Alabama receives national recognition for economic development
On Friday, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Alabama was selected for a Silver Shovel Award from Area Development, a national business publication. The award recognizes the state’s economic development successes in 2021. Indiana and South Carolina also received a Silver Shovel Award in the category for states with populations between 5 million and 8 million. Area Development’s annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards evaluate the overall effectiveness of economic development efforts in states across the nation. In 2021, companies have announced new facilities and expansion projects involving $7.7 billion in new capital investment. It stands as the second-highest annual investment total for the state, trailing only the $8.1 billion recorded in 2018. These 2021 projects will create over 10,000 jobs across Alabama. Ivey emphasized that companies are choosing Alabama for their businesses because the state is pro-business. Ivey stated, “High-performing companies from around the globe have discovered first-hand that they can find all the advantages they need to succeed right here in Sweet Home Alabama. The Silver Shovel Award is a testament to the state’s pro-business environment and to the skilled workforce that makes that success possible.” In its new report, Area Development singled out The J.M. Smucker Co.’s project to build a manufacturing and distribution facility in Jefferson County as one of its “Deals of the Year.” “The combination of peanut butter and jelly is comfort food for many people, and frozen PB&J sandwiches will be comforting a lot of Alabama lives when a $1.1 billion Smucker’s plant opens in Jefferson County,” the magazine wrote. “The deal promises some 750 jobs that will pay an average of $25 an hour, making the company’s Uncrustables frozen sandwiches.” “The overarching goal of Alabama’s economic development team is to spark the creation of good jobs and enhance opportunity throughout the state by strategically focusing on high-impact industries with solid growth prospects,” stated Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “This honor is another concrete example showing that our team is executing on its plan and delivering results that make a difference for the state.” Other top 2021 Alabama projects listed by the magazine included Hanwha Cimarron’s plans for a manufacturing plant in Opelika, Amazon’s plans for fulfillment centers in Huntsville and Montgomery, as well as Alabama Graphite LLC’s investment in a graphite processing facility in rural Coosa County. Alabama claimed a Gold Shovel in 2020 for success in economic development projects that advanced the manufacturing sector.
Dan Sutter: Demanding more from the police
The killing of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has outraged Americans. The malfeasance of law enforcement during the tragedy is highly disturbing and demands reforms. Police officers reportedly waited outside the classroom for over an hour. The commanding officer evaluated the situation as a “barricaded shooter,” not an “active shooter,” calling for immediate entry. A Border Patrol SWAT team finally entered and killed the assailant. Quicker action might have saved some victims. Economics counsels that there are no solutions in this world, only tradeoffs. Ideally, no one would ever try to kill children at a school. Unfortunately, evil exists. We can only manage, not eliminate, school shooting risk. Let’s start with the frequency of school shootings. One frequently cited database tracks all school gun violence, like students getting in an argument and shots being fired. Such events differ enormously from Columbine, Newton, or Uvalde. Bradley Thompson of Clemson University has compiled a list I will use. While school shootings seemingly happen all the time, Professor Thompson counts 14 events and 109 deaths since 1997. Can we reduce this further, perhaps with better anger management? Over the past twenty-five years, over 100 million people have gone through high school over the past 25 years (not all graduated). Sixteen individuals perpetrated the 14 shootings, or one out of 6 million students. The overwhelming majority of young people learn to control their anger. Hardening schools is another possibility. America has 100,000 public and 30,000 private schools, so only one in 10,000 schools has experienced a mass shooting in 25 years. Many hardened schools will never face an armed intrusion. A teacher reportedly propped open the door the Robb Elementary shooter entered. Locked doors will inconvenience teachers and students thousands of times for every intruder stopped. The infrequency of shootings challenges the human capacity for diligence. The Uvalde assailant, like many school shooters, had no criminal record and no reported mental health incidents. Most shooters are not juvenile delinquents. I doubt psychologists can identify the one in six million in advance. America has over 400 million guns, far more per capita than any other nation. Given all these guns, other countries’ gun control laws will work differently here. Even if we repeal the Second Amendment, Americans wishing to do evil will likely obtain guns. We likely must react to these rare events. Experts stress the need for an immediate response by the first officers on the scene. Unfortunately, the dawdling at Uvalde was not unprecedented. The delay was 47 minutes at Columbine in 1997 and 58 minutes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018. After earlier shootings, experts recommended putting police officers in schools. An officer offers a chance to stop an incident before it starts. Not perfect protection: an officer will not always prevail against a well-armed assailant. Yet delaying a perpetrator might enable locking school doors and arrival of other officers. Taxpayers paid for officers for schools. But at Douglas High, the officer stayed safely in the school parking lot, and Robb Elementary’s officer failed to engage the assailant. Taxpayers, I think, expected police officers to try to stop school shooters. Can we expect better? Writing at Reason.com, J.D. Tuccile thinks not because “officers are regular people working a unionized public-sector job” and have “no stake in the situation and families waiting at home.” I think most police officers take their responsibility to “protect and serve” very seriously. Ours is a government of the people. Police officers ultimately work for us. Detailed rules of engagement should be crafted by experts and not voters, but we set the broad parameters. If we want school shooters engaged immediately, we can and should insist on this. We need a timely armed response to school shooters. Security guards at banks routinely engage bank robbers. If America’s police forces will not step up, we could cut police budgets and hire private security for our schools. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
