Maryland company eyes $175 million Sumter County project
Bio-mass company Enviva says it is evaluating a $175 million project to build a wood pellet plant in the Port of Epes Industrial Park in Sumter County. It could be several months before a final decision. Company officials with Maryland-based Enviva said the project could create approximately 85 full-time jobs and an estimated 180 additional jobs in logging, transportation and services. – AL.com
Biometric security now being used at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport
Travelers making their way through Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport today will see kiosks for a biometric scanning service now available. CLEAR uses scanning technology to automate the identity check for air travelers. The technology identifies you through eye scans or fingerprints. It was used earlier this month at Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in Cleveland. – AL.com
UAB, Cahaba Medical Care receive grant for new rural residency program
Alabama faces a dire shortage of primary care physicians, especially in underserved rural and urban areas. To address this need, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Cahaba Medical Care, a family medicine group with clinics in Jefferson, Bibb, Perry, Chilton, Dallas and Autauga counties, announced Thursday the creation of another rural residency program with participation from Medical West Hospital, an affiliate of the UAB Health System, in Bessemer and J. Paul Jones Hospital in Camden. – UAB.edu
Rubicon Global to provide Smart City support to Montgomery
The city of Montgomery has selected Atlanta-based Rubicon Global to implement a smart city solution to improve residential and commercial waste and recycling services for its more than 200,000 citizens. Rubicon will equip the city with more than 60 vehicles that have RubiconSmartCity technology to improve performance, reduce maintenance costs and enhance sanitation service. – Recycling Today
Palmer and Rogers vote against U.S. House bill to raise minimum wage
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that, if passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president, would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Congressmen Gary Palmer, R-Hoover and Mike Rogers, R-Saks both voted against the bill and warned that implementing such a proposal could potentially wreck the U.S. economy and lead to a disastrous loss of jobs. – AL Political Reporter
Brasfield & Gorrie celebrates construction milestones in two states
Birmingham-based general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie recently celebrated construction milestones for two projects in separate states. The company and the University of Mississippi Medical Center marked the topping out of the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children expansion in Jackson, signaling completion of the building’s framework. And in North Carolina, B&G along with Charlotte-based developer Crescent Communities topped out Ally Charlotte Center, the a 26-story, 742,000-square-foot office building in Uptown Charlotte. – AL.com
New Corvette engineering, price tag draw gasps from crowd
The crowd audibly gasped as General Motors president Mark Reuss said prices for the radically new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will start under $60,000, astoundingly close to the outgoing model’s $55,900 base price. Reuss also said ‘Vettes with even more performance than the 495-horsepower model GM revealed in a World War II-era blimp hangar are coming soon. – Detroit Free Press
