Thursday, December 13, 2007

Tallapoosa County lands auto supplier, 300 jobs

Officials have announced that a new automotive supplier will soon move into the William T. Thweatt Industrial Park in Dadeville, eventually building a workforce of about 300.

July 18, 2007

DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Officials have announced that a new automotive supplier will soon move into the William T. Thweatt Industrial Park in Dadeville, eventually building a workforce of about 300.

The South Korean-based company, called Sejin Alabama, will be a supplier to Hyundai and the Kia Motors Company, which is currently building an automotive plant in West Point, Ga.

“I’m very excited about starting and building a new company here,“ said JiHyun Yoon, director of Sejin. “I have faith SJA will have a bright future.“

Don McClellan, director of the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance, said the new supplier is expected to go online in July 2008 after it constructs a 102,000-square-foot building in the industrial park.

The supplier will start with 130 jobs and plans to add around 70 jobs during the following two years. Sejin Alabama intends to add another 100 jobs once the Kia plant begins operations in 2012.

“Three hundred jobs is nothing to sneeze about,“ McClellan said at the announcement Tuesday. “As we all know, we have had a tremendous job loss in our area. This helps to replace some of those jobs and not lose our population.“

The supplier, an injection molding company, will produce 12 items such as vehicle spoilers and interior consoles. Starting wages for the production jobs will be at least $9 an hour. Sejin’s total investment in the area will be $30 million.

The Alexander City Outlook reported Wednesday that Sejin is the second Kia supplier to move into the industrial park in less than a year.

Information from: Outlook, http://www.alexcityoutlook.com

Tuskegee awarded $600,000 grant through HUD’s HBCU program

Homes and businesses near Tuskegee University will be getting a facelift thanks to a $600,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

September 21, 2007

Homes and businesses near Tuskegee University will be getting a facelift thanks to a $600,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Tuskegee University received the grant through HUD’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities program, which helps improve areas near historically black college campuses.

University president Dr. Benjamin F. Payton says that the money will be used to revitalize the Tuskegee area including the Old Montgomery/Franklin Road Corridor. The improvements would include renovating local homes and businesses, landscaping, sign repairs, renovating and selling unoccupied buildings and holding workshops for local homeowners and entrepreneurs.

Payton wants the improvements to benefit a variety of people in the community from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and not simply single out one group.

“We intend to have a community here that makes it possible, indeed necessary, for people to reinforce their need for one another, and in the process to make a vibrant community around us,“ he said.

In addition to the money received from the grant, Payton says that various community groups have contributed more than $350,000 toward the project.

He says that the grant money is a good start for revitalization efforts for the area, but more money will be needed to continue those efforts.

“There’s only so much $600,000 can do,“ Payton said.

“We’re looking at a multi-multi-million dollar need and so I think that our goal must be to do this so well that it will bring forth those additional sums we need to really get the whole thing done.“

Bob Young, the Atlanta regional director for HUD, says that Tuskegee University was chosen to receive the grant money due to its continued focus on protecting the character of the campus and surrounding community.

He thinks that the improvements made with the grant money will help create a better environment for the university and city residents.

“The Tuskegee that people have grown to know and love is the Tuskegee not only of yesterday and today,“ Young said. “But it will be a better Tuskegee tomorrow.“

License big barrier for giant casino

If a group made up of gaming executives and Macon County investors have their way, a high-stakes bingo resort facility that will rival any casino in world could open its doors within spitting distance of Lee County.

April 1, 2007

If a group made up of gaming executives and Macon County investors have their way, a high-stakes bingo resort facility that will rival any casino in world could open its doors within spitting distance of Lee County.

Dominic Polizzotto of Southeastern Gaming Opportunity, LLC said Friday that the only thing keeping a planned 300-room resort hotel and a state-of-the-art charity bingo casino on the southeast corner of the Wire Road exit from becoming reality is securing a gaming license in Macon County.

“We have conceptual plans, and we’re ready to move forward quickly as soon as the license is secured,“ Polizzotto said. “Our aim is to be a valued member of the community. We want the resort to be what the community wants. You won’t see the walls of neon signs outside. The idea is to be a place where people in the area or people in Atlanta or from anywhere in Alabama can come for a great meal, quality entertainment, relaxing accommodations and a light of exciting night of gaming.“

Polizzotto said that Robert Davis of the Tuskegee Area Family Development and Education Fund has applied for a Class B Bingo License on Jan. 16, but there has been no movement to date.

Two groups that have been unable to obtain licenses currently have suits pending.

Southeastern Gaming Opportunity, which is made up of several gaming execs who have worked on projects with the legendary Binion casino family, has an option on a tract of about 100 acres owned by Wayne and Jimmy Bassett of Beck’s Turf Inc.

Currently gaming applications in Macon County are handled and processed by Sheriff David Warren, but a bill has been introduced in the Alabama legislature to have that responsibility moved to the Macon County Gaming Commission.

Polizzotto said the group would work with community leaders to make sure that the facility would be fitting for the landscape. He said a golf course has even been proposed as a part of the gaming resort, which would be built at I-85’s Exit 42.

