Shelby not optimistic about meeting Friday’s shutdown deadline
Two weeks after the end of a record-breaking 35-day shutdown of the federal government that caused delayed paychecks, massive airport disruptions, and damage to national parks, another seems to be on the way. “I think the talks are stalled right now. I’m not confident we’re going to get there,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby from Alabama, the lead Republican negotiator, said Sunday on Fox News. – Business Insider
Decision time nearing on Trump’s auto tariffs
If President Trump imposes a 25 percent tariff on auto imports, European carmakers like BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen’s Audi and Porsche would lose about 90 percent of their high-profit-margin sales of imported luxury vehicles, according to a report from investment bank UBS. The tariffs, which would also hit products from South Korea and Japan as well as the European Union, would cut overall U.S. car sales by about 11 percent. General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Ford would be big winners, according to the report. – Forbes
Kemira expansion in Mobile to bring $70.8M, 20 new jobs
Finland-based Kemira announced Friday that it is investing $70.8 million to expand production at its Mobile facility. The company is a polymer producer serving the pulp and paper, oil and gas, and water treatment industries. The project will create an additional 20 jobs and was granted an incentive package estimated to be worth $5.6 million over 10 years. – Made In Alabama
LCS woes leads to an overage of Sikorsky helicopters
Problems with the Littoral Combat Ship program and basic lack of communication between Navy bureaucrats have left the service paying millions of dollars to store dozens of Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters it has no immediate need for. The service has tried to offer a silver lining by saying it will now use the excess choppers to help extend the service life of the two fleets overall by spacing out flight hours across more airframes, but it’s not clear how much money it will actually recoup in the process. – The Drive
Brasfield & Gorrie wins $15.8M contract in Mississippi
Birmingham’s Brasfield & Gorrie has been awarded the contract for a $15.8 million parking garage at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson. The project calls for a five-level, 517-space parking deck adjoining the UMMC Pediatrics Tower, which B&G is also building. The seven-story, 360,000-square-foot tower, adjacent to Batson Children’s Hospital, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2020. – AL.com
Madison-based company builds computers that can take abuse
You need a computer that runs sophisticated software and can withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures. You may operate the computer in the back of a Humvee or inside a tent in the Middle Eastern desert. And it likely will be exposed to sand, so it needs an air filter than can be easily cleaned with plain water. No problem for MaxVision, a 25-year-old Madison-based computer hardware company, now legally known as “Rugged Portable Computers LLC.” – AL.com
