The Prince William Board of County Supervisors announced Dec. 4 that a division of Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE: OFC) ("COPT") plans to construct two new data center facilities in the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District in Innovation Park. Construction of the first building has begun.

Currently, many community college programs intended to train students with applied skills require them to take general education courses before advancing to essential skills-based courses. To best prepare students with the skills needed for high-demand, well-paying jobs, VCCS will work to redesign career pathways so that skills training begins at the start of each program.

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) will give more than $4 million in CashBack to all current and former Co-op customers. Current customers will see a credit on their December bills while former customers will receive checks when the amount exceeds $5.

It’s official. Half of Amazon's second headquarters will be coming to Northern Virginia. The company will invest about $2.5 billion and create 25,000 jobs over 12 years, according to a news release from Virginia Business. Over the next 20 years, the state will pay an annual incentive to Amazon based on number of jobs and salary levels, make transportation improvements to ease mobility in the region and invest in technology education from kindergarten through master's degree levels with matching funds from educational institutions.

Rising Tides Solutions, LLC (RTS Labs), a custom software development company, has made a significant investment to expand its headquarters in Henrico County. An ongoing personnel expansion will create 90 new jobs over the next several years.

Superintendent Steve Walts presented a "State of the Schools" keynote at the 2018 Superintendent's Business Breakfast highlighing recent Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) achievements and focus areas including Career and Technical Education, Special Education, and the School Division's Strategic Plan.

Career Success Stars in CTE is a new Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) initiative that features former students from schools around Virginia who have used the academic and technical skills and knowledge earned through Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs to achieve success in one of 16 CTE-related career fields. SJHS graduate Valeria Lora, who owns her own salon, has been named a 2019 VDOE "Career Success Star."

According to research recently released by the U.S. Travel Association and the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Prince William County is experiencing sustainable expansion in tourism revenue year after year and the county ranks ninth in total visitor expenditures in Virginia when compared to 133 independent cities and counties in the Commonwealth.