“We’ve all worked with Jack Binion on other projects, but Jack is not involved in this opportunity,“ Polizzotto said. “While we’ve all worked on other projects, this would be something special, unlike anything else in Alabama or in the rest of the country for that matter. I think the area can support it, but more than that I think a facility like this can make the area a destination and draw people from all over the Southeast.“

Macon County is already home to one ever-growing and improving gaming entertainment facility. Milton McGregor’s VictoryLand is currently the only bingo operation licensed in Macon County and makes weekly donations to more than 50 charities.

VictoryLand recently completed construction of a massive covered parking facility and broke ground on a new hotel facility that could feature up to 1,000 rooms. VictoryLand currently employs about 1,400 people, a number that could grow with completion of additional amenities.

Polizzotto said the proposed facility would also give generously to charity and be an economic boon for the community.

“We want to create high-paying jobs with benefits for the area and give back millions to charities in the community,“ Polizzotto said. “Initially more than 1,000 would be employed full-time, with benefits. That’s in an area that is in need of good-paying employment opportunities. The only thing standing in the way is movement on a gaming application and that lies in the hands of the sheriff.“

A call to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office to check the application’s status Friday was not returned.

Major player in gaming may be looking to move within miles of Lee County line

While the legislature takes up the issue of casino-type bingo, one major player in the gaming industry may be eyeing a site just a few miles from the Lee County line.

March 30, 2007

While the legislature takes up the issue of casino-type bingo, one major player in the gaming industry may be eyeing a site just a few miles from the Lee County line.

The Tuskegee News reported in its Thursday edition that Jack Binion, the founder of the World Series of Poker, is eyeing land adjacent to Interstate 85 at the Wire Road exit for a possible high-stakes bingo operation.

The land which is currently owned by Wayne and Jimmy Bassett of Beck’s Turf Inc. is in Macon County where charity bingo is already legal under the regulation of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.

Jimmy Bassett said Wednesday that since they purchased the more than 800 acres in 1994, there have been several people interested in buying it from them.

“We’ve had contacts with all sorts of people, but at this point nothing has moved past the negotiation stages,“ Bassett said. “We’re in the sod business, and we’re happy doing that here and plan to be doing it here for a long time.“

Binion, who has been involved in casino operations with the legendary Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas and others in Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Louisiana, would have to gain a license here, and has been working with a group of Macon County investors, according to the Tuskegee News.

Two groups that have been unable to obtain licenses currently have suits pending.

VictoryLand is currently the only bingo operation licensed in Macon County and makes weekly donations to more than 50 charities.

Tourism director: Golf, food just a few of Alabama’s attractions

What can people do and see when they come to Alabama?  Alabama Director of Tourism and Travel, Lee Sentell, answered that question Thursday, sharing lunch with Auburn Rotarians at the Elks Lodge.

October 5, 2007

What can people do and see when they come to Alabama?

Alabama Director of Tourism and Travel, Lee Sentell, answered that question Thursday, sharing lunch with Auburn Rotarians at the Elks Lodge.

“We try to market specifics,“ he said. “Recently we published a list of ‘100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die.’ In 2006, we had the Year of Alabama Outdoors. This year, it’s the Year of Alabama Arts. In 2008, we have the Year of Alabama Sports.“

And that’s where East Central Alabama comes in.

“What’s been missing from our television commercials is Auburn and Opelika,“ he said. “We plan to have commercials featuring Auburn, Toomer’s Corner and the (Lovelace) Museum.“

Alabama Welcome Centers in the future will have local ties, Sentell said. He noted that industrial design students from Auburn University will work to redesign the centers on Alabama’s borders. Welcome centers are often the first impression a visitor has of a new state.

Foods, places and history are interesting, but a major part of Alabama’s tourism industry comes from its golf courses - primarily the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail that features a number of challenging facilities/resorts, including Grand National at Lake Saugahatchee in Opelika. Sentell said golf is not responsible only for an increase in tourism revenue.

“The fact that Auburn/Opelika was selected by Golf Digest as the No. 1 city in America for golf (in 2005) is huge when it comes to recruiting businesses and employees for your business,“ he said. “The quality of life is near the top of the list for amenities that companies are looking for when they decide where to locate.

“When Dr. (David) Bronner announced he was going to build a string of golf courses in Alabama to attract industry and retirees and promote tourism, a lot of people laughed. They said Alabama is not a golf state. But he made it a golf state.“

Bronner, head of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, created the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in 1992 and its courses are prominently featured on state tourism advertisements.

“We have a state retirement system that had foresight and the golf trail is his baby,“ Sentell said. “It does what he intended it to do - help with industrial recruitment, bring retirees into the state and improve the quality of life.“

Sentell said Alabama’s travel and tourism industry has grown by 42 percent over the last four and a half years, with figures calculated by lodging taxes.

