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05 Nov 2009 03:59pm | Posted by Steve Rogers | Local News, Political, Business, Faith & Family, Education, Finance, Health
Regional News Notes
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabama is benefiting from Kia's
assembly plant on the Georgia state line.
The Alabama Development Office released a statement Thursday
saying Kia is responsible for more than 3,600 new jobs at
automotive supplier plants located in Alabama.
Those workers are employed at 34 different plants in Alabama,
including 12 new suppliers that came after Kia announced the
decision for its first U.S. assembly plant in March 2006.
Of those 34 plants, 25 supply both Alabama's Hyundai plant and
the Kia plant.
Gov. Bob Riley said the $704 million that's been invested in
Alabama's economy is concrete evidence of the plant's benefits.
ADO director Neal Wade said 20 to 25 percent of Kia's work force is expected to come from Alabama.
The Kia plant in Georgia began production this month.
Lowndes County in Mississippi was the other possible site for the Kia plant.
Barbour: Company still working on $300M Delta plan
JACKSON, Miss. -- Gov. Haley Barbour says a company planning
a $300 million plant in the Delta is still working on "an external
issue" so he's not ready to set a date for a special legislative
session to consider state incentives for the firm.
Barbour said Thursday it's state policy to wait until a proposal
is complete before presenting the package to the Legislature for a
vote.
Barbour says he doesn't see any problems with the project, and
he expects the issue to be resolved soon.
The plant would bring up to 500 jobs in the economically
struggling Delta. Lawmakers have said the project is proposed by a
German firm that makes stainless steel pipes for oil and gas
production.
Records: Morgan Freeman settles suit on car wreck
JACKSON, Miss. -- Court records show actor Morgan Freeman
has settled a lawsuit related to a 2008 car accident that seriously
injured him and a passenger.
Demaris Meyer sued the Oscar-winning actor in U.S. District
Court in February, claiming he was negligent when the car ran off
the side of a rural highway near his Mississippi Delta home last
summer.
The 1997 Nissan Maxima belonged to Meyer, but Freeman was
driving when the car flipped several times and landed upright.
Details of the settlement were not disclosed in court records
posted Thursday.
Freeman's attorney, Jack Hayes Jr. of Columbus, would not discuss the terms of the deal, but said "we're all glad it's over with."
Ex-Riley aide: Miss. Indian casinos gave to Riley
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A former member of Gov. Bob Riley's
Cabinet says Riley received campaign contributions in 2002 from
Mississippi Indians who operate casinos. He says the money was
intended to limit the casinos' competition in Alabama.
Bill Johnson said Thursday that a senior official in Riley's
2002 campaign, Dan Gans, told him the tribe promised $3 million in
donations, but didn't deliver all of it. He was unsure of the exact
amount, but felt it has influenced Riley's fight to shut down
electronic bingo operations in Alabama.
Riley aides say there were no donations from Mississippi Indians
and their casino operations.
Toby Roth, political director of Riley's 2002 campaign, said
Johnson wasn't in fundraising and in no position to know about
contributions. He said Johnson is attacking his former boss and
longtime friend to try to draw attention to his campaign in a
crowded Republican field.
Johnson left his Cabinet post in June to run for governor.
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