Ivey says she would ‘consider’ talking with Poarch Creeks about gaming plan
Gov. Kay Ivey said she would look at talking with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians about proposed plan to expand gaming in Alabama during an interview last week. The tribe said its proposed plan would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. “I’ll certainly consider sitting down and talking with them. But if we’re going to have gambling, first the lottery is going to have to be passed by the Legislature and then voted on by the people,” Ivey said. Poarch Tribal Chair CEO Stephanie Bryan said on Friday that the plan would help meet Alabama’s budget needs. – WBRC
Word getting around about FBI’s $1 billion campus in Huntsville
The FBI is investing $1 billion to build out its footprint in the area, a plan that will potentially add thousands of additional jobs to Huntsville’s overall employment. “We really look at it like a HQ2, a backup for the footprint that we have here in Washington, D.C.,” says Paul Abbate, associate deputy director at the FBI, the top-ranking executive overseeing the expansion, in a rare sit-down inside the bureau’s D.C. headquarters. “It’s really the future of the FBI, and it’s all about technology, innovation, talent and resiliency.” – CNBC
Weihnachten! German Christmas Pyramid rises in Cullman
An enormous German Christmas Pyramid is on display for the holiday season in a northern Alabama city. A German company, Erzgebirgische Holzkunst Gahlenz, handmade the intricate pieces of the 30-foot (9-meter) tall pyramid, The Cullman Times reported. Then it shipped them to Cullman from the small village of Gahlenz. Three of the company’s workers traveled to Alabama to help erect the pyramid near the Cullman County Museum. – AP
Baldwin County October condo sales up 21% from prior year
Baldwin County condo sales, which include condos along the Gulf Coast, totaled 138 units during October, up 21.1% from 114 sales in the same month a year earlier, according to industry sources. October sales were up 1.5% compared to 136 sales in September. Results were 21.7% above the five-year average of 113 sales. – ACRE
Alabama jobless rate dips to record 2.8 percent
Alabama’s unemployment rate has dropped to a record 2.8%. A statement released Friday by the state labor agency says the preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was down two-tenths of a percent from 3% in September. That’s 1 percentage point better than the jobless rate from a year ago, and it’s well below the national employment rate of 3.6%. – AP
Study suggests Ford, GM already paying for halting small car production
A new report says Ford and General Motors have lost brand loyalty for a huge chunk of buyers who still want small cars. Instead of jumping on the SUV bandwagon, 42% of Cruze and Focus owners are choosing to stay in the passenger car segment. So far this year, 23% of Cruze owners and 31% of Focus owners who traded in their car for another car bought from a competitor. – Jalopnik
Emirates orders 50 Airbus A350 jets in a revised deal worth $16 billion
Emirates has ordered 50 Airbus A350 jets, the Dubai state-owned airline announced at the Dubai Air Show on Monday. The order’s list price sits at $16 billion, but a steep discount is typically negotiated by airlines. The deal was originally slated to see Emirates order 70 planes from the French manufacturer — 40 of the A350s and 30 A330-900neo jets — but all A330 orders were scrapped in favor of bringing the A350 order size to 50. – CNBC