“There are now 178,000 working in the hospitality industry, which include restaurants, hotels, attractions and suppliers,“ he said. “It’s an invisible industry because you can’t drive on and interstate and see it like a Mercedes or Hyundai plant.“

“Some people think that Alabama has a negative image,“ Sentell said. “But they don’t know much about Alabama.“

Kia plans to start job search in the next six to seven weeks

Drivers on Interstate 85 near West Point have seen the signs of progress on the new Kia plant’s construction. But on Tuesday, members and guests of the West Point Rotary Club got an update on the company’s hiring progress.

September 7, 2007

Drivers on Interstate 85 near West Point have seen the signs of progress on the new Kia plant’s construction. But on Tuesday, members and guests of the West Point Rotary Club got an update on the company’s hiring progress.

During the club’s meeting at the Riverside Country Club in Lanett, Randy Jackson, the director of human resources for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Inc., said plans and progress for the West Point plant are on schedule.

“We have a target of November 2009 as a target date and it is solid,“ he said.

But that wasn’t the only news he shared.

Jackson said work is also going on online, where the company is building its Web-based job site.

The company is currently interviewing for salaried employees and expects to begin the search for hourly workers in the next six to seven weeks, he added.

Applications for the hourly positions will be handled through the Web site, http://www.kiajobsingeorgia.com.

Kia has partnered with the Georgia Department of Labor and the state’s Quick Start program on the employment Web site and for hiring of the hourly workers.

Jackson said once the application process is opened, prospective employees will be able to go to the Web site and submit an application.

Jackson said “normally, you would keep the application flow open for about 30 to 45 days or so.“

From there, candidates will be “banded” and sorted according to their qualifications and then the interview process will begin. “So, it could go pretty much through the end of the year,“ he said.

No definitive date has been set for this sequence of events to begin either, but Jackson added “As soon as we can get the people in front of us and get them in pre-employment training and things like that it will com along pretty rapidly.“

The company has also partnered with two recruiters: JC Malone Associates of Louisville, Ky., and Management Recruiters of Auburn-Opelika Inc., for help in hiring the plant’s salaried positions.

The company will create about 2,500 directly, Jackson said, but expects about 2,000 additional jobs to be created by suppliers that will locate in the region. They also estimate that the plant will have an additional economic impact in the creation of as many as 10,000 jobs created by other businesses and employers attracted by the growth.

“Kia will be a place where everybody will want to come to work,“ Jackson said. “It’ll be an exciting place to work. It’ll be a very, very effective two-way communication - good working climate with the air conditioning. We’ll have a medical facility and a cafeteria facility there. We have a strong work ethic and strong team relations goals to have everything positive.“

West Point’s city manager Ed Moon said Tuesday’s message is good news for the city and the region.

“Getting this information out to the community is going to make our job a lot easier,“ he said, “To relieve those fears - Kia is coming. They are creating those job numbers, the way they’ll actually be able to apply for those jobs, so I think all this is very reassuring.“

Valley’s WestPoint home plant to close

July 31, 2007

More West Point Home employees will soon be out of work.

About 300 employees at the company’s Joseph L. Lanier Plant in Valley have been given a 60-day notice that their plant will shut down operations by Sept. 31.

But employees of the plant said the announcement wasn’t a surprise.

Olin Norwood, who has worked at the company for about 33 years, said there had been rumors.

“Everybody’s taking it about the same,“ he said Monday afternoon. “They’ve been looking for it anyway. They’ve been hearing it, so now they announced it. It ain’t no big deal now.“

The same seems to hold true for the community as well.

“People I’ve talked to say this isn’t going to be the last of it,“ said Valley’s Planning and Development Director Allen Hendrix.

Hendrix knows the impact of such announcements first hand. He worked for the company for about 28 years in the Service Center, before that operation was closed in 1993.

“It was a shock back then, because it was one of the first,“ he said. But he said he was lucky. “I left work there on Friday and went to work for the city on Monday.“

But attitudes have changed now, he added.

“Today I think everybody has kind of settled in,“ he said. “They know it’s coming.“

On Monday, company spokesperson Carolyn D’Angelo said the Lanier closing is part of the same “global restructuring” efforts the company cited when it announced the other closings earlier this year.

In May, the company announced it would be closing locations in three states, including the Opelika Finishing Plant and the Abbeville Fabrication Plant in Alabama, the Marianna Plant in Florida and the Grifftex and Graphics plants in Georgia. Those plants are scheduled to close by Aug. 31, affecting about 1,000 workers. At the time of that announcement several workers at the Opelika plant had a similar response citing rumors before the formal announcement. Some even said they’d already been looking for a new job.

Now, several families in the Valley area are experiencing the same.

“It’s very sad to us because we have had family involved,“ said resident Elizabeth Hudmon. Her son, Mark, works as a department manager at the Lanier plant.

But they are hopeful.

“We hope that Kia coming is going to provide a better future for our families and friends,“ she said. “We wish everything could have stayed, but you have to have change - change is the name of the game and Valley is growing. We’re just sad about everybody that’s going to be losing their jobs.“

D’Angelo said the company’s other Valley operations, including the Carter Plant, are not included in the latest closings.

Reporters Erin Bock and Brendon Anderson contributed to this story.

