Alabama Leaders Hope to Land New Air Force Fighters

| October 24, 2016 

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/10/F35.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1085;s:4:"file";s:15:"2016/10/F35.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-336x190.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:190;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-771x436.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:436;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-768x434.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:434;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:16:"F35-1536x868.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:868;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:13:"F35-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-550x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:550;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:15:"F35-125x125.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:2341237;s:14:"optimized_size";i:154557;s:7:"percent";d:93.400000000000006;}s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:43:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:2181861;s:14:"optimized_size";i:58091;s:7:"percent";d:97.340000000000003;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:5636;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4164;s:7:"percent";d:26.120000000000001;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-336x190.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:11915;s:14:"optimized_size";i:7826;s:7:"percent";d:34.32;}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-771x435.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:43129;s:14:"optimized_size";i:23446;s:7:"percent";d:45.640000000000001;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:49:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-80x80.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:2678;s:14:"optimized_size";i:1969;s:7:"percent";d:26.469999999999999;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:29041;s:14:"optimized_size";i:17296;s:7:"percent";d:40.439999999999998;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:16869;s:14:"optimized_size";i:11095;s:7:"percent";d:34.229999999999997;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-551x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:25420;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15114;s:7:"percent";d:40.539999999999999;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-470x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:19943;s:14:"optimized_size";i:12024;s:7:"percent";d:39.710000000000001;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:51:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/10/F35-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:4745;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3532;s:7:"percent";d:25.559999999999999;}}}
        )

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

)
1672374335 
1477285206

Earlier this year the Air Force declared its Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program combat ready. It’s been 23 years in the making and has suffered though shortcomings and budget issues. But with the fighters ready to take the sky, political leaders in Alabama are hoping to bring the program to this state and the economic benefits that come along with it. That’s in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.

 

How George Wallace and Bull Connor set the stage for Alabama’s sky-high electric rates

After his notorious stand in the schoolhouse door, Wallace needed a new target. He found it in Alabama Power.

FIFA president defends World Cup ticket prices, saying demand is hitting records

The FIFA President addressed outrage over ticket prices for the World Cup by pointing to record demand and reiterating that most of the proceeds will help support soccer around the world.

From chess to a medical mystery: Great global reads from 2025 you may have missed

We published hundreds of stories on global health and development each year. Some are ... alas ... a bit underappreciated by readers. We've asked our staff for their favorite overlooked posts of 2025.

The U.S. offers Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee for now, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday the United States is offering his country security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan.

Genre fiction and female authors top U.S. libraries’ most-borrowed lists in 2025

All of the top 10 books borrowed through the public library app Libby were written by women. And Kristin Hannah's The Women was the top checkout in many library systems around the country.

The Best Tiny Desk Concerts of 2025

Which Tiny Desk made an audio engineer question everything? Which one made a producer want to cry? Touch grass? Look back on the year in Tiny Desk, with the people who make them.

More Economy Coverage