UA study: Honda generated $12B in economic impact last year
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama contributed more than $12 billion in 2018 to the state’s economy and, along with its suppliers, was responsible for more than 45,647 jobs in Alabama, according to an economic impact study released today by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. – News release
Women lead tech push for military, and for Montgomery
The door closed to the exclusive, invitation-only luncheon. The room was filled with some of the region’s top people in business and government. An Alabama Power president, CEOs of major firms, top military minds, the leaders of Montgomery’s tech push. All of them were women. Anna Buckalew, the new president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the Chamber was once known as “the Men Of Montgomery.” – Montgomery Advertiser
Alabama business owner gets 15 years in $74K fraud scheme
A Tennessee man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraudulently soliciting approximately $74,500 from five Alabama investors. WAAY-TV reports 58-year-old Edwin Eugene Blalack was sentenced Thursday and ordered to return the $74,500 to investors. He pleaded guilty in May to securities fraud. – AP
Alabama’s new equal pay law goes into effect Sunday
At Lowe Mill Production Studio in Huntsville, home to many small local businesses, employees will soon be protected by both a federal wage equality law and a state one as well. “A little disappointing that we still need a law to tell us to pay people equally, but it seems like a good thing,” Caitlin Lyon, a business owner, said. Lyon and her sister own Pizzelle’s Confections. She said she’s seen other people in the service industry get paid unequally based off their gender or race. – WAAY
Disclosures suggest Southern Company misleads on carbon pledge
Southern Company has spent the past year misleading investors with a “low- to no-” carbon pledge that it claimed would lead the utility sector at addressing climate change. New disclosures from the company reveal that it is reserving the right to remain among the worst carbon-polluting utilities in the country by 2050, while still technically meeting its goal. – Energy & Policy Institute
Government to test wisdom of swapping car mirrors for cameras
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to test how drivers could use cameras to replace traditional mirrors in automobiles, a technology already allowed in other countries, the agency said on Tuesday. The planned test by NHTSA would examine “driving behavior and lane change maneuver execution” in cars with traditional mirrors and camera-based visibility systems. – Autoblog
State recommends hepatitis A vaccine for all food workers
The Alabama Department of Public Health is “strongly encouraging” food service owners and managers across the state to consider requiring hepatitis A vaccine for all food workers. The department is issuing the recommendation at a time when Alabama has seen a hepatitis A outbreak over the last year. – AL.com