Plant to locate in Chambers with aid of grant funds

A $200,000 grant will help pave the way for 50 new jobs in a part of Alabama that has suffered numerous job losses through plant shutdowns.

February 6, 2007

A $200,000 grant will help pave the way for 50 new jobs in a part of Alabama that has suffered numerous job losses through plant shutdowns.

The Community Development Block Grant, awarded by Gov. Bob Riley, will enable Great Lakes Metal Stamping Inc. to build a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Chambers County.

The Michigan-based company produces stamped and welded brackets for the automotive industry.

“The decision by Great Lakes Metal Stamping to choose Alabama for its first plant in the South will make a tremendous impact on an area that has been hit hard by job losses,“ Riley said. “The decision reflects the company’s confidence in the ability of the many talented workers available in the area.“

The grant will be used to supply water for the new plant which will be built on a 10-acre site at the Cusseta Industrial Park off Interstate 85 near Lanett. The improvements will also aid efforts to attract more industry to the 290-acre industrial park.

More than 1,000 people in Chambers and Lee counties in Alabama and Troup County in Georgia lost their jobs with the closings of West Point Pepperell textile mills and the layoffs at BFGoodrich Tire facility in Opelika.

Riley notified Charles Hardage Jr., chairman of the Chambers County Commission, that the grant had been approved. The county and the Huguley Water, Sewer and Fire Protection Authority are pledging $94,000 in local funding for the project.

Funding for the grant was made available to the state through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Fort Benning-area communities plan for base expansion

As Fort Benning expands under the latest base realignment plan, area civilian leaders are trying to prepare for thousands of new neighbors - and their impact on schools, roads, housing and public services.

May 22, 2007

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - As Fort Benning expands under the latest base realignment plan, area civilian leaders are trying to prepare for thousands of new neighbors - and their impact on schools, roads, housing and public services.

Harry Lange, vice chairman of the Harris County Commission, told a group of civic and business leaders he understands the impact that recent realignment decisions will have on Fort Benning.

“But what will it be on the rest of us?“ Lange asked at Monday’s Bi-State Strategic Planning Session. “It’s frustrating. There simply are too many variables. We still don’t know how many people will be coming to our county nor how many children.“

Most of the hundred or so leaders invited by the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce shared the same common concern: Where will the funding come from?

Almost $3 billion in federal funds over the next several years should enable Fort Benning to meet all of its responsibilities.

“We can handle the growth,“ said Col. Keith Lovejoy, Fort Benning’s garrison commander. “BRAC money is guaranteed.“

But he added, “History shows that not a whole lot of BRAC money goes into the local communities.“

Under base realignment and closure priorities announced in 2005, Fort Benning expects to grow. But other Georgia bases are closing: Atlanta’s Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem, Marietta’s Naval Air Station-Atlanta, and the Athens Naval Supply School.

The Army estimates that newcomers to Fort Benning could total 45,000 over the next few years, including military members, their families, civilian employees and contractors.

“We’ll continue to remind people that it takes years to build roads and schools,“ said Mike Gaymon, the chamber’s executive director. “And frankly, we don’t have that many years.“

Business magazine ranks Alabama No. 1

For the second year in a row, Site Selection magazine has picked Alabama’s industrial recruitment agency as the best in the nation.

May 2, 2007

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)—For the second year in a row, Site Selection magazine has picked Alabama’s industrial recruitment agency as the best in the nation.

The business magazine announced the selection of the Alabama Development Office on Wednesday for the 2006 Competitiveness Award. ADO was also named the top state industrial recruitment agency for 2005.

To select the winner, the magazine weighs 10 factors involving new plant activity in each state, with the figures adjusted for population so small states can compete evenly with large states.

Alabama’s selection was based on 586 companies locating or expanding in Alabama in 2006. The industries, when completed, expect to create 24,780 jobs.

“This award is recognition of the professional staff we have employed at the Alabama Development Office and the depth of economic development experience at the local, regional and corporate levels in America,“ Gov. Bob Riley said Wednesday.

Following Alabama in the magazine’s top 10 states were: North Carolina, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa and Oklahoma.

Hyundai to build engine plant at Montgomery; hire 520

Hyundai will build an engine plant in Montgomery, creating 520 jobs, officials announced Monday.

March 12, 2007

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Hyundai will build an engine plant in Montgomery, creating 520 jobs, officials announced Monday.

A news conference was called by Gov. Bob Riley to unveil details of the new plant. A news release from the local Chamber of Commerce said the South Korean automaker would invest $270 million in the plant.

Hyundai opened its first U.S. manufacturing plant at Montgomery two years ago, a $1 billion investment that created 2,000 jobs.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Construction of ‘Venue in the Vally’ development gets underway

Dirt flew from the shovels Tuesday morning as local, county and state officials broke ground for “The Venue In Valley,“ a planned residential, recreation and commercial development adjacent to the Valley SportsPlex.

January 24, 2007

VALLEY - Dirt flew from the shovels Tuesday morning as local, county and state officials broke ground for “The Venue In Valley,“ a planned residential, recreation and commercial development adjacent to the Valley SportsPlex.

