This summer is on track to be among Texas’ most extreme
An unrelenting stretch of blistering days amid an ongoing heat wave has put this summer on track to be one of Texas’ most extreme, weather data shows.
Although June was only Texas’ 16th warmest on record by average temperature, according to the state climatologist, a long period of very hot days between mid-June and mid-July has made this summer one of the most intense in terms of extended high temperatures.
In June, a sample of 38 weather stations across the state recorded a temperature at or above 100 degrees 250 times — the fifth-greatest monthly total for that month in the past three decades, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of National Weather Service data. The average temperature for June was 82.2 degrees, which was 2.6 degrees above the 20th century average, according to data provided by the state climatologist. Texas Tribune
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves again calls for phasing out personal income tax
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is renewing his call for legislators to phase out the state’s personal income tax over several years, and he is asking them to spend more money on economic development, highways and the judiciary.
The Republican governor is also requesting additional spending on Capitol Police as the state-run agency is set to gain a wider territory to patrol within the capital city of Jackson.
Reeves on Wednesday released his budget proposals for fiscal 2025, which begins July 1.
The Republican-controlled Legislature could consider the document as they decide how to spend state money. But House and Senate budget writers have a long history of largely ignoring budget recommendations from governors, even when they’re from the same party.
Jackson Clarion Ledger
What’s filming in Georgia in February 2024?
The scripted side of TV and film business in Georgia has been a bit slow getting back into gear since the actors strike ended in early November, but it’s starting to pick up in February. The number of productions jumped from 28 to 40 in less than four weeks. And the scripted side has grown from 11 to 21, which is closer to pre-strike productivity.
At Assembly in Doraville, Kevin Hart, Don Cheadle, Taraji P. Henson and Samuel L. Jackson are starring in “Fight Night: Million Dollar Heist,” a limited series for Peacock.
Netflix is busy. Both “Cobra Kai” and “Stranger Things” are finally shooting their final seasons. Lindsay Lohan is starring in a new Netflix Christmas movie “Our Little Secret” and has been seen around town at Atlanta Hawks games and shooting in downtown Decatur. And Colman Domingo (”Rustin”) is starring in a limited series “The Madness.”
NBC’s season 2 of “Found” is also back. So is the fourth season of Netflix’s “Sweet Magnolias.”
Amazon has started two productions. Eddie Murphy will soon be in town to shoot action film “The Pick Up.” Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Nettles will be starting the new series “The Bondsman.”
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Youngkin’s focus on Virginia wins praise from unlikely source: Democrats
RICHMOND — Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who spent the first two years of his administration hammering national hot-button issues such as critical race theory and parental rights, has a new message for the Democrats who run the General Assembly:
Send me bills that make Virginia look good.
In Youngkin’s view, that means business-friendly bills that cut taxes, expand workforce training and pave the way for a sports arena in Alexandria for the Wizards and Capitals. Democrats might or might not agree with the specifics, but the nuts-and-bolts debate signals the promise of a new relationship between a Republican governor who had seemed to be looking beyond Virginia and a legislature where Democrats have a fresh sense of power and purpose.
“We’re building a rapport,” said House Speaker Don L. Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth), once one of Youngkin’s sharpest antagonists in floor debates. “Give us some time. Let us build this rapport outside of the public limelight. And then when the time comes, we’ll be able to [get things done] because we’re working on some big, important stuff.”
The Washington Post
A China-U.S. Decoupling? You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
The U.S. trade deficit with China fell last year to its lowest in over a decade. This looks, at first glance, like a decoupling of the two economies thanks to the steep tariffs President Donald Trump slapped on Chinese imports in 2018.
Trump is spoiling to finish the job, floating a 60%, or higher, tariff on all Chinese imports if he’s re-elected this fall.
The U.S., though, hasn’t kicked the Chinese import habit as much as the data suggest. Chinese and Western manufacturers have found numerous ways around tariffs; they are likely to redouble those efforts if the levies go higher.
Last year, the overall U.S. trade deficit in goods shrank to $1.1 trillion from $1.2 trillion in 2022, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. As a share of gross domestic product, it fell to 3.9%, the lowest in over a decade.
Most of the reduction came via the gap with China. This dropped by more than $100 billion to $281 billion last year, the lowest since 2010.
The Wall Street Journal
McMaster discusses workforce readiness at first Economic Growth Summit
The South Carolina Department of Commerce held its first economic development summit Monday, and workforce readiness was at the forefront of issues as thousands of jobs are headed to the Palmetto state. The theme of the day was ‘launch to legacy.’
With a more than $830,000 rebrand, the Department of Commerce looked back at why businesses chose South Carolina and looked ahead to attracting more.
“Well, certainly our plan is to have good companies come to South Carolina and also for good companies to be created in South Carolina,” Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey said. “You know we got the opportunity to hear today from entrepreneurs who started their businesses right here in South Carolina and they’re now global leaders in their particular areas.”
