Hot and Hot's Hastings to appear on Iron Chef - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:42:02 +0000
Iron Chef America's Kitchen Stadium will soon get a taste of the Magic City. Hot and Hot Fish Club's Chris Hastings will appear on the Food Network show on Feb. 26, according to the show's website. Hastings will square off against Iron Chef Bobby Flay in the episode, which was taped back in July, according to the Birmingham News. The episode featuring Hastings will air Feb. 26 at 9 p.m., at midnight on Feb. 27 and 4 p.m. on March 3. In the show, Hastings and Flay will each have an hour to prepare five dishes incorporating the battle's secret ingredient...

Auburn, Tuscaloosa have highest education salaries in Alabama - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:07:59 +0000
Educators in the Auburn and Tuscaloosa metro areas earn the highest average annual pay in Alabama, according to a new review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by On Numbers. Auburn ($62,510) had the highest average pay, with Tuscaloosa ($54,650) about $8,000 behind. The figures aren't too surprising, with Auburn being the home of Auburn University and Tuscaloosa being the home of the University of Alabama. Birmingham ($50,510) had the third highest average annual pay in the state. The Magic City is also home to more than 25,000 individuals in the education field, which is by far the highest in the state...

Birmingham city accountant faces termination for second time - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:40:39 +0000
Days after her return to City Hall, the longtime Birmingham city accountant who was given her job back by the Jefferson County Personnel Board could be out of work again. According to the Birmingham News, Virginia Spidle's supervisor gave her a new list of charges Thursday that could cost Spidle her job. Spidle's lawyer Gayle Gear said the action by Mayor William Bell's administration creates a showdown between two governing bodies, the city and the Personnel Board.

$1M in invoices unpaid by Cooper Green - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:30:44 +0000
Six months after being cut off from Jefferson County's ailing general fund, Cooper Green Mercy Hospital has more than $1 million in unpaid invoices for medical and laboratory supplies. According to the Birmingham News, hospital officials said Thursday they are still adjusting to paying their bills without getting cash from the general fund. The commission voted last summer to stop allowing the hospital to dip into the county's general fund and require it to operate entirely from within an indigent care fund dedicated solely to Cooper Green.

Defense cuts will impact vessels built at Austal - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:18:34 +0000
Two ship classes built at Austal USA were among the defense programs dented Thursday by a new Pentagon spending plan. According to the Press-Register, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the U.S. Navy would buy two fewer littoral combat ships and eight fewer joint high-speed vessels than it had planned to by 2017. The Pentagon announced spending cuts totaling $259 billion over the next five years as the federal government attempts to chisel away at its $15 trillion debt.

State senator pitches plan to finance roadwork in Alabama - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:03:18 +0000
State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said he has drafted a bill to create a state infrastructure bank that would provide a new way to pay for road projects. According to the Huntsville Times, Orr said the bank, which he discussed at the North Alabama Transportation Foundation meeting Wednesday, could play an important role in building new roads. Orr said the state could set up the bank with $600 million to $700 million that would yield nearly $1 billion for road improvements when local governments kick in a 30 percent match.

Montgomery hotel will reopen as Doubletree - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:49:25 +0000
The former Madison Hotel in downtown Montgomery is expected to reopen this summer as a 130-room Doubletree Hotel, following a $5 million overhaul. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, John Tampa, who purchased the beleaguered hotel site late last year, said he plans to gut the hotel and nothing will remain except the walls. Tampa said he hopes the renovation project will return the hotel to its former glory of the 1970s.

200 jobs will be added at Dothan-based call center - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:32:21 +0000
Dothan-based Vantage Sourcing said Thursday it is adding 200 jobs to launch a new project for a client. According to the Dothan Eagle, the customer service call center, which also has a location in Taylor, is currently in the initial stages of training the additional workers. Vantage Sourcing Call Center Director Kim Redd said the launch date for the new project will be in the middle of February.

Farmers won’t hamper plans for Tuscaloosa market - Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:02:04 +0000
Plans by the city of Tuscaloosa to open the new Tuscaloosa River Market in April are not expected to be delayed by further complaints from the Tuscaloosa County Truck Growers Association. According to the Tuscaloosa News, the city will look to farmers outside of Tuscaloosa County if members of the association follow through on plans to set up shop in Northport rather than the $3 million facility nearing completion on Jack Warner Parkway. City Councilman Lee Garrison said he want to give priority to Tuscaloosa farmers, “but at some point there has to be a deadline to that priority...