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The Latest: Virginia governor cheers Amazon HQ

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The Latest on Amazon’s second headquarters (all times local):
NEW YORK — The Latest on Amazon’s second headquarters (all times local):
11:15 a.m.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam cheered Amazon’s choice of Arlington as one of two new headquarters locations for Amazon. He says the state will continue to invest in infrastructure and education as a key part of the partnership.
Northam is calling the state’s proposal to land the headquarters a « new model of economic development for the 21st century. »
Amazon is set to invest about $2.5 billion in its new Virginia headquarters and the state has promised a raft of incentives, including infrastructure investment and tax breaks.
Virginia plans to invest in college-level computer science and related fields along with investing $50 million over 20 years in tech education for grammar and high school students.
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10:15 a.m.
Amazon has confirmed that it will split its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia.
Its New York location will be in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, while its Arlington offices will be located in an area called National Landing. Each site will get 25,000 jobs.
In addition, the online retailer said it will open an operations hub in Nashville, creating 5,000 jobs.
The decision ends an intense competition between North American cities to win Amazon and its promise of 50,000 new jobs. Some locations tried to stand out with stunts, but Amazon made clear that it really wanted incentives, like tax breaks and grants. The company received 238 proposals before narrowing the list to 20 in January.
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6:40 a.m.
A person familiar with the plans say Amazon will split its second headquarters between Long Island City in New York and Crystal City in northern Virginia.
The online retailer is expected to make an official announcement later Tuesday. The person was not authorized to speak publicly ahead of that announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The decision will end an intense competition between North American cities to win Amazon and its promise of 50,000 new jobs. Some locations tried to stand out with stunts, but Amazon made clear that it really wanted incentives, like tax breaks and grants.
Amazon also had sought to be near a metropolitan area with more than a million people, among other criteria.
The company received 238 proposals before narrowing the list to 20 in January.
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Alan Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia.

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