WLTX-TV Columbia
Duke Energy provides resource plan update to South Carolina regulators that reflects state’s booming population, economy
- Palmetto State’s population grew faster than anywhere in the nation in 2023
- Company continues to pursue ‘all of the above’ generation strategy, which provides diverse energy sources to meet state’s growing electricity demand
GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — From population growth to the expansion of manufacturing and other major economic development wins, South Carolina is booming.
According to the Census Bureau, the Palmetto State had the fastest growing population in the nation in 2023, largely due to the tremendous impact of the state’s economic prosperity.
Duke Energy, a key player in supporting the region’s growth, today updated the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) on how expanding customer needs call for the addition of new energy generation resources to ensure South Carolina continues its leadership in both economic development and the clean energy transition.
PR Newswire
Firm acquires North Alabama industrial facility, eyes aerospace hub
MUSCLE SHOALS, Alabama — AE Industrial Partners (AEI), a private equity firm specializing in aerospace, national security and industrial services, today announced that its affiliate Rocket Shoals LLC has acquired a sprawling industrial facility in Colbert County with plans to redevelop it as an “aerospace center of excellence.”
Boca, Raton, Florida-based AEI acquired the facility — known informally as the “Shoals” — from the Retirement Systems of Alabama. Located at 1200 Haley Drive in Cherokee, the facility is situated on 638 acres and contains 2.27 million square feet of industrial zoned manufacturing capacity.
Currently unoccupied, the LEED-registered building’s previous tenants include National Steel Car, Navistar, and FreightCar America.
AEI says the space is well suited for aerospace manufacturing and will become the new headquarters for select portfolio companies as well as other aerospace suppliers, manufacturers and innovators.
In addition, AEI will be partnering with Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans with reservation lands in South Alabama, to provide joint capabilities and bring innovative solutions to federal customers.
“AE Industrial is a highly focused investment firm, with a strategy to drive value creation at the nexus of the aerospace, space and defense markets — all sectors that are currently thriving in Alabama,” said David Rowe, co-CEO and managing partner at AE Industrial.
“We look forward to building an aerospace center of excellence in Muscle Shoals that benefits the community, the state of Alabama and our portfolio companies,” he added.
Kevin Jackson, president of Shoals Economic Development Authority, said his organization is excited to work alongside the Rocket Shoals team as it develops the aerospace hub.
“This transaction opens the doors to many new possibilities for The Shoals,” Jackson said. “We can’t wait to get started on this new endeavor opening up Northwest Alabama as an aerospace destination.”
AEI said the greater Muscle Shoals area, as well as the corridor that extends east to Huntsville, is home to a well-educated workforce and a growing cohort of aerospace industry engineers and technology professionals.
“We are proud to call Alabama home as we expand several of our marquee companies in the Shoals area,” said Chris Emerson, senior partner at AE Industrial.
“Our collective experiences with past projects, including Mercedes-Benz and the Airbus final assembly line in Mobile, give us confidence in our strong regional relationships and ability to engage with local partners to establish north Alabama as an ‘aerospace corridor’.”
ALABAMA AEROSPACE
Over 300 aerospace companies from more than 30 different countries have operations in Alabama, including industry giants such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, GE Aviation and Raytheon, according to data from the Alabama Department of Commerce.
In Huntsville, Redstone Arsenal is a major research, engineering, and test center that houses the Army’s critical missile defense and aviation programs. The Arsenal is also home to the Marshall Space Flight Center, one of NASA’s largest and most historic facilities.
In addition, Airbus produces A320 Family and A220 passenger jets at its only U.S. manufacturing facility, located in Mobile, Alabama.
“Alabama’s aerospace sector is robust and ideally positioned for growth because of its many capabilities,” said Ellen McNair, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“I look forward to seeing how AEI’s plans for an aerospace hub in the Shoals area can contribute to the industry’s growth curve,” she added.
MadeinAlabama.com
Georgia wanted to attract more data centers. Now it needs more power
Last fall, the state’s largest electric utility — Georgia Power — came to regulators with a surprising request.
Just months after placing the country’s first new nuclear reactor in decades into service, the company said it already needed to make more electricity, and fast.
Georgia Power said a wave of economic development of “unprecedented magnitude and speed” is heading for the state. To meet the coming demand, it wants to add huge amounts of new capacity, mostly powered by fossil fuels.
Incoming electric vehicle and battery factories have significant electricity needs. But in hearings this month, Georgia Power revealed the vast majority of its forecast demand crunch — roughly 80% — is driven by different kinds of facilities: data centers.
Whether you’re browsing Instagram, uploading photos to the cloud or using artificial intelligence, our digital lives are powered by data centers. But the often-stark warehouses packed with computer servers are electricity and water hogs, nearly as insatiable as the market’s demand for the facilities themselves.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
