CSU to open new home | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal

CSU to open new home | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal: "On Jan. 16, Columbia Southern University employees, public officials and local business leaders will celebrate the grand opening of the school’s new 67,000-square-foot Orange Beach, Ala. home.
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The event begins at 9 a.m. with remarks from CSU President Robert Mayes, City of Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon, and Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce President Mark Berson. Tours and refreshments will also be offered, CSU officials said in a news release."

Sand Island lighthouse to be part of new series of stamps - al.com

Sand Island lighthouse to be part of new series of stamps - al.com: "Sand Island Lighthouse, the 135-year-old tower at the entrance of Mobile Bay, will be featured on a U.S. Postal Service stamp next year, officials said Monday.

It's one of five Gulf Coast lighthouses selected for a commemorative collection slated to be released in the summer. Paintings of lighthouses at Matagorda Island, Texas; Sabine Pass, La.; Biloxi; and Fort Jefferson, Fla., will also be part of the 42-cent stamp collection.

'Hopefully, these stamps will bring attention to these lighthouses and the efforts behind them to keep them alive,' said Postal Service spokesman Mark Saunders."

County achieves better flood insurance rating - al.com

County achieves better flood insurance rating - al.com: "BAY MINETTE — Thousands of federal flood insurance policyholders in Baldwin County are receiving a holiday bonus in the form of more money saved on premiums, thanks to an improved rating obtained by local officials.

The improvement from a Class 8 to a Class 7 in the Community Rating System Program has resulted in a 15 percent discount in the premium cost of flood insurance — up from a 10 percent discount, county officials said.

The total savings countywide is now $640,000 and an average of $68 savings per policy for nearly 9,500 policyholders in the Special Flood Hazard Areas of unincorporated Baldwin, according to a county report."

Fulfill your learn-to-cook resolution | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal

Fulfill your learn-to-cook resolution | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal: "If your New Year's resolutions include learning how to cook, two local institutions would be happy to help.
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Distinctive Kitchens, with locations in downtown Pensacola at 29 S. Palafox Place and at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Ala., 4790 Wharf Parkway, Building F, Suite 208, offers a wide variety of cooking classes throughout the year.

Classes in Pensacola in January will feature some of the area dining scene's heaviest hitters sharing their secrets, including sessions with Big Sexy Food's Chris Kimberl and John Murphy on Jan. 8; Jerry Mistretta of Jerry's Cajun Cafe on Jan. 12; Joe Abston of Hopjacks on Jan. 14; and Jay Ammons of Seville Quarter on Jan. 21. The location also features a variety of classes for kids.

Meanwhile, classes in Orange Beach with Chef Angela include sessions on sharpening your knife skills on Jan. 7 and the flavors of Morocco on Jan. 16."

Teens responsible for stabbing death in Magnolia Springs | Fox10tv.com

Teens responsible for stabbing death | Fox10tv.com: "BAY MINETTE, Ala. - Baldwin County Corrections Center now holds two capital murder suspects. Floyd Casey, 18-years-old, surrendered late Tuesday afternoon and 19-year-old Cortez Porter was arrested Monday.

Last week on County Road 49 in Magnolia Springs, 52-year-old Edward McCrory was stabbed to death. At the time, investigators also discovered several items stolen from his home including a 4-wheeler.

Patty Schutt Lives down the road from the crime scene. 'It's a crazy world, you hear these kind of things on the news all the time, you just don't think it's going to be close to home like it was to mine,' said Schutt."

Best Weather Photos of 2008 - Weather Meteorology Lightning Picture - WKRG.com

Best Weather Photos of 2008 - Weather Meteorology Lightning Picture - WKRG.com: "These 27 photos submitted by News 5 viewers to the weather gallery of wkrg.com were selected for variety and for how pretty or unique they are. Many others came close.

Half the trick of a good weather picture is simply watching the sky and being at the right place at the right time but here's the other half which involves art and basic setup. It doesn't take an expensive camera but it usually involves something better than a cell phone camera."

