A Strong Year for Birmingham’s Private Companies

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2015/01/cindy-crawford.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:300;s:4:"file";s:26:"2015/01/cindy-crawford.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:5:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"cindy-crawford-336x168.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:168;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"cindy-crawford-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"cindy-crawford-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"cindy-crawford-470x235.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:235;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"cindy-crawford-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:115801;s:14:"optimized_size";i:71455;s:7:"percent";d:38.299999999999997;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:54:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:30102;s:14:"optimized_size";i:16248;s:7:"percent";d:46.020000000000003;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:5767;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4300;s:7:"percent";d:25.440000000000001;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford-336x168.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:9308;s:14:"optimized_size";i:5565;s:7:"percent";d:40.210000000000001;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford-600x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:26812;s:14:"optimized_size";i:16366;s:7:"percent";d:38.960000000000001;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:22773;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15835;s:7:"percent";d:30.469999999999999;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford-470x235.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:16084;s:14:"optimized_size";i:9422;s:7:"percent";d:41.420000000000002;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/01/cindy-crawford-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:4955;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3719;s:7:"percent";d:24.940000000000001;}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1673575436 
1434344439

Many of Birmingham’s private companies had a great 2014 with sales up at the largest 100 companies a collective 77-percent. Two-thirds also added employees. Those numbers came from a Birmingham Business Journal survey and we talk about what sparked the increase in this week’s Magic City Marketplace. The newspaper’s editor Cindy Fisher Crawford tells WBHM’s Andrew Yeager about the reasons for these firms growth.

 

Offshore wind developer prevails in U.S. court as Trump calls wind farms ‘losers’

A federal judge ruled Monday that work on a major offshore wind farm can resume, handing the industry at least a temporary victory as President Trump seeks to shut it down.

Minnesota officials sue to block Trump’s immigration crackdown as enforcement intensifies

More than 2,000 federal immigration agents are in Minnesota, and that number is expected to increase. On Monday, an NPR reporter witnessed multiple instances where immigration agents drove around Minneapolis — and in parking lots of big box stores — and randomly questioned people about their immigration status.

Elon Musk’s X faces bans and investigations over nonconsensual bikini images

After the social media app's AI chatbot started generating sexualized images of women and children, two countries have blocked it and several more have launched investigations.

Trump administration tells states to end ‘orphan tax’ on foster kids

There's a growing move to end what some call "the orphan tax" and stop states from taking benefit checks from children and youth in foster care.

Flu shot recommendation for kids dropped just as the illness rages

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped its advice that kids get an annual flu shot at a time when flu cases and hospitalizations are surging.

Trump calls for a 10% cap on credit card interest rates

With credit card interest rates near modern highs, President Trump says he wants to cap the rates for one year.

More Economy Coverage