Alabama jobless rate rises after revisions drop 2012 numbers, which is still one of Southeast’s lowest
Montgomery Advertiser – March 19
Alabama’s jobless rate rose slightly in January — even though it was lower than the jobless rate that was announced last month for December. This led to good and bad news…Ahmad Ijaz, an economic researcher at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research, said Alabama’s declining unemployment rate is due to the state’s economy slowly adding jobs, particularly in auto manufacturing, and to the shrinking civilian labor force. The Department of Labor’s figures showed the civilian labor force in January was about 8,700 smaller than a year ago.
Tuscaloosa News – March 19
Decatur Daily – March 18
Calhoun Co. employment dips in January
Individual.com – March 18
After several months of relatively flat unemployment, the county’s unemployment rate spiked 1.3 percent in January, as the workforce shrank by 1,097 workers, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. “That’s not a good sign,” said James Cover, professor of economics at the University of Alabama. “People who have lost jobs haven’t been able to find new ones.”…Alabama’s unemployment rate was relatively flat, with a 6.9 percent rate in January compared to a 6.8 percent rate in December. The state’s average unemployment rate was 7.3 percent in January last year.“Alabama is essentially unchanged,” Cover said.
UA Helps with Job Growth in Tuscaloosa
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 18
2012 brought 2,200 jobs to the city of Tuscaloosa according to a study by the Department of Labor…Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Page says the University of Alabama, the Mercedes plant and local retailers have all exhibited major growth, adding jobs to the area.
Keep it peel
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader (Moline, Ill.) – March 18
Having someone peel you a grape may seem like the ultimate in pampering. But if maintaining your health also is desirable, you might want to leave fruits and vegetables intact. “You’re doing an injustice to remove the peel,” said Kristi Michele Crowe, Ph.D., assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Alabama and Institute of Food Technologists media spokesperson.
Aurora Mass Shooting Suspect’s Expected Plea A Rarity
WUSA9-CBS (Washington, D.C.) – March 12
Tuesday’s arraignment of James Holmes, accused of mass murder in Colorado, is a rarity among massacre suspects. … “In the vast majority of these cases, these are people who never have killed before,” notes University of Alabama criminologist Adam Lankford, author of The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers. Random mass killings appear to provide instigators both compensation for failures in their lives and a way to act out, Lankford says.
Award-winning poet John Taggart to host reading, discuss music
Crimson White – March 19
John Taggart raised his family in a household that included his wife, two daughters, one dog and one bathroom, but that isn’t why he got up early in the morning for years. It was to write. Taggart is a poet whose awards include the Chicago Review poetry prize and the National Endowment for Arts Fellowships. With a musical quality woven through his own work through modulation and repetition, Taggart will discuss the relationships between poetry and music during his two-day visit to The University of Alabama. Taggart will host a reading from his own works Tuesday. He said the selection will be varied, and some works will be recent, unpublished pieces.
Tuscaloosa News – March 19
UA Honors College will host education meeting
Tuscaloosa News – March 19
The University of Alabama Honors College will host a town hall meeting today to discuss education. Scheduled speakers will include Isaac Espy, principal of Northridge High School, and J.W. Carpenter, Alabama director for “Teach for America.” The event will be at 6 p.m. today in Farrah Hall, Room 120 on the UA campus.
Southern Living editor to speak to students in Lloyd
Crimson White – March 19
The University of Alabama’s Meeting Professional International Club is hosting a talk with Southern lifestyle expert Rebecca Gordon in Lloyd Hall Auditorium Tuesday at 7 p.m. Gordon, who is also the contributing editor to Southern Living Magazine, specializes in food and entertaining and is known for her expertise on hosting and cooking for football tailgates. Gordon is a Birmingham, Ala., native, and attended the University. Additionally, she is an established author who began her reporting with SEC media and preparing to release her book, “The Official Tailgating Cookbook.”
Poet BJ Hollars to speak on new civil rights book
Crimson White – March 19
The University of Alabama’s University Libraries, along with the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, will host BJ Hollars as he speaks about and reads from his new book, “Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of the University of Alabama and the Fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa.” The event will be held Wednesday in Gorgas Library Room 205 at 7 p.m. Hollars said he was teaching a few sections of African-American literature at the university when he became motivated to write “Opening the Doors.”
