Alabama business leaders’ optimism reaches record high as Trump takes White House
Al.com – Jan. 17
It may tough for economists to predict how a Donald Trump White House will affect Alabama, but the state’s business executives seem to have no such problem. A survey taken after the election showed that optimism among Alabama business leaders surged to its highest level since 2005. It was also the largest jump in the quarterly survey’s 15-year history. “Impact is very hard to predict,” said Ahmad Ijaz, senior research economist for the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama. “But you can see the optimism that businesses feel for this election. That’s definitely reflected in (the numbers).” The center compiles the Business Confidence Index using an online poll of business leaders to gauge their feelings about the quarter ahead, from changes in hiring to sales expectations. The index rose from 52.6 just before the election to 62.7 just after Trump’s win. Anything over 50 indicates growth ahead.
Washington Times – Jan. 17
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 17
Times Daily (Florence) – Jan. 18
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
WPMI-NBC (Mobile) – Jan. 17
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
West Alabama Chamber of Commerce expects major economic growth
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
The West Alabama Chamber of Commerce expects big economic growth this year. The Chamber says the tax-base has grown significantly. In the last two years, a total of 80 new retail establishments have made their way to Tuscaloosa. The West Alabama Chamber of Commerce is confident they will see growth this year in the automotive industry and The University of Alabama student and faculty population.
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 17
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – Jan. 17
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
WAFF-NBC (Huntsville) – Jan. 17
Home construction spikes in Tuscaloosa Metro
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
Across the Tuscaloosa Metroplex it’s easy to find new houses and apartment buildings going up. Building permits for single-family houses increased 10% in 2016, according to The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. Building permits for multi-family construction increased to 575 permits. The number of total homes sold rose 17%. Jim Page, President and CEO of the Chamber of West Alabama, only expects the residential construction market to expand in 2017.
Tuscaloosa County man who lost relative in wreck wants drivers to take new study seriously
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
A new study from the University of Alabama claims that traffic deaths have increased 24.6 percent in the state in just one year.
Anniston Star – Jan. 17
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – Jan. 17
Yellowhammer News – Jan. 17
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 17
WSFA (Montgomery) – Jan. 17u
DOJ Report Finds Flaws in Chicago Police Department (Audio)
Bloomberg – Jan. 17
Steven Rushin, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, and Locke Bowman, executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University, discuss a Department of Justice Department report about the flaws in the Chicago Police Department’s methods and practices. They speak with June Grasso and Michael Best on Bloomberg Radio’s “Bloomberg Law.”
ZTA members move in to new house on Colonial
Crimson White – Jan. 17
Sorority Row has another new house on the block. Members of the Nu chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha celebrated the opening of their new chapter house this semester, finally relocating after over a year awaiting completion. The J.T. Harrison Construction Company began building the new property in August of 2015. Until construction was complete, the sisters of the ZTA sorority lived in the old Alpha Delta Pi house, according to the University’s Office of Media Relations.
University of Alabama duo wins college bass tournament on Lake Seminole
Bainbridge, Georgia, Post-Searchlight – Jan. 18
The University of Alabama team of Anderson Aldag of Birmingham, Alabama, and Lee Mattox of Bremen, Alabama, won the YETI College Fishing Southeastern Conference opener on Lake Seminole Saturday with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. The victory earned the club a $2,000 club scholarship and advanced the team to the 2018 FLW College Fishing National Championship. “Our goal coming into this tournament was to qualify for the National Championship and we did it,” said Aldag, a junior majoring in business finance. “It’ll be my first time competing at that event, and I couldn’t be more excited.” “It felt absolutely incredible to win this one,” said Mattox, a junior majoring in chemical engineering. “It is great exposure for our club and a nice win on our team’s resume.”
FishingWorld.com – Jan. 18
Scientists compile extensive list of animals who can fart
AOL – Jan. 17
You’ve probably wondered about this before — maybe you just don’t want to admit it — but which animals have the ability to fart? Fortunately, a group of scientists have joined together to answer that question by creating a database of flatulence across the animal kingdom. It all started when a family member asked Daniella Rabaiotti, a Ph.D student at the Zoological Society of London, if snakes can fart … University of Alabama Ph.D candidate Nicholas Caruso compiled all the responses in one shared Google spreadsheet, just as any normal data collector would.
College Corner: Boone students earn honors
Cincinnati Enquirer – Jan. 17
Antonio Burtraw, of Union, was among some 2,270 students at University of Alabama who were awarded degrees during winter commencement on Dec. 10.