Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, AL) articles from April 2001

Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, AL) archives from April 2001

Birmingham, Ala.-Based Bank Offers Refunds of ATM Fees.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 27--Phillip Owens opened his first bank account with his first paycheck at 17 and was amazed at the convenience of automated teller machines. "It was great because I never had to carry cash," Owens said....

Montgomery, Ala., Entrepreneurs Get Help from a Professional.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 27--From creating niche markets to mastering advertising on a shoestring budget, small businesses often encounter obstacles largely unfelt by larger corporations. Start-up hardships should not deter...

Alabama Supreme Court Takes on Video Gambling.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Mike Cason Apr. 25--The Alabama Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an advisory opinion that video poker is prohibited by the state constitution, a reversal of a 1997 opinion that found it would be legal if approved by the...

Alabama Incomes Stagnate.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Ana Radelat Apr. 26--WASHINGTON -- Personal income in Alabama grew at a slower rate than any other state last year, hampered by weak job growth and problems in agriculture, the Commerce Department said. In 2000, every state...

Alabama Diabetes Insurance Bill Is Watered Down.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 26--Diabetics who urged members of the House Health Committee to add mandatory diabetes coverage to health insurance plans Wednesday were disappointed when substitute legislation reduced the coverage. ...

Montgomery, Ala.-Area Bucks Jobless Trend.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Christie K. Sellers Apr. 27--March ended with the highest unemployment rate for Alabama in more than three years, yet most residents in Autauga and Elmore counties are heading to work in increasing numbers. March unemployment...

Power Plants to Boost Montgomery, Ala.-Area Economy.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Nick Lackeos Apr. 25--Area officials, business owners and local residents on Tuesday discussed three power plant construction sites and the needs of the several hundred construction workers at the sites in Autaugaville and...

Alabama Workers Succeed with Good Balance of Work, Family.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 27--Few days are typical for Veronica Sharp, who at any given moment wears the hat of mother, PTA president and full-time administrative assistant. "Some days you wonder how you'll get through, but I am...

Balance of Two Worlds Crucial to Working Parents.
April 27, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 27--Velmia Gordon pursued her present job at Limited Too because she felt the children's clothing store encouraged family values. Above all, she discussed her status as a single mother of a 3-year-old...

Return of Professional Baseball Excites Montgomery, Ala., Officials.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Graham Dunn Apr. 20--The long-awaited return of professional baseball to Montgomery became official Thursday. Mayor Bobby Bright formally announced the return of baseball to Paterson Field with the formation of the Montgomery...

U.S. Senator Brings Opposition to Estate Tax Home to Alabama.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 20--From improving public education to increasing military spending, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions bombarded members of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce with options for spending the federal surplus dollars....

Blue Lights Signal Change at Kmart.
April 23, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 20--Attention Kmart shoppers. It's not your mama's BlueLight Special anymore. Local managers claim the return of an American retail icon to Kmart stores nationwide has garnered the excited response from...

Mercedes-Benz Finds Success with Tuscaloosa, Ala., Plant.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 19--After more than seven years with the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Bill Taylor finds himself answering the same question time and again. Why Alabama? The answer is simple, Taylor told members...

Weather May Chill Peach Production in Alabama.
April 20, 2001... Byline: Alvin Benn Apr. 19--JEMISON, Ala.--Steve Wilson and Henry Williams were up long before the sun Wednesday to make sure the helicopters and wind machines were ready to "beat the heat" at their peach orchards. The intended...

Soaring Gas Prices Likely to Go Much Higher, Alabama Industry Officials Say.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 18--Muttering through clenched teeth, Charlotte Singer slammed her gas cap closed and stalked toward the gas station attendant with a deathgrip on her credit card. "I cannot believe I just paid more than...

Maplesville, Ala., Paper Plant Announces Plans to Close.
April 19, 2001... Byline: Alvin Benn Apr. 18--MAPLESVILLE, Ala.--Two weeks after they thought they had dodged a bullet when half of their friends lost their jobs at Gulf States Paper Co., the remaining 110 employees have gotten the word their pink slips...