‘Art Speaks’ features various art, artists
Crimson White – March 19
The Honors College will be hosting “Art Speaks,” a student-run art exhibit featuring not only art, but the artists, for the third time Tuesday night. “Five artists will be featured and will talk about their process and their inspirations for their work,” Olivia West, a senior majoring in digital media, said. West is the vice president of the Honors College Assembly and is in charge of special projects like Art Speaks. There will be five featured artists this time, though they weren’t chosen for their similarities.
Women Empowerment Night to offer training in self-defense
Crimson White – March 19
At least 1 in 4 college women will be the victim of a sexual assault during her academic career, according to the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault. In order to combat this, on Thursday, March 21, there will be a Women Empowerment Night in the Ferguson Center Ballroom where women can receive training in self-defense…There are two sessions scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Both sessions will begin with a 10-minute introduction on safety and awareness followed by 50 minutes of training.
UA Partners with Tuscaloosa City Schools to Create Tuscaloosa’s All-City Orchestra
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – March 18
Big excitement for more than a dozen Tuscaloosa City School students. They made the first ever “All City” orchestra, which is a combination of students from all over the school system. They’ve been practicing for three weeks, and tomorrow they’ll hold their first concert…It will be held at 8:15 p.m. at the Moody Music Building on the University of Alabama campus.
Around town
Tuscaloosa News – March 19
Terrific Tuesday Concert: UA Contemporary Chamber Ensemble with Marvin Johnson, director, at 1:15 p.m. in the Alabama Power Recital Hall at Shelton State Community College … UA contemporary chamber ensemble: 1:15 p.m. in the Alabama Power Recital Hall at Shelton State Community College … Jazz band and combo: 7:30 p.m. at the Moody Music Building on the UA campus … Poetry and music discussion: Noon-1 p.m. in Maxwell Hall on the University of Alabama campus … Trumpet choir: 7:30 p.m. at the Moody Music Building on the UA campus … Lecture and book signing: B.J. Hollars, author of “Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of the University of Alabama and the Fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa” will be at the Tuscaloosa Public Library, 1801 Jack Warner Parkway at 1 p.m. and Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the University of Alabama campus at 7 p.m.
Counseling center offers support, groups
Crimson White – March 19
For the past two years, freshman Natalie Burkle thought she wasn’t thin enough. She grew up with a father who focused heavily on dieting and exercising and insisted she do the same. Over time, she grew self-conscious of her body size. … Although Burkle still has difficulty embracing her body type, she has made progress with help from The University of Alabama’s Counseling Center. The center aids students looking to achieve academic success and personal growth by providing counseling and psychological services, outreach and consultative services, and training of mental health professionals, according to the center’s site. The Counseling Center also offers various support groups, including the social anxiety support group, tornado support group and the women’s dissertation support group.
UA student opens up at event about cancer fight
Crimson White – March 19
Resting in her bunk bed next to her sister, the 6-year-old suddenly felt sick to her stomach. The sickness continued for a month. Concerned, the girl’s parents decided to fly back to their hometown in Cincinnati, Ohio, from South Korea, where they were living at the time. On their first day home, the family got the diagnosis. On July 20, 1999, the curious child heard the words, “You have a form of cancer called Wilms tumor, which is located on your left kidney, and at this point is the size of a football.” Karly Perry, a sophomore majoring in special education, was that 6-year-old girl with cancer…Perry publicly shared her testimony for the first time at this past year’s UA Dance Marathon.
Alabama professor to speak at NC event on taxes
Greenville Daily Reflector (North Carolina) – March 18
A law professor at the University of Alabama is the keynote speaker at an event at Wake Forest University on the subject of faith, fairness and taxes. Professor Susan Hamill is the keynote speaker at the event Monday at Benson Student Center. Event organizers say she’s a nationally recognized leader on faith and fair taxation.
UA grad Stephen Tyrone Williams makes Broadway debut with Tom Hanks in ‘Lucky Guy’
Al.com – March 18
University of Alabama graduate and Tuscaloosa native Stephen Tyrone Williams has made his Broadway debut this year co-starring alongside Tom Hanks in Nora Ephron’s “Lucky Guy.” The play is currently being performed in previews in New York.