In his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, Valley Mayor Arnold Leak talked about the dirt with the more than 150 people braving a cold January morning on the hilltop just off Fob James Drive.

“I want to emphasize that that dirt is in the city of Valley, which is in Chambers County, which is in Alabama, which is in east Alabama, which is next to the Georgia border - we are all in this together.

“This is not a City of Valley only situation. This is something that all of us are going to benefit from, and this is only the beginning of many more things to come.“

Walter Shealy with the Greater Valley Development Group echoed what the mayor said.

“There is not a lot of distance between the areas of the cities. Like the mayor said, we have got to work together to make the whole area better,“ Shealy said.

“With Kia coming, we sit on one of the most dynamic environments that exists in America today,“ Shealy added. “We are investing our money at home. We do live here. We all live here, and this is very important to us. What we are doing today is not just about making money. It is about improving the quality of life.“

The Greater Valley Development Group is doing “The Venue In Valley,“ with more than 650 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments within walking distance of the SportsPlex.

There will be grocery shopping and other retail businesses by up to a half-dozen restaurant choices. The tennis, swimming, soccer, football, baseball and softball fields will be connected with a beautifully landscaped 8-foot wide greenbelt pedestrian path, eliminating the need for a vehicle within the development area.

There will be easy access for residents interested in pursuing classes at the Valley campus of Southern Union State Community College. Also, the development group plans on adding an outdoor amphitheater and will expand both the existing soccer fields and tennis court sites. Leak said the Industrial Development Authority of Chambers County board was unfunded not too many years ago, and now they have professionals with the knowledge and continuing efforts ongoing.

“As citizens of Chambers County, as citizens of Alabama, we can be proud we are taking that approach. We we are not doing it like podunk Alabama. We are doing it like people who are really going after industrial development. I think all of you should take pride in that,“ Leak said.

He said the development wasn’t something given by someone with a lot of money.

“This was a hard-fought, well-negotiated partnership, and that is the way things are done in the real world. This was not done by getting grants to buy our way into the future. It is give and take. It is win-win. If it is not that way, then it doesn’t happen,“ Leak said.

“We gave, they gave, and I think in the end of it we are all going to benefit from it. That is the way business is done, and I am happy to say that’s the way this was done here.“

Initial occupancy for the new apartments is projected for second quarter 2008. The projected, phased arrival of Kia workers and executives will create a demand for quality, affordable housing in the Valley area, which the Greater Valley Development Group will be poised to support.

Situated about a mile from the recently renovated six-lane interchange and on-ramp at Interstate 85’s Exit 77, the development’s location is minutes from the future Kia production facility.

Kia Ga. facility still on track

What may resemble the surface of Mars today will be home to Kia Motors’ state-of-the-art automobile manufacturing plant tomorrow.

January 21, 2007

WEST POINT, Ga. - What may resemble the surface of Mars today will be home to Kia Motors’ state-of-the-art automobile manufacturing plant tomorrow.

A 3,300-acre spread of red Georgia dirt adjacent to Interstate 85 just five miles from the Alabama state line won’t be full of bulldozers or dump trucks for long.

“It will be built before you know it,“ said Alison Tyner, senior communications specialist for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, speaking from her cell phone Friday just minutes after she motored past the site on I-85. “It’s one thing to talk about the plant’s progress, but it’s another thing to actually see it.“

Grading and infrastructure work continues on the $1.2 billion plant, expected to be fully operational by 2009. Since March’s announcement the Korean automaker would build a manufacturing facility in Troup County, Ga., work on the plant has been performed only by local contractors.

“Our piece is to provide water and sewer infrastructure,“ said West Point City Manager Ed Moon, who noted the city’s piece of the pie is an $18 million project by itself. “We have already completed Phase 1 of our water work and we are moving forward. I wouldn’t say that we are ahead of schedule, but I would say that we are on schedule.“

Moon said BRI Construction of Lawrenceville, Ga., awarded Phase 2 of water and sewer construction. Work on this estimated 150-day project has not yet begun, and a start date has not been set. Phase 3 of the city’s portion of the work will consist of a wastewater treatment plant at the site of the city’s existing plant, which was built in 1972.

“Obviously, the (Kia) plant will be a large sewage user,“ Moon said. “The city was already in the process of upgrading its treatment plant.

“We’re just trying to fulfill our obligation to make this project happen.“

Actual construction on the 2 million-square-foot building may not be far away, but remains in the “development stages,“ according to a Kia spokesperson.

The plant will be Kia’s first in the United States, this coming on the heels of the closure of the 60-year-old Ford Motor Co. manufacturing plant in Hapeville.

“It will be state-of-the-art - just like they (Kia) described it to us,“ Tyner said. “It will be modern, with two assembly lines. Aside from other developments, this is really a key acquisition for the state of Georgia. We expect to have a tremendous economic benefit from it, especially in west Georgia.“

The plant will produce an estimated 300,000 vehicles annually. However, specific models of these vehicles have not been named. It will also include an engine plant, paint shop, a 70,000-square-foot, $20.2 million training center, welcome center and third-party contractors.

