Feds passing out $19M to improve 19 airports in state
The Federal Aviation Administration will award $495 million in airport infrastructure grants, the first allotment of the total $3.18 billion in Airport Improvement Program funding for airports across the U.S. The investment in airport improvements will fund construction and rehabilitation projects to help maintain high levels of safety in aviation. – News release
Alabama wage suit to get second hearing before appeals court
The state of Alabama is asking a federal appeals court to toss a lawsuit accusing lawmakers of racial discrimination for blocking a minimum-wage increase in majority-black Birmingham. At issue in arguments scheduled Tuesday before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a 2016 law requiring every city in Alabama to have the same minimum wage. Fast food workers and civil rights groups sued after the state law effectively nullified a city council vote to increase Birmingham’s wage to $10.10 an hour. – AP
Finally, ax-throwing venue will open in Mobile
Recreational ax-throwing is coming to Mobile, and in a historic Midtown building to boot. Strong Arm Axe Throwing signed a lease Friday to occupy space in the old Blue Bird Hardware building. The distinctive ’50s structure, which sits across Old Shell Road from the UMS-Wright Preparatory School campus, was restored in recent years. – AL.com
Alorica to hold hiring event today in Mobile
Alorica, the largest contact center in the US, will hold a major hiring event Tuesday at its office located at 5441 U.S. 90 in Mobile. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Alorica will be looking to fill 400 available jobs at its Mobile site due to expanding business needs. If unable to attend the event, candidates can also apply for a position by visiting AloricaJobs.com. – News release
U.S. Supreme Court derails CSX rehearing on fuel tax lawsuit
CSX Transportation Inc.’s decade-old fuel tax lawsuit against Alabama won’t get a third hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court—a partial win for both the railroad and the state. The court on June 24 rejected cross petitions by CSX and the Alabama Department of Revenue to review the case—taking the advice of the U.S. solicitor general, who wrote in a May 21 brief that the court should let a federal appeals court’s 2018 decision stand. – Bloomberg
BMW plug-ins will automatically switch to EVs by 2020
Starting next year, all BMW plug-in hybrid models will come standard with a function that automatically switches to full-electric mode when the vehicles enter areas designated for emissions-free driving only. The function, called eDrive Zones, will use geofencing technology to recognize “green zones,” established by cities for emissions-free driving, and automatically change the driving mode to EV, the automaker said Tuesday. – Europe Auto News