WKRG.com

Zoo Director Patty Hall speaks at Jan. 3 GSFP Breakfast

Mullet Wrapper: "Patti Hall, Director of the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, will speak at the Shores First Presbyterian Church's monthly Men and Women's Breakfast at 8 a.m. on January 3.
After graduating from the university of Louisville ,Hall was appointed Director of Montessori of Kentucky Herr Lane Academy in Louisville. Five years later she spearheaded a pilot project funded under the Older Americans Act. During her eight years there, four centers were established throughout the county with sixty thousand seniors identified, receiving a myriad of services; today the program is 35 years old and still thriving."

Snowbird News from the Mullet Wrapper

Snowbird News from the Mullet Wrapper: "We invite anyone who is from Wisconsin, or has lived in Wisconsin, to join the WI Sno-birds at the Orange Beach Community Center (OBCC) at 8:30 am on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of January, February and March. We get together for coffee and donuts with a meeting beginning at 9 am.
You will hear about golf, day trips, casino trips, and card playing with others from WI. We often have guest speakers come in to tell us more about the Gulf Coast area. There is a book/puzzle exchange and door prizes.
We also meet on the 2nd Wednesday for breakfast at different locations to sample the restaurants. And you can volunteer your efforts on several projects - zoo, museum, brat fest, and pancake breakfast.
Jan 7 - meeting OBCC; 12-13 - Biloxi Casino overnight trip; 14 - breakfast gathering; 21 - meeting at OBCC; 23 - golf FUN day; 28 - potluck at OBCC; 31 - BRAT FEST at Erie Meyer Center
Please join us at the OBCC at 8:30 on January 7. Call Kenn Krouse for additional information or directions: (251) 967-2463 or wissnobirds@yahoo.com"

Skies should clear by tonight - al.com

Skies should clear by tonight - al.com: "Cloudy skies, with isolated showers, are called for in today's forecast. Expect highs in the mid- to upper 60s, with a 20 percent chance of rain. Skies are expected to clear, with rain chances lowering throughout the day, eventually to 5 percent tonight. Overnight lows in the mid-30s to mid-40s should accompany clear night skies."

Slump thins local Realtors' ranks - al.com

Slump thins local Realtors' ranks - al.com: "Sluggish sales have slashed the real estate ranks in Baldwin County, where a red-hot resort market has long cooled and agents are trading their commission-driven vocation for a steady paycheck.

Dues-paying members dropped 17.6 percent to 1,400 people in the past year at the Baldwin County Realtors Association, according to Martha Taylor, executive director. The group's numbers peaked at almost 2,000 in 2005, at the height of the sizzling resort market. She expects to lose more members when association dues start renewing on Jan. 1, 2009.

Many of the agents who dropped out were 'order tak ers,' during the boom market, Taylor said."

Shooting Rocks Pensacola Bar - Foley Police Racial Officer Involved Shooting Officer Involved Shooting - WKRG.com

Shooting Rocks Pensacola Bar - Foley Police Racial Officer Involved Shooting Officer Involved Shooting - WKRG.com: "Foley Police Officer Maurice Wiley is on administrative leave. Foley Police officials say he was off duty when the officer shot a Century, Florida man in self defense. Authorities say the suspect, who is white, was hurling racial slurs at the officer, who is black, and approached him with a knife. The incident happened at 2:30 Saturday morning.

Amid the Sunday football ritual, the small crowd of regulars at Boomerzzz bar in Pensacola can't stop talking about the recent shooting."

WKRG.com

'Bama bests: What not to miss on the Gulf Coast - Travel - MiamiHerald.com

'Bama bests: What not to miss on the Gulf Coast - Travel - MiamiHerald.com: "If you want to experience the South in all its drawl-y, deep-fried glory, go north to Alabama. Proudly honky-tonk but increasingly sleek thanks to posh new condo developments, Alabama's Gulf Coast is the place to go for a hit of Southern Exposure.