What does this mean for those seeking jobs? It will employ approximately 2,893 with average salaries of $50,000 annually. This does not include a number of supplier companies that will flock to east Alabama and west Georgia, bringing jobs and economic growth with them. Some of these suppliers figure to locate in Auburn, Opelika or Chambers County.

Motorists along the interstate may soon be affected as the Georgia Department of Transportation will construct a new interchange and access road at a cost of $30 million. Also, a rail spur will connect the plant with lines running from Atlanta and points southward.

The joint project between the state and the international company is encouraging, Tyner said.

“Both the state and Kia are looking for good things to come from this partnership,“ she said. “It’s a partnership that will move the state forward in the automotive world.“

ThyssenKrupp plant focus of Alabama special session

ThyssenKrupp AG is not a well-known corporate name in Alabama, but it will be after this week.

February 26, 2007

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - ThyssenKrupp AG is not a well-known corporate name in Alabama, but it will be after this week.

Gov. Bob Riley summoned the Alabama Legislature into special session Monday to give him $400 million in borrowing power to offer incentives to the German steelmaker and other industries looking at locating plants in Alabama.

Riley visited Germany and scheduled the special session after ThyssenKrupp announced it had narrowed its search for a plant site to an area in north Mobile County, Ala. and a location in Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The $2.9 billion plant, employing 2,700 people, would be the largest private industrial project ever in Alabama.

Alabama is running behind Louisiana in putting together an incentive package. The Louisiana Legislature met in special session in December to approve $300 million.

Riley is hoping the Alabama Legislature will wrap up its special session in close to five days _ the minimum time needed to pass his legislation _ and then be ready for its regular session starting March 6.

“This is relatively simple,“ he said in an interview.

Not so, said state Sen. Roger Bedford, whose Finance and Taxation-General Fund Committee will handle Riley’s legislation.

“We are not going to give a blank check for $400 million with no accountability,“ he said.

Bedford said the governor has not communicated with legislators about the details of his plan or about what industries he hopes to attract other than ThyssenKrupp.

“He’s the only governor I’ve known to operate that way,“ the veteran legislator said.

In speeches across the state, Riley says Alabama is competing for 10 major industrial projects that could provide 10,000 jobs. They include a plant in the Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia area that would employ 1,500 and another in the Montgomery area with 500 to 1,000 jobs.

Riley’s speeches have apparently had an impact. Capital Survey Research Center, the polling arm of the Alabama Education Association, surveyed 634 Alabamians between Feb. 19-22 about the special session.

The polling firm found 60 percent in favor of Riley’s proposal, 25 percent against and 15 percent unsure. The poll had a sampling error margin of 4 percentge points, director Gerald Johnson said.

The Republican governor has also garnered support from Democratic House Speaker Seth Hammett and Democratic Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr., who lured Mercedes-Benz to Alabama in 1993 while serving as governor.

“Alabama can’t afford to miss this chance to pass this incentive package. I’m fully supportive of the special session,“ said Folsom, who accompanied Riley to Germany to visit ThyssenKrupp officials.

Folsom, who presides over the state Senate, said a special session was necessary because “we are on a very short time frame with these projects.“

Under Alabama’s constitution, the Legislature’s approval of $400 million in bond selling authority won’t be enough. Alabama voters will have to approve it, too. But the constitution won’t allow a statewide referendum until 90 days after the session ends.

By isolating the issue in a special session, Riley can get a vote in June. Waiting for the regular session to end would put the referendum in September.

In the special session, Riley is also asking the Legislature to approve a constitutional amendment creating two trust funds. They would hold money set aside to pay the future health insurance costs of retired state workers and education employees.

Passage of the legislation is necessary to protect Alabama’s bond rating and make sure the state gets a good interest rate on the $400 million it plans to borrow, Riley said.

Some have used the special session to argue that Alabama should rewrite its 1901 constitution and make it easier for state officials to address economic opportunities. But Riley disagrees.

“I don’t think we’ve run into any impediments that are unwieldy,“ he said.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

‘I didn’t kill anybody”

By: Joe McAdory
Staff Writer / Opelika-Auburn News

WETUMPKA - The confines of an Elmore County jail cell are lonely.

Behind bars miles from home, Rosemary Latrice Newsome sits and thinks - about her life, her four little children and the events of the morning of Aug. 14.
Newsome, 28, indicted Wednesday for the shooting death of James Heard of Beauregard, awaits trial and the possibility of life in prison.

In a pair of exclusive interviews with the Opelika-Auburn News at the jail, Newsome not only pleaded her innocence - but also pointed a finger at the person she claims is responsible for the murder.

“The person that committed this crime is still out there,“ she claimed. “I am - and will always feel - responsible for Mr. Heard’s death. I am responsible in only one way. I did not pull the trigger to the gun that took Mr. Heard’s life. But I allowed and trusted this person into my house the night before, and left him there with Mr. Heard that morning.

“I had no reason to kill him.“

Newsome claims a juvenile, who she refused to name, spent the evening of Aug. 13 at the home she shared with Heard, whom she considered her common-law husband. Newsome said the juvenile had a gun.

