt. was chosen for the Indiana Regional Medical Center’s $6 million behavioral care project. Allegheny Health Network selected Turner Construction for the $3.5 million acute rehabilitation job at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights and Landau for its $8 million outpatient services clinic at Waterworks Mall. Mascaro is reported to be the winner of the $60 million Uptown District Energy Facility for NRG, although that has not been confirmed.