Kay Ivey announces $2.5 million grant for Alabama Aviation College expansion
Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday announced Enterprise State Community College will be receiving a $2.5 million grant to expand the Alabama Aviation College. The funds come from the Alabama Capital Improvement Trust Fund, which grants funds to projects and programs that bolster economic development and industrial recruitment within the state. “I am proud to award this $2.5 million grant to the Alabama Aviation College and provide funding for lab space for the new Advanced Composite Materials program,” said Ivey. “While this grant is for the aviation program, the infrastructure updates it provides will also help to ensure the Ozark campus of Enterprise State Community College is ready to meet all the workforce needs of local business and industry.” The Alabama Aviation College provides coursework and training in aircraft maintenance and avionics technology. The grant funds announced on Friday will be used to renovate the campus, expand on of the college’s training programs and will prepare the campus for future expansions. Matt Rodgers, Enterprise State President, said these developments are evidence of the enormous efforts the college is making to guarantee that its students are prepared for the ever-changing aviation industry. “We appreciate Governor Ivey supporting our efforts to provide a first-class educational setting for the students in our service area. These improvements will allow us to enhance existing programs and work closely with local and state industry leaders to meet the demands of our ever-changing workforce,” said Rodgers. “This is only the beginning. Great days are ahead for the college and the communities we serve.” Several state and local officials joined Ivey and Rodgers at the press conference, including: Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker, Rep. Steve Clouse, and Ozark Mayor Bob Bunting. “I’m proud that Governor Ivey recognizes the great work being done across Alabama’s community colleges to train our state’s workforce for high-demand, high-wage jobs,” Baker said. “The improvements at the Ozark campus will have an immediate positive impact on the students we serve and will also take large strides towards ensuring the campus is meeting the needs of business and industry in the Ozark community.” The first phase of the project is expected to begin this summer and all work is projected to be complete in 2019.
Mike Ball proposes legislation to scrap partisan primaries
One Alabama lawmaker wants to scrap partisan primaries in favor of open elections that would send the two top vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, on to the general election. Madison-Republican State Rep. Mike Ball introduced HB214 on Tuesday, which would replace the state’s current primary system, which advances the top vote-getting Republican and top vote-getting Democrat, when both parties offer a candidate, to the general election. Under Ball’s bill, all Alabamians would receive the same ballot and be able to vote for any candidate, regardless of party affiliation. The two highest vote-getters, regardless of party, would advance to the general election, thus eliminating the need for run-off elections. Consequently, it would be possible for two candidates belonging to the same political party to win in the proposed system and face off in the general election. Ball’s idea isn’t unheard of. Called a “top two,” “nonpartisan blanket” or “jungle” primary system, states like Washington, California and Louisiana all use similar electoral systems. The plan is also used in Texas and some other states in special elections but not primaries. HB214 would be used in all elections, except that of the Presidential election. According to the text of the bill: This bill would create a primary election system for all offices other than the office of President where all qualified candidates, including party candidates and independent candidates, would have their names on the primary election ballot and all qualified electors would vote the same ballot. This bill would provide that the two candidates that receive the highest number of votes in a primary election, regardless of their party affiliation or lack thereof, would be placed on the ballot in the general election. If passed, Ball’s bill would go into effect after the state elections in 2019.
Legislative session weekly wrap-up: Budget introduction, Medicaid work reqs, ridesharing on the move
Alabama lawmakers faced cold weather and icy roads this week as they made their way to the State House where they managed to move a handful of bills in both chambers. The Legislature has
Alabama’s jobless rate holds steady at record 3.5 percent low
Governor Kay Ivey announced on Friday that 2,093,063 people were counted as employed in December, the most ever recorded. Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted December unemployment rate is 3.5%, maintaining last month’s record rate. “We are ending 2017 with great news on the employment front,” Ivey said. “Not only have we reached a record low unemployment rate, but now we can add another record to our list – more people are working in Alabama than ever before! We’ve been busy recruiting new business to our state, like our recent announcement of Toyota-Mazda’s decision to locate in North Alabama, bringing 4,000 jobs and more than 300 jobs in Troy due to Kimber’s recent announcement.” The new figures also indicate the Yellowhammer State is ahead of the national employment average as the U.S. jobless rate is holding at 4.1 percent, a 17 year-low due in part to President Donald Trump‘s policy initiatives. Fitzgerald Washington, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor, said Alabama surpassed economists predictions for 2017. “In early 2017, economists predicted that Alabama’s economy would gain 18,700 jobs over the year,” said Washington. “I’m happy to say that we surpassed that prediction by more than 13,000 jobs, gaining a total of 32,500 jobs. Employers are hiring in Alabama, and we stand ready to provide whatever assistance is needed to make sure that they are able to fill their open positions.” Over the year, wage and salary employment increased 32,500, with gains in the leisure and hospitality sector (+8,700), the construction sector (+6,100), and the manufacturing sector (+5,800), among others. “Over the year, all 67 showed significant decreases in their unemployment rates,” continued Washington. “Wilcox County is leading with a 6.2 percentage point drop from the same time last year.” Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County: 2.5%, Cullman County: 2.8% Marshall, Madison, and Lee Counties: 2.9% Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County: 9.5% Clarke County: 6.7% Lowndes County: 6.5%. Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Vestavia Hills: 2.1% Homewood: 2.3% Alabaster and Hoover: 2.4% Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma: 6.3% Prichard: 6.2% Anniston: 5.0%
Opelika mother turns baking hobby into serious business
A cake-decorating hobby gone awry. Mandi Buckalew said that’s how her studio, Cakeapotamus LLC, got its start. She creates custom cakes for weddings, birthday parties and corporate and community events, specializing in odd, unusual and often geeky designs. Buckalew, who was a certified special-education teacher at a middle school in those days, said baking started as an outlet for her. “I would come home and bake at night to relieve stress,” Buckalew recalls. “Then, I began baking for other people, and it just exploded.” Buckalew began dreaming of opening a bakery after retirement. When she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer several years ago, she thought, “Why wait?” After beating cancer, Buckalew opened her brick-and-mortar bakery in Opelika in 2013, whimsically calling it Cakeapotamus as a nod to her first career as an animal behaviorist. Because her custom-designed cakes have become so popular, she closed her store earlier this year and now focuses solely on special orders. Buckalew bakes cakes and decorates them in her fully equipped private studio. Buckalew will take on almost any challenge. She said her favorite cake was one she designed for a groom who wanted it to look exactly like his old lucky Auburn hat. “I was so proud of that cake,” said Buckalew, who used the actual hat as her guide. “It had the scuffs in the right places, and the tears in the right places.” Another of Buckalew’s favorites was the first cake she designed for Icing Smiles, a nonprofit organization that provides birthday cakes for critically ill children and their siblings. The organization planned to surprise a little boy who was a huge fan of “Star Wars” and Legos. With that in mind, Buckalew sculpted a Lego Millennium Falcon cake with working lights. She brought Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper to the bakery to present the cake to the boy to make his “big day” even more special. Since then, volunteering her talents to help bring happiness to kids has become a passion for Buckalew. In addition to providing cakes for Icing Smiles, her creations have helped make dreams come true for children through Make a Wish Alabama. “Having my own business allows me time to do these volunteer things,” said Buckalew. “I appreciate how lucky I am that I have the opportunity to set up a wish reveal, or take birthday cake to children.” Buckalew has been a “serious” baker for eight years. When she was in the second grade, she made a Coca-Cola cake for a Girl Scouts competition and then didn’t bake again until her daughter’s first birthday. Not long afterward, Buckalew became interested in the art of cake decorating, with the idea of creating “cool” birthday cakes for her children (now ages 9 and 11). Since then, Buckalew has attended classes led by experts from around the world and has traveled as far as New Mexico for training. She often visits cake shows to promote her business, teach cake decorating classes and learn the latest tips and tricks of the trade. She is helping plan the Ultimate Sugar Show, the Southeast’s largest cake and sugar art show, next fall. “In the (19)70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, there was only the Wilton Cake Decorating classes,” Buckalew said. “But since the Food Network and The Learning Channel started airing cake shows, the industry has evolved. People have become more educated and are asking for more fun things they can do with their cakes.” Although Buckalew has created some intricately designed cakes since opening her business, that’s not the hardest part of the job. The biggest challenge, she said, is delivering wedding cakes. “It’s terrifying,” said Buckalew. “It can be very stressful because a couple only gets one wedding cake. It’s not like a birthday cake in that if something goes wrong, you will get another one next year. The wedding cake is the one sweet bite with which everyone at the wedding toasts the new couple.” Buckalew said the types of requests she receives vary, but her most popular cakes are those centered on movies and college football. “My favorite thing is when I get a really strange or weird request that has never been done before, and I figure out how to do it so it’s food-safe and edible,” said Buckalew. She has spent up to 30 hours perfecting detailed decorations on a cake. Buckalew said the best part of owning a home business is that it allows her to spend more time with her son and daughter. “I opened my home business because it was getting too big, and I was starting to miss important events,” said Buckalew. “I still miss having a storefront and plan to re-open the shop when the kids are older. Meanwhile, I work with several businesses, so my products are still available to the public at places around town.” For more information or to place a request, visit https://cakeapotamus.wordpress.com/. Republished with permission from the AlabamaNewsCenter.
Ridesharing bill on the move in the state Senate
Ridesharing services like Lyft
