Category: Economy
What Does a Successful Guaranteed Income Program Look Like? Jackson Might Have the Answer
After months of planning, several cities in the Gulf South are finally ready to give guaranteed income a test run.
Birmingham, New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana each received a $500,000 grant to pilot a guaranteed income — the idea that one of the best ways to help people in need is to give them regular cash payments without any strings. Participants for each city’s pilot have been selected and, in some cases, money has already been sent out.
Those unwilling to wait to see results from these roughly year-long pilots to can look to Jackson, Mississippi. For the past three years, Springboard to Opportunities, a local nonprofit, has been successfully running its own guaranteed income program focused on helping Black mothers living in affordable housing. Read more.
States Look to Community Colleges to Fill Labor Gap
Monique Acosta began the month of March as a pre-K classroom assistant in Arizona, with no credential beside her high school degree.
She ended it with a certification in a booming branch of electronics and started applying to entry-level jobs at Boeing.
For four hours a day, over 10 days total, Acosta studied the fine art of stripping, cutting and crimping wire as part of a technical “boot camp” at Mesa Community College outside Phoenix. The program, created in partnership with Boeing and taught by company engineers, aims to rapidly upskill students into jobs that local employers need to fill.
Now — amid a labor shortage that has baffled businesses and slowed the nation’s economic rehabilitation — policymakers, community college administrators and private businesses in several states are fueling new workforce-oriented initiatives, from tuition incentives and paid apprenticeships to boot camps such as the one Acosta completed. Read more.
A Year Into Striking, Alabama Coal Miners Are Frustrated but Defiant as Ever
Coal mines are, unsurprisingly, a tough place to work. They’re dark and dirty and every breath brings in toxic chemicals.
And Brian Kelly wants to be back there.
“I love it,” Kelly said. “It’s paradise to me.”
Kelly fell in love with the mines because of the brotherhood he forged 2,000 feet underground. Over the past year, that bond has been tested. Friday marks one year since Kelly and 900 other coal miners went on strike in Brookwood.
The strikers demand that Warrior Met Coal, the company they’re striking against, restore the pay and benefits miners gave up in 2016 when the mines were in danger of shutting down.
As the months crawled on, the miners stuck with a slogan — “one day longer” — as in, they’re willing to hold out on this strike one day longer than Warrior Met Coal will. But a year without their old paychecks has caused a few workers to cross the picket line. The hundreds that remain still defiantly say “one day longer,” though they admit that it requires deep sacrifice and it’s building resentment. Read more.
The World Games were delayed for a year, but did it help with preparedness?
The World Games was originally set to come to Birmingham July 2021, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the large event for a year. Read more.
World Games Officials Aim for Full Venues Amid Pandemic Uncertainty
Event organizers say they’re following guidance from local health officials, who say it’s impossible to predict COVID case numbers this summer. Read more.
Record-high gas prices are cutting into Alabama drivers’ budgets. Here’s how they’re coping.
The added expense affects people in Alabama’s Black Belt differently, including road trippers, commuters and even those who can’t drive. Read more.
Why Gulf South Oil Producers Can’t Protect the Region From Rising Gas Prices
Experts say activating unused oil wells could temper the rising costs of gas, but consumers should not expect prices to get anywhere near their COVID low. Read more.
Birmingham Council OKs Minority-Led Housing, Retail and Recreational Development
The Birmingham City Council has approved the sale of 222 acres near Lakeshore Parkway to Green Meadow Apartments LLC, which will redevelop the property into single-family, multi-family and senior housing.
The city will receive $1.5 million for the property, which is located at 1911 Tiger Walk. General contractor Michael German, the former Alabama field office director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, has represented Green Meadow Apartments at council meetings. He told councilors that the proposed development will include a park, walking trail and a town center — including a grocery store and a community center — and compared the development to the nearby Ross Bridge community.
Green Meadow is a minority developer, and Cornell Wesley, the city’s director of innovation and economic opportunity, described its project as potentially transformational for the city.
“We are looking at what I believe to be the largest economic impact led by African Americans in our storied history as a city, that being over $100 million worth of economic impact and investment in our area,” Wesley said. Read more.
A rodent infestation shut down Family Dollar stores. How one Alabama town is coping.
A Family Dollar in York, Alabama is one of the few shopping options in town. But it’s shuttered due to a warehouse rodent infestation. Read more.
It’s Official: Birmingham Will Host USFL’s Inaugural Season
The Birmingham Stallions will play the New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League’s first game on April 16. Read more.
