1. Boom: job growth beats expectations.

• The economy added 312,000 jobs in December.
• That’s almost double what was expected, according to a hot-off-the-presses jobs report.
• U.S. employers dramatically stepped up their hiring in an encouraging display of strength for an economy in the midst of a trade war, slowing global growth and a partial shutdown of the federal government.
• The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.9 percent, but that reflected a surge in jobseekers— a positive for growth.
• Average hourly pay improved 3.2 percent from a year ago.
• The health care, food services, construction and manufacturing sectors were the primary contributors to last month’s hiring.
• The strong job gains suggest that the struggling stock market has yet to depress expectations that the economy will expand for a 10th straight year.
• The jolt in hiring offers a dose of reassurance after a tumultuous few months..
• Read more here.

 

2. Airbus expanding.

• Alabama’s aerospace industry got a boost Thursday as Airbus announced it would be expanding to build additional aircraft.
• Airbus says it will build a new manufacturing facility at its Brookley campus in Mobile to fulfill orders for 120 new passenger aircraft from JetBlue Airways and the startup airline Moxy. Construction will begin later this month.
• JetBlue and Moxy each ordered 60 of the A220-300 aircraft manufactured by Airbus.
• The company already employs about 500 people in Mobile.
• Read more here.

 

3. Gray buys Raycom; RSA takes all of CNHI.

• Gray Television’s acquisition of Montgomery-based Raycom Media is now complete.
• Raycom operates television stations in Montgomery (WSFA), Birmingham (WBRC), Huntsville (WAFF), and Columbus (WTVM). Those will now become Gray Television stations.
• Pat LePlatney, who had been Raycom’s president and CEO, now becomes Gray’s president and co-CEO.
• Here’s hoping the move doesn’t affect some of the great news staff those stations employ and those in the Raycom home office.
• The Retirement Systems of Alabama had been a majority owner of Raycom. That’s no more with the sale now complete.
• RSA has now become the sole owner of Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., a company that operates more than 100 newspapers in 22 states.
• RSA CEO David Bronner said the pension system has been involved with CNHI for decades and that it’s a good investment.

 

 

4. Bless the rains.

• Heavy rains are causing flooding problems throughout Alabama.
• Forecasters have issued flood watches and warnings for western, northern, and southeastern Alabama.
• The National Weather Service says an additional 2 inches of rain could fall in spots by noon today.
• The Black Warrior, Tombigbee and Sucarnoochee rivers in western Alabama are at flood levels;
• The Tennessee River at Florence is near flood levels previously reached in 2011;
• The Alabama River was overflowing into downtown Montgomery’s riverfront already this week;
• And the Chattahoochee River in southeast Alabama is cresting as well.
• Also flooding: my back yard.
• It’s almost over, though. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun.

 

 

5. News Briefs

• Some Montgomery leaders want to hold a special election to increase property taxes to raise money for local schools.
• But, that might not be possible without approval from the Alabama Legislature.
• The Montgomery Advertiser’s Krista Johnson spoke with State Superintendent Eric Mackey who explained that the previous authorization to hold a referendum expired after it was used in 1994.
• So, add that to the list of things the Legislature will be dealing with this year.
• Read her full story HERE.

• Gov. Kay Ivey bragged on the state’s successful First Class Pre-K program in Mobile Thursday at the Early Childhood Education Conference.
• She also signaled that she would ask the Legislature for more funding in the upcoming Regular Session.
• There’s no better time to ask, really. First Class is having a bit of a moment right now, with studies showing its long-term benefits for kids and national stories highlighting its effectiveness.
• Also, the Education Trust Fund looks to be pretty healthy this year.
• Read the full story from John Sharp, who attend the event.

• Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib made history Thursday when she was one of two Muslim women sworn into Congress.
• Maybe it was all too much. At a MoveOn.org reception last night, Tlaib ended a “thank you” speech by promising to impeach President Donald Trump in pretty explicit terms.
• Paraphrasing a conversation she had with her son (wait for it), she told the crowd:

• Watch for yourself (language).

 

Headlines.

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