Economy
Biden makes an 11th-hour move to block coastal oil drilling
President Biden has issued an executive order blocking drilling for oil in more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean. It's the largest such move in history, but is almost guaranteed to be challenged under the incoming Trump administration.
One-day strikes are in: Why unions are keeping it short on the picket line
Strikes can be a double-edged sword. Keeping them short can help workers gain leverage while minimizing the pain for those who don’t have it.
Here are 3 questions to ask before panic buying during a supply chain breakdown
The dock worker strike in October led to some shoppers panic buying the wrong items. Here are tips for how to prep the right way, according to experts.
It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time in McCalla: Smuckers opens biggest Uncrustables factory in the country
The facility represents a more than $1 billion capital investment from Smuckers and is predicted to bring in 750 jobs to the community.
Amazon workers in Alabama will have third labor union vote after judge finds illegal influence
Administrative law judge Michael Silverstein on Tuesday ordered the third vote for Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama after determining that Amazon committed six violations leading up to the second election in March 2022.
‘Five Points South is so much more than that’: residents reflect one month after mass shooting
How is the neighborhood holding up in the weeks since a mass shooting left four people dead and 17 wounded.
1 reason people don’t evacuate for hurricanes? Rising costs, and they’re getting pricier
One researcher estimates evacuations can cost residents more than five times the amount they did 20 years ago.
Lilly Ledbetter, an icon of the fight for equal pay, has died at 86
Ledbetter had worked a Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Gadsden, Alabama, for 19 years when she received an anonymous note saying she was being paid significantly less than three male colleagues.
Alabama’s construction industry is in dire need of workers. Here’s how companies are responding
Nationally and in Alabama, a construction-workforce shortage has stretched for decades. Now, as increased demand after the pandemic shows no signs of slowing and as billions of dollars in federal funding for infrastructure and manufacturing projects flows to states, the problem is growing.
How Alabama food banks are keeping rural communities fed
As the November election approaches, food insecurity is one issue that’s top of mind for residents in Alabama’s newly redrawn District 2.
‘A dream come true’: Alabama ‘grandfamilies’ are set to receive opioid settlement funds
The new state program— the first of its kind in the U.S. — will give $280,000 from opioid settlement funding to grandparents raising their grandchildren.
A plan to fix Jackson’s water system could cost all of Mississippi its food stamps
The DOJ and USDA said using a SNAP recipient’s information to distribute JXN Water’s roughly $30 discount to low-income customers would violate privacy.
Q&A: A New Orleans Dollar General employee discusses $12M settlement, store closures, more
Dollar General stocker and advocate David Williams hopes the complaint and settlement will lead to positive changes for employees.
Nissan workers in Mississippi consider another union campaign: VW ‘proved it can be done’
Pro-union workers at the Canton, Mississippi, plant say Volkswagen proved the UAW can win in the South, but other factors are in play — like the 2024 election.
What’s unique about this Gadsden restaurant? It’s more than the food
Beautiful Rainbow Café is unusual. Students with significant cognitive disabilities staff the café, and it’s one of few vegetarian-only restaurants in Alabama.
The UAW’s union dreams seemed unstoppable. Then came the realities of the South
After a historic victory in Tennessee, the United Auto Workers southern campaign is still recovering from a big rejection in Alabama. How will it recover?
Thousands of Dollar General stores now sell fresh produce. Could it improve rural food access?
The discount store chain has added fresh fruits and vegetables at more than 5,400 stores. Grocery store advocates say the move could hurt mom-and-pop grocers.
As dollar stores continue rural expansion, a Louisiana parish found a new way to push back
Tangipahoa Parish blocked a new Dollar General from opening in a case that could set a precedent for other communities looking to keep discount retailers out.
4 takeaways from a year of investigating nightmare utility bills
GSN reporters reflect on a year of the Utility Bill of the Month series investigating missing, expensive and just wrong water and power bills in the region.
After decisive loss at Alabama Mercedes plants, powerful auto union vows to return and win
Newly elected UAW President Shawn Fain said the union will return to Mercedes and will press on with efforts to organize about 150,000 workers at more than a dozen auto factories across the nation.
Workers at Alabama’s Mercedes plants vote against joining a union
The workers voted 56% against the union, according to tallies released by the National Labor Relations Board, which ran the election.
The United Auto Workers faces a key test in the South with upcoming vote at Alabama Mercedes plant
The United Auto Workers is aiming for a key victory at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama. More than 5,000 workers at the facility in Vance and nearby battery plant will vote this week on whether to join the UAW.
Alabama to begin working with a consulting company that’s under criminal investigation
McKinsey & Company, an international consulting business, will help the state of Alabama develop a new strategic economic growth plan. The company is undertaking that project, while also dealing with a probe into whether it engaged in a criminal conspiracy.
A New Orleans garden paid hundreds of dollars in fees for a sewer that doesn’t exist
Galvez Garden owner Lissie Stewart has been fighting the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board over inaccurate billing for years.
How food stamps could play a key role in fixing Jackson’s broken water system
JXN Water's affordability plan aims to raise much-needed revenue while offering discounts to customers in need, but it is currently tied up in court.
Crawfish prices are finally dropping, but farmers and fishers are still struggling
Last year’s devastating drought in Louisiana killed off large crops of crawfish, leading to a tough season for farmers, fishers and seafood lovers.
Q&A: A bad deal made Jackson’s water problems worse. It wasn’t the only Mississippi city harmed
Reporter Sarah Fowler talks about her investigation that found at least eight Mississippi cities were harmed by deals over faulty smart water meters.
A ‘gassy’ Alabama coal mine was expanding under a home. After an explosion, two were left critically injured
Oak Grove Mine has a long history of safety violations. In 2006, federal officials evacuated its workers because of dangerous levels of methane, a flammable gas.
Some Jackson residents still face water billing issues despite new systems in place
In trying to rectify decades of billing chaos and draw new revenue, another issue has emerged for JXN Water: How much should customers be on the hook for?
What architects learned from 30 years of building affordable homes in Alabama’s Black Belt
Auburn University’s Rural Studio is sharing its wealth of knowledge with partners in a half dozen states to help solve rural homelessness.
4 factors besides cold weather that explain expensive winter power bills
Like many in the Gulf South, Will Burt’s power bill spiked in January due to extreme weather. But how much of the increase can be attributed to the cold?
How Birmingham reflects an entwined struggle for civil and labor rights
Movements for civil rights and workers' rights often intersect. But many times the labor part of the picture is overlooked. That’s the case in Birmingham, which is well known for its civil rights history.