Advertisers in Montgomery, Ala., Look to Attract Interest of African-Americans.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 17--Calera Harper watches an average of six hours of television each week, but she hasn't heard a commercial in almost two years. "It's just habit to push the mute button or get up and do something else...

Montgomery, Ala., Seminar Brings Businessmen Together.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 17--A retired history professor and a transportation consultant collaborated Tuesday night, but not to chronicle the impact of the locomotive on rural development. A chamber of commerce representative...

Montgomery County, Calif., Judge Unimpressed by Exxon Mobil Witness.
April 18, 2001... Byline: Mike Cason Apr. 18--Montgomery County Circuit Judge Tracy McCooey was unimpressed by the testimony of one witness called by Exxon Mobil Corp. on Tuesday as the company seeks to have a $3.42 billion jury verdict reduced or...

BellSouth Employees Picket Appraisal Policy in Montgomery, Ala.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 17--For the protesters, the sign that read "R.I.P. Customer Service" says it all. Passers-by of the BellSouth facility on Adams Avenue may have seen that message Monday as dozens of workers carrying...

Elmore County, Ala., Economy Cottons to Beef.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Nick Lackeos Apr. 16--Stampeding into a $1 million lead, beef cattle knocked King Cotton off its throne for the first time ever in annual sales in Elmore County. Elmore County is the tri-county leader in cotton production. ...

Montgomery, Ala., Hires Interim Director for Community Development Department.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Dave Hendrick Apr. 16--Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright recently hired an interim director of a new community development department to help manage the physical and economic growth of the city. James R. Land, 69, spent 31 years...

Montgomery, Ala., Sets an Example for Minority-Owned Businesses.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 17--Black-owned businesses may account for less than 5 percent of Montgomery's economy, but a recent report indicates that modest amount is one of the strongest proportions in the state. According to the...

Exxon Asks Montgomery, Ala., Judge to Change Punitive Damage Award.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Mike Cason Apr. 16--With their effort to win a new trial apparently lost, lawyers for Exxon Mobil Corp. today will ask Montgomery County Circuit Judge Tracy McCooey to reduce or eliminate a $3.42 billion punitive damage award...

Parent Company Honors Montgomery, Ala., Newspaper with Awards.
April 17, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 16--The Montgomery Advertiser was a finalist for the Freedom of Information Award in competition among all of Gannett's newspapers in the annual Best of Gannett awards. The Gannett Co. is an international...

Alabama to Get $2.7 Million to Battle Beetle.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Nick Lackeos Apr. 13--Alabama will get $2.7 million in federal emergency funds to stop the aggressive southern pine beetles from killing trees in 51 counties across the state. The beetles have infected 1,000 new pine trees in...

Montgomery, Ala., Business Leader Dies at 80.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 13--Montgomery lost more than a prominent business leader Thursday with the passing of Henry Churchill Marks, whose lifetime of service touched a myriad of social and professional arenas. Marks, 80, died...

New Post Office in Montgomery, Ala., Delivers More Room.
April 13, 2001... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 12--The city's new post office has been open about a week, but it's already delivering improved service to postal customers. "This new post office is just the neatest thing," said Mindi Culpepper of...

Alabama House Approves $4.1 Billion Spending Budget for Education.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 11--The Alabama House approved a $4.1 billion education budget Tuesday for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The 85-14 vote sends to the Senate the spending plan, which is $9 million higher than Gov. Don...

Butler County, Ala., Residents to Sell Land Intended for Golf Course.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Alvin Benn Apr. 11--When a group of Butler County residents broke ground on the Gobbler Hollow Golf Club in 1998, they had high expectations that their anticipated $3 million investment would be a great success. "We are...

Alabama Housing Officials to Distribute $75 Million in Mortgage Funds.
April 12, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 11--First-time Alabama home buyers who have been waiting on interest rates to drop before taking the ownership plunge now have an added incentive to wave good-bye to rent. The Alabama Housing Finance...