Plaque to be unveiled at the U.S. Navy Memorial to honor Ward Wharton McFarland
On June 8, 2022, the late Hon. Ward Wharton McFarland, Esq. will be honored with a plaque at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C. for his service to the United States and the State of Alabama. McFarland was a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was born in 1914. During his service in the United States Navy during World War II, his vessel was torpedoed in the North Atlantic. He accepted a medical discharge and received a Purple Heart medal. Upon his return to Alabama, McFarland voluntarily enlisted in the U.S Army Air Corps at Maxwell Field. McFarland dedicated his young adulthood to his country through his service in the armed forces and, later, for his outstanding success as a skilled attorney, educator, real estate developer, and entrepreneur. He founded a multi-million-dollar real estate empire that included the development of malls, apartment complexes, medical buildings, restaurants, hotels, and neighborhoods throughout the South. McFarland himself once stated, “The State of Alabama is easy to sell … because Alabama is a great product.” The state of Alabama honored McFarland for his outstanding character and leadership, and the Alabama Senate commemorated him as one of the state’s most outstanding and contributing citizens in 1979 following his passing. Former Alabama Governor James E. Folsom, Jr. stated, “I have many fond memories of Ward Wharton McFarland, as he served in my father’s cabinet for many years. He was very instrumental in programs such as the Farm-to-Market initiative under the James E. ‘Big Jim’ Folsom administration, paving over 6,000 miles of road in 3 years. I always remembered him as a cordial person and one of my father’s key advisors during those years. Especially throughout his role in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Compact of 1959.” McFarland served as Highway Director and as State Docks Director for Alabama Governor James W. “Big Jim” Folsom, Sr. Dean of the Alabama Congressional Delegation Rep. Robert Aderholt will join Governor Folsom at the dedication ceremony and unveil McFarland’s plaque at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington on June 8. Aderholt stated, “It is a privilege to witness Mr. McFarland’s memory enshrined on the U.S. Navy Memorial. His dedicated service to our country serves as a reminder to us all of the sacrifices and bravery of people like him that have made America the greatest country in the world. His service to our country and the state of Alabama will live far beyond our lifetimes, and his memory will forever be enshrined at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.”
Mike Durant won’t endorse in Alabama’s Senate runoff
Mike Durant, the “Black Hawk Down” pilot who finished third in Alabama’s Republican Senate primary, said he will not make an endorsement in the upcoming runoff. Durant said he will not endorse either of the remaining candidates for the GOP nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. The June 21 runoff pits Katie Britt, Shelby’s former chief of staff and former leader of a state business group, against U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who resurrected his campaign after losing former President Donald Trump’s backing. Durant said the choices are a candidate that has ”been in the public office for 40 years” and another he called “really not qualified” and accused of running an ethically challenged campaign that distorted his views. “That’s what people have to decide. Unfortunately, it’s not a great option,” Durant said. Durant is the owner of an aerospace company but is best known as the helicopter pilot who was held captive in Somalia during the 1993 battle chronicled in “Black Hawk Down.” With his military background, Durant entered the race with a splash but ultimately ended in third place. He said his first foray into politics was a disenchanting one and will also be his last. He blamed his campaign’s demise on a bombardment of negative ads he called “blatant” mistruths. “If people say, well, ‘that’s just politics.’ Well, then don’t complain about what we have in Washington. That’s not politics. Wrong is wrong,” he said. Super PACS spent more than $20 million to influence the Alabama primary, with ads being run against all three candidates. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama gets $5M federal grant for 120 miles of railway
A 120-mile (193-kilometer) stretch of Alabama railway is in line for improvements with help from a $5 million federal grant. The Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday announced the grant from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program. Nationally, it is awarding $368 million to 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia, AL.com reported. The grant will finance improvements to the Alabama Tennessee Riverway, a stretch of track extending from Birmingham to the rail barge terminal at the Port of Guntersville. The project includes upgrading tracks to handle increased traffic and eliminating defects at nine bridges to allow them to handle load capacities in the 286,000-pound (129,727-kilogram) range. Workers will also reactivate rockslide warning signals to allow for 25 mph (40 kph) train speeds between Birmingham and Ragland. Officials say the improvements will increase capacity, speed, and efficiency, as well as remove safety risks posed by rail switching operations across Alabama 144. That will allow goods to travel faster and safer and cut down on shipping costs, as well as supply chain problems, officials said. The funding also covers a larger mandate of the Biden Administration’s infrastructure law, which requires at least 25% of funding go to rural projects. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