Order a mess of fried crab claws, go to a dive bar and watch the sun set, and enjoy white-sand beaches without a smidgen of attitude.

Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are full of southern-fried charm, low-key fun (there's a festival devoted to tossing mullet) and more moss-draped beauty than you can shake a fish at. It's an awesome place to take the kids, thanks to its barefoot beach-town vibe. Warning: You'll find your newly-adopted Southern accent hard to shake.

Here's a look at some of our top picks. Enjoy, ya'all!"

The South’s Other Gulf Coast

DEBBIE AND BROCK HATTOX started their hunt for a second home with two conditions. “He wanted to play golf year-round,” Mrs. Hattox said, “and I wanted to be on some type of water.”

The couple were living in Atlanta when they began their search 10 years ago. They visited many spots, including Hilton Head, S.C., where they had lived in the 1970s, and various waterfront sites in Florida. When Mr. Hattox’s younger brother suggested Gulf Shores, Ala., Mrs. Hattox turned to the map. “I didn’t realize Alabama had a coastline,” she said.

She learned that Alabama does in fact have 32 miles of shoreline, the shortest among the five states that front the Gulf of Mexico. The Hattoxes visited the white beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach next door, studying housing options that included condos and houses that were on the beach, as well as properties inland along golf courses, bays and waterways.

New York Times

Requests for aid increasing on island

Layoffs, pay cuts hit workers during holidays
Friday, December 26, 2008
By GUY BUSBY
Staff Reporter

While shoppers filled stores in the last hours before Christmas, services agencies were experiencing another holiday rush, and business for them was booming.

With more residents laid off and some still with jobs facing cuts in employment hours, requests for help along the Gulf Coast have doubled from the same time last year, said Linda Chappell of the Christian Service Center. The center, a United Way agency, operates year-round, but requests have been heavy this season, she said.

Mobile Press-Register

Foley Middle to make documentary

School one of 10 nationwide and only facility in Alabama chosen to participate in John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center program
Friday, December 26, 2008
By FRANKLIN HAYES
Staff Reporter

Educators at Foley Middle School will be given a rare opportunity in spring to showcase a unique art curriculum. The school was chosen as one of 10 across the nation — and the only school in Alabama — to participate in a program sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a Washington, D.C.-based educational facility that is administered by the Smithsonian Institution.

Students will create a documentary about Fairhope artist Ricky Trione, a blind painter who visits students and demonstrates his ability to create visual art.

Trione said he lost his sight after two freak acci dents. In 1993, a logging truck slung a rock through his car window that permanently damaged his left eye, he said. Seven years later, his car stalled and he pulled over along Ala. 59 near Stockton, he said. While he was outside inspecting his vehicle, an 18-wheeler passing by blew a tire and a fragment struck him in the face, knocking him unconscious, he said. His next memory was waking up in the hospital and learning that he was blind.

Mobile Press-Register

Principal's head shaven to help ease kids' worries

Student-issued haircuts raise more than $600 for Sand, Sea and Stars Learning Center
Friday, December 26, 2008
By FRANKLIN HAYES
Staff Reporter

When Orange Beach Elementary Principal Steve Baker learned he would need chemotherapy, his thoughts soon turned to his students and how they would react to seeing him without hair.

Baker, who was diagnosed with cancer in August, said he has a long-standing tradition of greeting each kindergarten through sixth-grade student as they enter the building every morning. Baker and his staff came up with a solution to pre-empt the inevitable questions from students and turn his sickness into a learning experience.

In early December, Baker, 52, explained his medical situation to the student body at an assembly and raffled off opportunities to shave his head for 25 cents each. One student for each grade level was chosen to give Baker's head a buzz. The teacher whose class had purchased the most chances was also given a turn with the razor.

