UA students help teach Tuscaloosa kids how to swim
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 30
More than 100 kids in Tuscaloosa are now better swimmers. 150 kids completed a four week “Swim to the Top” class today. Students with The University of Alabama’s Kinesiology Department taught the class.
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – June 30
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – June 30
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – June 30
Calhoun County foreclosures on decline
Anniston Star – June 30
Calhoun County had the fewest foreclosures over the last three months than in any second quarter since before the 2007 Great Recession. The drop in foreclosures comes as home sales and prices have risen in the county. Some economists, bankers and real estate experts say foreclosures aren’t the problem they were at the height of the recession and that the housing market is operating at a normal pace … “Housing drives a lot of the economy, especially home sales and construction, but also durable goods consumption like washers and driers,” said Ahmad Ijaz, economist for the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama.
Alabama economists predict Brexit could ultimately benefit state’s real estate markets
Alabama News Center – June 30
The United Kingdom’s historic referendum to exit the European Union last week sparked worldwide reaction. It is safe to say that world markets did not react positively to Britain’s future exit from the EU, which will be negotiated over the course of the next 24-plus months. Once the initial shock wears off, economists are mixed about the long-term effects of Brexit … The U.S. housing sector is one where some economists see potential benefits over the long run. “The only way it could have an impact on housing and lending markets is through U.S. treasuries,” said Ahmad Ijaz, executive director and director of economic forecasting at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce. “If the demand for treasuries goes up, it will push the interest rates lower, in turn pushing the mortgage rates lower, which is actually good for the U.S. housing markets.”
Traffic fatalities skyrocket before holiday weekend
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 30
Before you get behind the wheel this holiday weekend, there are some new crash statistics that you just can’t ignore. CBS 42 spent the afternoon with Rhonda Stricklin, Associate Director for the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama. She told us that the number of traffic fatalities is actually up 28% as compared to this same time last year. It’s a drastic increase that they weren’t expecting.
Politics for the planet: why nature and wildlife need their own UN seats
Public Now – June 30
The world has global authorities for trade and security, but not for threats to the environment. It’s time the natural world got its own seat at the UN, write Anthony Burke and Stefanie Fishel. OPINION: Whether we consider wild weather, unprecedented Arctic melting and global temperatures, or the Great Barrier Reef, the global environment is generating alarming news. Predictions of multi-metre sea level rises, the collapse of marine biodiversity and food chains, and global warming far beyond 2℃ are equally concerning. Is our system of global environmental law and governance adequate to this crisis? (Anthony Burke, Associate Professor of International & Political Studies, UNSW; Stefanie Fishel is Assistant Professor, University of Alabama.)