“I’ve seen him with a gun plenty of times,“ said Newsome, who claimed the youth came over late that evening to “do some laundry and make copies of CDs off of the computer.

“I don’t know anything about guns. I’ve never shot a gun a day in my life. He’s walking free when he should be in jail. If this juvenile tells the truth, I can go home to my kids.“

But Newsome said it was this teen’s testimony to police that led to her arrest.

“He lied on me,“ she said. “I expect him to talk to his mother or his aunt and do what is right because my life is at stake here. I want him to picture his momma sitting in jail, away from him like my kids are doing me.“

By: Joe McAdory
Staff Writer / Opelika-Auburn News

WETUMPKA - The confines of an Elmore County jail cell are lonely.

Behind bars miles from home, Rosemary Latrice Newsome sits and thinks - about her life, her four little children and the events of the morning of Aug. 14.
Newsome, 28, indicted Wednesday for the shooting death of James Heard of Beauregard, awaits trial and the possibility of life in prison.

In a pair of exclusive interviews with the Opelika-Auburn News at the jail, Newsome not only pleaded her innocence - but also pointed a finger at the person she claims is responsible for the murder.

“The person that committed this crime is still out there,“ she claimed. “I am - and will always feel - responsible for Mr. Heard’s death. I am responsible in only one way. I did not pull the trigger to the gun that took Mr. Heard’s life. But I allowed and trusted this person into my house the night before, and left him there with Mr. Heard that morning.

“I had no reason to kill him.“

Newsome claims a juvenile, who she refused to name, spent the evening of Aug. 13 at the home she shared with Heard, whom she considered her common-law husband. Newsome said the juvenile had a gun.

“I’ve seen him with a gun plenty of times,“ said Newsome, who claimed the youth came over late that evening to “do some laundry and make copies of CDs off of the computer.

“I don’t know anything about guns. I’ve never shot a gun a day in my life. He’s walking free when he should be in jail. If this juvenile tells the truth, I can go home to my kids.“

But Newsome said it was this teen’s testimony to police that led to her arrest.
“He lied on me,“ she said. “I expect him to talk to his mother or his aunt and do what is right because my life is at stake here. I want him to picture his momma sitting in jail, away from him like my kids are doing me.“

‘Usual’ morning routine

Heard, 57, left his job as a dock worker at the Opelika-Auburn News on Aug. 14 shortly after 5 a.m. and arrived to his residence on Alabama Highway 51 in Beauregard at approximately 5:30 a.m.

“I got the kids (four ages 6, 7, 8 and 12) up as usual,“ Newsome said. “Everyone was doing their usual routine. Mr. Heard came in at 5:30 a.m. I had just finished my daughter’s hair. (Heard) came in and we greeted him and he went to his room, sat on the bed and watched the news.“

Newsome said “the juvenile,“ who had spent the night, “Put clothes in the washer, took a little black bag and went outside on the porch. I knew he was doing drugs and getting high. I figured he was going out to smoke whatever he was smoking.

“We waited for 6:25 to roll around (when the children’s school bus arrived). Everyone grabbed their book bags. The kids gave (Heard) kisses and hugs. I gave him a kiss and a hug. (The juvenile) was in the back, laying in my son’s bed. Mr. Heard said he would grab a nap and then go to a job fair.
“Me and the kids went out of the house. I closed the door behind me.“

Newsome said she planned to visit the house she and Heard previously occupied, then head to an auto dealer. She said she never made it to the home on Airport Road in Opelika before her cell phone caught her attention.

“I had a missed call and a text from (the juvenile),“ she said. “The text asked where I was at. I called him back and he said he needed me to take him to Wal-Mart to get money for his mother. I asked, ‘Why didn’t you go with me when I left?‘ So I turned around at the new Kroger and went back out (to the trailer).
“The phone rang again. He said to pick him up at his aunt’s house (not far from the Heard residence). I said, ‘OK.‘ I never made it back home that morning. I pulled into his aunt’s house. He got in the truck. He had a black and white bandana in his hand. He had on black shorts, black shoes and a white tank. I left and headed back up 51.

“I took him over to Pleasant Circle (in Opelika), one of his hangout spots. I knew he was real nervous and different. He told me that he and his girlfriend got into an argument that morning. I asked him if he wanted to be dropped off at his girlfriend’s, but he said ‘no.‘ But he wanted to get a T-shirt from his girlfriend.
“He said he just wanted a T-shirt to put over his white tank. But he still wasn’t acting like himself.“

Opposing views

In a statement to Opelika police, a juvenile said he received a call from Newsome late on Aug. 13 asking, where he’d be the following morning. In the statement, the juvenile told police he was picked up by Newsome early that morning and the two arrived at the Heard trailer at 7:10 a.m.
“We got to the trailer and she unlocked the front door,“ said the statement read by Opelika Police Sgt. Ben Bugg at the Nov. 14 preliminary hearing. The witness said he needed to use the bathroom, and proceeded there.