Mobile Press-Register

Final Orange Beach City Council Work Session (COW)

December 24, 2008- The final 2008 City of Orange Beach Council Work Session will take place on Tuesday, December 30th in the Council Chambers at the Orange Beach City Hall Complex. The agenda for this meeting has been published on the on The Orange Beach Community Website. Links to online video of the Orange Beach Regular Session Council Meetings since November 18th are also available at the link below.

Click to view the Orange Beach City Council Index.

Christmas Cards, Killer Whales, and Cows

December 23, 2008- Orange Beach, AL- While looking at The Orange Beach Community Website's stats last night we noticed hundreds of visitors coming from Andy Andrews' website. (As most locals know, Andy Andrews is a New York Times Best Selling Author, and world-renowned speaker who makes his home on the Alabama Gulf Coast.) Why would all of these visitors be coming from Andy's website to the OBA website right before Christmas?

Andy Andrews, New York Times Best Selling Author

As it turns out Andy, in his Christmas Blog, mentions our story about the Killer Whales, and puts a link to the article from his blog. And we are glad he did... not only for the hundreds of visitors he directed to OBA, but because of this link we found Andy's Christmas Blog... a blog post with good ideas for Christmas and the New Year ahead. Click here to read Andy's Christmas Blog, and to learn more about the world-renowned writer & speaker we have living in our community. Looking for a great last minute Christmas gift? You can find all Andy Andrews' books and CDs at Pack & Mail in the Winn Dixie Shopping Center here in Orange Beach. (Open Christmas Eve Day until 3:00pm.) Andy's works make great inspirational Christmas gifts. Click here to read A Special Christmas Poem, our Christmas post from last year.

Gulf Shores mayor home after hospital tests

Robert Craft awaiting results from UAB
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
By GUY BUSBY
Staff Reporter

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft is home resting following hospital tests in Birmingham over the weekend, city officials said Monday.

Craft went to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center for checks after suffering several incidents of dizziness, said Steve Garman, city administrator.

Garman said the mayor decided to have to elective surgery while activity at City Hall was at a low level. The surgery allowed doctors to take tissue samples to check a possible growth in Craft's head, according to officials.

Mobile Press-Register

Former D.A. Arrested

Video from WKRG-TV5...

WKRG.com

Tennis Pros Or Firefighters?

Video from WKRG-TV5...

WKRG.com

Don Davis' talent with steel guitar opened doors to Nashville fame

Monday, December 15, 2008
By ROY HOFFMAN
Staff Reporter

When Alabama Music Hall of Famer Don Davis was a child in the late 1930s, a country music band played at his school in Satsuma. One of its members leaned over a flat keyboard that he plucked — a steel, or Hawaiian, guitar — and the boy was captivated by the metallic yet melodic sound.

"It made my hair stand on end," Davis says at his house in Gulf Shores. "I realized, 'I've got to do that.'"

Soon young Don found a musician to give him a couple of lessons, using a Spanish guitar turned flat. "After I got hot on it," he says, "my parents bought me an electric Hawaiian guitar for $39.95 from Sears-Roebuck. We'd just gotten electricity. There was an electric cord on the porch up to a light. I'd unplug that cord and plug in my amplifier. The cows would come and hear the racket. They kind of liked it."

Mobile Press-Register

Special Christmas presents for ranch

Former Alabama and NFL standout Jeremiah Castille brings message of hope
Monday, December 15, 2008
By ROBERT LADNIER
Sports Reporter

SUMMERDALE — The residents at the Alabama Sheriff's Boys Ranch in Summerdale got a special treat last week.

Former University of Alabama and NFL standout Jeremiah Castille paid a visit to the facility Friday and brought a message of inspiration, along with some special Christmas gifts.

"One of the board members on our foundation, Drew Crouse, has been involved with the Boys Ranch for several years," Castille said. "He asked me if we could do some Christmas stuff for the boys ranch. This is kind of what we do with our foundation in encouraging youth, so it just kind of fits in.

