West Alabama’s recent wintry weather takes toll on economy
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 11
The severe winter weather that has hit West Alabama twice in recent weeks will take a toll on the economy. How much of a toll is hard to say. “It is hard to put a dollar figure on it, but some economic impact exists,” said Ahmad Ijaz, an economist at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. When businesses close early or stay closed because of severe weather, there is lost production and lost sales, he said. And there will be lost income for the business and its workers. “To some extent, some of that will be made up. If you do not go to the grocery today because of the weather, you can go tomorrow,” he said.
More than 50 percent of businesses have positive outlook for 2014
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 11
A survey of businesses by the University of Alabama shows just over 50 percent of businesses in the state have a positive outlook, and that nearly 80 percent of executives expect the state’s economy to grow at the same or better pace than last year. The Alabama Business Confidence Index was done by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama.
Black History Month events highlight impact
Crimson White – Feb. 12
The University of Alabama is celebrating Black History Month with a plethora of events that began last week. The Crossroad Community Center is sponsoring events ranging from tours to read-ins that recognize the contributions of African-American culture to local Alabama society and the rest of the nation. The events also hope to highlight the ongoing impact of the African-American heritage and experience. With events taking place all month long, students are encouraged to try to attend as many events as possible in order to fully take part in the celebration. A campus tour and a literacy event will be held Wednesday. The African-American Heritage campus tour, sponsored by the College of Communication and Information Sciences, will be held every Wednesday in February and will highlight the many locations around campus that take part in African-American history.
Smith Hall to host science, evolution celebration event
Crimson White – Feb. 12
The Alabama Museum of Natural History will celebrate Charles Darwin’s 205th birthday Wednesday with a day-long celebration of scientific advances. Darwin Day will include evolution talks, poster presentations, a themed cake competition, trivia and a movie showing. The event is presented by several organizations, including the UA Evolutionary Studies Club. Taylor Burbach, president of the club, said this year’s Darwin Day is a more accessible version of last year’s event because of the variety of fun and interactive elements. “The Evolutionary Studies club hosted a Darwin Day colloquium last year as part of our effort to promote evolution education,” Burbach said. “This year we’ve tried to make the event more accessible to the general public.” Students will present alongside faculty members and experts as part of Darwin Day. Sarah Duncan, president of UA Biology Graduate Assistants, said student presentations are just as important as presentations by experts in the field. “Student participation is extremely important,” Duncan said. “To create a movement of science literacy in general, we need the next generation of science supporters to speak out and share their own knowledge to their peers.”
Female African-American authors to be honored
Crimson White – Feb. 12
This Wednesday, students and faculty at The University of Alabama will have the opportunity to commemorate African-American Heritage Month with books. The Women’s Resource Center and the gender and race studies department will honor the works of African-American female authors and promote literacy through the National African-American Read-In event at the Ferguson Center. Participants will read excerpts from their favorite African-American female authors. “We encourage anyone and everyone to present, no matter their gender or their race,” Jessica Hitchins, assistant director of the Women’s Resource Center, said. The read-in will also promote literacy in a big way. Part of being literate is being able to read and critically engage different information, she said. “Black women writers have made significant contributions to literature, but often go unnoticed by the dominant culture,” Hitchins said. “We cannot make informed decisions and be articulate in an area without reviewing everything that is offered.”
Student team of anti-binge drinking campaign finds success
Fairfield Sun (Vermont) – Feb. 11
Sacred Heart University’s new anti-binge drinking campaign LessThanUThink (LTUT) kicked off Feb. 6, at the annual Pack the Pitt event, during which Sacred Heart students swarmed the LTUT table for free souvenirs, such as stress balls, sunglasses, bags and posters. “The event was a success, and it was crazy how busy our table was,” said Caroline Bertram, a junior at Sacred Heart and member of the LTUT student team. “We were slammed the entire game.” The LTUT campaign raises awareness of the negative social consequences of binge drinking … LessThanUThink was created by advertising and public relations students at the University of Alabama to address the national problem of college-age binge drinking for the 2009 National Student Advertising Competition, hosted by The Century Council and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The campaign continues to expand to college campuses nationally and internationally due to the success of its creative messaging and student-generated material.
Alabama Power names new president, CEO
Power Engineering – Feb. 12
The Alabama Power Board of Directors has elected Mark A. Crosswhite as president and CEO of the company, effective March 1. He will also join the company’s board of directors. … Crosswhite joined Southern Company in 2004 as senior vice president and general counsel for Southern Company Generation. Previously, he an energy law attorney at Balch & Bingham LLP. In 2006, Crosswhite became Alabama Power’s Senior Vice President and Counsel. In 2008, he was named executive vice president for external affairs at Alabama Power. He also served as president and CEO of Gulf Power from 2010 to 2012. He received a bachelor’s degree the University of Alabama and a J.D. degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.
2014 Olympics: Shaun White surprises fans after qualifying for halfpipe final
Western Herald (Kalamazoo, Mich.) – Feb. 11
American Olympian snowboarder Shaun White surprised two spectators with a meet-and-greet after qualifying for the halfpipe finals Tuesday, Feb. 11. Moments after snowboarding, White jumped over the barriers to give high-fives and hugs to Ben Hughes, 10, of St. Louis and Kaitlyn Lyle, 19, undergrad at the University of Alabama, according to nbcnews.com. Hughes and Lyle were in Sochi because of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Their goal was to catch a glimpse of the Olympian. Hughes was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago and is currently cancer free. The 10-year-old arrived at the qualifying halfpipe event two hours early, according to his mother, Liz Hughes, Lyle was hospitalized for a rare bone cancer diagnosis. “I was hospitalized all of February in 2010 and watching Shaun helped me get through that time in my life,” Lyle said, according to nbcnews.com. “My goal is to leave here as Mrs. Shaun White. OK, maybe not. But it would be cool to meet him.” White took it one step further and personally met the pair.
Editorial: Alabama must not care — State’s pitiful efforts to curb use of tobacco are embarrassing
Anniston Star – Feb. 11
The state of Alabama treats tobacco use as if it was more nuisance than serious health problem. Montgomery’s decision-makers should be ashamed. Along with adult and childhood obesity, the health problems related to tobacco use are entrenched among Alabama’s worst public health concerns. All of them are significant. That said, the state has been aggressive at times against obesity (the “Scale Back Alabama” program) as well as this decade’s rise in methamphetamine use (“Zerometh,” a program sponsored by the Alabama District Attorneys Association). But tobacco use? Not so much … In 2009, a University of Alabama study showed that 18 percent of all deaths that year in the state were attributable to smoking.
Column: Credit Report Errors Harm Your Business
National Mortgage News – Feb. 11
This one fact is holding back a complete recovery of the housing market nationally but also in your local market. A February 2013 report by the Federal Trade Commission finds “that up to 40 million American’s have an error on their credit report” and that will keep many of them from being able to purchase a home. “Errors in credit reports can cause consumers to be denied credit or other benefits or pay a higher price for them. It may also lead credit issuers to make inaccurate decisions that cause them to deny credit to a potentially valuable customer or issue credit to a riskier customer than intended,” Maneesha Mithal, associate director, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, told the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance. I have the privilege of being a continuing education instructor for the University of Alabama Center for Real Estate. They asked me to prepare a report on the impact to a local housing market caused by errors on credit reports. The numbers break down like this for Tuscaloosa, Ala. … Joel S. Pate is a 28-year veteran of the real estate, mortgage and credit industries and has founded many successful ventures.