“I was in there for three or four minutes, then I heard gunshots,“ the juvenile said in the statement. “I got to the door and Rosemary was running out of the bedroom. She told me she killed (Heard).“

The story raised Newsome’s eyebrows.

“I would never have picked up a juvenile to take him back to my house just to commit murder,“ she said. “It doesn’t make sense. For me to leave my home, go all the way to Opelika to pick this supposed witness up, take him all the way back to my house and kill James in front of him … Ray Charles could see that. This juvenile has made me out to be a cold-blooded killer.

“The juvenile was already in my house. He was not picked up by me. The juvenile spent the night.“
Brian Heard, son of the victim, said the family was growing tired of the case.

“We’re trying to put it to rest,“ he said. “It’s just someone trying to pretend she’s innocent. I can’t tell you if I’m convinced or not because it’s an ongoing story. It’s hard to make a judgment call. It’s pretty overwhelming … the evidence against her (Newsome). I feel like justice is doing what it is supposed to do. Maybe it will all come out. I feel like she’s throwing water against the wind. Why didn’t she come forward the day of?“

Neither Opelika police investigators nor Lee County District Attorney Nick Abbett could comment about the ongoing case.

Gruesome discovery

Lee County dispatch received a 911 call from Newsome at approximately 10 a.m. Newsome said she found the lifeless body of Heard, covered in blood.
“I am and will always be scarred for life after finding Mr. Heard dead in our home,“ she said. “No matter where I go, that picture will always be part of my memory.“

Heard suffered multiple gunshot wounds, with officials saying he was shot to death lying in bed.

“After finding Mr. Heard, I didn’t know what happened to him,“ Newsome said. “All I could think of was who and why. More so, how? There was no forced entry and nothing was taken from the house. I wasn’t focused and this juvenile didn’t even cross my mind. All I know is that my door was cracked and that’s when the killer left my house in a hurry.

“I called a couple of people to tell them what had happened, which the only choice of words I could use was that I found him dead,“ Newsome said. “This juvenile crossed my mind also. I kept saying, ‘I have to talk to this person to find out what happened. After calling this juvenile, I asked him ‘What happened when I left you in my house this morning?‘ The juvenile started off by sounding as if he was about to cry, ‘Rosemary, I didn’t mean it.‘ I asked this juvenile what did he do, and he told me word for word what he did …

“Mr. Heard was asleep. There was nothing taken from the house. Stuff was taken off of Mr. Heard and Mr. Heard’s car. I can’t say what. He took it off of him.
“I told him he had to turn himself in. The juvenile was crying and asked me did I know what they did to little boys like him in prison. I told him I would give him some time, which was the biggest mistake I made.

“I lied to the detectives on account of this juvenile.“

But deception became par for the course.

“I lied so much during the course of this investigation that they (police) won’t believe me,“ Newsome said. “They won’t do anything. They won’t go arrest him. If I hadn’t lied, I wouldn’t be in jail. If I had just told the truth …

“The person that committed this crime is still out there. I lied to police, but murder? I didn’t kill anybody.“

Shortly after the killing, the Opelika-Auburn News learned that despite Newsome’s claims as Heard’s common-law wife, she had been married to Opelika minister, Jeffrey Gray, since April. Newsome explained the marriage was an act to win a custody hearing to get her children back.

“Jeffrey Gray—he is irrelevant to this whole situation,“ she said. “Judge (Richard) Lane granted custody, and marriage didn’t even come up. I wanted to get an annulment.“

Gray declined comment two days after Heard’s death.

After nearly two weeks of investigation, Newsome was arrested Aug. 31 by Opelika Police and charged with murder. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office turned the investigation over to the municipal police Aug. 14. Newsome has a pending lawsuit, filed in 2002, against the county and the sheriff’s office.

Bitter feelings

Newsome said she cared for (the juvenile), and those feelings made her vulnerable.

“If he needed me, I was there for him,“ she said. “If he needed a place to stay, I opened up my home. I’ve known him since he was a kid. Why would he turn around and lie on me? The police made it easy for him to lie on me. I know they scared him.

“This juvenile has interrupted my life as well as my kids’. He took everything from me. Mr. Heard’s life was snatched from him and my freedom was snatched from me on account of him. I don’t even think he realized all the damage he caused. I pray that he goes and tells his mother, his aunt or anybody that he had lied on me so I can go home to my kids.

“A word of advice to this juvenile … you stepped up to be the supposed star witness to this crime for the detectives. I want to see you get your shine on when you step on the witness stand. He doesn’t realize everything will come out in the wash. He doesn’t know anything about forensics tests, records and reports that will be presented in court. I just hope he has enough sense to do what is right before then.

“This juvenile has taken my kindness for weakness after everything I done for him before Mr. Heard’s death. Even after Mr. Heard’s death, I was the one who took the blame. I even took death threats and all the heat from this whole situation. I lied for him. I found myself telling one lie to cover up another lie. All because he thought he was ready to step into a big man’s shoes, and later finding out that they were too big. He wasn’t ready to be the man he set out to be that morning.

“He killed Mr. Heard.“