Mobile Press-Register

Former OB City Attorney Larry Sutley strikes plea deal

Former Orange Beach City Attorney Larry Sutley has cut a deal with state prosecutors that will allow him to serve time for two misdemeanors concurrently with the 27-month federal sentence he received for his role in the bribery of the beach town's former mayor, Steve Russo, by real estate developers.

Mobile Press-Register

Orange Beach City Marina on hold

Cash-strapped city not eager to start $17.2M project
Friday, December 12, 2008
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter

ORANGE BEACH — Municipal employees aren't the only casualties of the city's budget crunch: Plans for a public marina that have been on the drawing board for more than three years are also poised to be indefinitely postponed.

Conceived as a home of last resort for Alabama's 301-boat charter fishing fleet, Orange Beach paid about $9.6 million for a storm-battered boatyard on Terry Cove in early 2005 and has since designed a municipal marina complex there.

With the low bid to build the project coming in last month at $17.2 million, elected officials said they can't imagine starting work anytime soon.

Mobile Press-Register

Insurance solutions discussed

Captive insurance, cutting premium tax among areas considered in upcoming session

ROBERTSDALE — Rising insurance costs are adding to economic difficulties not only along the coast, but in inland areas of south Alabama as well, Baldwin County legislators said Wednesday.

Members of the area legislative delegation met with members of Baldwin County United during the organization's semi-annual meeting to discuss the upcoming session of the state House and Senate.

Mobile Press-Register

New Rec Center rates are proposed

ORANGE BEACH — In an ongoing effort to raise revenue, the City Council is contemplating a new rate plan at the Recreation Center.

Since the facility opened in early 2003, Orange Beach has charged residents only $20 a year for membership. A comparable annual membership to the city-owned David L. Bodenhamer Center in Gulf Shores costs $240.

Under a plan proposed this week by Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon, the city would charge $50 for the single annual membership and charge a flat fee of $100 for a family no matter how large. Kennon has also proposed new, reduced monthly rates geared toward part-time residents and memberships for people who work in or live near Orange Beach.

Council members Jeff Silvers and Joni Blalock said that while they didn't have much problem with the $30 increase, they were concerned the council wasn't giving residents enough notice. As such a public hearing has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in advance of the 6 p.m. council meeting at which the proposal could be considered.

Mobile Press-Register

Gulf Shores to eliminate 29 jobs in 2009

GULF SHORES — This week, 21 full-time and eight part-time municipal workers learned they will lose their jobs amid a restructuring at City Hall aimed at trimming expenses for an expectedly lean 2009.

They'll work through the end of the month and as severance will be paid all their accrued vacation and sick time and collect their normal salaries through the end of January, said City Administrator Steve Garman.

"The mayor and council did that in an attempt to give everyone some breathing room in order to find new employment after the first of the year," Garman said.

Mobile Press-Register

Wolf Bay Lodge fire puts 55 out of work

Tuesday, December 09, 2008
By GUY BUSBY
Staff Reporter

ELBERTA — On Monday, workers of the Wolf Bay Lodge stood in the parking lot, sharing information about signing up for unemployment benefits. Drivers eased past to look at the burned landmark restaurant, or stopped to share their sorrow.

The lodge, operated on the shores of Wolf Bay by the same family since 1973, was gutted Sunday by a fire that broke out around 3 a.m.

Looking over the ruins, the owners pledged again Monday to rebuild. For now, 55 workers will have to go without tips and paychecks right before Christmas.

Mobile Press-Register

Click here for more photos & news coverage of this story.

Photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Aerials.

More City Lay-offs

Video from WKRG-TV5...

WKRG.com

Federal flood program loses in Alabama

Tuesday, December 09, 2008
By SEAN REILLY
Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — They may not appreciate it when paying their premiums, but for many Alabamians, the federal flood insurance program has been a sweet deal.