Montgomery, Ala., Small Business Incubator Assists Video Production Company.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 10--Earlene Hollinger knows she's not the only game in town for quality video production, and she wouldn't have it any other way. "I do not feel competition from any of them because I am on my own...

Montgomery Advertiser, Ala., Business Question and Answer Column.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Pat Delavan Apr. 9--CONSTRUCTION COMPANY HAMMERS IDEAS INTO REALITY: Paragon Construction & Development Inc., a Montgomery-based firm, continues its 16-year history as a major player in construction after finishing a $6 million...

Federal Grant Provides $4 Million for Lower-Income Areas in Montgomery, Ala.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Dave Hendrick Apr. 9--Low-to-moderate income communities throughout Montgomery will share about $4 million in federal funds for improvements to roads, shelters, and houses. "These things will happen," said Montgomery Finance...

March Brings Lower Tax Revenue for Alabama Schools.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 8--March gross receipts for state sales and corporate income taxes that support public education in Alabama offer little evidence of economic recovery. Individual income tax collections are up slightly. ...

Alabama Bill Calls for Limits on Adult Video Arcades.
April 11, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 10--State Sen. Gerald Dial, D-Lineville, and Montgomery County Sheriff D.T. Marshall stood in front of a Montgomery video arcade Monday and called for passage of a bill which Dial said would ban such businesses....

Alabama Energy Cooperative Looks to Lead Economic Development Initiative.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 6--If economic development hinges on pooling resources and committing to cooperate, the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives is poised to lead the way. "We've done it by ourselves for 60...

Montgomery, Ala., Minority Business Center Receives Grant from Congress.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Mike Cason Apr. 6--The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to give $96,500 to the Montgomery Minority Business Center, an agency that temporarily lost its state funding last year during a political spat. The center is...

Atlanta-Based Truck Driving School Finds No Fans in Southlawn, Ala.
April 6, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 6--America's Driving Force will have to find a new launch pad for its Alabama operation, but Southlawn residents were more than willing to offer suggestions to keep the truck-driving school out of their...

Alabama Governor to Announce Agreement on 2001 Education Budget.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 5--Gov. Don Siegelman hopes to announce at a news conference today an agreement among warring factions of education on a budget for the year which begins Oct. 1. Siegelman said such an agreement should make...

Alabama House Committee Approves Education Budget.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Mike Sherman Apr. 5--The Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee on Wednesday passed a $4.15 billion education budget for next year agreed on by battling factions of the education community. The compromise committee...

Montgomery, Ala., Medical Supplier Celebrates 25 Years in Business.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 5--When American Sterilizer Co. opened its local facility in 1976, the payroll totaled 23 employees, and the modest building took up limited space in Gunter Industrial Park. A lot has changed in 25 years....

Prattville, Ala., Businesses Shift Locations in Downtown Retail District.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Marty Roney Apr. 4--A shuffle of businesses in downtown Prattville is being touted as a way to stack the deck in favor of future growth. Several businesses have shifted locations within the two-block length of West Main...

Alabama Technology Board Looks to Give Open Forum to All New Ideas.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 5--Without ample resources, even the most revolutionary ideas can fall on deaf ears. But the Alabama Information Technology Association is taking steps to crank up the volume on the requests of budding...

Montgomery, Ala., Transport Group Wants Balanced Approach to Planning.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Dave Hendrick Apr. 4--Jocelyn Cash, chairperson of Montgomery Transportation Coalition, notified Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright that "a formal challenge is being raised with the U.S. Department of Transportation against the...

Montgomery, Ala.-Based Web Firm Bought by Mississippi Counterpart.
April 5, 2001... Byline: Kelli M. Dugan Apr. 5--A Jackson, Miss., company announced its acquisition today of the Montgomery-based World Media, Inc., in the first of seven strategic market maneuvers slated for 2001. AIR2LAN, which provides...