What are companies looking for in Alabama?
Greg Burkart told a story to the crowd at Friday’s Alabama Economic Growth Summit at Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort. Burkart, managing director for site selection and incentives advisory for Duff & Phelps, said a company executive recently looked at a list of possible sites for a project. Because of some economic numbers, one state was missing from the list. – AL.com
Alabama about to be an island of non-lottery frugality
Mississippi will become one of the latest states to allow lottery scratch-off ticket sales in mid-November. This means all of Alabama’s surrounding states would have legalized some form of a lottery. “We’re one of those islands,” said Steve Griffin, who is the speaker for the Alabama Silver Haired Legislature. The group represents senior citizens across the state. Every year they suggest legislation to the Alabama State Legislature. – WTVM
The tricky business of growing hemp legally, but not selling it
The Alabama Political Reporter talked Monday with Gail Ellis with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries about industrial hemp and complaints from hemp farmers that their state licenses are too restrictive. Ellis told APR that it is illegal in Alabama for a farmer to sell hemp material to the general public or to anyone without a hemp license. – AL Political Reporter
Sales forecasts rising for companies that make meat alternatives
Beyond Meat is raising its sales forecast for the year even as it faces more competitors making vegetarian meat alternatives. The El Segundo, California company updated its outlook Monday after seeing its sales more than triple in the latest quarter and logging its first quarterly profit. The results come as plant-based options keep popping up on more menus, including at fast-food chains such as White Castle and Burger King. Last month, McDonald’s said it would run a limited test of Beyond Meat burgers in Canada. – AP
Automatic braking systems save lives, except when they don’t
As the nation’s pedestrian crisis continues, carmakers are gradually adopting automatic braking systems that are supposed to help vehicles avoid hitting pedestrians. The performance of those systems, some of which are hailed in advertisements, is a mixed bag, especially at night. A new study released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ranks a majority of midsize cars as “superior” or “advanced” in their pedestrian crash prevention. But three models ranked as “basic,” and three got “no credit” at all for their systems. – USA Today