Maybe too sweet, according to a new study that found Alabama policyholders have reaped three times more in claims than they paid in premiums over the last three decades.

From 1978 to last year, the difference amounted to more than $746 million in inflation-adjusted dollars, the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog agency, concluded in the study released this month.

Mobile Press-Register

Wolf Bay lodge destroyed by fire

December 7, 2008- Wolf Bay Lodge, a restaurant well known to locals and tourists alike was destroyed in a pre-dawn fire, according to firemen who fought the early morning blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but officials believe it began in the attic.

Click here to read the full article and watch a slide show from WKRG-TV5.

WKRG.com

Gulf State Park Pier set for March open

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Staff report

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is on schedule to open the Gulf State Park Pier in March.

Workers need close to a month of acceptable weather on the pier this winter, and they're expecting to get those days in over the next three to four months.

Mobile Press-Register

Artists Invited to Enter Alabama Waterfowl Stamp Art Contest

Alabama artists can celebrate the New Year by entering the 2009 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp art contest sponsored by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. The winning artwork will be featured on the 2010-11 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp, which is required to be purchased when hunting migratory waterfowl. Entries will be accepted from Jan. 1 - Feb. 17, 2009.

All eligible entries will be on display February 27, 2009, at the Richard Beard Building in Montgomery. Following the showing, three judges from the fields of art, ornithology and wildlife conservation will select the winning waterfowl art.

“We encourage all Alabama artists to participate in this unique contest,” said Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division Director Corky Pugh. “Like the federal waterfowl stamp, revenues from the sale of Alabama stamps are used to procure, establish or improve migratory waterfowl habitat.”

Only original horizontal artworks depicting a species of North American migratory duck or goose will be eligible. The Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser and Wood Duck – depicted in the winning artwork of the three previous contests – are not eligible as subjects for the 2010-11 stamp. The competition is open to resident Alabama artists only. Entries cannot exceed 9 by 12 inches (15 by 18 inches matted).

The judging criteria will emphasize uncluttered design suitable for printing as a stamp, anatomical accuracy of the illustrated species, and artistic rendering. Close attention must be given to tone and detail, since those aspects are prerequisites for printing artwork as a stamp. Wing and feather construction must be particularly well defined. Entries may be drawn or painted in any medium.

For contest information and entry forms visit the ADCNR website at www.outdooralabama.com, or contact David Hayden, Alabama Wildlife and Fisheries Division, at 334-242-3469.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering announces more Katrina fraud arrests

Peter Howard, 48, and Robert Smith, 52, were indicted on charges of Home Repair Fraud. Howard lives in Gulf Shores, Ala. and Smith in Theodore, Ala. After being arrested by the State Auditor’s Office, both were processed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $10,000 each. Howard and Smith were doing business as Pelican Bay Custom Homes. The complaint filed states that Pelican Bay Custom Homes was paid $284,188 to construct a modular home on property in Pascagoula. The owner claims that the modular home was delivered but never assembled. Howard and Smith were both arrested by the State Auditor’s Office in June 2008 for felony false pretense after taking a deposit for a modular home that was never constructed.

Click here for the full article.

Amazing Video of dogs on highway

Both dogs survived...

Crab boat crashes on jetty

Coast Guard attempting the rescue of a crab boat caught in large waves off of the Oregon coast. The captain of the boat managed to swim to the jetties. Two crew members are missing and presumed drowned.

Killer Whales Spotted in Gulf of Mexico

Orange Beach, AL - Capt. Eddie Hall had some serious competition on a recent tuna fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. They were about 90 miles south of Orange Beach when they spotted hundreds of Orcas feeding on the yellow fin tuna they were targeting.

Click here for more photos and the full article by Steve Layton with Gary Finch Outdoors.

Council delays 2009 budget vote until Dec. 16

Thursday, December 04, 2008
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter

ORANGE BEACH — The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a severance pay package for 23 municipal employees who were laid off last month.

Originally elected officials had proposed paying the laid-off employees 25 percent of the sick time they've accrued up to 80 hours. The city's personnel plan wouldn't allow for that kind of severance but does contain provisions for laid-off employees to receive set amounts of administrative leave pay, said City Attorney Wanda Cochran.

Because council members had said they were comfortable spending $10,600 on severance under the sick leave compensation plan, Cochran said that number was used to calculate the amount of administrative leave each former employee would get paid: 24 hours worth.

Mobile Press-Register

Navarre Beach pier gets state approval

Louis Cooper, Pensacola News Journal

Money, time and a tranquil 2009 hurricane season are all that stand between Keith Cuthrell and fishing on a new 1,500-foot pier at Navarre Beach.

Santa Rosa County received word from the state Tuesday that its permit for the new pier had been approved. The structure will replace a 900-foot pier left unusable by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

“I fished out there since I was 10 years old,” said Cuthrell, 52. “I’m just tickled to death to see this. It’s been way long overdue.”

The pier has historically been a good place to catch king fish, cobia, red fish and pompano, among other species, he said.

Pensacola News-Journal

No deal on Bon Secour

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter

GULF SHORES — A court-ordered auction of more than 880 acres at the foreclosed Bon Secour Village failed to yield any acceptable bids and will force lawyers to look for new ways to dispose of the property and pare down financial losses.

The developers of the 1,000-acre project defaulted on their $20.36 million loan from Wachovia bank last year and the auction had been ordered to clear the debt, which, according to court filings, accrues interest at a rate of more than $2,600 a day.

Heralded as a $500 million town-within-a-town that would transform a swath of woods along the Intracoastal Waterway's northern shore into one of the state's most chic neighborhoods, Bon Secour Village has been mired in troubles for the last year.

Mobile Press-Register

Baldwin Schools look at possible employee cuts

Video from Fox10 News...

Alabama Grown at Lulu's

Monday, December 01, 2008
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter

GULF SHORES — Getting local seafood was never a problem for Lulu's at Homeport Marina.

And since this spring, the restaurant has bought its beef from a family farm near Clayton, Ala. Now, Lulu's management is thinking about how it might acquire produce from Alabama's fields.

Each year, for example, the restaurant buys about 61,000 tomatoes — 39,000 green, 22,000 red — at a price of about 65 cents apiece, general manager Johnny Fisher said. That works out to nearly $40,000 worth of tomatoes.

"So," he wondered, "would that be enough to get someone to build a hothouse and start growing tomatoes?"

"I would say so — yes," said Don Wambles, director of the Farmers Market Authority, a state agency charged with promoting Alabama-grown foods.

For the last two years, the agency has pursued an initiative to match farmers with chefs. It now helps about 40 restaurateurs find locally grown ingredients.

Mobile Press-Register

ThyssenKrupp job fair slated for Dec. 9

Applications being taken online now, but event at Central Annex designed to answer questions
Monday, December 01, 2008
By CRAIG MYERS
Staff Reporter

If a new career is on your Christmas wish list,

ThyssenKrupp is coming to town.

The $4.5 billion German steel-manufacturing plant in north Mobile County is scheduled to open in about a year and will need nearly 2,700 permanent employees, said Mary Mullins, a spokeswoman for ThyssenKrupp Stainless USA.

"It is believed to be one of the largest economic and industrial investments in the U.S. in the next decade," she told Baldwin County commissioners at a recent meeting. "We are really pleased to be part of the growth in our region when we see economic slowdown elsewhere in the country. ... We are committed to hiring locally to the greatest extent possible."

As of late November, the company had hired more than 300 workers, she said. "As you can see we've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," Mullins said.

So the company and Baldwin County Commission are teaming up to seek some of that work force on this side of the bay. A ThyssenKrupp Jobs Fair will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Central Annex in Robertsdale.

ThyssenKrupp Website

Mobile Press-Register